Picture a gritty Los Angeles street, where the pulse of crime meets the heart of storytelling—meet Miles Corwin! A former Los Angeles Times crime reporter turned bestselling author, Corwin has woven tales that grip readers with their raw authenticity and vivid detail. From nonfiction exposés to thrilling detective novels, his work captures the soul of LA’s underbelly with a journalist’s precision and a novelist’s flair.
The Making of Miles Corwin
Born in Los Angeles, Miles Corwin grew up near the gritty edge of Skid Row, where his family lived in his grandfather’s Rosslyn Hotel. This early exposure to the city’s raw side shaped his fascination with crime and justice. After graduating from UC Santa Barbara and earning an M.A. from the University of Missouri School of Journalism, Corwin spent over five years as a Los Angeles County beach lifeguard before joining the Los Angeles Times. His crime beat in the 1990s, during a surge of gang violence and crack cocaine, fueled his drive to uncover the human stories behind the headlines.
Miles Corwin’s Unforgettable Stories
Corwin’s nonfiction books are masterclasses in immersive journalism. The Killing Season (1997), a national bestseller, follows LAPD homicide detectives through South Central LA’s violent summer, blending gritty realism with social commentary. And Still We Rise (2000), which won the PEN USA West Award for nonfiction, chronicles the lives of gifted inner-city high school students navigating adversity. Homicide Special (2004), a Los Angeles Times bestseller, dives into high-profile cases, including the murder of actor Robert Blake’s wife. Transitioning to fiction, Corwin introduced Ash Levine, a Jewish LAPD detective and Israeli Army veteran, in Kind of Blue (2010) and Midnight Alley (2012). These novels, praised for their complex plots and vivid LA settings, showcase Corwin’s knack for crafting flawed, relatable heroes who tackle crime with relentless determination.
His writing style is a seamless blend of journalistic rigor and narrative drive. Corwin’s prose is lean yet evocative, painting LA’s freeways, delis, and dark alleys with cinematic clarity. Themes of redemption, justice, and the human cost of violence run through his work, reflecting his deep empathy for both victims and those caught in crime’s orbit.
Why Miles Corwin Matters
Miles Corwin’s impact lies in his ability to humanize the chaos of crime and urban life. His nonfiction shines a light on overlooked communities, from South Central’s grieving families to inner-city scholars, giving voice to the voiceless. His fiction, meanwhile, reinvents the detective genre with Ash Levine, a character whose Jewish heritage and moral complexity set him apart from typical cop protagonists. As a professor at UC Irvine’s Literary Journalism Program, Corwin inspires new writers to blend storytelling with truth. His work remains a vital lens on Los Angeles, capturing its beauty, grit, and contradictions.
- Born: Los Angeles, California
- Key Works: The Killing Season, And Still We Rise, Homicide Special, Kind of Blue, Midnight Alley
- Awards: PEN USA West Award for Nonfiction (2000)
- Notable Role: Professor, UC Irvine Literary Journalism Program
Ready to dive into LA’s noir world? Snag Kind of Blue or The Killing Season and let Miles Corwin’s thrilling tales sweep you away!