I finished "I'm Cannon -- For Hire," which I mentioned
picking up recently. I really enjoyed it. It's a good, solid
PI novel. Curt Cannon is an interesting character -- hard as
nails when it comes to getting a job done, solving a case,
telling off cops, but all mushy on the inside, still drinking
himself into the gutter over his wife's betrayal years before
(after which he beat the guy, his associate, half to death
and lost his PI license). This also leads to some pretty
nasty attitudes towards women in his present. Although I
figured out the mystery (something I'm not usually very good
at, nor care to be), the characters and attitude made the
story.
I must admit I'm woefully unread when it comes to Evan
Hunter's books, under any of his names. Are the Matthew Hope
books any good? How hardboiled? Did he write others in the
vein of the Cannon novel? What's the first 87th Precinct book
and is something to be gained by reading them in order?
As a slight tangent, stamped on the inside cover of the
Cannon paperback was:
MYSTERY WRITERS OF AMERICA INC. 232 East 40th Street New York
16, NY
Did MWA have a library? Do they still? Is it open to readers
and/or researchers? And if they have a library, why isn't
this book still in it? Then again, it's a second printing, so
maybe they sell off dupes.
Mark
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