Re: RARA-AVIS: Thompson Spree

From: michaelschong@canada.com
Date: 18 Mar 2001


Rara-Avis. You've come to the right place. This list has led me to some sweet noir. Check out the archives.

Goodis. I second that emotion. For sure. Someone described him as Kerouac writing crime fiction. There's a rhythm to his work. A slow creeping terror that's almost comforting when it at last closes in. The Burglar felt like that. He did write the same book over and over again.

Charles Willeford didn't. I guess Pick up. You don't want to know anymore.

Himes. Run Man Run. Drunk cop walks into a diner closing for the night and ends up killing the workers. One escapes and the rest of the book is the city closing in on both of them.

Horace McCoy. They Shoot Horses Don't They? Dance marathon from hell. This might be stretching what you're looking for. It's dark and has guns, but no one's really a criminal.

Hell, reading over this list. You might as well get the cool Crime Novels: American Noir 1930's & 40's and 1950's published by The Library of America. I've seen copies of the first volume quite often in used bookstores. They have all these authors and a whole lot more. I sound like an ad. Steal this book!

New stuff. You've already read Jason Starr. His work feels classic despite the fact his books are written today. Check out the Dragon lady in Nothing Personal.

And if you liked Killer Inside Me, you should read Ellroy's Silent Terror or Killer on the Road. As a genre, serial killing novels are sort of boring to me. Ellroy's book is twisted. And I'm not so sure if in a good way.

Chong

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