<<Damn few contemporary fictional detectives measure up
by today's standards of 'tough'.>>
Time to switch to the procedural? If you want something more
realistic, more lived, people like Wambaugh and Bill James,
for example, have done superb, unsentimental work.
The fattened up and softened up PI novel has done little to
further the genre. It has gained it some readers, but at what
price?
I was thinking about this while picking up Block's_Hope to
Die_ and reading a couple more chapters. Technically good
writing, but with a clear tendency to the common denominator,
to a comfortable composite of (what I assume are) generic
reader preferences. I mention Block because he is one of the
best current PI writers. If the best are doing this, what can
we expect from the genre as a whole?
I don't have a clear idea, or any statistics, about who reads
PI novels today (sex, economic class, age). Can the walking
encyclopedias of Rara-Avis enlighten me on this? Since we all
write to sell, the topic may be relevant to the health of
this august aviary (AA).
Best,
MrT
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