RARA-AVIS: Hard Case Crime

From: ejmd (ejmd__@ntlworld.com)
Date: 02 Sep 2009

  • Next message: davezeltserman: "RARA-AVIS: Re: Hard Case Crime"

    I recently read the Hard Case Crime reprint of Gil Brewer's /The Vengeful Virgin/ (it has a great cover painting too). I thought it was nicely paced and well written and a good length (I like 150-200 pagers).

    I've also just finished David Goodis's /The Wounded and the Slain/ (also Hard Case Crime). I found some of Goodis's language and detail a bit unlikely, and it made me groan a bit in places (for example, the dialogue in the fight scene toward the end is one that springs to mind, and does the way in which Goodies handles the baddy, Nathan Joyner, and his penchant for the green goddess). I didn't guess the ending though--I was anticipating something quite different.

    Anyway, I've gone back to Brewer and I currently have the Blue Murder double, /13 French Street/ and /The Red Scarf /on the go. I don't know if I'll tear through them both, or if I'll just do one then have a change, as I have a couple more Hard Case books on my recently acquired pile (Shepard Rifkin's /The Murder Vine/ and John Farris's /Baby Moll/) which brings me to the point of my post: does anyone have any particular recommendations in the Hard Case Crime series? If so, what are they? Also, does anybody know if Hard Case Crime has any particularly interesting titles in the pipeline?

    ED



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