An interesting take on the crime novel. Gives it a bit of a family history and family trauma aspect that isn't usually around. One of the better Alex An interesting take on the crime novel. Gives it a bit of a family history and family trauma aspect that isn't usually around. One of the better Alex McKnight novels. My biggest complaint about these novels is the amplitude of the narrative never emotionally goes super high or super low. There are moments that are horrible (beatings, shootings, breakups) that are horrible, but Hamilton writes them almost surgically. The humanity is partially there. I can feel the pain of Alex in recovery, but he just doesn't dip deep enough into the well that say a Matt Bell or a Brian Evenson can evoke. The despair that exists in a pit, constantly gets shielded from the reader. Minor issue, but I keep wondering why I both like these books at one level, but never LOVE any of them....more
Think Die Hard at an amusement park. This novel continues Stark's deviation from his usual formula (Plan > Execute > Fix Mess created another > RevengThink Die Hard at an amusement park. This novel continues Stark's deviation from his usual formula (Plan > Execute > Fix Mess created another > Revenge > Get the bag > Return to the lady with a slightly darker more unbounded set of challenges for Parker. Like a game set to expert level, Parker dances and weaves through danger while caught in the proverbial funhouse. Makes me excited to read the graphic novel (four of the Parker novels were turned into graphic novels by Darwyn Cooke....more
That was the edge Parker had; he knew that survival was more important than heroics. It isn’t how you play the game, it’s whether you win or lose."
ThiThat was the edge Parker had; he knew that survival was more important than heroics. It isn’t how you play the game, it’s whether you win or lose."
Think Charles Manson meets Charles Bronson. A solid Parker novel that starts post heist. First 8 Parker novel follow a roughly similar format. Next 4 were his “score” novels. This is the first of the next 4 where Stark reinvents (maybe reinvents is too much) the Parker novels before Stark (Donald E Westlake) took a 29 year vacation from Parker. Anyway, this novel has Parker on catch-up and defense for most of the book as he chases down an adversary that doesn't operate logically. ...more
An interesting take on the heist novel. Brings in an Air Force base and a local psychiatrist/psychologist. Solid. Solid crime novel that feels relevanAn interesting take on the heist novel. Brings in an Air Force base and a local psychiatrist/psychologist. Solid. Solid crime novel that feels relevant in an age of active shooters....more
“Hey, we’re the same. Sit on our butts all day guiding things towards disaster. Car or script goes over the edge, we start again.” - James Sallis, Driv“Hey, we’re the same. Sit on our butts all day guiding things towards disaster. Car or script goes over the edge, we start again.” - James Sallis, Drive
An enjoyable, hard-boiled crime novella. I loved the movie and really enjoyed the book. It jumped around which was fine, but there still were a couple pot holes in the narrative I wished were filled; a few threads I wish got tied off better. But the dialogue was sharp and the narrative DROVE hard....more
"It’s not a mystery; it’s just the past.” - Martin Cruz Smith, Gorky Park
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I remember watching the William Hurt film adapted from this book in th"It’s not a mystery; it’s just the past.” - Martin Cruz Smith, Gorky Park
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I remember watching the William Hurt film adapted from this book in the early 80s. Great movie. Great book. The 80s had some absolute bangers for Cold War espionage/crime novels. I love this genre. It isn't an espionage thriller. It is basically a police procedural, but set on a different axis than New York (although this does have a NYC angle), Chicago, or Los Angeles. Some of the great that exist in this space, for my money are:
Olen Steinhauer's early crime novels (the Yalta Blvd Sequence) set a Soviet Era state that is basically a combination of Hungary and Romania:
Some of LeCarre's novels float a bit in this direction, but not absolutely. None of these authors reach LeCarre's best, but all three manage to hit close to his average with their best, if that makes sense.
Anyway, the idea is the same with these three authors. You are dealing with hard-boiled, crime fiction set in an alien/totalitarian landscape with sympathetic characters. The main detective is always sympathetic and manages to get the job done despite the restraints imposed by his system. One of the refreshing things about this is it allows a reader to reframe American Crime fiction and ask, how does our system also create an atmosphere that prevents crime from being resolved. One of the best authors who tackles this type of situation, for my money is Don Winslow.
This Cruz novel is the first of 10 Arkady Renko novels. So, Renko must be a cat+1....more
"Life is short and deserves a better cause." - Karl Kraus
"'By the way, Dr. Fairbairn said I was overdue for my prostate massage'. Helen signed, and the"Life is short and deserves a better cause." - Karl Kraus
"'By the way, Dr. Fairbairn said I was overdue for my prostate massage'. Helen signed, and then she smiled. 'I'll get the Crisco.'" - Charles Willeford, Sideswipe
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Book three in Willeford's four Hoke Moseley mystery novels. Hoke has had a breakdown and is sent to live with his father and his stepmother on Singer Island. His partner is pregnant and living with him and his daughters. His daughters have their own challenges. Meanwhile, a psychopath has met an old man in jail and is putting together a team for a perfect crime. Sometimes, not even a meltdown lets you get away from work for more than a month.
Willeford has an off-beat naturalism that might not be everyone's jam, but he's my jam and toast for sure. He has an insight into human nature and Miami that is hard to rival. ...more
“The world was a shitpot with a barbed-wire handle and the further he could kick it the better he liked it.” ― Jim Thompson, Texas by the Tail
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N“The world was a shitpot with a barbed-wire handle and the further he could kick it the better he liked it.” ― Jim Thompson, Texas by the Tail
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Not exactly crime fiction (although there is crime). Not exactly noir (maybe Texas Noir?). Texas by the Tail falls into more hustler fiction. Like most of his novels, his writing is penetrating, funny, and sharp. He fits right in with some of my favorite crime/noir/hard-boiled writers (Chandler, Hammett, Highsmith, and Leonard), this just isn't his best. It was entertaining, but I never felt trapped by the novel like I have previous Thompson novels. A solid book, just not top-shelf Thompson....more
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