This was the first Sam McCain book I read back in 2009 and what a pleasure it was. All of Ed Gorman's novels are a treat to read. You enter a world that is mostly filled with benevolent, well-drawn non-stereotypical characters.
And then Ed throws in the monkey wrenches that set that peaceful Iowa world on its ear. There is murder and mayhem but you are never offended. We have a gentleman here.
And then he sets things right in a humane and compelling way.
Especially fun for me were the sixties touchstones-and I really admired the way he caught it on the cusp of a new era-and captured it without overplaying its markers. Sam McCain feels young, vibrant, and on the edge of adulthood himself.
What I liked most about Ed's books is his obvious admiration and enjoyment of women. This is unusual in the books I read. His women are rarely shrews or nags or harpies. All of them seem like a romance or an adventure is just within their grasp--young and old.
My very favorite Gorman book is SLEEPING DOGS, but this is right up there. They all are.
3 comments:
I have the same feeling that you have when I read an Ed Gorman novel. I have a few that I've been saving. Maybe I should read one soon...
And this is one I still need to read...I bought a copy, and it went into a moving box before I cleared the decks enough to read it. I do tend to favor novels by non-misogynists (and broad-spectrum egalitarians) as well...and geniuses with the kind of vision and empathy Ed had. Past time to remedy that.
Patti, my favorite Ed Gorman book is also SLEEPING DOGS, and I read it a few years ago based on your recommendation. I like the Sam McCain books, but not as well as that one. I want to read more books in both series.
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