Just to set the record straight: I used the term sociopath,
not psycho. A small point, mainly of degree, but I think all
the wet work sidekicks fall into the category. Pike may not
be crazy, but he certainly exhibits antisocial and aggressive
behavior. Hawk, for all his cool, accepts money to main and
murder and. In general, sets himself above and beyond the
law.
If you want to add a couple others to the list, there are the
wildman best friend of Dave Robicheaux, Clete Purcell, in
James Lee Burke's novels, and the Irish barkeep and killer,
Mick, in Larry Block's Scudder novels. I imagine there are
others, too. Janet Evanovich's girly-girl bounty hunter has a
bad boy helping her. I've only had a quick look at Greg
Rucka's books, but isn't there a sociopathic female who
assists his character?
Dick Lochte
Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2001 13:09:58 -0600 From: "M Blumenthal"
<
blumenidiot@21stcentury.net> Subject: Re: RARA-AVIS:
RE: Parker criticism
Mark S wrote,
> . And, as Dick also noted, his splitting
the
> PI into two persons, one honorable, one psycho, was
absolutely
> brilliant.
or maybe we can say, " down these mean streets a man must go
, who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor
afraid" because he knows there is a man with a gun watching
his back.
This may be quibbling but I wouldn't call Hawk
psycho. I think he is simply amoral. Those who have more
widely in the field may correct me, but to my knowledge Crais
is the author who started the moving the Hawk-like character
towards being psycho perhaps culminating in Lehane's Bubba.
Mark.
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