pabergin (pabergin@gte.net)
Mon, 14 Jun 1999 11:49:17 -0400
Kevin Smith opines:
<<A recent Estleman might be an intertesting addition
to the reading list.>>
May I nominate NEVER STREET? Estleman is certainly one of the
most gifted writers continuing to work in the Chandleresque
mode, and I've never read an Amos Walker yarn that I would
call weak, BUT . . . one of the things that has made Walker a
difficult character for me in the past is the fact that he
seems so anachronistic. He's a hell of an appealing guy, and
you'd love to believe that he could exist -- and be effective
-- today, but it's usually a stretch.
Not so in NEVER STREET. Estleman seems to have sensed his
character's weaknesses and crafted a tale that turns them
into strengths. In my opinion -- which I have never been shy
about inflicting on others -- NEVER STREET is one of the most
artfully crafted PI novels ever written. The climax is damned
near perfect, and will stick in the mind as tenaciously as
the airport scene in Casablanca, the first line of Moby Dick
or the specter of George Bush promising no new taxes.
PB
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