--- In rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com, Ed Lynskey <e_lynskey@...> wrote:
>
> --- On Mon, 9/1/08, DJ-Anonyme@... <DJ-Anonyme@...> wrote:
> > Some point out that Ralph Dennis's Hardman series
> > introduced the moral/psycho zebra pairing before Hawk entered the
Spenser
> > series (I forget, in which book did Hawk first appear?), but from
the
> > too few Hardman books I've read as they crumbled in my hands, I
never
> > got a real sense of a moral dichotomy between them. They were
just
> > buddies and partners, and neither is above some illegal gains.
> >
> This was my sense after reading RD's Hardman. Hump Evans, IIRC, was
the larger of the pair (ex-footballer) and did a lot of the head
knocking.
>
> Ed
Hump Evans had been a lineman in the National Football League and was
certainly larger than Jim Hardman. However, he was certainly not a
psycho. As Ed said, they were drinking buddies and Hump often helped
Hardman on cases both legal and illegal. When rough stuff was
required, Hardman did his share, although it took him a bit more
effort than Hump.
Some cases originated with Hump as in THE ONE-DOLLAR RIPOFF when Hump
bought a chance on a gambling punchcard where a dollar bought a
chance to predict the score of a Monday Night Football game. Hump
won the pot and then foundout he had been cheated. Even though it
was just a dollar, he and Hardman tracked down the cheater which led
to more troubles. Although not the best Hardman novel, I am fond of
it because the opening scenes floated between two neighboring Atlanta
bars Moe and Joe's and George's that can still be found on North
Highland Avenue. George's (in the 1970s called George's Deli) was
Ralph Dennis' favorite bar as he liked the bartender who turns up now
and then in the novels. In fact, I was contacted by the late
bartender's son who read an earlier mention of his dad in something I
wrote and I sent him a copy of the novel. Today, I prefer Moe and
Joe's which has Pabst on tap, good burgers and an atmosphere little
changed from the 1970s.
Another character who turns up in the series is a black gangster who
sometimes calls on Hardman for help as in the novel WORKING FOR THE
MAN. Hump sometimes helps Hardman out but the primary relationship
is between the gangster (usually called The Man) and Hardman.
Joe Lansdale once told me that he was a big fan of the Hardman novels
and they were one of the inspirations for his mixed racial duo.
Richard Moore
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