As O-fficial thememaster for DC month, let me say a few words
about the city's crime fiction and a few authors I know
about.
Most people probably think of espionage or legal thrillers
involving politicians when they think of "mysteries"
involving DC. However, in the last 15 years, DC has given
rise to a strain of hardboiled fiction that has little or
nothing to do with the elected visitors to the city.
There were some precursors. Steve Bentley, created by Robert
Dietrich
(AKA E Howard Hunt), was a Playboy CPA who often got involved
with murder. Stephen Marlowe's Chester Drumm had offices in
DC, but the few books I've read in the series took place in
foreign locales. And Ross Thomas set several of his books in
DC, working that blurry area of overlap between internatonal
intrigue and homegrown hardboiled.
James Grady's "Six Days of the Condor" (and the movie, which
cut the time in half) also fused a spy thriller with that
hardboiled staple, a man on the run. Grady completed his jump
to hardboiled with two books featuring DC PI John
Rankin.
Following closely in his footsteps was Leo Haggerty, created
by Benjamin M Schutz. Most of Haggerty's jobs begin in DC's
upscale suburbs, but they sometimes take him into the city
(once, he calls Grady's Rankin for a bit of info). This
series is top-notch. The first, "Embrace the Wolf," was
nominated for a Shamus, the third, "A Tax in Blood," won one.
Kevin Burton Smith has said of the fifth: 'And, in my
exceedingly humble opinion, "A Fistful of Empty" is possibly
one of the best PI novels of all time. So, the question is,
"What ever happened to this guy?"' Well, he is right here.
Mr. Schutz has graciously agreed to drop in on our
discusssion this month.
And then along came George Pelecanos. George's Nick Stephanos
is not your usual PI. He probably has far more in common with
Goodis's drunken heroes than with Phillip Marlowe, who could
hold his liquor. After three books featuring Nick and
"Shoedog," a one-off caper novel in the tradition of classic
Gold Medals, George wrote the so-called (but not by him) DC
Quartet, which explores DC's history of race and working
class life, while continuing to satisfy crime fictions fans.
His most recent work is back in contemporary times.
Although less than half of Kenji Jasper's "dark" is set in
DC, it casts a shadow over the entire book. Only after
running away after a violent act does Thai Williams start to
realize how the Shaw neighborhood has imprisoned his mind,
shackling his expectations and telling him he can never be
anything more than a thug.
As Anthony has pointed out, "A Murder of Honor" is the first
in a projected series by Robert Andrews, featuring DC cops
Frank Kearney and Jose Phelps.
Douglas E. Winter's "Run" is a compelling gun-running
thriller, much of which is set in Virginia's suburbs.
A secret history of the upscale Bethesda and Potomac,
Maryland, suburbs is at the core of Derek Van Arman's "Just
Killing Time." Although I'm no big fan of the serial killer
genre, this book emphasizes the investigation of the
psychopathology, not the mythology of killers.
And Kevin lists several more DC detectives I don't know on
his website
(www.thrillingdetective.com/trivia/triv59.html).
I know there are quite a few listmembers who live, or have
lived, in the DC metropolitan area, and some more got a
glimpse of the city at Bouchercon, so what do all of you
think of its fictional counterparts? Please chime in on any
of the above or anyone I've forgotten or don't know
about.
Mark
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