1. =93The Last Good Kiss=94 by James Crumley
Perhaps the most perfect and beautifully written P.I. novel
ever.
2. =93Red Harvest=94 by Dashiell Hammett
The prototype of the ultrahardboiled novel. Lean, mean and
cynical
prose; a classic tale of corruption. A perfect gem.
3. =93The Big Sleep=94 by Raymond Chandler
The finest work by the best stylist the field has produced.
Endlessly
re-readable.
4. =93Green Ice=94 by Raoul Whitfield
Whitfield was as good as Hammett. Green Ice is his
masterpiece - an
unforgettable tale of revenge described by Hammett as "Naked
action
pounded into tough compactness by stacatto, hammerlike
writing". It's an
apt description.
5. =93The Big Gold Dream=94 by Chester Himes
My favorite among the wonderful Harlem hardboiled fantasies
of Chester
Himes. This book perfectly integrates toughness, social
criticism,
tenderness, crazy humor, realistic dialogue, and a truly
original prose
style.
6. =93Freaky Deaky=94 by Elmore Leonard
What else can you say about something great other than that
it is great?
(A line stolen from Dorothy Parker discussing Ring Lardner.)
Leonard
shines here, with perfect dialogue, ultrahardboiled
characters, and a
plot that is as funny as it is explosive.
7. =93Mongo=92s Back in Town=94 by E. Richard Johnson
A book so tough it's scary. Before Ellroy, there was Johnson.
All his
books are great, but this one is an unforgettable classic.
After reading
this, the word 'Mongo" will never seem funny again.
8. =93The Big Nowhere=94 by James Ellroy
An enormously ambitious socio-historical hardboiled classic.
What Ellroy
did here, no crime writer had done before. The complex plot
is perfectly
held together and the characters are truly memorable. A
recent
re-reading confirmed its stature as one of the great
hardboiled novels
of all time.
9. =93The Friends of Eddie Coyle=94 by George V.Higgins
A perfectly polished cold dish in the ultrahardboiled style
of Paul
Cain* and Dashiell Hammett. Not a word is wasted. After the
last line,
the reader is left breathless.
=20
10. =93A Little Yellow Dog=94 by Walter Mosley
With this book, Mosley reaches his classicism. The quality of
the prose
bears comparison with Chandler, and the story is gripping in
its sadness
and realism.
*I had to exclude Paul Cain's "Fast One" because in a recent
try at
re-reading it I found it close to indigestible - and
incomprehensible.
Regards,
Mario Taboada
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