Re: Re: RARA-AVIS: Top Two for Tigger

Mark Sullivan (ANONYMEINC@webtv.net)
Fri, 4 Sep 1998 17:52:54 -0400 (EDT) I agree with Reeves that if someone asked me how to get started in the
genre I'd recommend starting with Chandler and Hammett, probably Long
Goodbye and, depending upon the day, The Glass Key or Red Harvest.

But this all started as a way to help Tigger out and he's already read
those, plus Ellroy. So for my two, I'm setting those writers aside.
Therefore, I'd have to say my faves are probably Last Good Kiss by James
Crumley and The Hunter (aka Point Blank) by Richard Stark/Donald
Westlake. Of course, tomorrow I may want to replace the latter with
either James Lee Burke's Back Cherry Blues or Derek Raymond's Dora
Suarez or, maybe, a book by David Goodis.

Now, that said, Peter Enfantino brings up a valid point. It doesn't
take much reading in Rara Avis to pick up who we consider the Gods of
the genre, we hardly need to recommend them. If we are going to make
lists, it is far more interesting to point out buried books others might
have missed. I've always like those articles and/or books that go: if
you liked this and this, then you might want to try this. For instance,
I'm going to read Nobert Davis based on the recommendations of Mario and
others. he's someone who seems to be largely forgotten in the
mainstream, but is clearly highly regarded by many on this list.

We each have some personal favorites. For instance, I keep bringing up
Dora Suarez, Richard Stark's Parker series, Ted Lewis and Shooting Elvis
because I don't think enough people know about them. Similarly, I
appreciate it when others keep bringing up their pet faves. I'm going
to have to read Nobert Davis (somewhere I've got that Mysterious Press
anthology, now all I've got to do is find it). He seems to have been
pretty much forgotten by the mainstream, but he is clearly highly
regarded by many on this list, especially Mario.

Mark

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