Mark and Vicky and Bob (Hey, welcome to the list. It's about
time you got here) are right.
Dennis Lynds, no matter which name he's using, simply rules.
His books and short stories, particularly the Dan Fortune
series (written as by Michael Collins) are all well worth
hunting down. Imagine Macdonald's Lew Archer with a
personality.
It's just a crime Lynds' never gotten the acclaim or sales
other far flashier writers have. Their big turgid tomes are
actually all about playing it safe, talkin' loud, and saying
nothin', while Lynds, with his quiet, tough, compassionate
voice and solid storytelling, speaks volumes.
Proof, if any were needed, that a detective novel can have a
social conscience, and still ask hard questions, while still
kickin' out the jams. Like Natty Bumpo before him, Fortune
dares "to speak the truth consarnin'...any man that
lived."
It's a shame the series seems to be such a hot potato among
publishers but, to his credit, Lynds hasn't backed down.
There are some more short stories in the works, and he has
another Fortune novel in mind, maybe Dan's swan song, if, as
he puts it, "anyone wants to pay me some bucks for it.
Maybe we should start passing a hat....
Oh, and Mark...
>So, can anyone point me towards contemporary Stagger
Lees or has this
>folk hero outlived his usefulness, at least on the
written page,
>returning to the oral tradition of rap?
Don't forget the Wrong 'em Boyo by the Clash, though I guess
that's sorta old now. Maybe the new Shaft flick will revive
the Staggo-Man...
Can ya dig it?
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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