Should we also include the London Lassassin and Denise
Mina?
Joy, accidentally rereading _Sunshine Enemies_ and learning
that, yes, Constantine's earlier books also had no chapters
(I hadn't noticed) and reaffirming that Balzik as top cop was
too irritable and that she much prefers the later books
> Your preliminary reading list for UK
HB/Noir.
>
> Derek Raymond. He is sadly out of print in the UK
(apart from a couple of
> atypical titles from Serpeant's Tail - The Crust On
Its Uppers, which is
an
> early novel written under his own name of Robin Cook
and comes nowhere
near
> his later heights. And, A State of Denmark, which
although I think is a
> strong work probably shouldn't be classed under HB -
it's a dystopian
> political piece.)
>
> However. Should you be able to get hold of any of
his Factory series, you
> should.
> Dead Man Upright, He Died With His Eyes Open (my
favourite), The Devil is
> Home on Leave, How the Dead Live, and most famously;
I Was Dora Suarez. He
> wrote other titles that are similar, Not Till The
Red Fog Rises, is the
only
> one I have read.
>
> I know I have carped on and on about Raymond but I
think he is my
favourite
> author, and the most compassionate writer I have
ever read. I Was Dora
Suarez
> has won the most attention of his work, I think
largely because it is so
very
> disturbing. As I say above I think, HDWHEO, is
better. The "hero" of the
> Factory series is the nameless Sgt in the Department
of Unexplained
Deaths,
> based at Poland Street police station in Soho - The
Factory. I find his
work
> moving in the extreme. They are by no means
procedurals - probably
extremely
> innacurate. Raymond's autobiograpical musings - The
Hidden Files, are very
> illuminating and can tell you more about his work -
which he calls the
Black
> Novel, than I ever could. I rate him with Chandler
and Hammett and Ellroy.
>
> Ted Lewis is most famous as the author of the novel
behind Get Carter;
Jack's
> Return Home. His books are currently in print in the
UK from Allison and
> Busby. I'm sorry that I cannot provide US
information but hope you fellahs
> can track him down. He writes well, and I think his
plotting is excellent.
> The only ones I can reccomend from personal
experience are Jack's Return
> Home, Jack and the Mafia Pigeon, and Plender. All of
which I enjoyed/
>
> David Peace is being touted as the British James
Ellroy, largely on the
> strength of his Yorkshire Quarter - which rewrites
history in Ellroy
style. I
> am pretty sure they are called: 1974, 1977 and 1980
so far. I have read
the
> first two and was most impressed by the first. I
think he tries an Ellroy
> style stylistic jump into stream of consciousness
that doesn't quite come
> off. Still fine stuff though and I read 1977 in one
feverish sitting,
which
> must stand for something.
>
> Rankin. He has been much discussed on Rara Avis
anyway, but I think he can
> fairly be called the "biggest" writer on the UK HB
scene at the moment. I
> enjoy his books immensely, although I am not
entirely convinced by Rebus.
> And, if any US readers are having trouble with
slang, it is equally
foreign
> to anyone in the UK outside of Scotland for a lot of
the time. The St
> Leanords Years omnibus would be a great starting
place.
>
> I have enjoyed what I have read by Carol Anne Davis,
particularly Noise
> Abatement. She also writes true crime stuff, which I
haven't read.
>
> This list is going on a bit now, sorry.
>
> Jake Arnott is a big name. I read The Long Firm, and
virulently hated it,
I
> still haven't read He Kills Coppers, but if it
manages to be less lazy,
> reductive and poorly researched than the first that
can only be an
> improvement. Much better IMHO is Anthony Frewin -
Soho Blues and Scorpion
> Rising (both of which have Get Carter's heavy shadow
on them).
>
> Who else?? Nicholas Blinkoe, Stella Duffy, Val
McDiarmid, Minette Waters
and
> many many more spring to mind.
>
> John Le Carre is one of my favourite authors, as is
Graham Greene, but
> neither are, I think, really hardboiled - although
certainly noir. Irving
> Welsh is well worth reading as well, outside our
category.
>
> I shall pause for now and send more later. Any of
the above authors are
> probably worthy of discussion. It strikes me that it
would be interesting
to
> learn how they read in America - are nuances lost?
The class system and so
> on. Is there such a thing as British hardboiled -
the pulp fiction of
these
> islands?
>
> Comics and graphic novels have had a very hardboiled
edge in this
country -
> Alan Moore is the absolute best but Preacher is
another interesting
series.
>
> Must stop, interested to hear back from anyone, and
I am chasing an
author!
> www.crimetime.co.uk, and sites for no exit and the
do not press are worth
> looking at. Anyone wanna name more UK authors I
would love them too - I
have
> already missed out one suggested Irish author
because of my own poor
admin!!
> Please name him again/.
>
> All the best, Colin.
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