Re: RARA-AVIS: Hard-Boiled and Sensitive

Mario Taboada (matrxtech@sprintmail.com)
Tue, 26 May 1998 14:25:27 +0000 I don't think adopting a hardboiled posture is at odds with revealing
the human side of a protagonist or other characters. It all depends on
how it's done.

I recently re-read, after at least ten years, Michael Collins's classic
Dan Fortune novel "The Silent Scream". Besides presenting us with an
excellent hardboiled novel in the classic style, Collins manages also to
infuse Dan Fortune with a real personality, revealed as much by what he
does say as by what he doesn't and by how he reacts to people and
events. It's not news that Collins/Lynds is a consummate pro, but until
now I had not fully appreciated his subtlety in characterization. In
later Dan Fortunes, he adopted a more strident, even hectoring tone that
detracted from the story - but those first few books are exceptional.

Regards,

Mario Taboada
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