Hard Case Crime discussion

Thought some of you might be interested in this old Christa Faust interview I did.

http://www.popthought.com/display_col...

Wow,I just realized it was three years ago now - April 2005. Doesn't seem that long ago. - Joe

That's a great interview, Joe. Interesting to see her take on working for as opposed to with publishers. I still think MONEY SHOT is one of the best of the HCC originals.

I may be biased 'cause I know Faust ... but I agree with you regarding it being one of the best originals. On the whole, I have found the reprints to be much more intriguing, interesting, and well, fun, than the originals...

That being said, I'm looking forward to the knew Ardai/Aleas one...

My hope is that the originals get a little more experimental with form and structure. I also think current authors need to find different types of criminals---my one disappointment with MONEY SHOT was that toward the end I found it way too much like SONGS OF INNOCENCE and DEAD STREET in terms of the "crime ring" scenario. I may have been reading a little too fast to appreciate the nuances, though.

No, I agree with you entirely. Here's an old October 2004 review I did of the first 3 Hard Case releases: http://www.popthought.com/display_col... where I had my own thoughts on the new novels. I don't think I've changed my views too much since then...

Another nice review! Sad to say, I've yet to read FADE TO BLONDE, so that'll be the next one I hunt up. I really like what you say about the "perfect replica" and "pastiche." I have to say, my least favorite so far was the latest Collins---maybe I was too busy when I read it, but it just didn't grab me.

Great interview! Thanks for posting it, Joe.

I'm about halfway through Money Shot, and really enjoying it so far. I'm looking forward to reading other books by Faust at some point, esp. Hoodtown. Have either of you read that one?

Adam - Again, feeling a bit biased, I think Hoodotown is phenomenal. It's definitely got that hardboiled veneer on the underlying murder mystery, but there's a lot going on. This goes back to the pastiche talk. Faust uses the lattice of a hardboiled novel to build her own building. It's definitely not for all tastes ... it's an alternate universe with lucha ghettos populating the outskirts of town. The language is filled with Spanish, Japanese and wrestling lingo ... it's not jarring like A Clockwork Orange, but if you're not expecting it, it can be off-putting. It's very much lucha libre oriented, that's how I first got to know Faust ... she and I were traveling in the same circles.

Kirk - I agree, the last new Collins I read, The Last Quarry was a big letdown for me. Especially so soon after re-reading the first 2 Nolan novels. The earlier work seemed to jump more. I haven't read the Ms. Tree one yet, but I have high hopes ... although as I understand it, it's more of a re-imagination of the original Ms. Tree plotline than a new story...