I see no reason to read Chandler's or Hammett's works in chronological
order. And yes, I do think Chandler is hardboiled. His sense of humor
does not detract from the hardboiledness of characters and situations.
What I value the most by Chandler are his short stories and The Long
Goodbye, but it's all good stuff, rereadable as many times as you
want. I am considerable less fond of Paul Cain and not fond at all of
Carroll John Daly. Besides Whitfield, you might want to try Nebel and
Norbert Davis, two very different contemporaries of Hammett and Chandler.
Best,
mrt
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : 10 Jan 2009 EST