RE: Duane's recent post about Gold Medal spy novelists Aarons
and Hamilton.
"While some will argue that Donald Hamilton is a better
writer, I think
Aarons kept the quality and tone of his Sam Durrell novels
more consistent
over a longer period than Hamilton managed with Matt
Helm."
More consistent, perhaps, but Hamilton at his worst is still
better than
Aarons at his best (not to say I don't enjoy Aarons; I do).
Not over a
longer time, however. The Durell series lasted from 1955 'til
the late
'70s (at least those actually by Aarons; a few pastiches were
written by
other hands under the house pseudonym "Will B. Aarons" after
the real
Aarons passed away), a little over 20 years. The first Helm,
*Death of a
Citizen*, appeared in 1960; the most recent in 1995 or '96.
And he's
reportedly working on a new one now. That's closing in on 40
years! - Jim
Doherty
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