Ron Faust -- WHEN SHE WAS BAD
Very strange story about a man and a woman who hook up, then
fall into a strange mutual-revenge pattern that lasts many
years. Imagine the Double Indemnity duo if they'd lasted, and
you might get a flavor of this. Starts out slow but kicks
into high gear after the first sixty pages or so -- worth a
look.
Daniel Woodrell -- THE ONES YOU DO
Proving once again that the hardboiled approach can encompass
just about anything, this is basically a slice-of-life novel
with a few plot trappings. A bunch of marginal people in the
Deep South discover each other and work out their
relationships. Enjoyable, though I prefer Woodrell's GIVE US
A KISS.
Richard Prather -- TAKE A MURDER, DARLING
I think it's not quite true that Prather is a
"hilarious" writer. I was thinking about that, reading this
installment of the Shell Scott adventures. I almost never
laugh out loud when I'm reading a Prather. I'll smile, maybe
chuckle a little, but that's it. In this one, although there
are some amusing moments, he comes on serious more often than
not -- he's no Carl Hiassen. I'd say instead that Prather is
fundamentally "good-humored". Anyhow, this is typical Shell
Scott -- if you like the series you'll like this (though I
saw the climax coming a mile away.)
Lawrence Block -- SUCH MEN ARE DANGEROUS
Reading this now and it's simply excellent, one of the very
best Blocks I've ever stumbled across. Disaffected Green
Beret gets involved in a plot to steal armaments from an army
base. Very tough and direct -- qualities that are mostly
missing from present day Block, in my opinion. (Read about
this title in Ed Gorman's BIG BOOK OF NOIR, an absolutely
invaluable resource.)
doug
===== Doug Bassett
dj_bassett@yahoo.com
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