Richard,
Yes, it's the same Robert Andrews. I haven't read them, but
he wrote four thrillers before the police procedural A Murder
of Honor. They are listed as: Center Game, Last Spy Out,
Death in a Promised Land and The Towers.
During the question and answer period following an interview
presented at the Smithsonian, Donald Westlake named The Red
Right Hand the
"perfect mystery." One of these days I've got to get around
to reading it.
As for the music in George's books. As well as good reportage
of the DC scene, George's musical choices also provide
insight into the characters who listen to the various
strains. Mark B and I were recently discussing this off list
(it's also come up here before), that there is some polarity
among readers about these shout outs. It really annoys some
people, while others get a big kick out of it. We agreed that
generation might play some role in the reaction.
I was thrilled when "my music" started showing up in
hardboiled novels. I first noticed this in James Grady
(Springsteen, among others), Benjamin Schutz (REM, Talking
Heads, etc, and Springsteen, again), Michael Cormany (Iris
Dement, Replacements and Husker Du, the pronunciation of
which defined the difference between the cool PI and the old
cop) and George (too many to list). I wonder if it's just a
coincidence that three out of four of these are DC
writers.
And Richard, how can you list DC Go-Go bands and leave out
Trouble Funk, my old school favorites? I remember this one
concert with them on a double bill with DC's premier punk
band Minor Threat (featuring Ian MacKaye, now of Fugazi), now
that was a night . . .
Mark
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