William Denton: I remember "Mystery" very well. It was a good
magazine, mostly non-fiction with a few short stories...kind
of a thinner "Mystery Scene" with color covers. Among other
things, it featured a review column by Dorothy B.
Hughes.
God knows what box it is in but I very likely have that
issue. Keep searching elsewhere because I won't be back in
the US before late October where I can search through storage
and it may be one of the issues I missed. But I doubt it as I
liked it enough to watch for it and may have subscribed. As I
recall, it went digest just before folding in the early
80s.
I'd be surprised if Crider doesn't have it. He has most
everything stashed in Alvin, Texas, except Evan Hunter's
first mystery, a PBO published by Falcon.
If he doesn't and if you don't find it elsewhere, remind me
in early October that you are still searching.
On the reading front, I have finished DOG EAT DOG by Edward
Bunker and found much in it to admire. It was as tough as I
expected given Bunker background as a guy who spent much of
the first half of his life in prison including a stint in San
Quentin and Marion. I had read his autobiography MR. BLUE (in
my edition at least) and I gather all his fiction draws on
his personal experience. I prefer the novel to the
autobiography as it had much more intensity.
The novel builds to a conclusion that seemed to lose momentum
and head into anti-climax and surprised me by regenerating
the intensity. The flaw? The novel takes on the "third
strike" laws that have swept the US and does a very good job
in demonstrating how they are counter productive. Over and
over again, it makes that case. That plus repeated scenes
where the lead character muses on the greater crimes of
members of the mainstream community makes it a bit too
didactic for my tastes. While I might agree that those who
allowed HIV positive blood donations to infect innocent
people, I had trouble buying a character musing on this as he
committed murder. It was just a bit too much.
So very good but it could have been great with a bit less
preaching. Show me, don't tell me.
Richard Moore
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