I had to do a little work to get myself a copy 
of
Dan J. Marlowe's THE NAME OF THE GAME IS DEATH (from the archives). I just want to list what made it such a perfect
book to me.
of
Dan J. Marlowe's THE NAME OF THE GAME IS DEATH (from the archives). I just want to list what made it such a perfect
book to me.
1) the complexity of the protagonist
2) the writing-lucid, tense, succinct
3)
the way Marlow integrates a necessary back story into the plot. Now a
lot of writers today would say, we don't need to know all of this about
him. I disagree. Without this info, he's just a psycho. Now he's a
psycho, yes, but with grounding.
4) the length of the book. Truly you couldn't take much more of this degree of excitement.
5) the atmosphere, which is just exactly right for the plot, character, etc.
6) the integration of the violent aspects with the prosaic ones
7) the motivation for what happens. Because of the back story, we get it.
8) the ending.
I
could go on and on. What did you like about this book if you've read
it? If not, what book would you nominate for a perfect little gem? And I guess what "little" means is under 250 pages.
16 comments:
OK, that's it. I am going to have to track down a copy of this one. It does sound fantastic.
It is, Margot. It's short and fast and amazingly good.
This is a "fasten-your-seatbelt" thrill ride of a story! Compelling and suspenseful!
I also enjoyed this novel.
For everyone interested in reading this: Stark House reprinted this in a two-fer along with Marlowe's ONE ENDLESS HOUR.
I haven't read this one, but it sounds ike something I should read. I can't think of a perfect little gem at the moment, but now my mind is working on it.
I love this excerpt from TNOTGID:
"Bunny went through the front door in a sliding skid. The kid took one look at my face and started to run back around the front of the Olds. Across the street something went ker-blam!! The kid whinnied like a horse with colic. He ran in a circle for three seconds then fell down in front of the Olds, his white cotton gloves in the dirty street and his legs still on the sidewalk. The left side of his head was gone."
And for another another perfect little gem, how about Horace McCoy's They Shoot Horses, Don't They? 122 pages that are bleak and brutal.
I agree on THEY SHOOT HORSES, DON'T THEY? And there are so many more "perfect little gems."
My vote goes to Charles G. Finney's marvelous fantasy THE CIRCUS OF DR. LAO.
I have the old Black Lizard trade of this. I don't remember it well but I know I enjoyed it.
As far as other perfect short books: Some of Your Blood by Theodore Sturgeon and Land of Laughs by Jonathan Carroll come to mind.
Re: short books. Jean Paul Manchette comes to mind. I've only read FATALE. Lee Goldberg was plugging Manchette a week or two ago.
Have not read the Finney one.
Love THEY SHOOT HORSES.
So many books I haven't read. I even have the Manchette book!
Re Gerald's comment it is Jean-Patrick Manchette. Believe it or not, I learned of him from a very informative Bouchercon discussion of his work by Lee Child of all people, who used the word "existential" several times. As I remember it, Patti was the one who ran the panel. I've read all the Manchette books I could find, four to be exact. You need to be in the right frame of mind, but if you are, they're great. Well, two were great, the other two still readable.
Phil really liked him. I have yet to read him. Shame on me.
The old standby Double Indemnity's hard to beat.
I nearly forgot--The Crying of Lot 49, by Pynchon. A groundbreaking read for a journalist/conspiracy nut.
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