Mark wrote:
>I ran across The Second Black Lizard Anthology of
Crime Fiction in a
>book store today. I didn't even know there had been a
second volume.
>How is it? Should I go back and get it?
Absolutely. I don't have it with me, but it's well worth
getting, and a LOT harder to locate than the first one. I
remember it as almost as good as the first.
>However, with very few exceptions, Parker is a
consummate professional.
>He would never double-cross his partners, not due to
any loyalty or
>morals, but due to professionalism. As a matter of
fact, Parker is
>entirely amoral. There are several times in the
series where he must
>decide whether or not to kill someone. Parker never
even considers
>questions of right and wrong, but on the action's
cost effectiveness,
>pure situational ethics. Will the killing further his
ends or will it
>bring him even more trouble? And Parker pays for
those very few times
>he shows pity; in almost every case, the spared comes
back to get him
>and Parker regrets not having killed him/her when he
had the chance.
That's also the way I felt about Hit Man by Block, with the
exception that the novel is ABOUT that dilemma. The Hit Man
in question comes into moral conflict, and the novel is about
the process of his dealing with his professionalism vs. his
deepening conscience. A great read, in fact one of my
favorites by Block since Matt Scudder quit drinking.
>The Name of the Game is Death and The Endless Hour by
Dan J. Marlowe --
>Earl Drake almost makes Parker seem nice, although
part of that is
>because Parker's cold professionalism is replaced
with a burning rage.
Agreed!
>Four For The Money by Dan J. Marlowe -- a one-off
caper book about a
>crew of ex-cons who team up for an armored car
heist.
Haven't read this one. I've found some of Marlowe to be
unreadable. Anybody up to compiling a Must-Read Dan Marlowe
list?
-dc
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