Shots Magazine’s editors Mike
Stotter and I were devastated to hear the sad news of the passing of Joe
Hartlaub, as were so many of us in the crime, mystery and thriller genre.
Apart from one of our Greatest
Book Reviewers, specialising in Thriller Fiction, and a writer in his
own right - he was a renowned attorney specialising in the Music Industry.
I was first aware of Joe’s
reputation in the world of Thriller Fiction from Carol Fitzgerald’s Book Reporter. I enjoyed her weekly
emails each and every Saturday Morning in my inbox; always seeking out Joe
Hartlaub’s Thriller Picks and his reviews of newly published work.
I finally got to meet Carol
and Joe in the summer of 2006, at International Thrillers’ [ITW] first
convention, held at the Arizona
Biltmore in Phoenix in 2006. We were jurors
at an event entitled “The Jack Reacher
Trial” which featured two attorneys on opposite sides of the mock
courtroom, one for the prosecution, and one for the defence of Lee Child’s character
[played by the author himself]. The attorneys were played by legal thriller
writers who were actually lawyers in their day jobs. I recall one being Paul Levine but sadly my
memory fails to recall the second legal thriller writer.
From that time onwards a friendship
blossomed based on our love of all things bibliophilic.
Both Mike Stotter and I would
enjoy meeting up with Carol and Joe on our annual excursions across the
Atlantic at future Thrillerfests and Bouchercon conventions.
One of the most memorable times being Hat Shopping with Kelli Stanley and Joe in Cleveland Ohio, during Bouchercon 2012, as well as bumping into each other several times during Bouchercon Indianapolis in 2009.
And the impromptu meeting on Bourbon Street in New Orleans in 2016
They always raised a smile.
Both Mike and I had been in
touch with Joe just last month, discussing meeting up during the 2025 Bouchercon in New Orleans this
coming September. This city on the Louisiana Bayou was one of Joe’s favourite
cities in North America – probably due to its rich music heritage, especially
of the Blues. Joe had explained that though excited at the prospect –
especially as we’d not seen each other since 2016 – however he said he was a
tad ‘under the weather’, but hoped to
get better in time for September’s Bouchercon.
Sadly, we heard via Carol Fitzgerald
that Joe passed away last week.
“Joe graduated from the University of Akron in 1973 with a
Bachelor of Science (Accounting) and obtained a Juris Doctorate from the
University of Akron [School of Law] in 1977, when he began a legal career
spanning five decades. The majority of his 48 years in practice were devoted to
entertainment law, thanks in no small part to Joe's lifelong love of music and
the written word. He took great pleasure in helping his clients and worked
tirelessly on their behalf. “
Signing off, the obituary
closed with Chuck Berry line >
"'C'est la vie,' say the old folks,
'It goes to show you never can tell.'"
The Complete Obituary is HERE
Apart from the memories Joe
leaves behind, his blogposts at Kill Zone remain archived and can be accessed HERE and when Joe
retired from book reviewing at Bookreporter, in the summer of 2021, Carol Fitzgerald
organised a special feature entitled “Hats Off to Joe
Hartlaub” in which she asked many writers and colleagues of Joe to
write a little about what Joe Hartlaub’s work meant to them – and it’s a
fitting tribute to this dear friend and colleague of the world of Thriller
Fiction.
It can be accessed HERE
And finally let’s conclude
with a song
