originally here:
http://groovyageofhorror.blogspot.com/2007/12/grifters-game-by-lawrence-block-hard.html
GRIFTER'S GAME by Lawrence Block (Hard Case Crime 2004)
So you're set to publish an ambitious line of classic
hardboiled/noir reprints and original fiction inspired by
said classics . . . where the hell do you begin?!? Hard Case
Crime is Charles Ardai's baby, and he decided to start with
Lawrence Block's Gold Medal paperback original, Mona,
retitled and outfitted with a snazzy new classic-style Chuck
Pyle cover illustration. Considering how many truly awesome
novels Ardai must have had to choose from (even taking
rights-wrangling into account), there's little point in
arguing he might have chosen better; in any case, Grifter's
Game is certainly worthy of the designation HCC-001.
Which isn't necessarily to say it'll knock everyone's socks
off. Block's a little too good for his own good here; he
makes it look a little too easy to pull off a fairly complex
story like this, and the freshness of some plot twists may
seem muted by how solidly he delivers on genre expectations.
What makes this an excellent starting point for Hard Case is
how typical it is, in all the best senses of the word. It's a
great overture, perfectly setting the tone for everything
that follows.
So what's it all about? A playboy con artist inadvertently
steals a rich old mob guy's heroin--and not-so-inadvertently
steals his wife. There's only one way out, and if you can't
guess what it is, take a gander at the cover. So far, pretty
by-the-numbers, but that's when things get . . .
interesting.
Over at the Rara Avis forum, "Lawrence Block Month" runs
through December, so there's still time to snag your copy,
read it, and join in the discussion. Highly
recommended!
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : 22 Dec 2007 EST