Heartbreak and Vine tells the story of the close links between crime fiction and films. Most of the great names of crime fiction, from the early greats like Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, W.R. Burnett and James M. Cain to Elmore Leonard and James Ellroy have spent time in Hollywood.

Haut recounts their experiences and interviews contemporary crime novelists like Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane and George Pelecanos about their Hollywood experiences.

A must read for anyone interested in either American crime fiction or film noir.