RARA-AVIS: Best Contemporary Hard-Boiled Writers

From: T. Kent Morgan ( tkmorgan@shaw.ca)
Date: 05 Dec 2006


I was going to mention David Peace when E. Borgers posted the following:

"Then, the British David Peace, probably the best noir writer of these past ten years. Very very dark, based on real life facts of the UK. A style of writing that places this author in a league that is wider than mystery/HB-noir territory. Try "1974" the first of his tetralogy about the Yorkshire Ripper. Far away from these boring serial murderer novels mostly made by best-sellers-would-be. I also advise you to read his stand-alone: "GB 84", wherein you will see what is social noir at his best; no preachers, facts, just facts. In a novel which is a mix of impressionist tales told in a multi voices very expressionist mood. A great book noir. HB by its intentions. Haunting."

To add to that, I picked up a copy of Peace's latest book titled The Damned UTD when I was in England in the fall. It's a novelized version to the disastrous 44 days football manager Brian Clough spent with Leeds United in 1974, the season after the team won the English League chmapionship. If ever a man was doomed to fail as a result of his own actions and attitude, it was Clough. You could call this the first football noir novel.

Kent Morgan



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