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RARA-AVIS: Vachss, Thompson and others 

I personally feel Andrew Vachss to be way, way overrated for the amount of
critical praise he gets.  However his novel SHELLA has a versimilitude that I
feel his serialized work lacks.  
 
Likewise Jim Thompson has undergone a critical resurgence owing in no small
part to Hollywood's rediscovery of him.  He's done some good work, but a lot
of hack stuff.  For my money, he's similar to, but not nearly as good as
James M. Cain.  DOUBLE INDEMNITY and THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE were both
written in the same year and stand as templates for the modern noir tale.
 
Speaking of Hollywood making a guy hot, Elmore Leonard is always
entertaining, but his best also seems to be behind him.  However, Hollywood
is all about perception, and Leonard is now perceived there as a genius, so
George Clooney has signed to play the lead in the movie version of Leonard's
latest OUT OF SIGHT, which has virtually no plot at all.  Compare this book
to say, SWAG or CITY PRIMIEVAL and you'll see what I mean.
 
If only tinseltown would suddenly feel the same way about Ross Thomas or
Lawrence Sanders, I'd be a happy man.
 
Anyone notice that a lot of interesting work is being written about South
Florida?  Carl Hiassen is finally get tons of recognition.  Edna Buchanan is
pretty hard boiled and a Pulitzer winning crime journalist besides.  James W.
Hall is consistently tough, funny and heartwrenching.  Always entertaining
Lawrence Shames is getting better and better.  Hall's protege Vicki Hendricks
has a scorching first novel- MIAMI PURITY.  All can be added to the pantheon
that includes the aforementioned Dutchman, the maligned but prolific John D.
McDonald and the brilliant Charles Willeford.
 
Jack Nicholson's recent movie BLOOD & WINE was a terrific, modern film noir
set in the area.  Heck, even MIAMI VICE had its moments.  Must be the
humidity...
 
Anybody out there like Robert Crais?  Check him out.  THE MONKEY'S RAINCOAT,
the first in his Elvis Cole series is a good place to start.
 
GIVE US A KISS by Daniel Woodrell is labeled as a country noir, and most
certainly is.
 
And how about that wild and crazy Eugene Izzi?  THE PRIME ROLL is probably
the closest he came to a masterpiece before he started becoming a parody of
himself.  Maybe he sensed that himself in the end...
 
Finally, in my humble opinion, James Ellroy's AMERICAN TABLOID may be the
best crime novel ever written.
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