Gents,

I strongly recommend “Barney’s Version” by Canadian writer Mordecai Richler. It is outside of crime fiction genre, but simply a tremendous reading experience. Takes about 100 pages to settle in, but is well worth it. Have read the book maybe 6-7 times and it gets better with each reading. Enjoy.

Straw - 10 April 2009 10:44 AM

Gents,

I strongly recommend “Barney’s Version” by Canadian writer Mordecai Richler. It is outside of crime fiction genre, but simply a tremendous reading experience. Takes about 100 pages to settle in, but is well worth it. Have read the book maybe 6-7 times and it gets better with each reading. Enjoy.

Any book that comes with a 6 -7 time-read reccomendation must be worth a look.

My original intention to read all the early Parker books, written By Richard Stark, has gone askew. The temptation of all the later ones, sitting, begging to be read, upon my shelves, finally broke me down. So, I’ve been on quite the Stark frenzy recently.

Recently finished:

Comeback
Flashfire
Firebreak
Breakout
Nobody Runs Forever
Ask the Parrot
Dirty Money.

There’s not a bad book here; they were all great reads.
Sadly, Dirty Money was the last Parker book that Stark wrote. With Stark’s sudden exit from this world, he was unable to give the exit to Parker that he probably deserved. The book finished well, and tied up some loose ends from the previous novel, but I just can’t help but think that he would have had a better way to leave Parker, once and for all.

I just hope you didnt spoil the first ones for yourself.  Not much of a chance really since Parker books stand alone.  Not fixed in time,place.  Only the people he is with changes over with.  New friends,enemies.

I have fought same urge for months.  Im waithing for the 8th-9th books coming out in 2010.

Speaking currently reading i finished This Immortal by Roger Zelazny.  My next crime books will be Swag and The Burglar who studied the Spinoza by Lawrence Block.

Quit Fucking Around

I posted this a while ago on a different thread, but it applies here. Anyone wanting great non-Elmore reading, look no further.

Charles McCarry (The Tears of Autumn, The Secret Lovers, The Last Supper) - as good as it gets
James Crumbley (The Last Good Kiss, Dancing Bear, The Wrong Case) - almost as good as it gets
Hunter Thompson (Hells Angels through The Great Shark Hunt) - pure genius, especially “Vegas” & “Campaign Trail”
Ross Thomas (anything) - consistently excellent
Thomas Harris - The Silence of the Lambs is one of the 10 best books of the 20th century, IMO
Lawrence Block (the Scudder books) - solid, dependable, terse, very well written
James Lee Burke (early stuff, especially Black Cherry Blues) - a writer’s writer
Andrew Vachss (Strega, Blue Belle, Shella, Born Bad) - Vachss over-writes, his prose sometimes is overwrought, but these titles are winners.

As to McCarry and his books, a little more should be said. A few blurbs are below. Some actually understate the truth. For me, the three McCarry books I listed above are the literary equivalent of Rubber Soul-Revolver-Sgt. Pepper, or Bringing it All Back Home-Highway 61 Revisited-Blonde On Blonde.

“There is no better American spy novelist. It’s like the best parts of ten John le Carré novels all put together.”  Time Magazine
“[T]he foremost American fabulist of the trade….[McCarry’s] scrumptious writing carries triumphantly from one climax to another and the plot unfolds with vivid velocity to an explosive end.” The LA Times Book Review
“As a storyteller, McCarry surpasses Len Deighton and John le Carré...his novels have a multi-dimensional quality, a deep sensitivity, and a verisimilitude that tells you the author knows what he’s talking about.” The Washington Post
“Charles McCarry…resides in the upper reaches of spy fiction’s Mount Olympus.” Boston Globe

Parker - 14 April 2009 09:36 AM

Speaking currently reading i finished This Immortal by Roger Zelazny.  My next crime books will be Swag and The Burglar who studied the Spinoza by Lawrence Block.

Let us know what you think of Lawrence Block’s The burglar who… I’ve been told it’s a good book.
As for me, I’m now starting 361 by Donald Westlake. Very early book that’s been brought back into print by Hard Case Crime.

Gregg Sutter - 25 February 2009 07:04 PM

Crime Beat -South Africa

http://crimebeat.book.co.za/blog/2009/02/25/top-ten-krimis-roger-smith-makes-his-choice/

Top Ten Krimis : Roger Smith makes his choice
February 25th, 2009 by Barbara
Coming soon to a book shop near you will be Roger Smith’s no holds barred Mixed Blood (Henry Holt, distributed locally by Pan Macmillan.) To give you some idea of what sort of krimi you’ll find on Smith’s shelves here’s his top 10 in, to quote him, ‘no particular order’.

2. Point Blank, Richard Stark
I was an impressionable early teen when I first read this, and I still dip into it once in a while. Parker (no first name, precious little backstory) is out of prison and wanting revenge. As lean as a Brazilian supermodel, this book sucks you whole into Parker’s amoral world. Stark was the alias of Donald Westlake, who died in Dec 2008.

Hi Gregg,

I have a copy of this Richard Stark book. It looks to have been around for a long time. It is in extremely ‘yellowed’, but otherwise good condition. My copy is entitled ‘The Hunter’ and it might be a first printing.

Wasn’t ‘Point Blank’ the name of the Lee Marvin movie, in which Marvin plays ‘Walker’?  (Virtually the same plot.)

Also ‘Payback’ in which Mel Gibson plays ‘Porter’, is another adaptation of the plot.

I was sorry to hear of Westlake’s demise too. He had a nice style about him.

Cheers..
FW

bech is back
recommend to all
aspiring authors take
note updike anti alter ego
finished tishomingo blues
waiting for a coyote
hot kid

Jade - 15 April 2009 05:30 AM

Parker - 14 April 2009 09:36 AM

Speaking currently reading i finished This Immortal by Roger Zelazny.  My next crime books will be Swag and The Burglar who studied the Spinoza by Lawrence Block.

Let us know what you think of Lawrence Block’s The burglar who… I’ve been told it’s a good book.
As for me, I’m now starting 361 by Donald Westlake. Very early book that’s been brought back into print by Hard Case Crime.

Lawrence Block has too good rep as Grandmaster of crime and his hardboiled series wasnt in so i got Burglar book.  Im hoping i liked it since im really interested in his Scudder,Hitman series.

361 i also have and its the only Westlake i have read thats very Richard Stark if you know what i mean.  You saw he was creating Parker and co in that book.

361 was a good book, by Donald Westlake. First person, and well delivered. I agree with forum member Parker; you could see the cogs turning in that book, the wheels that would soon set Parker in motion.

Since, I have finished :

The Road to Ruin
Watch Your Back!
What’s so Funny

All by Mr. Westlake.

They are all good reads. The Road to Ruin irritated me slightly, when a major character got amnesia. And although the way in which this occurred was entirely plausible, it still grated on my nerves. We all know what Chilli Palmer said about amnesia, don’t we.

Recently I was lucky enough to receive, in the mail, a hardback of Out of Sight, from my brother in England. I’ve only owned it in paperback, until now, so this reading will be a treat.

Im reading Swag by you know who

I like Stick even more in this book than Stick.  He is less of a player,planner and more real,street smart.

Frank Ryan is a poser that i just know will bring down their partnership before the story ends.  Characters wise i like the book alot, writing style wise you can see its early crime era of EL.  Not as mature as Stick,The Hot Kid.

Atlas Shrugged

Jade - 27 February 2009 04:04 AM

Finished Native Tongue, by Carl Hiaasen. Although it was entertaining; it wasn’t the strongest work he’s published. I much preferred the last novel I read by him, Basket Case. Written in first person, concerning the character Jack Tagger, an obituary writer who’s trying to break a hot story to get back on the front page.

I’m now going to start Shutter Island, by Dennis Lehane. I’ve never read his work so I have no idea what to expect….

Dennis Lehane is the man. Shutter Island is the one book I haven’t read from him and I think it’s more of a ghost story or something like that?  If you want to read Lehane’s best stuff start with A Drink Before The War. That’s the first book in a 5 book series featuring Patrick Kenzie. All five books are awesome.  Mystic River is really good too.  But the Kenzie books are absolutely must reads for anyone who likes crime fiction.