Mark Blumental:
<<How true was this in the pre 1960 writing of P.Is,
and has the genre
changed since?>>
Speaking his mind is typical of Gault; he was more subtle at
introducing
his opinions than, say, John D. MacDonald, but he did
introduce them. By
the way, I agree with the opinion quoted. I don't think a
P.I. could
work mainly by coercion, then or now. He would soon be dead
or out of
business. Gault, like Ross Macdonald and Thomas B. Dewey, had
his
private eye Callahan work by talking to people and waiting
for them to
get themselves into trouble rather than by showing guns. It's
a more
realistic approach. On the other hand, Gault's other P.I.,
Joe Puma, was
more of a brute and a less principled man, which was
appropriate for the
cases he dealt with.
Regards,
mt
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