Hi, Jeff --
I don't know about the "early" part (LEMONS NEVER LIE was
maybe the dozenth book Donald Westlake wrote under the Stark
pseudonym, and was the fourth he'd written about series
character Alan Grofield; THE PEDDLER came after Richard
Prather had written several books about Shell Scott), but
it's true that we tend to prefer non-series books to series
books.
The only series titles we've published to date have been Erle
Stanley Gardner's Cool-and-Lam novel TOP OF THE HEAP; Max
Allan Collins' Nolan novel(s) TWO FOR THE MONEY; and David
Dodge's Al Colby novel PLUNDER OF THE SUN. (Ed McBain's THE
GUTTER AND THE GRAVE is about a character, Matt Cordell, who
appeared in a series of short stories in Manhunt, but that's
not quite the same thing.) Later this year, we have a Quarry
novel coming from Max Allan Collins (THE LAST QUARRY) and
next year we should have sequels to BUST from Ken Bruen and
Jason Starr and LITTLE GIRL LOST by Richard Aleas (if that
Aleas character can just stop surfing Internet message boards
and get back to the damn word processor!). But overwhelmingly
we prefer standalones to series.
As for John D., I have to admit to holding the somewhat
heretical view that he wasn't, as the kids would say these
days, all that. I keep reading his books hoping to catch a
whiff of whatever it is that makes other readers I respect go
gaga, but it hasn't happened yet. He was a smooth, solid,
professional writer, heaven knows, but for whatever
idiosyncratic personal reason, I haven't yet found a book of
his that I really loved. Many have bored me and I've had to
force myself to finish; some have held my interest but not
wowed me. So while I'd love to add a McDonald title to our
line for iconic reasons if nothing else, it's going to have
to wait till I come across one that happens to push my
buttons just right.
Apologies to all the passionate McDonald fans I've just
horrified. I know you guys would probably express confusion
over some of the writers I find irresistible. It all boils
down to personal preference in the end. And who knows? I
spent nearly 40 years not liking broccoli, and now I can't
get enough; maybe in time I'll acquire a taste for McDonald,
too...
--Charles
--- In
rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com, "Jeff Vorzimmer"
<jvorzimmer@...> wrote:
>
> Looking over Hard Case Crime's list of new and
forthcoming novels,
I see a
> pattern. A lot of early books by writers later known
for series. An
early
> pre-Helm Hamilton, a non-Parker Stark, a pre-Shell
Scott Prather.
>
> What about an early John D. MacDonald, pre-Travis
McGee? There's
literally
> dozens to choose from. He's a good writer, but I
could never get
into the
> Travis McGee books. Too contrived for my
tastes.
>
> Jeff
>
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