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changes to book club
Also in that e-mail was information regarding a change to the Hard Case Crime book club:
...there is one change coming to the book club that I want to let you all know about. Ever since Dorchester Publishing launched the book club at the start of our second year -- last October -- the offer has been that you'd get each new book for the full cover price ($6.99 plus shipping and handling) plus you'd get one of our old titles from our first year for free. And I believe that offer will remain the same until this October -- but at that point, Dorchester will run out of titles to send as free second books each month (we only published 12 in our first year, so a year later, each has been sent out out once). Rather than running the risk of sending members the same book a second time or trying to keep track separately of which titles each of the thousands of book club members already has (something Dorchester's systems aren't equipped to handle, alas), Dorchester has decided to switch to a new program where they send just each month's new title by itself -- but do so at 43% off the cover price ($3.99 rather than $6.99, plus S&H). Meanwhile, for anyone who does NOT yet have all our old titles, book club members can order any they want "a la carte" at special discount prices. (If you're interested in doing so, just tell the folks at Dorchester when you call.) |
Here's the cover of the August '06 title, debuting in stores in mere days...
http://www.hardcasecrime.com/books/bk23/cover_big.jpg |
^
Eagerly anticipating that title. I went to a Max Allan Collins signing a few months back and he spoke a bit about it...sounds very good! As an aside, I recently finished the June '06 HCC title, Straight Cut and unfortunately was not very impressed with it. |
EW review of this latest title:
The folks at Hard Case Crime persuaded Road to Perdition author Max Allan Collins to revive Quarry, the hitman hero of five previous books, after 19 years. It was worth the wait. When Quarry is hired by a powerful media magnate to snuff a sweet librarian, he inadvertently gets too close to his prey, falls for her, and discovers that the gig isn't what it was cracked up to be. Collins revels in pulp cliches — graphically detailed murders, the one-last-job scenario, and a heroine who's ''one of Victoria's best secrets'' — but it isn't the story that sells us. Collins' witty, hard-boiled prose in The Last Quarry would make Raymond Chandler proud. If only Bogart were around to record the audiobook. Grade: A- |
Geofferson, on your recommendation, I started reading Say It With Bullets, and I've had trouble putting it down. A great, fun read.
http://www.hardcasecrime.com/books/bk18/cover_big.jpg |
I got a kick out of that one -- glad you like it.
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Say It With Bullets was pretty fun. I'm now deep into this one:
http://www.hardcasecrime.com/books/bk14/cover_big.jpg I'm gaining a real appreciation for Lawrence Block. Grifter's Game was the first book I read by him, and this is the second. They're both so rich--the prose is so smooth, and the characters are perfect. |
If you like those Block books (which I enjoyed as well), you'll really love some of his other stuff. Those early books are fun, but his later work is truly outstanding. Read the Matt Scudder series. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
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Thanks David. I'm already on the lookout. Nice work in your linked articles, by the way!
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The September title is now available. Anyone familiar with the author?
http://www.hardcasecrime.com/books/bk24/cover_big.jpg |
Pete Hamill is best-known as a journalist. He's a columnist, and I think he used to be the editor of the NY Post. He's also written several novels, mostly lit fic, but I haven't read any of 'em.
I did read the second-most recent HCC book, though: Richard Stark's Lemons Never Lie. While I didn't enjoy it as much as I do the Parker novels, it's very entertaining. |
Originally Posted by Jason Bovberg
Here's the cover of the August '06 title, debuting in stores in mere days...
http://www.hardcasecrime.com/books/bk23/cover_big.jpg |
Some cool news from the HCC front:
I went to a Max Allan Collins reading last night (Two for the Money & The Last Quarry) and he had some interesting news to share. First off, he said there is a Quarry movie in the works that is going to be shooting in Louisiana (not sure who is attached to the project). The big news though is with regards to his former friend and mentor Mickey Spillane (who passed away in July). Spillane had two works nearly finished that Collins will add finishing touches to (using Spillane's notes). The first is titled Dead Street and is a Mike Hammer mystery. The second is titled The Last Stand and is a stand-alone. Collins speculated that HCC may be publishing these works late next year (Hopefully Robert McGinnis can again be pursuaded to do some cover art for these!). |
That's awesome. Thanks for sharing that. I'm starting The Last Quarry this weekend, on your recommendation.
So what's Collins like at a signing? When he did the reading, did he have the right "noir voice"? :) |
Originally Posted by Jason Bovberg
That's awesome. Thanks for sharing that. I'm starting The Last Quarry this weekend, on your recommendation.
So what's Collins like at a signing? When he did the reading, did he have the right "noir voice"? :) As an aside, the going rate HCC pays authors for new material is $4,000. Very pleased that Collins (not to mention Stephen King) contributed as it truly shows their love for the genre. |
Max is a very nice guy and very personable. Wonderful writer, too, of course. He's also younger than you'd expect -- I figured that with his publication history, he'd be 80. :) He really knows the genre well, which I respect a lot.
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Possibly the best cover yet will appear on the just-announced June 2007 title. Take a gander:
http://www.hardcasecrime.com/books/bk32/cover_big.jpg |
I'd start collecting these books just because of that cover. Brilliant.
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Wow. :up:
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Watch for the October 2006 title, hitting stores within the next week or so...
http://www.hardcasecrime.com/books/bk25/cover_big.jpg |
:lol: The Last Match cover looks to almost have some gay undertones. :lol:
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I started reading <I>The Last Match</I> this afternoon. Nothing gay so far! :)
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"Something's going down off the coast of Jamaica." Is this pulp, or porn?
Seriously though, which one did you read last, Jason? How many stars? |
I just got the new John Lange today. I think I read all the Lange books (the not-so-secret identity of Michael Crichton) over the years, but I can't remember for sure. Either way, I'm looking forward to this one. They're fun and fast-moving adventure stories.
<I>The Last Match</I> turned out to be pretty good, if a little long. (I gave it a mini-review on my blog.) |
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