--- In rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com, "Juri Nummelin"
<juri.nummelin@...> wrote:
>
> I think that at least books like CITY OF GLASS, GHOSTS and THE
LOCKED ROOM
> should be included as on-topic in Rara-Avis. And of course his
pseudonymous
> SQUEEZE PLAY.
>
> (On a Western list, one might also discuss MOON PALACE.)
My comment was not about his being on topic but about his inclusion in
a "best of crime literature" list. In my opinion he does not cut the
mustard for best of crime literature. Too many guys have written crime
fiction, too many excellent writers. Take old Thomas Dewey, whose
novel Every Bet's a Sure Thing I reread in one sitting... that is an
excellent crime novel, an enduring one. Dewey may be a forgotten
figure and Auster a very present one, but for crime fiction, I take
Dewey. And Prather, too, of course. The pulse of a popular genre is a
delicate thing, it's like a literary jazz. Either an author has it or
he doesn't have it.
This brings up the question: is any book where there are crimes crime
fiction? What do we mean by crime fiction?
Best,
mrt
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