Mark,
First, thanks
for the kind words about the Cuddy character and the books he
appears in. As to the war issue, let me borrow from the world
of logic. I'm not sure it's a necessary condition that the
shadow of war fall on a noir hero, but I do think it is a
sufficient one. While I served in the Military Police as a
lieutenant during the same era that Cuddy did, I never served
in Vietnam (most of my crime scene, etc. real-life experience
was from five summers spent working in a Sheriff's Office,
though that's another story). However, so many of my friends
did, and came back to lead productive lives, that I thought
it was about time some author painted a Vietnam vet who might
have flashbacks but nevertheless blended back into society
the way MOST WW II and Korean War vets did.
I do think
non-war experiences can provide equal "depth" to a character.
For example in my new legal thriller series (written under
the pseudonym "Terry Devane," the female attorney is a former
star hockey player (on a boys' team in high school) and the
older, male attorney is a former prizefighter. I've found it
interesting to explore how these two deal with "noir" issues
from their backgrounds.
Best from Boston,
Jerry
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