Jim wrote:
> Sure, there are plenty of PI novels and stories that absolutely
> depend on the puzzle. Bill Pronzini's Nameless, for example, is
> particularly adept at locked room mysteries.
But SHACKLED was as much about ESCAPING from a locked room as
anything. Man, I loved that one.
In fact, Pronzini's restlessness in plotting and themes is one of the
hidden pleasures of the genre. Not to slight Parker, but I wish
Pronzini enjoyed the same level of success. He deserves it. The
Spenser and Nameless series have got to be about the two longest
running P.I. series around now, and in a weird way, they complement
each other.
> My point isn't that PI stories are bereft of puzzles. Only that the
> action thriller element, whether or not it's built around a whodunit
> plot (and quite often it hasn't been, going all the way back to the
> beginning), is hardly a major evolution for this sub-genre.
When you're right, Jim you're right. The hard-boiled crime novel has
always placed much of its emphasis on action, right from the start,
with Three Gun Terry and Race Williams. And the hard-boiled film has
traditionally dumped the emphasis on its mystery elements for action
long ago.
I liked TRIGGER CITY as much as the next doofus, but it didn't break
any new ground in the genre.
Kevin Burton Smith
Editor/Founder
The Thrilling Detective Web Site
"Wasting your time on the web since 1998."
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