>By the way, regarding the discussion about where to
start with Leonard: CITY
>PRIMEVAL, it seems to me, is the first one to read,
the most compelling one to
>read (a real classic, if for no other reason than the
skilful blending of the
>two genres, hard-boiled and Western). Then add STICK,
SPLIT IMAGES, LABRAVA,
>CAT CHASER, and GLITZ. That probably is the
"essential" list, although you're
>missing something by not going back to pick up SWAG,
THE GOLD COAST, THE BIG
>BOUNCE, and THE MOONSHINE WAR. And you're also
missing a lot of fun by not
>picking up some of the later books, GET SHORTY
probably chief among them.
Anyone who's a fan of bleak, hard-boiled, often
morally-ambiguous crime fiction owes it to themselves to
check out Leonard's westerns. These aren't your stuffed-shirt
John Wayne/Randolph Scott oaters here, not by a long shot.
The only difference between Leonard's westerns and his more
contemporary crime stuff is a matter of setting, not
attitude. HOMBRE or the TONTO WOMAN collection are both
recommended. The stories I've read in the latter compare very
favorably with "The Man Who Killed Dan Odams" in Hammett's
NIGHTMARE TOWN.
In fact, many of his westerns could easily be made into
contemporary crime dramas just by judicious use of Search and
Replace. Imagine Hombre taking place on a Greyhound bus, that
sorta thing....
Coincidentally, Tarantino's next Leonard adaptation will be a
western...
Kevin Burton Smith The Thrilling Detective Web Site http://www.colba.net/~kvnsmith/thrillingdetective/
This month: The P.I. Poll on Short Fiction, plus new stuff
from Hugh Lessig, Peter Parmantie and Dave White.
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