This one has quickly become one of my favorites in the line. I loved the simple, brutal trajectory of the narrative, and what an ending!

I've been stockpiling the books from Amazon and for every four books I add to my cart I get a promotional credit of $6.99, in other words buy 3 get 1 free. Not a bad deal at all with the free shipping.

I haven't done the math but I think the club through the HHC website is cheaper. I order all the books through them in bulk, & I think it's 1 free for every 4 you order plus you get a 30% discount on top of that.

I just finished this one. Read it in one sitting again (God, I love calling in sick). I really enjoyed this book, but something didn't sit just right. There's a part in the book toward the end that...I don't know...it didn't seem forced exactly, but it didn't seem to fit either. Or rather, it happened so fast and it was over so quickly, that I didn't get to see enough to buy the fact that the character would act this way.

Still a great read, mind you, just not my favorite of the bunch.

Hard Case just posted the cover of an original Max Allan Collins, due in December...

I enjoyed Collins' previous HCC installment, The Last Quarry -- glad to see there's going to be another.

I liked The Last Quarry, too. His Road to... books (non-HCC) are terrific.

Finally finished Robbie's Wife. It wasn't as good as the others. It was a fun read with a very solid ending, but it just meandered a little too much. It wasn't crisp and tight like the other HCC books I've read. Oh well, they can't all be winners.

I had a similar reaction to Robbie's Wife. In general, I think the HCC originals have just been okay. It's the reprints that have been very fine. (Although Starr & Bruen's Bust was really good.)

I just finished Robbie's Wife and had a similar reaction. For the most part, I enjoyed the story though it could have been tightened up considerably.

Just hitting stores is the newest HCC book, this one by Gil Brewer and featuring one of my favorite covers. I'll have to hit the stores on my way home from work today.



Edit: I did a quick search on Gil Brewer and found a cool site with many cover images. I just love these old covers.

^ Very cool site. If VV is a success, hopefully there will be more Brewer titles added to the HCC arsenal.

Yeah, got this in the mail last week. Definitely one of the best covers so far, haven't had a chance to read it yet, can't wait to.

You got me all excited about this one, so I sped over to my local B&N to search for it. No luck. So I had the minor thrill of asking the gorgeous dame at the information desk whether the store had received any copies of The Vengeful Virgin. She smirked in a fetching way, waggling her finger at me and pursing her red lips. She checked the computer, then squinted at me. She fired up a cigarette, took a sultry drag, and the smoke curled up toward the ceiling like a sexy ghost. "Street date is April 3," she said, then turned and walked away. I watched the rhythmic sway of her pretty hips for a few seconds, then I got out of there. Fired up my Plymouth and got swallowed by the night.

Another reason to join the HHC book club. Only $3.99 fo the book & I got it last Monday

Yeah, but then I wouldn't get to pick out the best, most pristine copy for my collection! Condition is very important when you're collecting these pulpy, trashy books, you know.

Jason, don't you know that collecting will just lead to your ruin? Go out and buy a damaged copy. You'll feel so much better when you do.

Is Virgin really not coming out until April 3? I've been buying them all the week before the new month, so I'm surprised that this one isn't on the shelf yet.

Finished reading Touch of Death last night. It was a pretty good read. The ending was very well done and I was totally in the shoes of the main character. Very claustrophobic. But what I'm noticing now that I've read a bunch of these is that I'm no longer surprised at the ending. I pretty much know what's going to happen. Sure, the execution is done in ways I hadn't expected, but for the most part, once you figure out the characters, you'll know how it's going to turn out.

I know the books you've read, and I guess I can see some structural or thematic similarities among their endings, but I think you might be responding to one of the key elements of the genre: the darkly redemptive conclusion. The antihero comeuppance. The "be careful what you wish for" slap to the face. Keep on reading, and you'll come out on the other side...

But if they all end in that way, doesn't that make for a ending that's overly obvious?

I didn't say they all end the same way. That's how you're perceiving it after reading a handful of 'em. I would argue that each takes a unique approach, even among the ones you've read. Yes, there are stylistic and thematic similarities that you can't get away from, sort of like how western stories are going to share a setting in common. Part of the great fun of reading noir is to see how individual authors tackle the genre archetypes.

I shouldn't say that, because I've read many stories that depart from the basic noir conventions and do a good job of it...

Jason, I hear what you're saying. And I don't fault the genre or a particular writer for any perceived "problems" I might be having, especially when you consider that I'm just discovering this fantastic realm of stories. And it's not that the stories end the same when it comes to the details. Not at all. But I have noticed some trends for the hero's downfall. If I know when I start a book that he's not going to get the money or that the woman is conning him just as he's conning her husband (or whatever) then it detracts just a smidge from my reading pleasure.

Again, this is just my observation based on my limited exposure to the genre.