<<Then again, I'm surprised that Jonathan Valin's Harry
Stoner hasn't
placed at all, having been replaced by some of the newer,
shinier eyes.
Like Greenleaf, Valin has left us some powerful books, and
some even
more harrowing scenes (Life's Work and The Lime Pit come to
mind).>>
I have always liked (and kept) Valin's books. He is a very
solid writer.
There is also Roger Simon (Moses Wine series), a very fine
and funny
author who doesn't publish very frequently.
Speaking of great writers who are not very visible, what
happened to Max
Byrd? He wrote a few excellent books, then stopped. And does
anyone
remember Mark Schorr? And where is John Ball, whose "In the
Heat of the
Night" I recently reread with pleasure (and the realization
that the
book is a bit dated, even for these southron parts).
I end this hodgepodge on dropouts and invisibles with a kind
word for E.
Richard Johnson and his incomparable Mongo. Would there be
any takers
for a massive Johnson reissue? Does anyone know if Johnson is
alive?
Having read Johnson, I am less overwhelmed by Ellroy than I
should be.
Johnson is every bit as brutal as Ellroy, but arguably a
better writer.
I end his hodgepodge again by expressing mild dislike for the
work of
Vachss - his stuff doesn't click with me. What does a person
do with a
Vachss problem? [I got rid of my Evanovich and Hiaasen
problems by the
traditional Humean spring-cleaning method - to the
flames!]
Regards from Virginny,
Mario Taboada
#
# To unsubscribe, say "unsubscribe rara-avis" to
majordomo@icomm.ca.
# The web pages for the list are at http://www.vex.net/~buff/rara-avis/.