Of course, any discussion of this topic would have to include Norbert
Davis' Doan and Carstairs.
Somehow he pulled off the notion of mixing comedy, hard-boiled crime
and what is essentially a crime-solving Great Dane without once making
me want to stick a finger down my throat.
And I rather like Elvis Cole's on-again/off-again dalliances with the
feral cat in his neighbourhood. It's a generally subtle bit of
business, but it adds considerably to the tone of the stories.
Now Pearl the Wonder Dog's another story... granted, there's
something amusing about a big tough guy walking an annoying little
dog, but like Crumley's characters' prolonged propensity for substance
abuse, a little goes a long way, and a lot doesn't go anywhere.
Kevin Burton Smith
www.thrillingdetective.com
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