Hard Case Crime discussion

I just finished The Guns of Heaven by Pete Hamill. It was really good. A half Irish newspaperman gets caught up in a plot involving the IRA & such. I've never read any other books by Hamill before & was surprised at how good it was, although I do have an issue with him putting silencers on revolvers.

Anyway, I didn't see another topic for it & thought it might be interesting for us to list the HCC books we've read & how we liked them.

I've only read a few:
The Guns of Heaven by Pete Hamill - 4 stars (3.5 really)
Money Shot by Christa Faust - 3 stars
A Touch of Death by Charles Williams - 3 stars
The Dead Man's Brother by Roger Zelazny - 4 stars
Night Walker by Donald Hamilton - 3 stars (it's been a long time)

I still have over a dozen HCC books to read, but my pile is huge right now, so I'm having a tough time getting to them.

I tend to read the HCC books in spurts. Dan's Hardcase Shelf

As you can see, I've read 21 and own ten more. Joining the club when I was already nearing the end of my Hardcase mood probably wasn't the best idea.

I'd never heard of Lawrence Block before I started reading the Hardcases and now he's one of my favorites.

361 by Donald E. Westlake
The Cutie by Donald E. Westlake
Somebody Owes Me Money by Donald E. Westlake
The Wounded and The Slain by David Goodis
Kiss Her Goodbye by Allan Guthrie
Slide by Ken Bruen and Jason Starr


Unread and at home :
A Touch of Death by Charles Williams

You can see mine on my HCC shelf.

http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/...

Hi Guys. My head came out of the sand recently and discovered for myself this book series. So far--I love it. It's hard not to want to collect the darn things as I love most of the covers too. So far I've read (in about a month):

Kill Now, Pay Later 3 stars
Little Girl Lost 4 stars
Grifter's Game 3 stars

Just started:
Fade To Blonde (Love the cover)

And I've bought a dozen more. Trying to focus on getting some of the earlier ones but still buying some of the well known and loved authors like Block and Westlake.

I just finished The Gutter and the Grave by Ed McBain. I haven't done a review yet, but definitely 3 stars. I might have given it higher marks if I didn't have it all figured out so early. It was just a little to simple & obvious. Well done, though.

I might try newer authors next in my HCC. I dont want to run out great noir books,authors too soon.

I have read too many Stark/Westlake,Goodis and co.

Which of the newer books,author does get most credit i wonder ? Max Phillips ? Aleas ?

I'd definitely suggest Little Girl Lost. I haven't read the follow up yet (Songs of Innocence) but I hear others like that one too.

In trying to collect the HCC books, I've gotten to a point where I have gotten confused about which ones I have obtained & started a list. I copied the list on HCC's website, dumped it into Excel & numbered them. Also added a column for whether I have it or not. If anyone else wants the list for your own use, let me know & I'll email it to you.

I did something similar Jim. Using my Palm PDA, I created a spreadsheet starting with the HCC series number. It's helped me keep track of them as I tracked them down. Amazon's 4 for 3 deal helped fill my needs quite a bit. I'm actually down to missing only 2 at this point: #58 Stop This Man! and #60 Honey in his Mouth.

Wish I'd known, Greg. I'm missing a lot more than that. I probably only have half the books & have only read about half of those.

I get my Hard Cases from the Dorchester Publishing website. Since I joined the club, I get a Hard Case every month in the mail and can get the others at a discount. 30% off and the sixth one free, IIRC. Plus the wish list makes it easy to keep track of the ones I still need.

I think I'm going to join that HCC book club too. I like the idea of not having to think about it and the price is hard to beat.

And I understand from reading an interview with HCC co-founder Ardai that HCC is going to back down to a every other month publishing schedule. Six books a year ain't as tough on the pocket book.

Getting the new one in the mail every month is pretty sweet. It usually comes a week before the book shows up on the newstands.

Every other month will make it easier to catch up. I know they're skipping January and February 2010.

HCC books with all due respect there are great Noir books from Vintage,Orion crime masterwork series, other smaller publishers.


Like today in the book store there was the choice between Aleas,Max Philips or Ken Bruen's Jack Taylor book 3,4.


Thats why i buy HCC books only when i want new noir books or authors i already know.

I joined the book club too, but I think I've only gotten one or two books so far. What & when was the last one to come out?

I'm using the spreadsheet to keep track of the older books that I'm trying to get from before I joined.

I agree Mohammed that there's other good stuff out there but I personally find it a little difficult to locate (Simon & Schuster is doing Megan Abbott which I'm currently reading). The Orion Crime Masterworks series is from a UK press and it's not publishing regularly. Vintage is doing lots of Jim Thompson stuff but what else are they doing? I think the cool thing about HCC is that they are publishing regularly (like the old Fawcett Gold Medal series) and it's an easy way to get your crime fiction fix. Yeah, I'm lazy. Spoon it to me.

Jim, I know that #59 Losers Live Longer is out as I've got that one (love the rarely used horizontal cover). Not sure if #60 Honey in his Mouth has been released yet.

60 comes out September 29th. I'm expecting it on my doorstep any day now.

Greg of A2 wrote: "I agree Mohammed that there's other good stuff out there but I personally find it a little difficult to locate (Simon & Schuster is doing Megan Abbott which I'm currently reading). The Orion Crime ..."

Vingtage has much more 40,50s,60s Noir than anyone else i know.

Charles Willeford,Cornell Woolrich,Chester Himes etc

They are the best if you are like me trying to read every great Noir writer from the golden days of Noir.

For example i love Thompson and i will buy every book of his they have.

HCC is good that they add new books like the new Quarry series by Max Allan Collins.
But overall its not the best works but forgotten works. The older writers that is.

Hmmm... Looks as if I got just one book, "Fake ID" & then no more & I forgot about it. Thanks for letting me know.

I got Honey in his Mouth today and in addition to the books on the Hard Case schedule on the website, Brett Halliday has a book coming out in July and there's another Quarry in September.

Quarry, the lost Westlake book is the books i'm really looking forward to.

I might try one of the others like Gun Work before that.


I will check the rating for the books by fellow HCC fans in goodreads.

Not that i'm scared of wasting 5,6 dollars on a paperback but i want a fun read or even a great Noir read when i try new authors for me like the modern writers.

One thing that I really like about the HCC books is that they are nice quick reads (at least for native English readers). I can usually finish one (even with a fairly busy life) in less than 3 days. It can take me a couple of weeks to finish an epic fantasy novel and I'm not sure sometimes if I get that much more pleasure from the 700 page feast compared to the 200 page cupcake...

Greg of A2 wrote: "One thing that I really like about the HCC books is that they are nice quick reads (at least for native English readers). I can usually finish one (even with a fairly busy life) in less than 3 days..."

That's one of the reasons I keep buying the HCC books. Even the bad ones will be over in an evening or two. It's not a weeks long commitment like a gargantuan fantasy novel. I'd rather eat a stale cupcake than a rotten roast.

I've just started The Colorado Kid by Stephen King.

Today, I got Quarry in the Middle in the mail along with the usual Dorchester Publishing junk. I hesitated in throwing it away this time and found a bargain. For club members, they're having a year end dollar sale and ten Hard Cases are on the flyer. I had to order by phone but it was worth it to get five Hard Cases for five buck, plus shipping.

The reason I bring it up is because the sale goes until 12/31. So, you could probably join the club now and still get the discount.

Thanks for the heads up, Dan!

Quarry in the middle is out ? YES !

I have preodered through my bookstore.

I'm at work now but I remember these from the flyer:
Slide
Deadly Beloved
Dead Street
Kill Now, Pay Later
Robbie's Wife
The Wounded and the Slain

I'll fill in the rest when I get home.

The others:
songs of Innocence
Blackmailer
Lucky at Cards
Vengeful Virgin

I just called HCC & it turns out they have a web special, buy 5 & get one free, too.

Also, club members will be getting two books in Dec09, then a break until March. After that it will be about every other month.

Yeah, cheap books are great.

Thanks for posting that list of books, Dan. I needed 5 of them & wound up getting them for $11 total. $1 each plus $6 shipping. That's less than if I got them through Paperbackswap or Bookmooch.

As of December, I should have 43 of the 63 available books. I'm getting there!

In case anyone has these for trade or sale, I'm still looking for:
39 - A DIET OF TREACLE by Lawrence Block
46 - BABY MOLL by John Farris
55 - CASINO MOON by Peter Blauner
12 - DUTCH UNCLE by Peter Pavia
49 - GUN WORK by David J. Schow
60 - HONEY IN HIS MOUTH by Lester Dent
54 - HOUSE DICK by E. Howard Hunt
57 - PASSPORT TO PERIL by Robert B. Parker
10 - PLUNDER OF THE SUN by David Dodge
61 - QUARRY IN THE MIDDLE by Max Allan Collins
18 - SAY IT WITH BULLETS by Richard Powell
42 - SHOOTING STAR/SPIDERWEB by Robert Bloch
58 - STOP THIS MAN! by Peter Rabe
53 - THE CUTIE by Donald E. Westlake
48 - THE FIRST QUARRY by Max Allan Collins
43 - THE MURDERER VINE by Shepard Rifkin
27 - THE PEDDLER by Richard S. Prather
41 - ZERO COOL by John Lange

I'm reading Dead Street right now. I'm not terribly thrilled with it. I found that it was published by Jane Spillane & Max Allan Collins, so I guess it's based on his notes & finished by them? It's not bad, but it's got too much angst & is somewhat scattered. Reminds me of Spillane's Tiger Mann books, which I never cared for.

I haven't read Dead Street yet but I've read Collins took over around chapter 9 from Spillane's notes.

FYI,Hard Case has another 18 books on sale for a $1 this month. Time for me to pry open the old wallet and grab a few more I haven't read yet.

I haven't seen my newest books with the fliers yet. Did you get the December books already?

I wish they'd put that stuff on their website.

Got the two new books today.

Hopefully mine will arrive tomorrow, then. I ordered some stuff from Amazon Tuesday, late morning & used the super saver shipping. It arrived last night at 4pm! 29 hours is pretty amazing.

Happy Thanksgiving, all.

My December books got here & it looks like I can get 5 more books that I'm missing for $1 each. That leaves me with an even dozen to complete the collection. I did see a note that said to ask the operator when ordering as other books may be available for $1. I'm crossing my fingers.

Now I just have to find more time to read them.

I just finished reading The Corpse Wore Pasties by Jonny Porkpie, who is supposed to be the Burlesque Mayor of NYC in real life, as well as the hero of the book. It was a fun read. Quick & a little obvious, but lots of fun.

I just called up to order my 5 books & I asked about the other books. I needed 17 to have the complete collection. I got them all for $17 plus $8 S/H. So it seems like if you're a club member, you can pretty much get them all for $1.

I just started The Valley of Fear. It's a Sherlock Holmes story. I don't recall reading it before. It's been a lot of years since I read them, though.

Jim wrote: "I just called up to order my 5 books & I asked about the other books. I needed 17 to have the complete collection. I got them all for $17 plus $8 S/H. So it seems like if you're a club member, y..."

Good to know. I'll put my list together before I call.

I got my books last night. I now have the complete line of the HCC books. I've only read about 1/4 of them, though. I'm going to see if I can't work on them a little harder.

I have my HCC books listed on my shelf:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

I particularly love the Quarry books I've read. I have not got around to watching the TV series although I've heard mixed reviews.

I believe I read both of Richard Aleas' John Blank books, Little Girl Lost and Songs of Innocence, along with Grifter's Game a long time ago before I was on Goodreads when I first discovered HCC.

I recently listened to the audio of Grifter's Game.

I did not realize that it was the very first HCC.

http://www.hardcasecrime.com/books_bi...

Working up from there:

Fade to Blonde was OK, but the 60s setting was patently fake. Not helped by any ambiguity by reviewers and such as to what point "mid-century" it was set. (Hello. Chubby Checker? Bossa Nova?- these things weren't around in the 50s, man).

Little Girl Lost was OK.

Two for the Money sounded good- imitation Parker- but I could not finish it. In fact on the basis of this and a few other things, I doubt I would ever pick up a Max Allan Collins again.

Kiss Her Goodbye- I read the author's revision in e-book. I don't know what changes he made, but it was not better than OK.

361 and Plunder of the Sun- these both sound good, but I haven't read them yet.

Girl with the Long Green Heart- actually my "first" HCC, and I re-read it recently and it holds up.

A Touch of Death- CA says nobody doesn't like this, so I will get to it soon.

Bust (and Slide and The Max and, one of these days The Pump, oops, I mean Pimp)- some hilarious over the top wallowing in low-life. Max and Angela 4evR.

Lemons Never Lie- I read the University of Chicago e-book. It was experimental on Westlake's part, and I'm not sure it was entirely successful

Vengeful Virgin, Songs of Innocence- I have these and should get to them one of these days.

Kill Now Pay Later- four or five stars. My favorite to date, I think.

A Diet of Treacle- started off good, went way downhill and stayed there. Two stars.

Money Shot- exceeded expectations. Four stars. Really glad I read it.

Shooting Star/Spiderweb and The Murderer Vine- two I have (well, three I have) and hope to get to soon.

Somebody Owes Me Money- has only gone up in price since I've had my eye on it. One day I will bite the bullet. This is another one nobody doesn't like.

Baby Moll- sounds good. I have it. Will read some day.

The Cutie- three or four stars. Westlake had talent from the get-go, but the plot is flawed.

Losers Live Longer- TBR. Looks good.

Murder Is My Business- it was good. A little plain.

Blood on the Mink and Cocktail Waitress- both TBR

Girl with the Deep Blue Eyes- great cover. Makes me want to read it.

So, I've only read thirteen so far, with another thirteen or so I want to read.

Christopher wrote: "I recently listened to the audio of Grifter's Game.

I did not realize that it was the very first HCC.

http://www.hardcasecrime.com/books_bi...

Working up from there:

Fade to Blonde was OK, b..."

Nice overview but -man!- you really need to read "Somebody Owes Me Money".
I would have written the entire HCC novels off if not for the Donald E. Westlake novels.
"Somebody Owes Me Money" is a favorite. Found it in a Goodwill store in Maine while on vacation.

Still wrote: "Christopher wrote: "I recently listened to the audio of Grifter's Game.

I did not realize that it was the very first HCC.

http://www.hardcasecrime.com/books_bi...

Working up from there:

Fade..."

Agree

Paul wrote: "Still wrote: "Christopher wrote: "I recently listened to the audio of Grifter's Game.

I did not realize that it was the very first HCC.

http://www.hardcasecrime.com/books_bi...

Working up fro..."

Agree. Not forgetting 'Memory', possibly Westlake's best stand-alone.