Have a lot of free time lately, so I've been on a bit of a
tear:
William Irish/Cornell Woolrich -- STRANGLERS SERENADE I've
talked about this book a bit in another post; although I'm
not a huge Woolrich fan, I liked this one a great deal.
Problem with it, though, is that the two plot twists around
which the book moves have been done to death: I saw 'em
coming a mile away and it just killed the second half of the
book for me. Woolrich might well have been the first one to
use these -- hey, why not? -- but that doesn't change
anything, really.
Harry Whittington -- MOURN THE HANGMAN I think Whittington is
the consummate professional -- I've *never* been disappointed
in a Whittington book. This one tells a familiar story for
him: guy is set up on a murder charge, has to race the cops
to find out the bad guy. But it's done exceptionally well.
Highly recommended if you can find it -- I picked up the
original paperback some time ago at a library sale.
Harold R. Daniels -- THE GIRL IN 304 I'm pretty sure Bill
Crider recommended this one somewhere. It's a solid police
procedural dealing with the murder of a prostitute in a
backwater Southern county. Starts out a little slow, but
Daniels is exceptionally good at characterization and the
book picks up steam about 1/2 way through, racing to the
climax and a genuine surprise ending. Again, recommended if
you can find it.
Marc Behm -- EYE OF THE BEHOLDER Really disliked this one.
Two unlikable characters -- a voyeuristic detective known
only as the "Eye" and a serial killer who seems to have no
character whatsoever -- encounter and begin a strange
relationship that lasts many years. Dull, completely
illogical, and in my opinion not particularly perceptive
psychologically. Has a bit of a cult reputation -- don't
understand why.
Right now I'm reading Eugene Izzi's INVASIONS, just in the
early pages of it but it's pretty good so far.
Happy Holidays, everbody!
doug
===== Doug Bassett
dj_bassett@yahoo.com
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