> How hard-boiled can a *sensitive* dude with a
girlfriend be?
Not very. For an extreme example of what the girlfriend can
do to the
dude *and* to the reputation of the writer, look at what
happened to
Robert Parker's Spenser...
>
> Also, there's all that annoying stuff about how much
Stefanos tips, what
> he ate, what he listens to on the radio --- it feels
like Pellecanos is
> very much aware of the reader looking over his
shoulder, and he is
> *desparate* to impress, to have Stefanos do/think/say
the right thing,
> listen to the right stuff, pass the label check. It's
as if a very
> hefty dose of Brett Easton Ellis has been stirred in
(_Less Than Zero_,
> not _American Psycho_).
>
> Maybe Pellecanos will lighten up, mature a bit as a
writer, and
> concentrate more on writing than posing.
>
> If you want recent hard-boiled, try to find some of
the Nick Sharman
> stories by Mark Timlin.
Or novels with an unredeemably bad guy as hero - as in
Richard Stark's
Parker series. In fact, Parker has *none* of the qualities
that the
sensitives would appreciate (but isn't "cherish" the cliche
of choice
for sensitives?). This series must rank among the most
hardboiled
writing ever. Mostly masterpieces, I would say. Has anyone
read the
latest Parker?
Another newish hardboiled author that I enjoy very much is
Jon Jackson -
tough, vivid, and not derivative or imitative (politely, "in
homage") of
the older hardboiled writers either. I always buy Jackson's
books
immediately after publication - I like to support him, since
he seems to
be a major talent with original ideas.
Best regards,
Mario Taboada
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