The Bill Crane books, by Jonathan Latimer, on the other hand,
would be a
lot of fun, and maybe not so p.c. themselves. If people can
find them. Even
better, and probably even harder to find, is Latimer's
Solomon's Vineyard
(AKA The Fifth Grave, 1941), a non-series tale that echoes
Hammett's Red
Harvest, and hints at what both Mickey Spillane and Ross
Macdonald would be
doing in a few years. It was considered so nasty that it
wasn't even
published in its entirety in the States for years (the Brits
weren't quite
so fussy-they published it in 1941). However, it was
reprinted a few years
ago, along with all the Crane books, by IPL, and I was very
impressed.
Or maybe we could read something a bit more current, possibly
something
just out in paperback? Michael Stone's A Long Reach is just
out, and The Ax
by Donald Westlake must be out quite soon. It's great to read
and discuss
the classics, but I'd hate for this list to end up talking
endlessly about
the same old books by the same dead authors over and over,
and end up being
a bunch of pedantic old farts, clutching our dog-eared copies
of The
Maltese Falcon, moaning and groaning about how they don't
write 'em like
they used to.
In other news (and a rather shameless self-plug), The
Thrilling Detective
Web Site is now open, at http://www.colba.net/~kvnsmith/thrillingdetective/
, my site dedicated to fictional private eyes, gumshoes,
shamuses and other
tough guys. I'm also taking a poll on The Best P.I. of the
Nineties, so
drop by, snoop around, vote. Rara-Avians get in for free. And
ask for the
Denton Discount. There's still a few glitches, and of course
the site's
still not complete, but there's enough there to waste a bit
of your time.
And of course, I'll be accepting submissions, and comments,
and stuff (a
few other Rara-Avians have already contributed). And I'll
report back here
in a month with the poll results, if it's okay with
Bill.
And there's another new site worth checking out. It's the
Blue Murder
Magazine web site, at http://www.bluemurder.com
. It's an online crime
fiction mag, available for download in Acrobat format, that
promises "fresh
pulp on the web." Haven't read any of the stories yet, but
it's one
good-looking site.
Thanks, and I hope I passed the audition...
Kevin Smith
We Never Sleep at The Thrilling Detective Web Site
http://www.colba.net/~kvnsmith/thrillingdetective/
New Address! -> mailto:kvnsmith@colba.net
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