> ... Jake Arnott is the latest Brit Ellroy - I
submitted a review of
> his first book THE LONG FIRM to mystery guide.com
largely because I was so
> annoyed at the positive critical reaction to what I
saw as a lazily
> researched see through re-write of the 1960's by
numbers. His new one is just
> out to a similar reaction - I will be interested to
see what it's like. I am
> yet to find much in the way of decent British
noir/hardboiled but will be
> pleased to be pointed at some. ... - Douglas E
Winter RUN
>
> On the Scottish/English issue, I am reminded of a
quote from
> Trainspotting:
>
> Some people hate the English, but I don't. They're
just wankers. We,
> on the other hand, are colonized by wankers. We
can't even pick a
> decent culture to be colonized by. We are ruled by
effete arseholes.
> It's a shite state of affairs.
>
> Mark
Personally, I have yet to read anything from the British
Isles that sates my tastes in hb literature though Arnott's
THE LONG FIRM is one book that has come closest. Really
enjoyed that book, point of fact, and recall getting
marginally trounced on this list a-way-back when I first
declared it. Why? Probably because the commentator felt some
need to make it known that they their taste in lit was a bit
more "refined" then mine, which is fine of course; have at it
I say. Timlin on the other hand is indeed a softy, and unlike
Arnott, doesn't possess the tools of communication I find
worth listening to. I think maybe one reason why the Brits
like to assign the Ellroy tag is he personifies the "ugly
American" tag we're so often derided by: oh how they love to
hate us!
The word-for-word TRAINSPOTTING quote referenced is
definitely my favorite rant from the film. I originally saw
the film with a friend from Ireland who was visiting, and
after he recovered from laughing his ass off he told me a
more frankly laid statement would be hard to make...
-Peter
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