> The book Bill and others have mentioned -- David
Thomson's "Suspects" --
> has a sequel. "Silver Light" follows the founding
and taming of the west
> by literary and film characters, from Matthew Garth
(the character
> Montgomery Clift played in "Red River") to -- and
here's where it
> qualifies for this group -- "Chinatown"'s Noah Cross
who puts up the
> money for a silent film.
>
"Silver Light" is not exactly a sequel, both because it takes
place before most (or all) of the action of "Suspects," and
because it really does not involve the narrative thread of
"Suspects" nor "Suspects"'s dramatis personae (the
above-mentioned exceptions aside). I suspect
"Suspects"'s--(sorry)--artistic success led Thomson to try a
similar concept in a new book. The biggest difference is that
"Suspects" is a collection of character dossiers that adds up
in the end to a whole story, while "Silver Light" is much
more a traditional novel, using though a similar conceit,
i.e., the interaction of characters from movies with "real"
(that is, original) characters.
Both excellent reads. Only "Suspects" is hardboiled, in my
estimation.
Jim Beaver
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