Re: RARA-AVIS: Eugene Izzi

From: BaxDeal@aol.com
Date: 24 Apr 2008


> Today I stopped at a used bookstore and saw several of Izzi's
> novels... blast from the past. I had not thought about Izzi for so
> long that it took me a couple of seconds to place him. Has anyone read
> him or reread him recently? I used to like him, but it was years ago.
> Despite the fact that he died, he may qualify for the "disappeared"
> because his work is so out of sight.
>

I haven't read him lately but still have 9 of his books in my library. his first, THE EIGHTH VICTIM is awful, he even admitted that himself. his best IMO is THE PRIME ROLL. he had a prose style obviously influenced by Elmore Leonard, and his storytelling technique showed a propensity to set up character conflagurations, and then describe them over and over from various points of view, Rashomon style

he was a nice guy in person. and his death seemed orchestrated. I suspect by himself, to perhaps gain him the immortality he wasn't achieving in life

tragically, he fell a bit short there as well

another author worth mentioning in this thread is Marcel Montecino, who made as big a quantum leap from THE CROSS KILLER to his next book BIG TIME as Kent Harrington did from DARK RIDE to DIA DE LOS MUERTOS. in both cases, the first books were enjoyable if somewhat derivative. the second ones were mind blowers

like Izzi, Montecino met a premature end, the details of which now escape me

John Lau

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