I think all of Gores's work fits in nicely in some corner of
the hardboiled world, as practiced in the pulps, then by
Hammett and others in book form, and then in the original
paperback era. Many hardboiled authors were also "light", in
the sense that the toughness of the characters and the
sordidness of the situations did not preclude humor (irony on
a minor or large scale, even grotesque humor).
If you look at Gores's characters, they are almost all
hardboiled to the core. The situations vary, and some (32
Cadillacs and its sequel) allow for humor on a large scale.
In my opinion, the humor does not overshadow the essentially
hardboiled nature of these stories. The King of the Gypsies,
for example, is an ultraharboiled little old man. Jana
Poteet, another gypsy, is a perfect specimen of hardboiled
female, probably one of the best in all of hardboiled
literature.
Every time Gores is discussed, I feel obliged to ask the same
question: why has he not been named a Grand Master by MWA? If
anyone is the optimal candidate, that is Joe Gores. Very high
quality, excitement, enduring body of work, a personal style,
versatility... and popularity as well.
Best regards,
MrT
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