I could not agree more.
Hamilton's early Helm novels are models of sharp, concise storytelling and pitch-perfect narrative drive.
The first (Death of a Citizen) and the third (The Removers) are my favorites, but most any of them up until the 14th or 15th volumes are solid work.
John
--- On Sat, 8/29/09, jacquesdebierue <jacquesdebierue@yahoo.com> wrote:
From: jacquesdebierue <jacquesdebierue@yahoo.com>
Subject: RARA-AVIS: Donald Hamilton
To: rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com
Date: Saturday, August 29, 2009, 7:49 PM
I recently read two Matt Helms (I can never recall those silly titles, let's say The Smashers and The Asskickers), and once again I marvel at the high quality of his production. I figure that Hamilton is one of the most underrated hardboiled writers ever. He also seems to be slowly fading into oblivion.
If enough people are interested in this writer, we could put together a special month. I think there is a lot of material to discuss, as well as his narrative technique, which is masterly. I think beginning writers should be given copies of the Matt Helms instead of advice books and mainstream novels.
mrt
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