For somewhat serious reading, I
strongly prefer HB. However, I _do_ enjoy reading cozies if
they are the completely idiotic ones with the map, the cast
of characters, the railway table, etc.. Philo Vance is a good
example and, yes, I realize that they are garbage. With the
exception of P.D. James (who has a morbid streak that I
appreciate), the cozies that I really hate are the ones that
actually seem to take themselves somewhat seriously in spite
of the fact that the perpetrators carry out their crimes with
things like Icicles and Ouija Boards. I also can't bear those
things with titles like _The Cat Who Barfed Art Deco_.
I have a very marked weakness
for spy novels, particularly the understated ones. I read one
many years ago that actually did verge on the hard-boiled.
The title was _A Matter Of Intelligence_. Very depressing
story with a Soviet spy protagonist. Can't recall the author
which is a shame because I'd love to find another copy.
James
James
-- # To unsubscribe, say "unsubscribe rara-avis" to majordomo@icomm.ca. # The web pages for the list are at http://www.miskatonic.org/rara-avis/ .
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : 26 Jan 2000 EST