THE LAST GOOD KISS, James Crumley
Crumley’s detective hero/antihero is C.W. Sughrue,is a war veteran who handles low-level P.I. jobs like spying on wayward spouses for divorce cases or locating deadbeats for bill collectors. While tracking down a troublesome author named Trahearne for the man’s ex-wife, Sughrue takes on a second job locating a missing daughter.
Tracking down Betty Sue is the main plot point that drives the novel forward, but it’s Trahearne, that makes the novel fun to read. When the two men strike up an odd friendship and Sughrue’s hired to find Betty Sue, Trahearne cajoles Sughrue into letting him tag along.
Sughrue often takes a backseat to both Traherne and to the beer-swilling bulldog Fireball.
The real star of the book, however, is the prose, the setting, the atmosphere. Lots of fun.
Brian Busby, GANG OF FOUR
CrossExaminingCrime, SIDNEY CHAMBERS AND THE SHADOW OF DEATH, James Runcie
Martin Edwards, MYSTERY AT OLYMPIA, John Rhode
Richard Horton, The Stars are Ours!, by Andre Norton/Three Faces of Time, by Sam Merwin, Jr.
Jerry House, NOT THIS AUGUST, C.M. Kornbluth
George Kelley, THE YEAR’S BEST SCIENCE FICTION STORIES: 1951 Edited By E. F. Bleiler and T. E. Dikty
Margot Kinberg, SILENT SCREAM, Angela Marson
Rob Kitchin, PARIS, TROUT, Pete Dexter
B.V. Lawson, THE DEATH OF A CELEBRITY, Hulbert Footner
Evan Lewis, THE MALTESE FALCON COMMISSION, Frank McAuliffe
Steve Lewis/David Vineyard, THE SPOOK HILLS MYSTERY, B.M. Bower
Todd Mason, FANTASTIC STORIES, August 1976, edited by Ted White; THE MAGAZINE OF FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION, August and September 1976, edited by Edward Ferman
J.F.Norris, THE CROSS OF FRANKENSTEIN, Robert J. Myers
Matt Paust, A FAR, FAR BETTER THING, Jens Soering and Ted Sizemore
James Reasoner, HOT LEAD FOR GLEAMING RAILS, Van Cort
Richard Robinson, What I Read, Part 4
Gerard Saylor, SPECIAL FORCES BERLIN, James Stejskal
Kevin Tipple/Barry Ergang, THIEVES'S DOZEN, Donald E. Westlake
TomCat, DEAD MAN TWICE, Christopher Bush
TracyK, GOLDFINGER, Ian Fleming
12 comments:
So much of these kinds of tales seem to hinge on the PI
The opening sentence of THE LAST GOOD KISS is one of the greatest ever.
Nothing from me this week, Patti. I'm taking a little break.
THE BEST, Barry. It is almost too good because you wait for another line that good and although there are many terrific ones, he could never top that.
Please add me to the list. Here's the link to my post:
The Cross of Frankenstein by Robert J. Myers
Thanks Patti!
Curtis has one: http://thepassingtramp.blogspot.com/2018/05/beefing-up-case-with-ropes-and-rings-by.html
Case with Ropes and Rings, by Leo Bruce
I haven't read Crumley yet...kind of a Ross Thomas/Joe Lansdale sort of humor?
I haven't read Crumley for a long time but my memories of his work are very good. Alas, I lost his books in a move. As I recall, he also had another PI who appeared in at least two novels.
Jim Meals
This was my first Crumley book, Jim. I know there are others though.
I would say his humor is more like Elmore Leonard.
Yeah, I take Leonard to be a model for both younger writers...Westlake, too. I got that vibe from your review.
I've recently become addicted to thrillers. Particularly John Sanford. It much be the Minnesota settings I familiar with...:)
Post a Comment