I just read Cases. It was one of the best books I read last
year. I had read (and translated into Finnish) one of the
short stories before, but it didn't matter.
I just started Stakeout on Page Street. I've read some of the
stories before, but I don't mind reading good stories again.
Great stuff. Too bad we haven't got any of the DKA novels in
Finnish. They should be made available here, too.
Before Cases, I read I Like'em Tough by Curt Cannon who
really was Ed McBain, or Evan Hunter. The stories in this
book appeared first in Manhunt, where the detective was
called Matt Cordell. The first stories were a bit crude and
there was maybe too many eager and big- breasted babes who
wanted to go to bed with the detective, but the man's basic
desperation was finely crafted and there was some excellent
details in the descriptions plus the dialog was quite smooth.
Along the way the stories became better, too, and more
realistic.
Before Cases I also read Kinds of Love, Kinds of Death by
Tucker Coe, maybe better known as Donald Westlake. He sure
could write an excellent private eye novel, too. I think
alcoholic Matt Cordell and Tucker Coe's ex-police detective
Mithell Tobin with his mind-gnawing quilt were relevant steps
on the way to Lawrence Block's Matt Scudder. Did somebody
already say this here? Propably, so I'm just conforming the
fact.
Tapani Bagge
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