RARA-AVIS: New to List and trying to get over phobia

From: Roy Epstein ( dortmunder2@yahoo.com)
Date: 11 Jan 2000


I've been reading this list on the archives for about a year now and finally decided to get in on the action. I feel I need to make a confession up front however: I'VE NEVER READ HAMMETT OR CHANDLER (there...it felt good to get it off my chest). I've always had a bit of what I would call 'new author phobia.' Once I find an author I like I tend to stick with him until the well runs dry. My favorites have always been:

Ed McBain Donald Westlake Ross Thomas Elmore Leonard John D. Macdonald

The problem is that, even though I've been reading these guys for years, I'm still not even close to the bottom of the well (heck, I don't even think McBain himself is sure how many books he's written...and Westlake probably doesn't even remember all his pseudonyms)!

Thanks to you folks on this list, however, I'm slowly conquering my phobia. Based on Rara-avis recommendations I have tried the following authors in the past several months and enjoyed all of them: George Pelecanos, Dan J. Marlowe, Donald Hamilton, Peter Rabe, Joe Lansdale and Charles Willeford. The only new guy I didn't care for was Ross Macdonald. I'm not surprised, however, since I've always been partial to the non-PI stuff (the only PIs I've ever really taken to are Spenser, Scudder, and Nameless). Anyway, keep those recommendations coming!

Roy

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