RARA-AVIS: Re:EQMM, AHMM

Kevin Smith (kvnsmith@total.net)
Fri, 13 Feb 1998 10:00:51 -0500 >EQMM prints more p.i. stories these days than when Eleanor Sullivan was the
>editor in chief. Jeremiah Healy, Bill Pronzini, Marcia Muller, Clark
>Howard, Doug Allyn among others contribute good stories.

Thanks, Jiro. Both AHMM & EQMM are available in Canada, at any half-decent
newstand. Because of their size, they may be a bit hard to spot, and some
places have no idea where to put them. I've found copies tucked in with
crossword puzzle books, in the literary section, in the hobby section, in
with the comics, and even tucked in beside Penthouse Forum (I guess because
they're about the same size). But they are out there, and they're worth
tracking down. Of course, they cover the whole mystery genre, and not all
the stories could be considered hardboiled, but there are some surprisingly
tough-minded stories in there sometimes. There's also a lot of cute stuff
about crime-solving Tibetan monks, elderly florists and cats, and the like,
which is why I don't subscribe. But I always check out the contents of each
new issue. I've found some great stuff that way. And keep an eye peeled at
garage sales, flea markets and such. Ols issues of EQ and AH are always
popping up in these places, often for ridulously low prices. It's a great
way to find uncollected short stories from not just the folks Jiro
mentioned, but also writers like Michael Collins, Lawrence Block, Joe
Gores, Andrew Vachhs, Sara Paretsky, Loren Estleman, Joseph Hansen, and
probably a bunch of others I can't think of right now.

In fact, one of the great lost P.I. series (or at least one of my
favorites) of the eighties and nineties, Rob Kantner's Ben Perkins,
appeared in seventeen or so short stories in AHMM, most of them before he
jumped to full-length novels. Now there's a series of stories that begs
collecting (Hmmmm....where's that address for Crippen and Landru?)

But I digress...

Kevin Smith
Web Guy for The Thrilling Detective Web Site
For info, mailto:kvnsmith@total.net

"It's the detectives come to see about the parents
Who are ready to hear the worst about their daughter's disappearance..."
-
Watching the Detectives (Elvis Costello)

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