Mark Sullivan wrote:
> I think it's probably pretty telling that when
someone asks
> what you are reading and you reply, A mystery, they
seldom think of
> hardboiled, to such a degree that many of us have
tried to come up with
> other genre names (crime novel, PI novel,
hardboiled/noir, etc) in order
> to forestall the clarifying discussion
I generally reply "A thriller." It's a term that seems to
have fallen out of favor, but I like it, and it usually
causes people to take an interest in what I'm reading. I
never use the term "hardboiled" in describing a book to a
stranger or to an acquaintance who isn't specifically into
HB. I say "Tough and funny," or "Sharp and cynical." Nobody
but HB fans use the word "hardboiled" in describing a book,
and half the time we can't even agree on what we're talking
about. That's what makes it fun, of course.
BobT
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