RARA-AVIS: Re: Gil Brewer's newest Stark House twofer (Part II)

From: jacquesdebierue ( jacquesdebierue@yahoo.com)
Date: 21 Mar 2008


--- In rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com, "e_lynskey" <e_lynskey@...> wrote:
>
> To piggy-back on my previous email re: Stark House's new Gil Brewer
> twofer, I finished the second novel, THE THREE-WAY SPLIT. It's also set
> in Florida, this time involving a shipwreck and treasure (like a
> Charles Williams sea noir). Nice tension between the son and rogue
> father, and quite different than DEVIL. Both novels are great stuff.
>

And piggybacking on your post to tie it in with another thread, Gil Brewer's work is proof that you can hook the reader and write fine noir stuff while disregarding realism. But they all do it: Willeford, Thompson, Goodis, Woolrich... even William Campbell Gault in his marvellous noir _Death Out of Focus_. For some reason, a noir story allows for greater suspension of disbelief than other types of crime stories. The reader apparently cuts the author a lot of slack in exchange for a damn good yarn.

Best,

mrt



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