Chris M. wrote:
> That said, the influence of Leonard looms greatly in
my
> favorite writers today, even though I enjoy his
books from the 70s more than
> his current work. Who could argue the influence that
Leonard has had on
> writers such as Pelecanos, who is among my very
favorites to read (others
> equal the enjoyment I get from a new book of his,
but no one exceeds it).
Really? Pelecanos influenced by Leonard? Interesting. I don't
see it. I think Leonard is funnier and more detatched from
his characters. There's a (perhaps unintentional?)
sentimentality that I see in Pelecanos' stuff that I don't
find in Leonard's.
When I think of writers whose styles are reminiscent of
Leonard's, and who are knocking 'em dead these days, I think
of people like Sean Doolittle, Sean Chercover, Robert Crais,
and T. Jefferson Parker (and these might not be writers who
are directly influenced by Leonard, but are influenced by
writers who were themselves initially influenced by Leonard,
making it sort of an echo effect, etc.). Doolittle's work is
especially evocative for me. Some of his passages are
downright elegaic, and every novel is about something or
someone completely different than the previous one (not
something a Pelecanos can really say).
> Sallis' Lew Griffin series debuted before the turn
of the century, but his current work remains no less
relevant.
If you're going to go that route, than don't you have to
mention Lehane? His Kenzie Gennaro stuff (which is vastly
inferior to, say, MYSTIC RIVER) came out before 2000, but I'd
argue that his writing since 2000 has been far better, and in
many ways far more influential than that series.
> He's already been mentioned, but Ken Bruen
consistently delights with his books, though I am not sure I
will like the writers that are influenced by his style down
> the road (this is not a knock on Ken. At
all).
Such as? Because I see guys like Victor Gischler and Al
Guthrie as the heirs apparent to guys like Ken. Have you read
GUN MONKEYS? I don't know whether Gischler would cite Ken (or
for that matter, Leonard) as an influence, but I certainly
see some of it in his work.. Read KISS HER GOODBYE? Not sure
Al would mention Bruen as a direct influence (they're
friends, after all, he might not want to give him the
satisfaction). Oh, and by the way, I'm half-way through
Guthrie's new one, HARD MAN, and I have to say that I like it
even better than KISS HER GOODBYE. Talk about laugh-out-loud
funny...
And then there's Jason Starr, who has actually written a book
with Ken, and whose TWISTED CITY I really liked.
> Is there anyone who has debuted since 2000 (and yes
the date is arbitrary) who is blowing other Avians away? If
so, please share.
He wrote before 2000, but it was journalism and non-fiction
work, so I have no problem mentioning Jess Walter, who wrote
CITIZEN VINCE. If you haven't read it, pick up a copy *now*.
What a wordsmith!
The writers I mentioned above are all worth a look as well,
for my money.
And then there's Megan Abbott.
Yow-ZA!
I read her debut novel, DIE A LITTLE, and loved it. Thought
she would be hard-pressed to top that, until I read her
follow-up, THE SONG IS YOU, which I am also currently
half-way through (I always have a lot of books going at the
same time). She's a comer, and don't let the skirt fool you,
her writing is tough as any fella's.
And let me not forget Eddie Muller's THE DISTANCE. Great
hard-boiled writing from a great hard-boiled historian.
Your Mileage May Vary-
Brian
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