Hard Case Crime, Part 2
08-14-07, 09:17 AM
#26
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Although I think women often choose to tell different stories from men, I haven't observed any difference in their ability to tell those stories. And that includes the breadth of the genre...although admittedly not many women choose to write noir. (But there are certainly a number of female writers who write dark, violent novels.)
The female noir writer whom I hear mentioned most frequently is Vicki Hendricks. I've never read her, but people I respect say she's good.
The female noir writer whom I hear mentioned most frequently is Vicki Hendricks. I've never read her, but people I respect say she's good.
08-14-07, 01:35 PM
#27
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Originally Posted by djmont
The female noir writer whom I hear mentioned most frequently is Vicki Hendricks. I've never read her, but people I respect say she's good.
08-14-07, 05:42 PM
#28
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Latest news from Hard Case Crime...
**********************************
We've put our next new title up on our Web site: THE MURDERER VINE by Shepard Rifkin. It's a powerful book that fictionalizes the same historical events that inspired the movie "Mississippi Burning," with the addition of a really stunning crime fiction twist. The author has an interesting history himself: now 89, Rifkin served on the S. S. Ben Hecht in 1947 and was imprisoned by the British in Acre Prison (a fortress on the northern coast of what is now Israel) after a failed attempt to run the British blockade of Palestine while transporting hundreds of refugees from the Holocaust. Rifkin and his crewmates were released -- but not before smuggling a camera into the prison, enabling what has been called "one of the most spectacular prison breaks in history." None of which has anything to do with THE MURDERER VINE -- but what a great story!
The cover for THE MURDERER VINE is by an artist new to Hard Case Crime, Ken Laager, and it's a doozy. You can see it and find a sample chapter from the book at www.hardcasecrime.com.
In other news, we have reached an agreement with best-selling suspense and horror author John Farris to bring out a new edition -- for the first time in 50 years, and the first time ever under his real name -- of one of his earliest novels, a tight, tough crime story called BABY MOLL. John wrote the book under the pen name "Steve Brackeen" when he was just 21 (two decades before he won fame and fortune as the author of THE FURY), and the book holds up beautifully after all these years. Robert McGinnis is hard at work on the cover.
And after four years of trying -- tracking down leads, exploring dead ends, putting out feelers, wearing out shoe leather -- we have finally succeeded in tracking down the estate of Steve Fisher. Fisher was a popular pulp writer, best known as the author of I WAKE UP SCREAMING. He also wrote countless hours of film and television, including two films for Humphrey Bogart (he and Bogie were friends). In 1958 he published what I think may be his best book, a novel of Las Vegas titled NO HOUSE LIMIT. And we'll be bringing out a new edition of that book next year.
What else is in the cards? Lots of good stuff, none of which I can tell you about yet -- but as soon as I can, I will. In the meantime, you can find SONGS OF INNOCENCE by Richard Aleas and FRIGHT by Cornell Woolrich in stores now, and in just a few weeks you'll be able to get your hands on the very smart and funny KILL NOW, PAY LATER by Robert Terrall, featuring a mouth-watering McGinnis cover. (Why is the girl on the cover undoing her bikini bottom? I couldn't tell you. But far be it for me to tell her not to.)
Then in October it's time for Ken Bruen and Jason Starr's SLIDE, sequel to their very popular first collaboration, BUST...followed a month later by the first new Mickey Spillane novel in years, DEAD STREET. It's going to be a busy fall.
But for now, I hope you enjoy the last days of summer. And remember: Nothing goes better with a tall glass of lemonade than a cool, dark crime novel.
**********************************
We've put our next new title up on our Web site: THE MURDERER VINE by Shepard Rifkin. It's a powerful book that fictionalizes the same historical events that inspired the movie "Mississippi Burning," with the addition of a really stunning crime fiction twist. The author has an interesting history himself: now 89, Rifkin served on the S. S. Ben Hecht in 1947 and was imprisoned by the British in Acre Prison (a fortress on the northern coast of what is now Israel) after a failed attempt to run the British blockade of Palestine while transporting hundreds of refugees from the Holocaust. Rifkin and his crewmates were released -- but not before smuggling a camera into the prison, enabling what has been called "one of the most spectacular prison breaks in history." None of which has anything to do with THE MURDERER VINE -- but what a great story!
The cover for THE MURDERER VINE is by an artist new to Hard Case Crime, Ken Laager, and it's a doozy. You can see it and find a sample chapter from the book at www.hardcasecrime.com.
In other news, we have reached an agreement with best-selling suspense and horror author John Farris to bring out a new edition -- for the first time in 50 years, and the first time ever under his real name -- of one of his earliest novels, a tight, tough crime story called BABY MOLL. John wrote the book under the pen name "Steve Brackeen" when he was just 21 (two decades before he won fame and fortune as the author of THE FURY), and the book holds up beautifully after all these years. Robert McGinnis is hard at work on the cover.
And after four years of trying -- tracking down leads, exploring dead ends, putting out feelers, wearing out shoe leather -- we have finally succeeded in tracking down the estate of Steve Fisher. Fisher was a popular pulp writer, best known as the author of I WAKE UP SCREAMING. He also wrote countless hours of film and television, including two films for Humphrey Bogart (he and Bogie were friends). In 1958 he published what I think may be his best book, a novel of Las Vegas titled NO HOUSE LIMIT. And we'll be bringing out a new edition of that book next year.
What else is in the cards? Lots of good stuff, none of which I can tell you about yet -- but as soon as I can, I will. In the meantime, you can find SONGS OF INNOCENCE by Richard Aleas and FRIGHT by Cornell Woolrich in stores now, and in just a few weeks you'll be able to get your hands on the very smart and funny KILL NOW, PAY LATER by Robert Terrall, featuring a mouth-watering McGinnis cover. (Why is the girl on the cover undoing her bikini bottom? I couldn't tell you. But far be it for me to tell her not to.)
Then in October it's time for Ken Bruen and Jason Starr's SLIDE, sequel to their very popular first collaboration, BUST...followed a month later by the first new Mickey Spillane novel in years, DEAD STREET. It's going to be a busy fall.
But for now, I hope you enjoy the last days of summer. And remember: Nothing goes better with a tall glass of lemonade than a cool, dark crime novel.
08-16-07, 02:42 PM
#29
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Guys, I was a bit let-down with Songs of Innocence and I'm not quite sure why. Perhaps it was simply the very high expectations I had going into it since I loved Aleas' first book.
Currently reading Fright right now...so far, so good.
Currently reading Fright right now...so far, so good.
08-16-07, 05:51 PM
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I didn't care much for Songs of Innocence either. I felt no connection to the characters, and thus didn't care what happened to them. I ended up quitting it about halfway through because the continuation and resolution of the story held no interest for me.
08-22-07, 10:13 AM
#33
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All right, it's just about time for another Hard Case title to groove its way onto shelves. Keep an eye out for Robert Terrall's Kill Now, Pay Later, the cover of which features another impossibly long-legged Robert McGinnis femme fatale. Anybody ever read Terrall?
In other news, I just finished re-reading Bust, by Ken Bruen and Jason Starr, in anticipation of their sequel, Slide, which will hit bookstores next month. What a great, vulgar, crazy, wild read Bust is. Hilarious, brutal stuff. Nice echoing cover art here:
In other news, I just finished re-reading Bust, by Ken Bruen and Jason Starr, in anticipation of their sequel, Slide, which will hit bookstores next month. What a great, vulgar, crazy, wild read Bust is. Hilarious, brutal stuff. Nice echoing cover art here:
08-22-07, 10:42 AM
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You know, on the HCC site, Charles states that the girl is taking off the bottom of her suit. But to me, she's just putting them on. Hmmm....
I still haven't read BUST. It's one of the few books that I don't even have.
I still haven't read BUST. It's one of the few books that I don't even have.
08-22-07, 10:58 AM
#35
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Originally Posted by bishop2knight
You know, on the HCC site, Charles states that the girl is taking off the bottom of her suit. But to me, she's just putting them on. Hmmm....
08-22-07, 11:12 AM
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Originally Posted by FunkDaddy J
See, again, this illustrates that you're more of a pessimist while I'm more of an optimist. I see the glass half full, you see it half empty. I see the bikini bottom coming off, you see it going on.
Of course, I am optimistic about the book itself. All the HCC books with covers by Robert McGinnis have been good ones. I know it's illogical to compare the cover with the actual enjoyment of the story, but there you have it.
08-22-07, 12:17 PM
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Bust is good and Slide might even be better. (Jason Starr's The Follower, just out from St. Martin's, is also very good.) Never heard of Terrall.
It looks to me like she's putting it back on, too. Something about the position of her hands, I guess... Or perhaps my sated nature.
It looks to me like she's putting it back on, too. Something about the position of her hands, I guess... Or perhaps my sated nature.
08-22-07, 12:53 PM
#38
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Originally Posted by FunkDaddy J
All right, it's just about time for another Hard Case title to groove its way onto shelves. Keep an eye out for Robert Terrall's Kill Now, Pay Later, the cover of which features another impossibly long-legged Robert McGinnis femme fatale. Anybody ever read Terrall?
08-22-07, 06:37 PM
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I just finished Grifter's Game by Lawrence Block - first time I've ever read anything by Block and enjoyed it immensely. My favourite two passages:
When talking about Las Vegas:
"Vegas.
I watched men win and I watched them lose. They were playing a straight house. Nothing was loaded. The house took its own little percentage and got rich. Money made in bootlegging and gunrunning and dope smuggling and whoremongering was invested quite properly in an entire town that stood as a monument to human stupidity, a boomtown in the state with the sparsest population and the densest people in the country.
Vegas."
When talking about the performance of the car he just stole:
"The car moved like a retarded child."
Brilliant.
When talking about Las Vegas:
"Vegas.
I watched men win and I watched them lose. They were playing a straight house. Nothing was loaded. The house took its own little percentage and got rich. Money made in bootlegging and gunrunning and dope smuggling and whoremongering was invested quite properly in an entire town that stood as a monument to human stupidity, a boomtown in the state with the sparsest population and the densest people in the country.
Vegas."
When talking about the performance of the car he just stole:
"The car moved like a retarded child."
Brilliant.
08-23-07, 11:51 AM
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How's the Book of the Month Club working out for you, Reggie? Yeah, the language is one of the big draws of these books. Looking forward to the next Block title.
08-23-07, 12:45 PM
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Originally Posted by FunkDaddy J
How's the Book of the Month Club working out for you, Reggie?
08-23-07, 01:02 PM
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I get my books direct from Dorchester and they're always in nice condition. Granted, they're sent from the publicity department... But in my experience the majority of books make it through the mail quite well.
The HCC books are starting to take up quite a bit of shelf space! And I don't even keep the advanced copies in most cases, just the finished paperbacks.
The HCC books are starting to take up quite a bit of shelf space! And I don't even keep the advanced copies in most cases, just the finished paperbacks.
08-23-07, 01:31 PM
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Originally Posted by bishop2knight
How are those monthly books delivered? Any chance that they come in nice condition?
08-25-07, 01:13 PM
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I just got through reading a whole load of these....
The Confession- I started and stopped this one at least 4 times before actually finishing it. Kind of bleak and didn't feel like it was part of the HCC series.
Home is the Sailor- Loved it. Loved the dame and the sap that falls for her.
Kiss Her Goodbye- Very good book, went by quickly. I love British writers.
361- Donald Westlake is killer. This book didn't disappoint. Gritty.
Plunder of the Sun- It was ok. Sort of drug on and on and the conclusion was a letdown.
Branded Woman- Not too bad. It just took forever to get through, but the payoff was nice.
Dutch Uncle- I had high expectations for this book. They were let down by a generic plot and somewhat interesting characters. Not really sure why someone would even bother writing a crime story like this...no surprises or anything.
The Colorado Kid- Not bad or good. I think Stephen King was trying too hard put a message across here instead of making an interesting story.
The Girl with the Long Green Heart- Lawrence Block is a helluva writer and this is one of his lesser books, which means it's still better than most crime fiction you'll read, but not the best.
The Gutter and the Grave- Dated as all hell. Lame "cool" lingo is thrown in the mix with a story about a drunk "has been" detective in NYC. I like it though.
Night Walker- The worst book in this series. Period. Bad "red scare" based plot mixed with a bad stereotype of a southern belle. I finished it as quick as I could and was glad when it ended.
So far my favorite book in the series was Two for the Money by Max Allan Collins. He's a great writer. Little Girl Lost was excellent too.
The Confession- I started and stopped this one at least 4 times before actually finishing it. Kind of bleak and didn't feel like it was part of the HCC series.
Home is the Sailor- Loved it. Loved the dame and the sap that falls for her.
Kiss Her Goodbye- Very good book, went by quickly. I love British writers.
361- Donald Westlake is killer. This book didn't disappoint. Gritty.
Plunder of the Sun- It was ok. Sort of drug on and on and the conclusion was a letdown.
Branded Woman- Not too bad. It just took forever to get through, but the payoff was nice.
Dutch Uncle- I had high expectations for this book. They were let down by a generic plot and somewhat interesting characters. Not really sure why someone would even bother writing a crime story like this...no surprises or anything.
The Colorado Kid- Not bad or good. I think Stephen King was trying too hard put a message across here instead of making an interesting story.
The Girl with the Long Green Heart- Lawrence Block is a helluva writer and this is one of his lesser books, which means it's still better than most crime fiction you'll read, but not the best.
The Gutter and the Grave- Dated as all hell. Lame "cool" lingo is thrown in the mix with a story about a drunk "has been" detective in NYC. I like it though.
Night Walker- The worst book in this series. Period. Bad "red scare" based plot mixed with a bad stereotype of a southern belle. I finished it as quick as I could and was glad when it ended.
So far my favorite book in the series was Two for the Money by Max Allan Collins. He's a great writer. Little Girl Lost was excellent too.
I've actually read only two of those, so this gives me something to start with.
08-29-07, 10:45 AM
#47
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On Tony's recommendation, I devoured about half of Home Is the Sailor last night. This is a painful one, the way the narrator just keeps falling and falling, under the sway of this girl. Makes you cringe and laugh at the same time.
