I've been hooked on crime fiction since my teens (20 or so
years back). My
father was a devoted Nero Wolfe fan. I picked up "Death of a
Doxy" and
never looked back. My taste is broader than his, but
especially running to
the hardboiled and noir side of things.
My favorite author is Hammet. Behind him, in no particular
order, are
Thompson, Goodis, Leonard, Stout, Gores, Woolrich, and
Rabe.
Chandler is great, but doesn't get to me the way Hammet does.
I've read a
lot of Ellroy, but I have to be in the right mood -- no one
is grimmer or
more disturbing. I like Loren D. Estelman for short pieces,
but have never
been able to fight my way through an entire novel. My
favorite obscure
piece is "Murder Me for Nickels" by Rabe in the Black Lizard
Anthology Volume 2.
As far as new stuff coming out, I really enjoy Pellecanos'
Nick Stefanos
books. They are as close to hardboiled as you can get these
days. I'm from
the DC area, and he has the setting nailed perfectly.
One of the things I love about great crime fiction is the way
the city
becomes a character in the story. The protagonist in these
books, often the
lone PI, moves between social strata and ranges the length
and breadth of
the city. The best authors really bring this to life --
Hammet's San
Francisco, Leonard's Detroit, Stout's Manhattan, Goodis'
Philadelphia, etc.,
jump off the page and surround you.
Anyway, I'm glad I found this list, and I plan to chime in
from time to
time. It's nice to meet you.
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