Mark,
As to George
V. Higgins, he was a difficult man to know, so I was never
privy to any of his own views on his writing prior to his
death. I think he was, to some extent, a victim of
circumstance: His first book, THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE, was
such a hit, especially given the movie, that he had a hard
time not so much topping it as coming up with another kind of
crime novel that would measure up to it. I enjoyed the
"lawyer" books he wrote (these were pre-PRESUMED INNOCENT,
and I don't recall anyone using the expression "legal
thriller" back then), but Higgins seemed to get carried away
by his spiraling dialogues to the detriment of the story he
was trying to tell. And, unlike Elmore Leonard, I don't think
Higgins had quite the same talent level in telling his story
THROUGH dialogue.
Best,
Jerry
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