I've actually been taking a break from HCC novels. What's the consensus on the past 6 to 9 months or so? Standouts? How was the David Schow contribution (GUN WORK)? (Somehow I never got around to it, although I was looking forward to it for a long time. Funny how that happens.)

I liked Killing Castro. It's not great Block, but it's a fast and entertaining read.

Steve Fisher's No House Limit is an enjoyable story of a Las Vegas that no longer exists.

Bruen & Starr's The Max is good (assuming you enjoyed the first two book in the series, which I did).

No House Limit is the book i had started multiple times and it just never compelled me. I took a several month break from the books and now picking them up makes them seem kind of fresh again. Money Shot has been one of my favorites so far.

I also have the Max but can't read it since i haven't bought the other two yet.

THE CORPSE WORE PASTIES
Jonny Porkpie
December 2009
Cover art by Ricky Mujica

WHO BUMPED OFF THE BUMP-AND-GRINDER?

Usually, when you call a burlesque act a "show stopper," you don’t mean it quite so literally. But this time, that’s just what happened: The show stopped dead, and so did the girl. And as I looked at her nearly naked and completely lifeless body and the bottle of poison in her hand with my fingerprints all over it, I thought to myself: Porkpie, you’re in for it this time...

First publication ever!
By the co-creator and master of ceremonies of New York's celebrated Pinchbottom burlesque troupe, called "the best burlesque show in town" by the Village Voice and named "Best of New York" by New York magazine

Raves for the Work of Jonny Porkpie...

"Warped."
— New York Times

"Uproarious."
— New York Magazine

"Deliciously perverse."
— Next Magazine

"Daring, funny, imaginative, and titillating to all tastes."
— London Telegraph

I thought Gun Work was decent. It was a bit too technical for me regarding the guns, but I guess the content lives up to the title. It was definitely the darkest of the HCC I've read.

I also finished up Baby Moll not too long ago. It started out good, dragged some in the middle, then picked up again towards the end. Overall a mediocre story, but I liked John Farris' writing style.

I will have to pull those off my shelf.

Both my wife and i really enjoyed The Cutie. She even asked if there were more by that author.

For fans of Charles Ardai/HCC, you may be interested in knowing that his spin-off site is now live for the forthcoming Gabriel Hunt series: http://www.huntforadventure.com/

News from Charles Ardai...

*********************

Friends,

If you take a moment to visit the Hard Case Crime web site, www.HardCaseCrime.com, you'll see something new: the gorgeous cover Ricky Mujica painted for one of our two December titles, THE CORPSE WORE PASTIES. (Yes, I said two December titles. The second is a special treat for the holidays and we won't be saying anything more about it till we're closer to its release. Wouldn't want to spoil the fun.)

THE CORPSE WORE PASTIES is a whodunnit set in the world of burlesque, and its author is one "Jonny Porkpie," himself a long-time burlesque performer and co-creator of New York's award-winning Pinchbottom burlesque troupe. The cover features two of Jonny's sexy co-stars from the burlesque world, Nasty Canasta and GiGi LaFemme, and the book tells the story of a performer who dies onstage -- of unnatural causes -- while performing a scandalous striptease. It's a sexy, witty, funny novel and will set tongues wagging when the holiday season rolls around...not least of all because Pinchbottom will be mounting a live off-Broadway show to coincide with the publication of the book! So if you're in New York City when the time comes, you'll have the chance to see Mr. Porkpie and our two cover models in the flesh (you'll pardon the expression).

And if you're looking for some great reading today, why not try our latest title, HOUSE DICK, by the one-time spy and convicted Watergate conspirator E. Howard Hunt? There's no politics in this book (though it's set in Washington D. C.); what there is is a first-rate hard-boiled detective story. If you only know Hunt as a notorious public figure, you're in for a treat when you discover just how good a crime writer the man was.

Coming next month? The great Atlantic City Mob/boxing epic, CASINO MOON, by New York Times bestseller Peter Blauner -- and HUNT AT THE WELL OF ETERNITY by Gabriel Hunt...

Happy Spring,
Charles
--------
Charles Ardai
Editor

In stores now! My local B&N seems to be getting these quite a bit earlier these days...an earlier shipping schedule, perhaps? Well, I'm all for it. Enjoy!

Wow, i just got mine from the book club on Monday. This is the book i was really looking forward to. I hope to start it this weekend. It is admittedly a pretty slim book.

Am over halfway done with this one and I started it this morning.

Is your thumb up, down or vacillating?

I just received the new book Casino Moon in the mail ...Damn.... I haven't even read the last two!

I have started House Dick and will try to finish it this weekend.

*snap* I haven't gotten the one after House Dick yet. I also need to read last month's book. Maybe this summer i will catch up.

In stores now!

Hello all.

New to the discussion, but not to these great books. I started where I imagine a lot of people did, with The Colorado Kid. Read it real quick-like. Bought A Touch of Death and love it. Joined the club and started with Baby Moll about 10 months ago. Started that one and stopped a couple chapters in. Next was The Max and I didn't read it because it was a sequel. Started reading other stuff and got behind on the HCC's. A few months later I got Fifty to One in the mail and thought, if I'm gonna read that, I'll have to have read all the others. I know you probably don't have to, but that's how I am. Got discouraged for a few more months. HCC's kept piling up.

Then, on a whim about 3 weeks ago, I decided to read The First Quarry. Couldn't put it down. Read it in one night. Loved it. How'd you guys feel?

I bit the bullet and decided to order all the ones I didn't have from the website. Loved getting that big box with all those beautiful books (those covers!). Collection is complete and they keep rolling in every month.

Since then, I've read:

Baby Moll - finished it! wasn't as bad as I remembered.
Gun Work - Thought it started off good, but he all of a sudden gets a heart about halfway through the book after being so hard in the beginning.
Grifter's Game - Awesome. Block rules, and that ending was great.
The Gutter and the Grave - Had tried to read McBain previously and didn't like him. This one was good, though it was an obvious twist. (It's about the journey, not the destination, right?)

I'm in the middle of Fade to Blonde right now, and it's okay, but not moving me.

I've decided I'm going to read them all in order, skipping the ones I've already read of course. Hoping to catch up by the end of the summer.

I'm glad this discussion is here so I can read back about what people thought of the book I've just read. Uber-excited.

They surely make an impressive site, all together stretched across a bookcase.

Welcome to the forum!

Actually, I wish I had the space to set them with the covers out. The spines have nothing on those covers.

Interesting news from Charles Ardai...

**************************

Friends,

This September we'll be publishing Russell Atwood's second novel, LOSERS LIVE LONGER. His first, EAST OF A, came out ten years ago and won praise from critics and fellow writers alike -- people like Michael Connelly and Jeffery Deaver and Ann Beattie, and newspapers such as the NEW YORK TIMES, LOS ANGELES TIMES, HOUSTON CHRONICLE and BALTIMORE SUN. Here was an exciting new voice and an exciting new private eye character, Payton Sherwood; everyone was eager to see what they both would do next.

And now, a decade later, we finally will.

Several of you have written to ask why our Web site (www.HardCaseCrime.com) hasn't had a new book added to it for more than a month; the last one we added, THE CORPSE WORE PASTIES, is our December 2009 title, and as time has passed without another appearing on the site, some of you have inquired, "Will there be more Hard Case Crime in 2010?" The answer is yes: There will be more in 2010; there will even be more in December 2009, in fact, since we'll be publishing two books that month...but we'd like to keep our second December title a surprise till we're closer to its publication date, which is why we haven't added it to the Web site yet. It's got a gorgeous Glen Orbik cover and it's a book I think all mystery fans will get a kick out of -- but our lips are sealed till Christmas approaches.

After that two-book month, we'll be taking a break for a few months to give me a chance to catch up on other work (in particular, the first six books of our new "Gabriel Hunt" adventure series: www.HuntForAdventure.com) and to give some companies who owe us money (you know who you are!) a chance to pay off all their accumulated, overdue bills. But once that's behind us, new Hard Case Crime titles will start coming again -- in fact, we're in the process of buying #64 now, and Greg Manchess is already hard at work on the cover.

And of course there are plenty of books you haven't seen yet already in the works: FAKE I.D. by Jason Starr in June; PASSPORT TO PERIL by Robert B. Parker in July; STOP THIS MAN! by Peter Rabe in August; Russell's book, LOSERS LIVE LONGER, in September; Lester Dent's never-before-published HONEY IN HIS MOUTH in October; Max Allan Collins' QUARRY IN THE MIDDLE in November; THE CORPSE WORE PASTIES by Jonny Porkpie in December; and our extra December surprise. No shortage of books to read and enjoy, in other words. And for those of you who haven't already read our first 50+ titles, this will also give you a chance to catch up!

Many thanks again for all your support; it's great to know there are so many of you out there who share our passion for these books...

Best,
Charles
--------
Charles Ardai
Editor

I hope the extra book is more of the Nolan stuff from Max Allan Collins. I just finished Two For The Money and it was great. I'm trying to finish the abysmal Pygmy and then I'm gonna start of The Confession.

That doesn't sound good. I hope they're able to overcome these temporary difficulties. The publishing business, unfortunately, suffers from these kind of problems from time to time.

Hard Case Crime is a great imprint. I would definitely miss their books.

That really sucks.

Personally i will be a little surprised if it is just a couple months and isn't more like 6-9 months.

From the article, it seems Ardai is optimistic there will be more titles in 2010. I too have enjoyed their line. Black Lizard did a similar effort in the 80s (pulp paperbacks) and ended up publishing 70 or so (they were eventually bought out by Random House and live on in trades).

Hopefully HCC gets these issues resolved and we will see title #100 published sometime.

I'm in the mood for a good grifter novel. Can anyone recommend a good Hard Case Crime grifter novel? Other than Grifter's Game...I've read that one.

They just started that new Gabriel Hunt line, so I wouldn't think they're hurting all that bad. They didn't put out that many books at first, so I think we've been spoiled with the book a month thing lately.

I don't see them going anywhere any time soon.