What do you think?
Rate this book
Hardman #2
The Charleston Knife is Back in Town
The second novel in the unforgettable, long lost series by Ralph Dennis is finally back in print… after being coveted for years by collectors of the very best in hardboiled fiction. "The action is sharp, the dialogue is crisp and true." Mystery Scene Magazine Jim Hardman is an ex-cop in Atlanta Atlanta cop who works as an unlicensed PI, trouble-shooter and bodyguard…often partnered with his drinking buddy Hump Evans, a black, ex-NFL player who supports his playboy lifestyle by working as hired muscle.Five kids rip off a gambling party attended by Hump Evans and some of Atlanta’s criminal and political elite. Hardman is hired to recover the loot and find the kids before they are caught and butchered by a hitman from Charleston with a very sharp knife.This new edition includes an introduction by Joe R. Lansdale, the New York Times bestselling author of the Hap & Leonard crime novels.Praise for the HARDMAN novels “His prose was muscular, swift and highly readable. Like Chandler and Hammett before him, Dennis was trying to do something different with what was thought of as throwaway literature.” Joe R. Lansdale, from his introduction“Expert writing, plus good plotting and an unusual degree of sensitivity. Ralph Dennis has mastered the genre and supplied top entertainment.” The New York Times “The Hardman books are by far the best of the men’s action-adventure series.” Mother Jones Magazine "Ralph Dennis is an underappreciated master. His Hardman series is one of the finest in the P.I. genre." Robert Randisi, founder of the Private Eye Writers of America“Among the best series books around. The dialogue is marvelously realistic.” Philadelphia Daily News
200 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1974
51 people are currently reading
83 people want to read
About the author
Ralph Dennis
57 books43 followersRalph Dennis was born in South Carolina and had a master’s degree from the University of North Carolina, where he also taught. For mystery fans, Dennis will always be associated with the City of Atlanta, the locale for the twelve novel series about Jim Hardman, former cop and unofficial private eye, all published by Popular Library between 1974 and 1977.
At the time of his death in 1988, he was working at a bookstore in Atlanta and had a file cabinet full of unpublished novels.
At the time of his death in 1988, he was working at a bookstore in Atlanta and had a file cabinet full of unpublished novels.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
November 28, 2023
”You can beef about the deficiency of political correctness, but twenty years from now they’ll be beefing about our lack of political correctness on some subject or another that we now think we are hip to. And too much political correctness is the enemy of truth, and certainly there are times when fiction is not about pretty manners but should ring the true bells of social conditions and expression. Erasing what is really going on, even in popular fiction, doesn’t do anyone any favors. Righteous political correctness has its place, but political correct police do not.”--Joe Lansdale from the Introduction
Interestingly enough, the publisher, Brash Books, was so worried about offending some readers that they put an additional word of warning after the introduction. ”This book was originally published in 1974 and reflects the cultural and sexual attitudes, language, and politics of the period.”
I understand the need for these warnings for there are many self-righteous, PC people who spend each day hoping that they will encounter some poor bastard who happens to say something that doesn’t conform to their socially elite vision of proper conduct. They pounce on books or magazine articles that may have been written 50 or a 100 years ago and deem them unfit to be read by a modern reader because they contain scenes or references that are racist or sexist. The perception of political correctness has been warped from its original intention by those who embrace it and by those who loathe it.
Correctness is a word that raises the hackles of a majority of people. ”The noun ‘correctness’ connotes approval and radiates authority. It indicates, with an imperative tone, that something should be done in a particular way. In this regard, the term political correctness can evoke the feeling of being talked down to and even subordinated.”--By Dr. Anna Szilágyi
Political Correctness is a terrible name for something that is so important to defining how we see ourselves. Once something becomes political, you’ve already lost half the people who will never embrace anything their political rivals deem important. We all dislike being corrected, so the use of the word correctness is like waving a red flag in front of an enraged bull. All the person sees is red.
Therefore, we all need guidelines to help us navigate modern culture without insulting someone, and with the added sensitivities of what has been referred to as a snowflake generation, it is not difficult to insult someone. Truth is deemed by some to be less important than being politically correct. It may be more important, in my opinion, to work on basic manners. Maybe Political Correctness should be changed to Proper Manners.
So my problem is, I perfectly understand both sides of this hot potato issue and find myself appalled by racist and sexist comments, but also very uneasy at the idea of censoring the past. So as I read a book like this, a book that was written for a male audience back in 1974 with the idea that it was meant as entertainment for an accountant who for a few minutes every day could add some spice to his dreary world by riding along with Jim Hardman and Hump Evans, I can understand the appeal. They are men of action. Men who are standing in the breach, defending those who can’t defend themselves, drinking too much, and chasing trim. (Trim is a perfect example of a word in regular use in the 1970s that is not acceptable for use today.) The accountant probably wonders daily how his life became so boring and daydreams in Walter Mitty fashion about something, anything, exciting occuring in his day. Maybe Ralph Dennis helped bring some color to the dull palette of his life.
I wonder if Ralph Dennis would be amused by Joe Lansdale defending him or the publisher’s note of warning? Books are obviously still dangerous things, and certainly, I hope a few hardy souls venture into the Hardman/Evans novels to experience the grit and lexicon of the 1970s and emerge without suffering any undue harm or needing a language detox to re-enter our PC world.
You might be asking yourself, this is all fine and good, Jeffrey, but what the fuck is the book about? Here is my flash review.
Hump Evans attends a gambling party after a boxing match, and he, along with many heavy hitters in the underworld and boardrooms of Atlanta, are robbed by five brash kids. Jim Hardman and Evans attempt to find these kids before the hitman called The Charleston Knife can give them a permanent smile below their chins.
”On our way out, passing the platform, Heddy squatted and did a bit of farewell crotch-whip at us. Hump gave her the peace sign and we went outside, away from the smoke and the scent of all that green rank fantasy.”
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten
Interestingly enough, the publisher, Brash Books, was so worried about offending some readers that they put an additional word of warning after the introduction. ”This book was originally published in 1974 and reflects the cultural and sexual attitudes, language, and politics of the period.”
I understand the need for these warnings for there are many self-righteous, PC people who spend each day hoping that they will encounter some poor bastard who happens to say something that doesn’t conform to their socially elite vision of proper conduct. They pounce on books or magazine articles that may have been written 50 or a 100 years ago and deem them unfit to be read by a modern reader because they contain scenes or references that are racist or sexist. The perception of political correctness has been warped from its original intention by those who embrace it and by those who loathe it.
Correctness is a word that raises the hackles of a majority of people. ”The noun ‘correctness’ connotes approval and radiates authority. It indicates, with an imperative tone, that something should be done in a particular way. In this regard, the term political correctness can evoke the feeling of being talked down to and even subordinated.”--By Dr. Anna Szilágyi
Political Correctness is a terrible name for something that is so important to defining how we see ourselves. Once something becomes political, you’ve already lost half the people who will never embrace anything their political rivals deem important. We all dislike being corrected, so the use of the word correctness is like waving a red flag in front of an enraged bull. All the person sees is red.
Therefore, we all need guidelines to help us navigate modern culture without insulting someone, and with the added sensitivities of what has been referred to as a snowflake generation, it is not difficult to insult someone. Truth is deemed by some to be less important than being politically correct. It may be more important, in my opinion, to work on basic manners. Maybe Political Correctness should be changed to Proper Manners.
So my problem is, I perfectly understand both sides of this hot potato issue and find myself appalled by racist and sexist comments, but also very uneasy at the idea of censoring the past. So as I read a book like this, a book that was written for a male audience back in 1974 with the idea that it was meant as entertainment for an accountant who for a few minutes every day could add some spice to his dreary world by riding along with Jim Hardman and Hump Evans, I can understand the appeal. They are men of action. Men who are standing in the breach, defending those who can’t defend themselves, drinking too much, and chasing trim. (Trim is a perfect example of a word in regular use in the 1970s that is not acceptable for use today.) The accountant probably wonders daily how his life became so boring and daydreams in Walter Mitty fashion about something, anything, exciting occuring in his day. Maybe Ralph Dennis helped bring some color to the dull palette of his life.
I wonder if Ralph Dennis would be amused by Joe Lansdale defending him or the publisher’s note of warning? Books are obviously still dangerous things, and certainly, I hope a few hardy souls venture into the Hardman/Evans novels to experience the grit and lexicon of the 1970s and emerge without suffering any undue harm or needing a language detox to re-enter our PC world.
You might be asking yourself, this is all fine and good, Jeffrey, but what the fuck is the book about? Here is my flash review.
Hump Evans attends a gambling party after a boxing match, and he, along with many heavy hitters in the underworld and boardrooms of Atlanta, are robbed by five brash kids. Jim Hardman and Evans attempt to find these kids before the hitman called The Charleston Knife can give them a permanent smile below their chins.
”On our way out, passing the platform, Heddy squatted and did a bit of farewell crotch-whip at us. Hump gave her the peace sign and we went outside, away from the smoke and the scent of all that green rank fantasy.”
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten
February 26, 2019
A solid 4 stars for this entertaining thriller. The bad guys are identified early on, so it is more of a thriller than a mystery. This book 2 in the Hardman series, by Ralph Dennis. It can be read as a stand alone. It was originally packaged as a men's action adventure, but I am reminded of Raymond Chandler's hard edged writing style.
Hardman is an ex Atlanta cop, forced to resign after a false accusation. His partner is Hump, an ex African American football player whose size and skin color allow him into places that Hardman can't enter. They do whatever is necessary to get by, including some things that are illegal. Hardman is hired by the sister of an old friend. She fears that her grandson participated in a robbery of underworld gamblers and wants Hardman to find him before they kill him. Hardman takes the case. He realizes that he will be in the middle of police and vengeful criminals. How he and Hump negotiate the dangerous path makes for an exciting thriller. The Charleston Knife is a hired killer, commissioned by a local crime lord to recover stolen money/jewels and kill the robbers.
One quote:
Old lady hiring Hardman: "He opened the door as a tiny little lady stepped out. It was hard to tell exactly how old she really was. There's a point after which old women don't seem so much to age as dry out and harden, until they're like those apple-head dolls they still make in the mountains."
There is a disclaimer at the beginning of the book, stating that the book was originally published in 1974, and reflects cultural and sexual attitudes of the day.
Thank You Brash books for sending me this eBook.
Hardman is an ex Atlanta cop, forced to resign after a false accusation. His partner is Hump, an ex African American football player whose size and skin color allow him into places that Hardman can't enter. They do whatever is necessary to get by, including some things that are illegal. Hardman is hired by the sister of an old friend. She fears that her grandson participated in a robbery of underworld gamblers and wants Hardman to find him before they kill him. Hardman takes the case. He realizes that he will be in the middle of police and vengeful criminals. How he and Hump negotiate the dangerous path makes for an exciting thriller. The Charleston Knife is a hired killer, commissioned by a local crime lord to recover stolen money/jewels and kill the robbers.
One quote:
Old lady hiring Hardman: "He opened the door as a tiny little lady stepped out. It was hard to tell exactly how old she really was. There's a point after which old women don't seem so much to age as dry out and harden, until they're like those apple-head dolls they still make in the mountains."
There is a disclaimer at the beginning of the book, stating that the book was originally published in 1974, and reflects cultural and sexual attitudes of the day.
Thank You Brash books for sending me this eBook.
December 6, 2018
Can Hardman Survive the Charleston Knife?
The second book in the Hardman series is a smoothly-plotted tale of a ripoff scheme gone bad, particularly when the victims are well-connected sharks and gamblers who have the ability to hire a legendary hitman to dispense justice. Hardman and Hump, the Black and White tag-team of an ex-cop who got cheated out of his career and an ex football star whose knees gave out too early, comprise one of the best buddy teams ever. This is Atlanta in the early Seventies filled with gamblers, hustlers, robbers, callgirls, and one mean nasty knife. Hardman and Hump were told to stay out of it, even offered a really sweet bribe, but they were never a pair for staying out of trouble. Action-packed, page-turning, and filled with adventure.
The second book in the Hardman series is a smoothly-plotted tale of a ripoff scheme gone bad, particularly when the victims are well-connected sharks and gamblers who have the ability to hire a legendary hitman to dispense justice. Hardman and Hump, the Black and White tag-team of an ex-cop who got cheated out of his career and an ex football star whose knees gave out too early, comprise one of the best buddy teams ever. This is Atlanta in the early Seventies filled with gamblers, hustlers, robbers, callgirls, and one mean nasty knife. Hardman and Hump were told to stay out of it, even offered a really sweet bribe, but they were never a pair for staying out of trouble. Action-packed, page-turning, and filled with adventure.
February 25, 2019
I received this from AudioBookBoom and the publisher, Brash Books, in exchange for an honest review.
This really is an outstanding series, and is so much more than the "Men's Action Adventure" that is was marketed as back when it was first published in the mid-70s. So glad that Brash Books is rereleasing these long-lost books!
Just like the first one, Jim Hardman and Hump Evans get wrapped up in some violent shenanigans, this time involving a group of kids who set up a robbery of some high-rolling gamblers; of course, it goes wrong, and they are hunted by the Atlanta gang bosses, along with a hired assassin. Hardman and Hump are hired by the grandmother of one of the boys, and immediately run afowl of the assassin and an Italian mafioso.
As expected, Shawn Compton does an outstanding job narrating, and I can't wait to listen to the next one!
This really is an outstanding series, and is so much more than the "Men's Action Adventure" that is was marketed as back when it was first published in the mid-70s. So glad that Brash Books is rereleasing these long-lost books!
Just like the first one, Jim Hardman and Hump Evans get wrapped up in some violent shenanigans, this time involving a group of kids who set up a robbery of some high-rolling gamblers; of course, it goes wrong, and they are hunted by the Atlanta gang bosses, along with a hired assassin. Hardman and Hump are hired by the grandmother of one of the boys, and immediately run afowl of the assassin and an Italian mafioso.
As expected, Shawn Compton does an outstanding job narrating, and I can't wait to listen to the next one!
December 3, 2018
Author Ralph Dennis began the 'Hardman' series in 1974 with "Atlanta Deathwatch". The book would kick-start a beloved 12 volume run of detective novels. Dennis used racy Atlanta as the backdrop for his two crime-fighters - Jim Hardman and Hump Evans. Recently, author and genre enthusiast Lee Goldberg acquired the publishing rights to 'Hardman' for his imprint, Brash Books.
The second entry, “The Charleston Knife is Back in Town” (1974), features an introduction by author Joe R. Lansdale for its reprinting. It's the same intro used on the reprinting of the series debut, one where Lansdale clearly segregates the 'Hardman' series from what he considers a rather disposable 70s men's action-adventure genre (he has some disdain for adult westerns and his own work on the 'M.I.A. Hunter' titles). Lansdale is a fan of Dennis and his opening remarks about the series are
spot-on.
“The Charleston Knife is Back in Town” starts with the obligatory heist. This time Hump Evans is invited to a posh neighborhood for a little gambling party post-prize fight. Once there, he's escorted by gunpoint to a dark room sans his $700 of WAM (that's slang for Walk Around Money). After the robbers leave and the cops arrive, Evans embarrassingly shows up at Hardman's house to explain his night's turn of bad luck. It turns out that the gambling festivities involved many underworld honchos – all taken for over $700K in assets. Heads will roll.
Soon, Hardman and Hump are contacted by a friend's sister with a possible connection to the heist. She fears that her young nephew was behind the robbery and may be a mob target. Our two detectives accept some payment and learn that the mob is coming down hard on the robbers. They have big money in place with a demand that the heist crew be taken down...real messy. The novel is a smooth and calculating read as Hardman and Hump navigate whore houses, strip clubs and dives to track down the robbers before the hired slasher.
This series, and its second installment, showcases this Atlanta author's penchant for the crime noir. Building the novel around the heist is a vintage staple, but the spin here is having the protagonist attempting to save the crook. The sense of urgency increases with each chapter as the hired killer devours the clues. Ultimately, you know Hardman and this knife-wielder will face off - but it's how and where they meet that makes for an intriguing development. Kudos to Ralph Dennis, and Lee Goldberg, for recognizing what makes the detective formula effectively click. This is a mandatory read.
The second entry, “The Charleston Knife is Back in Town” (1974), features an introduction by author Joe R. Lansdale for its reprinting. It's the same intro used on the reprinting of the series debut, one where Lansdale clearly segregates the 'Hardman' series from what he considers a rather disposable 70s men's action-adventure genre (he has some disdain for adult westerns and his own work on the 'M.I.A. Hunter' titles). Lansdale is a fan of Dennis and his opening remarks about the series are
spot-on.
“The Charleston Knife is Back in Town” starts with the obligatory heist. This time Hump Evans is invited to a posh neighborhood for a little gambling party post-prize fight. Once there, he's escorted by gunpoint to a dark room sans his $700 of WAM (that's slang for Walk Around Money). After the robbers leave and the cops arrive, Evans embarrassingly shows up at Hardman's house to explain his night's turn of bad luck. It turns out that the gambling festivities involved many underworld honchos – all taken for over $700K in assets. Heads will roll.
Soon, Hardman and Hump are contacted by a friend's sister with a possible connection to the heist. She fears that her young nephew was behind the robbery and may be a mob target. Our two detectives accept some payment and learn that the mob is coming down hard on the robbers. They have big money in place with a demand that the heist crew be taken down...real messy. The novel is a smooth and calculating read as Hardman and Hump navigate whore houses, strip clubs and dives to track down the robbers before the hired slasher.
This series, and its second installment, showcases this Atlanta author's penchant for the crime noir. Building the novel around the heist is a vintage staple, but the spin here is having the protagonist attempting to save the crook. The sense of urgency increases with each chapter as the hired killer devours the clues. Ultimately, you know Hardman and this knife-wielder will face off - but it's how and where they meet that makes for an intriguing development. Kudos to Ralph Dennis, and Lee Goldberg, for recognizing what makes the detective formula effectively click. This is a mandatory read.
August 15, 2024
Hardman series , book 2. Another series, I'll never be at a loss for things to read
November 26, 2012
It's a tragedy this book was marketed/packaged as a men's action adventure novel. Dennis was the real deal...these deserved to be recognized as straight-up noir. These novels pre-date Robert B. Parker's SPENSER series and yet are strikingly similar... Makes me wonder if Parker might have read one of the Hardmans at some point and it was percolating in his subconscious when he created his own series. Like Spenser, Hardman is an ex-cop turned investigator/bodyguard who lives by his own moral code and teams up often with a rough, violent African-American enforcer. He's also got a steady, loving girlfriend who understands, if not totally accepts, who he is and what he does (and isn't nearly as irritating as Susan Silverman), and a friend on the force (ala Belson and Quirk) who helps him out. He's also deeply tied in with the local mob bosses who have an understanding with him (again, like Spenser). And Atlanta, the city where Hardman lives, is a vivid character in the books (like Boston in the Spensers). The tone of the Hardmans is very different than the Spensers, and Spenser is far more moralistic, physically capable, smart-assy, and sure of himself than Hardman, but otherwise the franchise elements are almost identical. Ralph Dennis has a great voice, a wicked sense of humor, and a very sharp eye for detail. It's a damn shame this man never broke out into the big leagues. I loved this book and I am eager to devour the rest of this series.
November 10, 2023
The Hardman series is something I really need to invest more time in. They're a lot of fun to read, and this one is no exception. There isn't really any mystery in this one. All of the players are spelled out early on, and the only thing that remains to be solved is how the plot is gonna tidy it up. The story starts with Hardman's buddy, Hump, getting attacked and robbed. The two are prepared to go looking for the robbers themselves when an old crone shows up with that whopper of a puzzle piece. It gives them the who but not the where. To complicate things, Hump was not the only one robbed. A bunch of heavy-hitting gamblers were, too, and they aren't too fond of the shaft that was fed to them. So, the gamblers hired a killer to find the delinquents. Now, team Hump and Hardman have to find the robbers before the killer does to save their lives. These books are pretty witty, which makes them fun to explore. If you enjoy gumshoe novels with wit and violence, you'll enjoy it
There it is and there you have it.
There it is and there you have it.
December 22, 2018
It's a tragedy this book was marketed/packaged as a men's action adventure novel. Dennis was the real deal...these deserved to be recognized as straight-up noir. These novels pre-date Robert B. Parker's SPENSER series and yet are strikingly similar... Makes me wonder if Parker might have read one of the Hardmans at some point and it was percolating in his subconscious when he created his own series. Like Spenser, Hardman is an ex-cop turned investigator/bodyguard who lives by his own moral code and teams up often with a rough, violent African-American enforcer. He's also got a steady, loving girlfriend who understands, if not totally accepts, who he is and what he does (and isn't nearly as irritating as Susan Silverman), and a friend on the force (ala Belson and Quirk) who helps him out. He's also deeply tied in with the local mob bosses who have an understanding with him (again, like Spenser). And Atlanta, the city where Hardman lives, is a vivid character in the books (like Boston in the Spensers). The tone of the Hardmans is very different than the Spensers, and Spenser is far more moralistic, physically capable, smart-assy, and sure of himself than Hardman, but otherwise the franchise elements are almost identical. Ralph Dennis has a great voice, a wicked sense of humor, and a very sharp eye for detail. It's a damn shame this man never broke out into the big leagues. I loved this book and I am eager to devour the rest of this series.
December 23, 2018
This second outing for Hardman is even better than the first. A superior hardboiled private eye novel that is smoothly written, featuring nicely drawn characters, a vivid setting and a strong voice.
December 27, 2018
THE CHARLESTON KNIFE IS BACK IN TOWN is the first Hardman book I read back when the series first came out. It was so hard and vicious to me then that I gave up on the series at the time. I was 16 and still had a naïve view of the world. I wanted bad guys who were bad, and heroes who were much better than Hardman seemed to me at the time. It wasn't till later, after I got married and started college, that I came back to the series and fell in love with them.
After my recent re-read of the book, I remember why it jarred me so much back then, but those qualities made me love it even more now. Jim Hardman and his friend Hump Evans aren't perfect. They know they aren't and don't even strive in that direction. It's a hard world and they do they best they can. Fortunately, their best puts them in the way of a lot of really bad people, and they have to pass through bad situations. Hardman's experience with Heddy, one of the small characters in the book but a key piece of the emotions compelling our characters to do what they do, and the trip to a whorehouse for information shook my foundational beliefs in what a hero would and wouldn't do at the time.
Now I realize it's all just parts of broken people and a dirty business.
The Charleston Knife gets some "screen time" in this novel, but I never truly got a sense of who he was other than a cold-blooded, psychotic threat to Hardman and Hump. We hadn't yet been properly introduced to serial killers back in the day, but the author had a good grasp of the genesis.
I had a great time rolling through this book and reacquainting myself with the heroes on a much different, more educated world view. Hardman isn't for someone looking for the Lone Ranger, and he's less polished and poised than Spenser, but he's a great hero for someone who understands how life can sometimes be in the shadows.
After my recent re-read of the book, I remember why it jarred me so much back then, but those qualities made me love it even more now. Jim Hardman and his friend Hump Evans aren't perfect. They know they aren't and don't even strive in that direction. It's a hard world and they do they best they can. Fortunately, their best puts them in the way of a lot of really bad people, and they have to pass through bad situations. Hardman's experience with Heddy, one of the small characters in the book but a key piece of the emotions compelling our characters to do what they do, and the trip to a whorehouse for information shook my foundational beliefs in what a hero would and wouldn't do at the time.
Now I realize it's all just parts of broken people and a dirty business.
The Charleston Knife gets some "screen time" in this novel, but I never truly got a sense of who he was other than a cold-blooded, psychotic threat to Hardman and Hump. We hadn't yet been properly introduced to serial killers back in the day, but the author had a good grasp of the genesis.
I had a great time rolling through this book and reacquainting myself with the heroes on a much different, more educated world view. Hardman isn't for someone looking for the Lone Ranger, and he's less polished and poised than Spenser, but he's a great hero for someone who understands how life can sometimes be in the shadows.
March 4, 2019
I received this book for free. I am voluntarily leaving this review and all opinions expressed herein are my own.
This book was originally published in the 1970's and has the vernacular of that era. This is the second book in the Hardman series. It is a standalone story with no cliffhanger ending. However, this series is great [and thanks to Brasch Books is being re-released, hopefully to the larger audience it deserves], so I highly recommend that you start with the first book. You also gain some additional insight into the MCs - their relationship and background by starting with the first book.
Here, Hump attends a party of high rollers where all of the partygoers are robbed. Hardman is hired by the grandmother of one of the robbers to find him before he is killed by a hitman seeking some retribution. Hardman and Hump, loosely working with the Detective, work to right some wrongs in their own way.
This is so well written - the investigation has some great twists and turns but the relationship between Hump and Hardman is absolutely worth the price of admission. I really enjoy the humor - both situational and in their conversations.
I listened to this book - the narrator, Shawn Compton, does a great job. His tone and pace completely compliment this series.
This book was originally published in the 1970's and has the vernacular of that era. This is the second book in the Hardman series. It is a standalone story with no cliffhanger ending. However, this series is great [and thanks to Brasch Books is being re-released, hopefully to the larger audience it deserves], so I highly recommend that you start with the first book. You also gain some additional insight into the MCs - their relationship and background by starting with the first book.
Here, Hump attends a party of high rollers where all of the partygoers are robbed. Hardman is hired by the grandmother of one of the robbers to find him before he is killed by a hitman seeking some retribution. Hardman and Hump, loosely working with the Detective, work to right some wrongs in their own way.
This is so well written - the investigation has some great twists and turns but the relationship between Hump and Hardman is absolutely worth the price of admission. I really enjoy the humor - both situational and in their conversations.
I listened to this book - the narrator, Shawn Compton, does a great job. His tone and pace completely compliment this series.
December 23, 2018
A really good book
If you like good books try Ralph Dennis Hardman books you will really enjoy them I really enjoy them and can't wait for the next one
If you like good books try Ralph Dennis Hardman books you will really enjoy them I really enjoy them and can't wait for the next one
May 13, 2020
The second in Ralph Dennis' HARDMAN series, following on from ATLANTA DEATHWATCH. This one's every bit as good as the first, and in some ways feels even tougher. It's a lean and mean thriller in which Hardman is tasked with tracking down a kid who has robbed the wrong group of people and is now hunted by a particularly sadistic hitman. The action comes thick and fast and is mixed with oodles of suspense. There's nary any sentiment in this at all, and any that arises is quickly squashed by unexpected twists and unpleasant surprises. The supporting character of Charleston is one of the nastiest I've ever encountered in literature, and Dennis writes the adventure expertly from beginning to end. Modern authors, with their 700-page-odd padded out stories, could do with taking a few tips.
December 25, 2019
The second in the Hardman series is as good as the first! The duo of Hardman and Evans is on the trail of an elusive professional killer who in turn is after a bunch of kids who pulled off an audacious scam, leaving many big, bad people seething. The novel is full of action, with hardly a wasted word. The chemistry between Hardman and Evans is hugely amusing. As mentioned earlier, I would love to follow through the entire series.
October 16, 2021
Good follow up to Atlanta Deathwatch. These Hardman books are solid crime novels. Hardboiled and gritty.
Here's to the Seventies.
Here's to the Seventies.
April 6, 2020
This is the second of this hard- boiled, politically incorrect Hardman series by Ralph Dennis. In reading about the author, one might draw the conclusion that he was misunderstood and under appreciated. For whatever reason, his books just didn’t take off to the degree that his plotting and writing deserved.
This addition to the series isn’t quite as good as the first, but still very enjoyable. Written in the 1970”s with sensibilities adjusted to that period, this is still a bit rough around the edges. I’d not recommend it for anyone easily offended by sexual or racial stereotypes. Nevertheless, it’s a pretty good old fashioned hard edged murder-sort-of-mystery tale.
Again we find Hardman, the ex-cop and his ex-pro football player pal, “Hump,” in action, tracking down a rather scary hitman whose preferred weapon is the knife (as one might deduce from the title). The author doesn’t provide much background or detail about the bad guy, and that’s too bad, because it would have improved the story a bit. But, as I’ve said in my review of the first in this series, take this book for what it is: a linear, fast-paced and well told story of rough people with questionable methods who will, in the end, provide an entertaining and satisfying story without making too many demands of the reader. 3.5 stars rounded down.
This addition to the series isn’t quite as good as the first, but still very enjoyable. Written in the 1970”s with sensibilities adjusted to that period, this is still a bit rough around the edges. I’d not recommend it for anyone easily offended by sexual or racial stereotypes. Nevertheless, it’s a pretty good old fashioned hard edged murder-sort-of-mystery tale.
Again we find Hardman, the ex-cop and his ex-pro football player pal, “Hump,” in action, tracking down a rather scary hitman whose preferred weapon is the knife (as one might deduce from the title). The author doesn’t provide much background or detail about the bad guy, and that’s too bad, because it would have improved the story a bit. But, as I’ve said in my review of the first in this series, take this book for what it is: a linear, fast-paced and well told story of rough people with questionable methods who will, in the end, provide an entertaining and satisfying story without making too many demands of the reader. 3.5 stars rounded down.
March 28, 2019
This is the second in the Hardman series. I liked the in initial one but this is even better, and I can't find any way to fault it.
The plot is a bit intricate but taut and easy enough to follow. Note that some secondary characters carry over from the first book (The Man and Art, in particular) and it is thus nice to read the series in order to get the continuity. We now learn that Hardman is "forty going on forty-one" and pudgy. It's a distinctive private investigator (even if Jim technically is not one since he is not licensed) who is not buff.
The crime here is ingenious, and the pursuit of the perpetrators is a first-rate police procedural, even if not actually done by the police.
Dennis also has a gift for creating believable characters, the principals and others. George Beck is a memorable heavy, Annie Murton's arrival on the scene is described with painterly precision, and people like Jake, Connie and Giacomo come to life in this story.
Not much else to say. This is a good one.
The plot is a bit intricate but taut and easy enough to follow. Note that some secondary characters carry over from the first book (The Man and Art, in particular) and it is thus nice to read the series in order to get the continuity. We now learn that Hardman is "forty going on forty-one" and pudgy. It's a distinctive private investigator (even if Jim technically is not one since he is not licensed) who is not buff.
The crime here is ingenious, and the pursuit of the perpetrators is a first-rate police procedural, even if not actually done by the police.
Dennis also has a gift for creating believable characters, the principals and others. George Beck is a memorable heavy, Annie Murton's arrival on the scene is described with painterly precision, and people like Jake, Connie and Giacomo come to life in this story.
Not much else to say. This is a good one.
January 26, 2019
The second great book in this series.
November 28, 2023
The Charleston Knife Is Back In Town (Hardman series, bk2) by Ralph Dennis.
A recent discovery for me [see author info below], the series lead characters, ex Atlanta cop, Jim Hardman, now PI, and his sidekick, exNFL lineman Hump Evans [ think Spencer & Hawk, but grittier & grindier than the Boston duo…IMO more original & realistic -although not for the sensitive reader]. Enjoyed the 1st in the series, and then scored a kindle pkg deal all 13 for $26! So this book 2, and having finished, surely will keep me happily reading more.
The Atlanta Duo. “For the last few years Hump and I had been working together and drinking together and maybe we were friends. It was hard to tell with him. The work we did was anything that came up, as long as it paid good money and didn’t call for us to work eight-hour shifts. That meant most of the time it was shady stuff, pretty far off-center. The more off-center, the better the money was.”
The story -a sting pulled off by 5 young locals, at the direction of Jake, a local topless bar proprietor. The setup. An Invitation Only, post boxing match, victory celebration of the champ’s return to the ring, at a mansion on the outskirts of Atlanta. The undressing and robbery of all guests: high rollers (gamblers, hoods, area celebrities, politicians and girlfriends … and Hump. Unable to report their ill gotten losses to police, a contract is taken to recover the money and materials taken. But moreover to extract revenge from the embarrassment of the con and takedown. The call is made … enter the Charleston 🔪 knife.
A taste of Atlanta grit & grind:
A Topless Dancer. “ I was thinking more about the needle tracks on her ankles, if Jake was telling the truth, and wondering how long that body would hold together. Not long, I thought, and the dirty old man in me wanted some of her before it all wasted away. Wanted to taste the milk in her before it went sour.” Soon After… “I saw the meat wagon grunting and snorting its way back over the curb and onto Brookridge Drive. Goodbye, Heddy, you with the beautiful breasts, the pincushion legs, and the hot liquid mouth. In the next life come back as a tree.“ And Not Much Later Local Cafe… “It wasn’t much to rush crosstown to was said to be like mother’s but to Southerners that meant overcooked and greasy with ham fat. It’d been a bad night and a hard day and I could feel a headache coming on. No lunch and those drinks with Art and then those beers. Maybe I’d have felt better with something to eat, but after seeing Heddy in that stream-ditch I wasn’t sure I’d eat for another week.” … Then on to fine Italian Dining. “It’s not all that Mike Hammer shit. A mixture of the sad blues and pissed off.” Human life ought to mean more than that. Jocko birddogs and does his point and Charleston rushes right over and cuts a throat. And all the time Jocko’s sitting in the back booth in the front room of The Gondola drinking coffee and looking for all the world looking like the kindly old country host” -albeit Atlanta kingpin.
Another Young Dead. “the one I’d stumbled over was Henry Harper, the boy whose father I’d visited the day after Jake’s death. The one who was in love with his house. Now there wasn’t anything to divide that love. the funeral he could spend his free time thinking of next year’s painting chores, the leaves and pine needles collecting in the gutters and downspouts, a new kind of grass for next year’s re-seeding of the lawn.”
About The Author.
“Ralph Dennis isn’t a well known name … considered among crime writers to be a master of the genre, denied the recognition he deserved because his twelve Hardman books [actually 13, last one found posthumously], packaged in the 1970s by Popular Library as a cheap men’s action-adventure paperbacks… —but he wasn’t able to reach the wide audience, or gain the critical acclaim, that he deserved during his lifetime. Ralph Dennis wrote three other novels that were published outside of the Hardman series—Atlanta, Deadman’s Game and MacTaggart’s War” … and also High Five found and published posthumously [a terrific sports novel, dealing realistically with college basketball of late 60’s-70’s]. “He was born in 1931 Sumter S. Carolina… At the time of his death in 1988, he was working at a bookstore in Atlanta and had a file cabinet full of unpublished novels.”
A recent discovery for me [see author info below], the series lead characters, ex Atlanta cop, Jim Hardman, now PI, and his sidekick, exNFL lineman Hump Evans [ think Spencer & Hawk, but grittier & grindier than the Boston duo…IMO more original & realistic -although not for the sensitive reader]. Enjoyed the 1st in the series, and then scored a kindle pkg deal all 13 for $26! So this book 2, and having finished, surely will keep me happily reading more.
The Atlanta Duo. “For the last few years Hump and I had been working together and drinking together and maybe we were friends. It was hard to tell with him. The work we did was anything that came up, as long as it paid good money and didn’t call for us to work eight-hour shifts. That meant most of the time it was shady stuff, pretty far off-center. The more off-center, the better the money was.”
The story -a sting pulled off by 5 young locals, at the direction of Jake, a local topless bar proprietor. The setup. An Invitation Only, post boxing match, victory celebration of the champ’s return to the ring, at a mansion on the outskirts of Atlanta. The undressing and robbery of all guests: high rollers (gamblers, hoods, area celebrities, politicians and girlfriends … and Hump. Unable to report their ill gotten losses to police, a contract is taken to recover the money and materials taken. But moreover to extract revenge from the embarrassment of the con and takedown. The call is made … enter the Charleston 🔪 knife.
A taste of Atlanta grit & grind:
A Topless Dancer. “ I was thinking more about the needle tracks on her ankles, if Jake was telling the truth, and wondering how long that body would hold together. Not long, I thought, and the dirty old man in me wanted some of her before it all wasted away. Wanted to taste the milk in her before it went sour.” Soon After… “I saw the meat wagon grunting and snorting its way back over the curb and onto Brookridge Drive. Goodbye, Heddy, you with the beautiful breasts, the pincushion legs, and the hot liquid mouth. In the next life come back as a tree.“ And Not Much Later Local Cafe… “It wasn’t much to rush crosstown to was said to be like mother’s but to Southerners that meant overcooked and greasy with ham fat. It’d been a bad night and a hard day and I could feel a headache coming on. No lunch and those drinks with Art and then those beers. Maybe I’d have felt better with something to eat, but after seeing Heddy in that stream-ditch I wasn’t sure I’d eat for another week.” … Then on to fine Italian Dining. “It’s not all that Mike Hammer shit. A mixture of the sad blues and pissed off.” Human life ought to mean more than that. Jocko birddogs and does his point and Charleston rushes right over and cuts a throat. And all the time Jocko’s sitting in the back booth in the front room of The Gondola drinking coffee and looking for all the world looking like the kindly old country host” -albeit Atlanta kingpin.
Another Young Dead. “the one I’d stumbled over was Henry Harper, the boy whose father I’d visited the day after Jake’s death. The one who was in love with his house. Now there wasn’t anything to divide that love. the funeral he could spend his free time thinking of next year’s painting chores, the leaves and pine needles collecting in the gutters and downspouts, a new kind of grass for next year’s re-seeding of the lawn.”
About The Author.
“Ralph Dennis isn’t a well known name … considered among crime writers to be a master of the genre, denied the recognition he deserved because his twelve Hardman books [actually 13, last one found posthumously], packaged in the 1970s by Popular Library as a cheap men’s action-adventure paperbacks… —but he wasn’t able to reach the wide audience, or gain the critical acclaim, that he deserved during his lifetime. Ralph Dennis wrote three other novels that were published outside of the Hardman series—Atlanta, Deadman’s Game and MacTaggart’s War” … and also High Five found and published posthumously [a terrific sports novel, dealing realistically with college basketball of late 60’s-70’s]. “He was born in 1931 Sumter S. Carolina… At the time of his death in 1988, he was working at a bookstore in Atlanta and had a file cabinet full of unpublished novels.”
May 23, 2020
Like any genre fiction, crime fiction has quality output that, depending on your perspective, floats upon or is buried by oceans of hack-work. Said hack-work is churned out by the metric ton in order to get sellable material in front of the fans, and a writer who spends more than the bare minimum of effort on his or her output may get lucky and have his or her work noted, highlighted and appreciated not only by fans but also by people who appreciate that effort. Or he or she may see their long hours of sweat forgotten by a publishing company that wants a manuscript fast more than it wants it good. The first thing happened to Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. The second happened to Ralph Dennis. Dennis's "Hardman" series, published in the first half of the 1970s, was slapped together between some lurid eyecatcher covers, tossed out onto the shelves and promptly forgotten by his publisher, Popular Books. It was left to modern crime-fiction authors like Joe Lansdale to rediscover him and point out the top talent involved in the Hardman series. Brash Books is reprinting the existing Dennis catalog, starting with Hardman, and adding several unpublished manuscripts found after his 1988 passing.
The Charleston Knife Is Back in Town is the second Hardman book and one I enjoy more than I do the series opener. Dennis doesn't need to waste more than a paragraph or two identifying the protagonists -- disgraced former Atlanta cop Jim Hardman and his friend, former Cleveland Browns defender Hump Evans -- and describing what they do -- everything from off-the-books investigating and instigating on behalf of Hardman's friend on the force Art to some straight-up illegal errands for various Atlanta criminal figures.
Dennis dives right into the action. Hump is one of several people attending a party who get robbed by a crew of sneaky but inexperienced thieves. Several people at the party prefer extralegal means to reacquire their property and have the resources to do so, which will be bad news for the thieves when they are found out. Hardman wouldn't care, except that it looks more and more like one of the thieves is a young man he's been asked to find by someone from his past. Another figure, the murder-for-hire thug called "the Charleston Knife," is hunting the robbery crew as well in order to recover the stolen property and money and leave the stealers dead. If he has to make other people dead in order to get the job done that's no problem, except that one of the ones he tried that on is Jim Hardman.
The best genre fiction writers did not pretend they were writing literature. Instead they wrote like they were. They crafted their sentences to supply atmosphere and tone as well as information, and shaped a narrative that could make a reader stop and think for a second about people and the way they live and the way things are. Hardman initially tries to find the young man without much desire to do so and even after figuring out he could be connected to the theft in which Hump was involved is still only interested in tracking him down for the fee. The involvement of the Charleston Knife makes it personal because of the attack on him and the bodies the assassin leaves in his wake, but we see that quest take on a more poignant role for Hardman because of it.
Ralph Dennis, like a lot of us, wonders if someone who starts out good but loses his way can still have some good in him -- does a knight's heart beat beneath tarnished armor still? He thinks it can and wrote a story that showed what it might look like if so. Because it involves a little hot sex and a lot of brutal violence and decidedly non-upstanding members of society means it'll get filed with the gung-ho bullets-and-babes paperbacks that get read today and tossed tomorrow -- and it works as one of those stories too -- but it still asks some questions that, if you're inclined to consider them -- are worth thinking about.
The Hardman books were written in the mid-1970s and would cause the average woke book reviewer of today a stroke by the end of the third paragraph. The racial and sexual attitudes of the characters reflect that they were born in the 1920s and 30s and had yet to shed that upbringing. Hardman and Hump may eventually shake out as good guys for the most part but they aren't nice, so a reader looking for stories that end, "And then I decided to leave this life of crime" had best keep searching. But Ralph Dennis knows how to keep a page turning, how to hook eyeballs and how to leave an interesting question or two in the wake of his butt-kicking protagonists.
Original available here
The Charleston Knife Is Back in Town is the second Hardman book and one I enjoy more than I do the series opener. Dennis doesn't need to waste more than a paragraph or two identifying the protagonists -- disgraced former Atlanta cop Jim Hardman and his friend, former Cleveland Browns defender Hump Evans -- and describing what they do -- everything from off-the-books investigating and instigating on behalf of Hardman's friend on the force Art to some straight-up illegal errands for various Atlanta criminal figures.
Dennis dives right into the action. Hump is one of several people attending a party who get robbed by a crew of sneaky but inexperienced thieves. Several people at the party prefer extralegal means to reacquire their property and have the resources to do so, which will be bad news for the thieves when they are found out. Hardman wouldn't care, except that it looks more and more like one of the thieves is a young man he's been asked to find by someone from his past. Another figure, the murder-for-hire thug called "the Charleston Knife," is hunting the robbery crew as well in order to recover the stolen property and money and leave the stealers dead. If he has to make other people dead in order to get the job done that's no problem, except that one of the ones he tried that on is Jim Hardman.
The best genre fiction writers did not pretend they were writing literature. Instead they wrote like they were. They crafted their sentences to supply atmosphere and tone as well as information, and shaped a narrative that could make a reader stop and think for a second about people and the way they live and the way things are. Hardman initially tries to find the young man without much desire to do so and even after figuring out he could be connected to the theft in which Hump was involved is still only interested in tracking him down for the fee. The involvement of the Charleston Knife makes it personal because of the attack on him and the bodies the assassin leaves in his wake, but we see that quest take on a more poignant role for Hardman because of it.
Ralph Dennis, like a lot of us, wonders if someone who starts out good but loses his way can still have some good in him -- does a knight's heart beat beneath tarnished armor still? He thinks it can and wrote a story that showed what it might look like if so. Because it involves a little hot sex and a lot of brutal violence and decidedly non-upstanding members of society means it'll get filed with the gung-ho bullets-and-babes paperbacks that get read today and tossed tomorrow -- and it works as one of those stories too -- but it still asks some questions that, if you're inclined to consider them -- are worth thinking about.
The Hardman books were written in the mid-1970s and would cause the average woke book reviewer of today a stroke by the end of the third paragraph. The racial and sexual attitudes of the characters reflect that they were born in the 1920s and 30s and had yet to shed that upbringing. Hardman and Hump may eventually shake out as good guys for the most part but they aren't nice, so a reader looking for stories that end, "And then I decided to leave this life of crime" had best keep searching. But Ralph Dennis knows how to keep a page turning, how to hook eyeballs and how to leave an interesting question or two in the wake of his butt-kicking protagonists.
Original available here
August 8, 2020
Back in the 1970's a new genre of fiction began to be published... It was known as Men's Adventure.... Some of this fiction just had some sex added in to some graphic violence...
The Hardman series came along during that time-- but it seems to not quite fit in the mold. There is some sexual discussion, but nothing graphic or even remotely erotic.
This time around, Jim is approached by an elderly woman who knew him briefly as a kid. She calls him Jimmy and he hates it. Her grandson has disappeared... Coincidentally, Hump was robbed the night before-- and soon, they determine that they are going to look for the robbers, and are sure that the grandson was involved. The really tough part is that a lot of mob-connected people were robbed as well-- sadly, they put out a contract on the robbers-- and their hitman is the Charleston Knife... and you can guess his preferred weapon. Jim isn't a private eye--- when he and Hump go looking for the robbers they have a double goal-- one: to find the kid and two: to get their hands on the loot from the robbery...
I think one of the things I like about this series is that Hardman plays both sides of the law. He isn't a clear-cut good guy-- neither is he all bad. He is old, and even admits he is fat. In fact, in some places one of the people refer to him as a fat guy... So, he isn't your debonair James Bond, but he is tough as nails. With a last name like Hardman-- the author lets us know he is no pushover, though he is far from perfect. Hump is a former football player.
Another thing about this series is that it really set new ground in fiction of the time. Set in the South, the hero is white and his best friend is black. This allows them to work both cultures in order to procure information. They alternate between "good cop" and "bad cop" and that's part of the fun, while they decide which is going to be which.
Hardman is dealing with a relationship with Marcie, who he was reunited with in the first book. They are very much in love, but she knows that he works the seamier side of things and that he is going to have sexual temptation thrown his way. She confronts him and he tells her the truth about the junkie who crawled into his bed (nothing happened) but he holds back about his undercover work at the brothel, which is glossed over without being too titilating--- but recalled when the "bust" of the brothel happens.
Hardman and Hump have a friendly adversary in "the man" who they did a favor for in the first book, and they call in that favor. I don't know if he will be as helpful in future adventures, as he tells Hardman that they are now even. This adversary tends to be helpful, but threatening at the same time and that balance adds to the tension.
This review is of the audible version-- I have to say I enjoyed it. There was some bad language and sex, but not what you would experience in modern adventure literature, and nothing to be overly offensive. It was interesting, the characters well-drawn, and the action measured out carefully. The plot was extremely plausible. The reader did an excellent job with the different voices, etc.
The Hardman series came along during that time-- but it seems to not quite fit in the mold. There is some sexual discussion, but nothing graphic or even remotely erotic.
This time around, Jim is approached by an elderly woman who knew him briefly as a kid. She calls him Jimmy and he hates it. Her grandson has disappeared... Coincidentally, Hump was robbed the night before-- and soon, they determine that they are going to look for the robbers, and are sure that the grandson was involved. The really tough part is that a lot of mob-connected people were robbed as well-- sadly, they put out a contract on the robbers-- and their hitman is the Charleston Knife... and you can guess his preferred weapon. Jim isn't a private eye--- when he and Hump go looking for the robbers they have a double goal-- one: to find the kid and two: to get their hands on the loot from the robbery...
I think one of the things I like about this series is that Hardman plays both sides of the law. He isn't a clear-cut good guy-- neither is he all bad. He is old, and even admits he is fat. In fact, in some places one of the people refer to him as a fat guy... So, he isn't your debonair James Bond, but he is tough as nails. With a last name like Hardman-- the author lets us know he is no pushover, though he is far from perfect. Hump is a former football player.
Another thing about this series is that it really set new ground in fiction of the time. Set in the South, the hero is white and his best friend is black. This allows them to work both cultures in order to procure information. They alternate between "good cop" and "bad cop" and that's part of the fun, while they decide which is going to be which.
Hardman is dealing with a relationship with Marcie, who he was reunited with in the first book. They are very much in love, but she knows that he works the seamier side of things and that he is going to have sexual temptation thrown his way. She confronts him and he tells her the truth about the junkie who crawled into his bed (nothing happened) but he holds back about his undercover work at the brothel, which is glossed over without being too titilating--- but recalled when the "bust" of the brothel happens.
Hardman and Hump have a friendly adversary in "the man" who they did a favor for in the first book, and they call in that favor. I don't know if he will be as helpful in future adventures, as he tells Hardman that they are now even. This adversary tends to be helpful, but threatening at the same time and that balance adds to the tension.
This review is of the audible version-- I have to say I enjoyed it. There was some bad language and sex, but not what you would experience in modern adventure literature, and nothing to be overly offensive. It was interesting, the characters well-drawn, and the action measured out carefully. The plot was extremely plausible. The reader did an excellent job with the different voices, etc.
December 8, 2019
I was supposed to be reading two other books, but I made the mistake of reading the first page of this one and after that I couldn't stop. I read the whole thing in two days, and nearly finished it in one.
This is the second book in Ralph Dennis' series about Atlanta ex-cop Jim Hardman and his ex-NFL buddy Hump, and it just zooms from the get-go. Because it was written in the 1970s, there are some dated attitudes to get past -- in this case, involving LGBTQ terms -- but otherwise it's a tough, terse little thrill ride.
Hardman and Hump get hired by an elderly woman to look for her missing grandson. She thinks he was involved in a big robbery that took a lot of gamblers and pimps and gangsters for everything they had (one of the victims was Hump). Meanwhile, the gangsters have hired a contract killer, the Charleston Knife, to track them down too -- and kill them. As soon as he crosses paths with Hardman, he adds the ex-cop to the target list too. Meanwhile, Hump has his sights set on taking on one of the gangster's enforcers.
That's about it, but the double chase is pretty thrilling -- and bloody, as the Charleston Knife sets about eliminating witnesses on his way to tracking the robbers, and Hardman discovers he's not as hard as he thinks he is.
I've already acquired the third book in the series. But somehow I have to resist temptation to start reading that first page, because if I start I know I can't stop.
This is the second book in Ralph Dennis' series about Atlanta ex-cop Jim Hardman and his ex-NFL buddy Hump, and it just zooms from the get-go. Because it was written in the 1970s, there are some dated attitudes to get past -- in this case, involving LGBTQ terms -- but otherwise it's a tough, terse little thrill ride.
Hardman and Hump get hired by an elderly woman to look for her missing grandson. She thinks he was involved in a big robbery that took a lot of gamblers and pimps and gangsters for everything they had (one of the victims was Hump). Meanwhile, the gangsters have hired a contract killer, the Charleston Knife, to track them down too -- and kill them. As soon as he crosses paths with Hardman, he adds the ex-cop to the target list too. Meanwhile, Hump has his sights set on taking on one of the gangster's enforcers.
That's about it, but the double chase is pretty thrilling -- and bloody, as the Charleston Knife sets about eliminating witnesses on his way to tracking the robbers, and Hardman discovers he's not as hard as he thinks he is.
I've already acquired the third book in the series. But somehow I have to resist temptation to start reading that first page, because if I start I know I can't stop.
November 20, 2021
Between 1974 - 1977, Ralph Dennis (1931-1988) cranked out twelve novels in the Hardman series. The books focus on Jim Hardman, a white, disgraced ex-Atlanta cop. Hardman teams with Hump Evans, a black, six-foot-seven, ex-football player. Together they work as “unlicensed private eyes,” taking on cases from Atlanta’s underbelly.
The Charleston Knife’s Back in Town is the second book in the series and it’s quite good. Hump attends an after party following a boxing match. The guests at the party include many members of Atlanta’s underworld. Some gunmen rob the guests, who bring in the Charleston knife to track down the robbers. The grandmother of one of the robbers hires Hardman to try to save her grandson.
It doesn’t sound like much, but fans of “action” books will enjoy it. Hardman and Hump follow a trail through Atlanta’s worst cesspools. The reader gets a vicarious thrill from this walk on the wild side. Also, Dennis does a good job of developing one of his ongoing subplots - Hardman’s relationship with his long-time girlfriend, Marcie.
Dennis was a much-better writer than were most of the people writing these sorts of novels. Give one of the Hardman novels a try.
The Charleston Knife’s Back in Town is the second book in the series and it’s quite good. Hump attends an after party following a boxing match. The guests at the party include many members of Atlanta’s underworld. Some gunmen rob the guests, who bring in the Charleston knife to track down the robbers. The grandmother of one of the robbers hires Hardman to try to save her grandson.
It doesn’t sound like much, but fans of “action” books will enjoy it. Hardman and Hump follow a trail through Atlanta’s worst cesspools. The reader gets a vicarious thrill from this walk on the wild side. Also, Dennis does a good job of developing one of his ongoing subplots - Hardman’s relationship with his long-time girlfriend, Marcie.
Dennis was a much-better writer than were most of the people writing these sorts of novels. Give one of the Hardman novels a try.
February 26, 2020
Another great, down and dirty book in The Hardman series. This was a great read. Just like the one before it. I am a big fan of Marc Olden's 70's un-pc novels, and this is right up my path. A disgraced cop and his partner, a former football player do what they must to get by.
This time around, Hump, Hardman's partner in crime, is invited to a big time underworld party. Once he gets there though, it turns out to be a set up. Everyone is relived of their valuables. So the two set out to find who did the job. Also in on the hunt is The Charleston Knife, a take no prisoner's killer. A truly great series so far.
This time around, Hump, Hardman's partner in crime, is invited to a big time underworld party. Once he gets there though, it turns out to be a set up. Everyone is relived of their valuables. So the two set out to find who did the job. Also in on the hunt is The Charleston Knife, a take no prisoner's killer. A truly great series so far.
August 8, 2022
Technically this was a re-read, I first read this book back in the early seventies when it first came out. I waited anxiously for each installment of the "Hardman" series and devoured them when they came out. Ralph Dennis was one of my favorites back then along with John D. McDonald, Donald Hamilton, and others. Several years ago I looked for Ralph Dennis on Amazon and caught a deal for an ebook version of the entire series and snapped it up quickly. Now I re-read one of the series whenever I want a quick, interesting read. The series holds up well with some allowances that much has changed in the 40+ years since the publication of the series...HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
February 26, 2024
The second of Ralph Dennis’ Hardman & Hump books maintains the high standard set by Atlanta Deathwatch. Written with confidence and no little style, the plot is lean and the story is efficiently told, and Dennis' ear for witty dialogue is much in evidence. The page count is shorter this time out, and whilst the plot is a seemingly straightforward search for five kids and their haul of stolen loot, you can add to the mix that they are also being sought by a vicious knife-wielding hitman. Hardman and Hump are great creations in the bantering buddy tradition and Ralph Dennis is an under-appreciated writer in the classic tradition.
August 7, 2022
It's a crime that Ralph Dennis is not better known! His Hardman series (at least the two that I've read) are superb: Jim Hardman, white pudgy, dodgy ex-cop, and Hump Evans, Black ex-football muscle and ladies man are great characters. The writing is lean, but also compassionate.
The Charleston Knife grabs you from the start and doesn't let up. Straight forward and quite short. It was written in the 70s and that shows, especially in the depiction of female characters. But still, I think it has aged well over all. Glad I have ten more Hardman books to go.
The Charleston Knife grabs you from the start and doesn't let up. Straight forward and quite short. It was written in the 70s and that shows, especially in the depiction of female characters. But still, I think it has aged well over all. Glad I have ten more Hardman books to go.
July 8, 2019
An RD. Private Eye/Police Murder Adventure (TCKIBIT - HMB- 2)
RD. has penned the second novel in the Hardman series, which finds him and his trusty partner searching for a gang of wanna be gangsters. Their assignment is to locate the small group, recovery the money and spank them. However, another has bought a Knifeman in from South Carolina. Therefore, they much locate before the Knifeman. This is an excellent read for the genre.....DEHS
RD. has penned the second novel in the Hardman series, which finds him and his trusty partner searching for a gang of wanna be gangsters. Their assignment is to locate the small group, recovery the money and spank them. However, another has bought a Knifeman in from South Carolina. Therefore, they much locate before the Knifeman. This is an excellent read for the genre.....DEHS
October 6, 2019
Short, gritty and fast moving - this is the second of the Hardman books and it's genuine pulp fiction in the best possible way. It's amazing how this whole series has been ignored because, based on what I have read so far, they are great fun and very well written. The language and values are of their time, so be warned, the books are politically incorrect based on 2019 standards. But so what? These are period pieces and excellent ones too.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews