The latest National Review has an interesting article about
Ellery Queen, which describes his (really their) work as the
beginning of the golden age of "classic American mystery,"
from about 1930 to 1950. Prior to this, the essayist says,
there were only puzzle mysteries and hard-boiled mysteries in
Am. Lit. Others of the class were Rex Stout and Earl Stanley
Gardner. And Hammett was so impressed or influenced by Queen
that he wrote his last good book, perhaps his best, The Thin
Man, in the same vein. Unfortunately, the NatRev essay isn't
on-line.
I have a strong fondness for Stout's Wolfe, so I'm happy to
note that the A&E network is airing a version of The
Golden Spiders this coming Sunday eve. I can't see the
sensitive, flaccid wimpdoodle Timothy Hutton as the
near-he-man near-hard-boiled Archie Goodwin. At least they
didn't cast Keanu Reeves as Archie.
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