Both Predators and Dead Man are worth reading. I wonder if
Predators is based on a real case. It certainly sounds
realistic. As Jim has said, the transformation of the
character from a peaceful professor into a relentless pursuer
is remarkable and remarkably well done.
As to overwrought, it was Gore's first published novel and I
suppose he had to show his chops. The late sixties was not
the best time to publish crime novels. The genre was
moribund. I also agree with Mark that Gores has developed
from a fine writer into a classic. Another crime writer
commented that from a Gores novel you could make up a course
in good writing. I think this is true. The
Twain-Hemingway-Hammett (THH) tradition is going
strong.
Since this post is a salad, I would like to comment on
Westlake's remark on the excesses of Chandler's style. I
doubt that Westlake wants to attack Chandler or his legend.
But Westlake comes straight from the THH tradition (with some
Wodehouse added) and has perfected a technique that is
diametrically opposite to Chandler's.
If I were to teach someone to write crime fiction
(something far-fetched, but let's assume it), I would
specifically tell them not to try to write like Chandler.
It's already been done and it's dangerous. The Chandler
technique is not transferable without degradation. On the
other hand, THH is portable and available to anyone who has a
story to tell.
By the way, spurred by the discussion of Manuel's finds at
the library sale, I went and reread _Hand Upon the Waters_, a
chilling story in which Faulkner writes fluently in the THH
style. He could do it.
Regards,
MrT
=====
"The skill of man is unequal to the formation of a new man
from old materials, but the battered tenement may, with care,
be long sustained by props" -- From Becklard's
Physiology.
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