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RARA-AVIS: Introduction 

Just to introduce myself to the list.  I work at Queen Mary & Westfield 
College, part of the University of London, but on the administrative rather 
than the academic side.  I did a degree in American Studies.  I've been 
reading hardboiled novels since 1987 when I was stuck in a hotel on a small 
German island called Fohr.  The only books in English in the place were Adam 
Smith's _Wealth of Nations_ and Orwell's _1984_ so I 'phoned a friend in 
Hamburg for help.  He sent me omnibuses of Chandler, Hammett, Jim Thompson, 
and Goodis, and I was hooked.   
 
As to the discussion on what is and isn't *hardbolied*, I think the most 
sensible comment is from Laurent on 1st Feb. when he recommended, "avoiding 
strict guidelines and trusting more our common literary sense."  I don't think 
you can define hardboiled because it often comes down to gut reaction - 
personally I'd call Hammett and Block hardboiled, but not Chandler or Robert 
B. Parker.  FWIW (and much as I like reading both writers), I think Chandler 
and Parker fall into the trap of making their protagonists too *likeable* and 
twee.  I don't think writers like Hammett or Jim Thompson do that. 
 
Can anyone recommend any British *hardboiled* writers?  It seems to be a genre 
we're not very good at.  Having said that I'd recommend the following: 
 
Clark Smith: _The Deadly Reaper_, _The Speaking Eye_, _A Case of Torches_ 
Written in the 1950's, they feature an "investigative accountant."  Yes, I 
know it sounds dull, but take my word that the books aren't.  No longer in 
print, but Penguin published them in the old green crime books format, and you 
can still pick them up second-hand. 
 
John Milne: _Dead Birds_, _Daddy's Girl_, _Shadow Play_ 
About a disabled ex-policeman called Jimmy Jenner who sets himself up as a PI. 
 
Philip Kerr: _March Violets_, _The Pale Companion_, _German Requiem_ 
Set in Germany in the Nazi era. 
 
Victor Canning: _Doubled in Diamonds_, _The Melting Man_, _The Python 
Project_, _The Whip Hand_ 
A London-based PI called Rex Carver who does occasional work for the secret 
service. 
 
Derek Raymond: _He Died with his Eyes Open, _The Devil's Home on Leave_ 
 
Ted Lewis: wrote (I think) three novels about a gangster called Jack Carter.  
The first one, _Jack's Return Home_, was made into a cracking film called _Get 
Carter_. 
 
William McIlvanney: _Laidlaw_, _The Papers of Tony Veitch_ 
 
I'd also recommend the following: 
 
Robert A. Baker & Michael T. Nietzel _Private Eyes - 101 Knights_ 
A good history of the American PI novel, with plenty of pointers for further 
reading. 
 
David Geherin _The American Private Eye: the Image in Fiction_, _Sons of Sam 
Spade_ 
 
John Williams _Into the Badlands_ 
The author travelled around the US interviewing the likes of Crumley, Izzi, 
Leonard, and Koenig. 
 
 
 
Apologies for any misspellings or wrong titles - I'm writing this at work away 
from my bookshelves.   
 
Bill, you're doing an absolutely splendid job. 
 
Stephen 
 
 
 
 
 
****************************************************** 
 
Stephen Holden 
Queen Mary & Westfield College 
London E1 4NS 
 
E-mail:     s.j.holden@qmw.ac.uk 
 
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