Michael Raleigh's Blog: Raleigh's Corner
February 15, 2015
How Good is the Goldfinch?
A FEW THOUGHTS ON THE GOLDFINCH
I came across a comment recently that reminded me of the stir that was caused first by the enormous popularity and critical acclaim for Donna Tartt’s novel THE GOLDFINCH, and then by Tartt’s novel winning the Pulitzer Prize. Since winning the Pulitzer, Tartt’s novel has been singled out as a great novel, a truly Dickensian work, and as an overrated and overheated schlock novel.
By now it is clear that one can find any number of reviewers or critics to support either side in the debate.
But does this lack of consensus say something about THE GOLDFINCH? At first glance, one might suspect that, if the Tartt novel were such hot stuff, there would be more unanimity among the critical establishment. However, a glance at all the books honored in this past year’s round of awards suggests that such agreement is a fantasy. Listed below are the finalists for the three awards that are arguably the most significant literary competitions in our society, the National Book Critics Circle Awards, the National Book Awards, and the Pulitzer Prizes.
Take a long look at the nominated authors. Two things become apparent. First, the lists of finalists demonstrate no overlap whatsoever – if you were nominated for the National Book Award, you were not on the Pulitzer list. This is particularly true of the winners – three different novelists for three prizes.
Second, because the National Book Awards reveal their “long list,” we can see that only one author appears on more than one list: Donna Tartt.
Finalists for the National Book Critics Award for Fiction:
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, AMERICANAH (Knopf) (winner)
Alice McDermott, SOMEONE (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)
Javier Marias, THE INFATUATIONS (Knopf)
Ruth Ozeki, A TALE FOR THE TIME BEING (Viking)
Donna Tartt, THE GOLDFINCH (Little, Brown
FINALISTS FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION:
Phil Klay, Redeployment (winner)
• FINALISTS:
Rabih Alameddine, An Unnecessary Woman
Anthony Doerr, All the Light We Cannot See
Emily St. John Mandel, Station Eleven
Marilynne Robinson, Lila
Long list:
- Molly Antopol, The UnAmericans
- John Darnielle, Wolf in White Van
- Elizabeth McCracken, Thunderstruck & Other Stories
- Richard Powers, Orfeo (W.W. Norton & Company)
- Jane Smiley, Some Luck (Alfred A. Knopf/ Random House)
PULITZER PRIZE
Finalists:
Donna Tartt THE GOLDFINCH (Winner)
Philipp Meyer THE SON
Bob Shacochis THE WOMAN WHO LOST HER SOUL
I am uncertain what has caused Tartt’s book, singled out by both the Pulitzer Committee and the National Book Awards, to be the target of so much rage and hostility. Perhaps it is that Tartt’s book committed the unforgivable sin of being wildly popular as well.
So how good is THE GOLDFINCH?
On the plus side, it is filled with memorable characters, including the narrator, Theo Decker, a child not so much tormented as hammered by fate, and several of his acquaintances, such as the gentle furniture refinisher Hobie, and for my money the most unforgettable young rogue in recent fiction, Theo’s lifelong friend Boris, a youthful con artist whose morals are as fractured as his English, easily the funniest character in the book. Tartt is also a fine writer with a genuine ear for dialogue and a gift for description. Finally, there is the pace of the book, which races through time and incident and across continents.
Problems? Well, there are several. Later plot developments, involving mobsters and guns and nighttime confrontations, will strike some as more suggestive of Ian Fleming than a serious novelist. And there is a talky, not particularly convincing ending, a speech from Theo that takes the place of a more satisfying or at least solid solution.
But consider this view of the novel, Saul Bellow writing to Bernard Malamud: "A novel, like a letter, should be loose, cover much ground, run swiftly, take risk of mortality and decay."
One thinks of Mr. Bellow’s own THE ADVENTURES OF AUGIE MARCH as a candidate for this description of a novel.
THE GOLDFINCH is, all in all, not a tidy book, nor a perfect one, but it has more in common with Mr. Bellow’s definition of a novel than most I’ve read in recent years. The term used more than any other I’ve heard in connection with Ms. Tartt’s book is Dickensian. This is as close to the mark as anything, for THE GOLDFINCH is as close to a Dickens novel as any I’ve read in a long time. I often suspect that those who use Dickensian to describe a book haven’t read Mr. Dickens since 10th grade. If they took a new look, they would find a writer who produced long, rambling works involving dozens of incidents, some of them improbable, scores of characters, some of them caricatures, books sometimes overly long and overwrought but works filled with people and humor and ideas and life.
I believe that Ms. Tartt has indeed written a Dickensian novel, and the literary world is better for it.
I came across a comment recently that reminded me of the stir that was caused first by the enormous popularity and critical acclaim for Donna Tartt’s novel THE GOLDFINCH, and then by Tartt’s novel winning the Pulitzer Prize. Since winning the Pulitzer, Tartt’s novel has been singled out as a great novel, a truly Dickensian work, and as an overrated and overheated schlock novel.
By now it is clear that one can find any number of reviewers or critics to support either side in the debate.
But does this lack of consensus say something about THE GOLDFINCH? At first glance, one might suspect that, if the Tartt novel were such hot stuff, there would be more unanimity among the critical establishment. However, a glance at all the books honored in this past year’s round of awards suggests that such agreement is a fantasy. Listed below are the finalists for the three awards that are arguably the most significant literary competitions in our society, the National Book Critics Circle Awards, the National Book Awards, and the Pulitzer Prizes.
Take a long look at the nominated authors. Two things become apparent. First, the lists of finalists demonstrate no overlap whatsoever – if you were nominated for the National Book Award, you were not on the Pulitzer list. This is particularly true of the winners – three different novelists for three prizes.
Second, because the National Book Awards reveal their “long list,” we can see that only one author appears on more than one list: Donna Tartt.
Finalists for the National Book Critics Award for Fiction:
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, AMERICANAH (Knopf) (winner)
Alice McDermott, SOMEONE (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)
Javier Marias, THE INFATUATIONS (Knopf)
Ruth Ozeki, A TALE FOR THE TIME BEING (Viking)
Donna Tartt, THE GOLDFINCH (Little, Brown
FINALISTS FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION:
Phil Klay, Redeployment (winner)
• FINALISTS:
Rabih Alameddine, An Unnecessary Woman
Anthony Doerr, All the Light We Cannot See
Emily St. John Mandel, Station Eleven
Marilynne Robinson, Lila
Long list:
- Molly Antopol, The UnAmericans
- John Darnielle, Wolf in White Van
- Elizabeth McCracken, Thunderstruck & Other Stories
- Richard Powers, Orfeo (W.W. Norton & Company)
- Jane Smiley, Some Luck (Alfred A. Knopf/ Random House)
PULITZER PRIZE
Finalists:
Donna Tartt THE GOLDFINCH (Winner)
Philipp Meyer THE SON
Bob Shacochis THE WOMAN WHO LOST HER SOUL
I am uncertain what has caused Tartt’s book, singled out by both the Pulitzer Committee and the National Book Awards, to be the target of so much rage and hostility. Perhaps it is that Tartt’s book committed the unforgivable sin of being wildly popular as well.
So how good is THE GOLDFINCH?
On the plus side, it is filled with memorable characters, including the narrator, Theo Decker, a child not so much tormented as hammered by fate, and several of his acquaintances, such as the gentle furniture refinisher Hobie, and for my money the most unforgettable young rogue in recent fiction, Theo’s lifelong friend Boris, a youthful con artist whose morals are as fractured as his English, easily the funniest character in the book. Tartt is also a fine writer with a genuine ear for dialogue and a gift for description. Finally, there is the pace of the book, which races through time and incident and across continents.
Problems? Well, there are several. Later plot developments, involving mobsters and guns and nighttime confrontations, will strike some as more suggestive of Ian Fleming than a serious novelist. And there is a talky, not particularly convincing ending, a speech from Theo that takes the place of a more satisfying or at least solid solution.
But consider this view of the novel, Saul Bellow writing to Bernard Malamud: "A novel, like a letter, should be loose, cover much ground, run swiftly, take risk of mortality and decay."
One thinks of Mr. Bellow’s own THE ADVENTURES OF AUGIE MARCH as a candidate for this description of a novel.
THE GOLDFINCH is, all in all, not a tidy book, nor a perfect one, but it has more in common with Mr. Bellow’s definition of a novel than most I’ve read in recent years. The term used more than any other I’ve heard in connection with Ms. Tartt’s book is Dickensian. This is as close to the mark as anything, for THE GOLDFINCH is as close to a Dickens novel as any I’ve read in a long time. I often suspect that those who use Dickensian to describe a book haven’t read Mr. Dickens since 10th grade. If they took a new look, they would find a writer who produced long, rambling works involving dozens of incidents, some of them improbable, scores of characters, some of them caricatures, books sometimes overly long and overwrought but works filled with people and humor and ideas and life.
I believe that Ms. Tartt has indeed written a Dickensian novel, and the literary world is better for it.
February 10, 2015
Tom Weaver: Homage to the Spooky Movies of My Youth
In my childhood I was addicted to horror films. I loved them all: pictures in which astronauts brought back a killer virus or a giant slug, pictures in which a praying mantis or a giant tarantula or a dinosaur or mutant ants or killer robots or a scorpion gone very wrong menace Tokyo or Rome or New York or -- in the case of the giant mantis -- Newark, New Jersey.
And so it is that in adulthood, some would say dotage, I have become addicted to the works of one Tom Weaver of Sleepy Hollow, New York.
Weaver is the Studs Terkel of movie interviews and his specialty is the wonderful B-movies of the 1940s and 1950s. In titles such as THEY FOUGHT IN THE CREATURE FEATURES and I TALKED WITH A ZOMBIE, Weaver interviews the directors, producers, screenwriters, actors and actresses who brought these half-baked but addictive movies to life. Some of his interviewees are Hollywood legends -- Boris Karloff and Vincent Price, for instance -- and others are now largely forgotten folks who graced one or two black-and-whites in the 1950s and went on to sell real estate in California or open a bar in Peoria. Weaver's questions are well-thought-out, but mostly he lets these people talk. Some have probably never been asked about their film careers.
It happens that for the last several years I've been writing a comic novel about a failed actor in Chicago who comes into a little cash and decides to make a horror flick. I read my first Tom Weaver book right at the beginning of this process and got hooked. I've since read eight more of his books, all the while telling wife, children and friends that this is all research, it is all part of the process. In truth, I'm just having fun reading of the improbable, loopy machinations of these people, many of them nearly forgotten, who brought hundreds of low-budget (in some cases, REALLY low-budget) movies to the screen. There are anecdotes galore in these interviews, inside secrets (in TARGET EARTH, a terrifying film in which a robot army from another planet has decimated the population of a large city, there was only one robot, filmed over and over again, sometimes in silhouette, to create the impression that these tin guys were everywhere.) and comic stories galore. I was reassured to read that Vincent Price was cultured, urbane, witty, and a nice man, and that everyone, I mean EVERYONE, loved Boris Karloff. His favorite role? Doing the narration for THE GRINCH THAT STOLE CHRISTMAS.
My book, called THE EDERLE BROTHERS PRESENT is one of those projects that an author gets into to amuse himself. I have no idea when I'll finish it or if I'll ever find a publisher for it. But if nothing else, it has given me an excuse over these past few years of reading the oddball and quite wonderful works of Tom Weaver. I recommend these books to anyone with any interest whatsoever in the old B horror movies of that much simpler time.
And so it is that in adulthood, some would say dotage, I have become addicted to the works of one Tom Weaver of Sleepy Hollow, New York.
Weaver is the Studs Terkel of movie interviews and his specialty is the wonderful B-movies of the 1940s and 1950s. In titles such as THEY FOUGHT IN THE CREATURE FEATURES and I TALKED WITH A ZOMBIE, Weaver interviews the directors, producers, screenwriters, actors and actresses who brought these half-baked but addictive movies to life. Some of his interviewees are Hollywood legends -- Boris Karloff and Vincent Price, for instance -- and others are now largely forgotten folks who graced one or two black-and-whites in the 1950s and went on to sell real estate in California or open a bar in Peoria. Weaver's questions are well-thought-out, but mostly he lets these people talk. Some have probably never been asked about their film careers.
It happens that for the last several years I've been writing a comic novel about a failed actor in Chicago who comes into a little cash and decides to make a horror flick. I read my first Tom Weaver book right at the beginning of this process and got hooked. I've since read eight more of his books, all the while telling wife, children and friends that this is all research, it is all part of the process. In truth, I'm just having fun reading of the improbable, loopy machinations of these people, many of them nearly forgotten, who brought hundreds of low-budget (in some cases, REALLY low-budget) movies to the screen. There are anecdotes galore in these interviews, inside secrets (in TARGET EARTH, a terrifying film in which a robot army from another planet has decimated the population of a large city, there was only one robot, filmed over and over again, sometimes in silhouette, to create the impression that these tin guys were everywhere.) and comic stories galore. I was reassured to read that Vincent Price was cultured, urbane, witty, and a nice man, and that everyone, I mean EVERYONE, loved Boris Karloff. His favorite role? Doing the narration for THE GRINCH THAT STOLE CHRISTMAS.
My book, called THE EDERLE BROTHERS PRESENT is one of those projects that an author gets into to amuse himself. I have no idea when I'll finish it or if I'll ever find a publisher for it. But if nothing else, it has given me an excuse over these past few years of reading the oddball and quite wonderful works of Tom Weaver. I recommend these books to anyone with any interest whatsoever in the old B horror movies of that much simpler time.
February 2, 2015
Another List: favorite books -- part One
1) NORTHWEST PASSAGE, by Kenneth Roberts. A sprawling historical novel covering the French and Indian War and the American Revolution, and dominated by the marvelous character of Major Robert Rogers.
2) STUDS LONIGAN, by James T. Farrell. The book that made me want to become a writer. Actually a trilogy, and a highly naturalistic look at Chicago during the depression. If a book can be said to be teeming with life, this is one.
3)OF HUMAN BONDAGE, by Somerset Maugham. I could have put any of several of Maugham's books on this list. This one is a coming-of-age novel involving a toxic and unrequited love affair, but a beautiful book. And not as dark as it sounds.
4) GO DOWN MOSES, by William Faulkner. An episodic account of one southern family through the adventures of its offspring both black and white. Includes the much-anthologized "THE BEAR" and an early episode featuring one of the great poker games in fiction.
5) THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING, by T.H. White. The basis for the musical CAMELOT but so much more: the story of Arthur, given a modern retelling in White's beautiful, loopy, frequently hilarious treatment.
6) Le Morte D'Arthur, by Sir Thomas Malory (original medieval spelling, Le Morte Darthur). Forgive the geek aspect of this entry: I did my thesis on the legend of Merlin, and this is the best known and most complete treatment of the so-called "Matter of Arthur." Some spectacular prose if one is patient.
7)THE WIND'S TWELVE QUARTERS, by Ursula LeGuin. A story collection showing off LeGuin as a writer of wonderful fantasy or thoughtful science fiction.
8) DOCTOR ZHIVAGO, by Boris Pasternak. I am a sucker for big, weighty Russian novels with dozens of characters and sweeping storylines, and this is one. The novel actually covers a longer period of time than the events in the famous film.
9)THE KINGS IN WINTER, by Cecelia Holland. A favorite historical novelist of mine, a writer whose books cover many periods of history. This one involves the Viking Invasion of Ireland and the last High King of Ireland, Brian Boru.
10) BLEAK HOUSE, by Charles Dickens. I've read a lot of Dickens but this remains my favorite, partly because it includes the usual rich portrait of Dickens's world but a mystery and a detective as well.
11) LORD JIM, by Joseph Conrad. Conrad wrote more accessible novels, notably VICTORY and AN OUTCAST OF THE ISLANDS, but LORD JIM presents, I think, Conrad's richest, most multi-faceted portrait of a fascinating character.
12) THE CELEBRANT, by Eric Rolfe Greenburg. For my money, the greatest novel ever about baseball and the people involved in its various aspects. It is the story of the family of Jewish jewelers who, at the turn of the 20th century, manufacture the World Series rings. It is also the tale of the emergence of baseball as a national pastime, and of some of the first baseball stars. As much a historical novel as a sports tale.
13) THE ASSISTANT, by Bernard Malamud
Malamud was always in the shadow of Roth and Bellow but was a wonderful short story writer and novelist, and this simple tale of a grocer and a man down on his luck, includes a lovely romance as well.
14) BURR, by Gore Vidal. A bold, beautifully written tale of the founding of the country, told from the point of view of the charming, witty, and sardonic title character. I could easily have substituted Vidal's prize-winning novel of the Roman Empire, JULIAN.
15)THE LORD OF THE RINGS,by J.R.R. Tolkien. Still a towering work of fantasy, infused by the prodigious scholarship of its author, a tale drenched in the ancient sagas and tales in which Tolkien immersed himself.
To be continued.
2) STUDS LONIGAN, by James T. Farrell. The book that made me want to become a writer. Actually a trilogy, and a highly naturalistic look at Chicago during the depression. If a book can be said to be teeming with life, this is one.
3)OF HUMAN BONDAGE, by Somerset Maugham. I could have put any of several of Maugham's books on this list. This one is a coming-of-age novel involving a toxic and unrequited love affair, but a beautiful book. And not as dark as it sounds.
4) GO DOWN MOSES, by William Faulkner. An episodic account of one southern family through the adventures of its offspring both black and white. Includes the much-anthologized "THE BEAR" and an early episode featuring one of the great poker games in fiction.
5) THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING, by T.H. White. The basis for the musical CAMELOT but so much more: the story of Arthur, given a modern retelling in White's beautiful, loopy, frequently hilarious treatment.
6) Le Morte D'Arthur, by Sir Thomas Malory (original medieval spelling, Le Morte Darthur). Forgive the geek aspect of this entry: I did my thesis on the legend of Merlin, and this is the best known and most complete treatment of the so-called "Matter of Arthur." Some spectacular prose if one is patient.
7)THE WIND'S TWELVE QUARTERS, by Ursula LeGuin. A story collection showing off LeGuin as a writer of wonderful fantasy or thoughtful science fiction.
8) DOCTOR ZHIVAGO, by Boris Pasternak. I am a sucker for big, weighty Russian novels with dozens of characters and sweeping storylines, and this is one. The novel actually covers a longer period of time than the events in the famous film.
9)THE KINGS IN WINTER, by Cecelia Holland. A favorite historical novelist of mine, a writer whose books cover many periods of history. This one involves the Viking Invasion of Ireland and the last High King of Ireland, Brian Boru.
10) BLEAK HOUSE, by Charles Dickens. I've read a lot of Dickens but this remains my favorite, partly because it includes the usual rich portrait of Dickens's world but a mystery and a detective as well.
11) LORD JIM, by Joseph Conrad. Conrad wrote more accessible novels, notably VICTORY and AN OUTCAST OF THE ISLANDS, but LORD JIM presents, I think, Conrad's richest, most multi-faceted portrait of a fascinating character.
12) THE CELEBRANT, by Eric Rolfe Greenburg. For my money, the greatest novel ever about baseball and the people involved in its various aspects. It is the story of the family of Jewish jewelers who, at the turn of the 20th century, manufacture the World Series rings. It is also the tale of the emergence of baseball as a national pastime, and of some of the first baseball stars. As much a historical novel as a sports tale.
13) THE ASSISTANT, by Bernard Malamud
Malamud was always in the shadow of Roth and Bellow but was a wonderful short story writer and novelist, and this simple tale of a grocer and a man down on his luck, includes a lovely romance as well.
14) BURR, by Gore Vidal. A bold, beautifully written tale of the founding of the country, told from the point of view of the charming, witty, and sardonic title character. I could easily have substituted Vidal's prize-winning novel of the Roman Empire, JULIAN.
15)THE LORD OF THE RINGS,by J.R.R. Tolkien. Still a towering work of fantasy, infused by the prodigious scholarship of its author, a tale drenched in the ancient sagas and tales in which Tolkien immersed himself.
To be continued.
December 26, 2014
First list -- favorite mysteries
Everyone loves a list, so here is one of mine (with others to follow):
FAVORITE MYSTERIES & CRIME NOVELS
(Listed in no particular order)
1) LANDSCAPE OF LIES, by Peter Watson
A mad race to find treasure hidden from Henry VIII by Catholic monks, featuring a 16th century painting which is really a map. In the book's original, the map is reproduced on the cover so the reader can consult clues, both true and false. Easily the most fun I have ever had reading a mystery.
2) THE DAUGHTER OF TIME, by Josephine Tey
Tey's great historical mystery, in which her detective Alan Grant, bedridden by injury, investigates the story of Richard the Third and begins to formulate a story far different from Shakespeare's. A wonderful, original, thought-provoking novel.
3) THE LITTLE SISTER, by Raymond Chandler
For my money you could put any of Chandler's dark, witty, beautifully written books on the list, but this is the one I read first and it remains my favorite. Later turned into the film MARLOWE, starring the late James Garner.
4) THE CHILL, by Ross MacDonald
No one wrote about dysfunctional families like MacDonald, and no one investigated the tangled lives of California's rich like MacDonald either. A tough choice for me -- THE CHILL or his final Lew Archer book, THE BLUE HAMMER, a highly-praised and award-winning book.
5) THE TEARS OF AUTUMN, by Charles McCarry
McCarry's books are usually spy novels but THE TEARS OF AUTUMN is his take on the Kennedy Assassination, and sends his protagonist Paul Christopher into dark places to get at the root of JFK's murder.
6) FLYING BLIND, by Max Allan Collins
Part of Collins's terrific Nathan Heller series, this novel investigates the disappearance of Amelia Earhart. A fascinating historical novel as well as a great mystery. I'd also recommend STOLEN AWAY, in which Heller is involved in the investigation of the Lindbergh Kidnapping.
7) WHEN THE SACRED GINMILL CLOSES, by Lawrence Block
Probably the best of Block's Matthew Scudder novels. This one involves fraud, robbery, murder, and Scudder's own struggles with alcohol, and is as much about the character Matthew Scudder as it is about the crimes of the plot.
8) MOTOR CITY BLUE, by Loren Estleman
It is difficult for me to choose a favorite among the many books of this series, so I chose the first. Estelman's series featuring private eye Amos Walker is a throwback in the best sense of the term, a long, intelligent series showcasing a private eye with the requisite toughness, a highly evolved moral sense, dogged single-mindedness, and a sense of humor.
9) THE SIGN OF FOUR, by Arthur Conan Doyle
Overlooked, I think, in favor of THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES, THE SIGN OF FOUR involves an old pact among four criminals, the race for their treasure, and the British experience in India.
10) AMERICAN TABLOID, by James Ellroy
In each of his books, Ellroy sends a squadron of flawed characters into the heart of darkness, in this case, into Dallas, circa 1963. A fascinating, chilling take on the JFK assassination. Interesting to note how many crime writers have taken their shot at the Kennedy assassination -- three on my short list (Max Collins devotes two novels in the Nathan Heller series to JFK)
And I could go on and on....
FAVORITE MYSTERIES & CRIME NOVELS
(Listed in no particular order)
1) LANDSCAPE OF LIES, by Peter Watson
A mad race to find treasure hidden from Henry VIII by Catholic monks, featuring a 16th century painting which is really a map. In the book's original, the map is reproduced on the cover so the reader can consult clues, both true and false. Easily the most fun I have ever had reading a mystery.
2) THE DAUGHTER OF TIME, by Josephine Tey
Tey's great historical mystery, in which her detective Alan Grant, bedridden by injury, investigates the story of Richard the Third and begins to formulate a story far different from Shakespeare's. A wonderful, original, thought-provoking novel.
3) THE LITTLE SISTER, by Raymond Chandler
For my money you could put any of Chandler's dark, witty, beautifully written books on the list, but this is the one I read first and it remains my favorite. Later turned into the film MARLOWE, starring the late James Garner.
4) THE CHILL, by Ross MacDonald
No one wrote about dysfunctional families like MacDonald, and no one investigated the tangled lives of California's rich like MacDonald either. A tough choice for me -- THE CHILL or his final Lew Archer book, THE BLUE HAMMER, a highly-praised and award-winning book.
5) THE TEARS OF AUTUMN, by Charles McCarry
McCarry's books are usually spy novels but THE TEARS OF AUTUMN is his take on the Kennedy Assassination, and sends his protagonist Paul Christopher into dark places to get at the root of JFK's murder.
6) FLYING BLIND, by Max Allan Collins
Part of Collins's terrific Nathan Heller series, this novel investigates the disappearance of Amelia Earhart. A fascinating historical novel as well as a great mystery. I'd also recommend STOLEN AWAY, in which Heller is involved in the investigation of the Lindbergh Kidnapping.
7) WHEN THE SACRED GINMILL CLOSES, by Lawrence Block
Probably the best of Block's Matthew Scudder novels. This one involves fraud, robbery, murder, and Scudder's own struggles with alcohol, and is as much about the character Matthew Scudder as it is about the crimes of the plot.
8) MOTOR CITY BLUE, by Loren Estleman
It is difficult for me to choose a favorite among the many books of this series, so I chose the first. Estelman's series featuring private eye Amos Walker is a throwback in the best sense of the term, a long, intelligent series showcasing a private eye with the requisite toughness, a highly evolved moral sense, dogged single-mindedness, and a sense of humor.
9) THE SIGN OF FOUR, by Arthur Conan Doyle
Overlooked, I think, in favor of THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES, THE SIGN OF FOUR involves an old pact among four criminals, the race for their treasure, and the British experience in India.
10) AMERICAN TABLOID, by James Ellroy
In each of his books, Ellroy sends a squadron of flawed characters into the heart of darkness, in this case, into Dallas, circa 1963. A fascinating, chilling take on the JFK assassination. Interesting to note how many crime writers have taken their shot at the Kennedy assassination -- three on my short list (Max Collins devotes two novels in the Nathan Heller series to JFK)
And I could go on and on....
Raleigh's Corner
Being the rambling thoughts, notes, and opinions of Michael Raleigh on writing, on books (mostly other people's), and the publishing world.
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