Richard,
I got your point about Pelecanos and agree that Ellroy or
Raymond would have made it just as well. I didn't think for
an instant that it was the toughness, the bleakness or even
the nastiness of Bruen's White Arrest that put you off.
Frankly, the other three authors display far more of all
three traits than Bruen (at least in these books) and display
it far more realistically and to more effect.
I again agree with your criticism of the book, that the
characters are cardboard thin and not very believable.
However, I thought that was a good thing. I saw them as
exaggerated for humorous effect (and I don't see anything
directly spoofing Ellroy, just that both write about cops who
are nasty people). I found it highly amusing that the cases
just came together, or didn't, and it had very little to do
with police work as we expect in a police procedural. There
is little or no procedure here.
I just found the books hilarious. They cracked me up. So I
guess it just boils down to the often unexplainable reason
one person laughs at a joke and another doesn't.
As far as Hackman Blues goes, be reassured it has nothing in
common with the Whtie Trilogy, in character, content or
style. It's a first person account from an unreliable
narrator, a wacko hardcase.
Speaking of hardcases, I've just started Strongarm by Dan J
Marlowe. Based on only two chapters, Pete Karma seems like
he'll be as nasty as his other heroes.
Oh, Richard, just out of curiosity, why did you choose those
particular books to reread from the many in the Dan Fortune
series? I read them all a long time ago and enjoyed them very
much, but they have kind of blended in my mind. So why those
two?
Mark
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