Pulp Fiction discussion

Just starting David Gordon Mystery Girl

My wife and I stopped by Traveler Restaurant in Union, Connecticut. Interesting concept. If you have lunch there, you can have three free books. They have books throughout the restaurant. Many of them are old books. I picked up The Goodbye Look by Ross MacDonald.

Last week I begun reading James Ellroy's "Destination Morgue" and it turns out that his non-fiction work is at least the same quality as his novels.

Simon wrote: "Last week I begun reading James Ellroy's "Destination Morgue" and it turns out that his non-fiction work is at least the same quality as his novels."

Good for you, Simon and good to hear. Love Ellroy's writing.

Currently reading Sleepless by Charlie Huston.
The novel is set in what is proposed to be the immediate future... and it's a disturbingly realistic future America that is depicted.

A pandemic has swept the world resulting in terminal cases of "The No Sleep Blues" (with apologies to The Incredible String Band).

Only Huston's heroic lead "Parker Haas" can save us.

Fun stuff.
No heaving lifting involved.
I love it like I've loved everything else by Charlie I've read.

Im reading The Wrong Case by James Crumley, my second novel of his.

Awesome hardboiled prose style and Milo is truly fascinating. Sometimes i hate his old corrupt cop attitude,his cynical ways but other times he seems all too human to dislike him.

The first PI lead i have read that is hard to like because of who he is. In comparison even at his worst Matt Scudder had his morals, his straight cop sense of justice but Milo is like Jack Taylor. More like a lowlife than a PI hero or even a decent human being.

Mohammed wrote: "Im reading The Wrong Case by James Crumley, my second novel of his.

Awesome hardboiled prose style and Milo is truly fascinating. Sometimes i hate his old corrupt cop attitude,his cynical ways but..."

Nicely put, Mohammed.

Is he what would be called an anti-hero? I'm not sure that I've ever had a clear definition of an anti-hero. What say you, friend?

Cathy wrote: "Mohammed wrote: "Im reading The Wrong Case by James Crumley, my second novel of his.

Awesome hardboiled prose style and Milo is truly fascinating. Sometimes i hate his old corrupt cop attitude,his..."

Yeah he prolly fits that but the trouble is that i have read many flawed but decent people as the PI hero that when you read someone who is more like a lowlife in criminal noir story it doesnt fit what you are used to. I dont like to read about golden hearted PI heroes that are too good people like Marlowe type, they are boring to me.

The tricky balance is that you cant make them too bad either, too flawed since they are POV characters whose thoughts are you reading. Jack Taylor for example by Ken Bruen atleast has his black humor, his literary interest, affection for his friends. Milo is more like challenging since so far i dont see many redeeming qualities.

Mohammed wrote: "Cathy wrote: "Mohammed wrote: "Im reading The Wrong Case by James Crumley, my second novel of his.

Awesome hardboiled prose style and Milo is truly fascinating. Sometimes i hate his old corrupt co..."

Nice reply...interesting and thanks. Now I have to check out these writers I've never heard of! Taking notes on your comments, too.

Thanks, Mohammed.

Cathy wrote: "Mohammed wrote: "Cathy wrote: "AndrewP wrote: "Cathy wrote: "If anyone wants some hard stuff with sex (a lot of that) mixed in, it's Getting Off.

By Lawrence Block, I picked up from library becaus..."
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/98...

These books are what you are thinking about. I have read interesting reviews about them but as huge block/westlake fan i have no hurry to read them yet.

Mohammed wrote: "By Lawrence Block, I picked up from library becaus..."
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/98...

These books are what you are thinking about. I have read interesting reviews about them but as huge block/westlake fan i have no hurry to read them yet. "

Wow I never even knew that existed. It's going on my phones 'look out for' book list.

Mohammed wrote: "Cathy wrote: "Mohammed wrote: "Cathy wrote: "AndrewP wrote: "Cathy wrote: "If anyone wants some hard stuff with sex (a lot of that) mixed in, it's Getting Off.

By Lawrence Block, I picked up from ..."

Mohammed: Went to Jim Thane's review and it was great. Didn't know about the collaboration and friendship between Westlake and Block.

Thanks so much for directing me there.

AndrewP wrote: "Mohammed wrote: "By Lawrence Block, I picked up from library becaus..."
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/98...

These books are what you are thinking about. I have read interesting reviews about ..."

Ditto here!

James Sallis - The Long Legged Fly : I think this is another one I first heard about here in the Pulp group, and it quite good, reminds me somehow of Walter Mosley, but set in New Orleans and in the 70's instead of LA in the 40's

I read that one last year - quite good. I keep meaning to read something else by Sallis, but there just aren't enough hours in the day.

I can inform you that a review of Destination: Morgue! might be coming later this week. I haven't read James Ellroy's most acclaimed work yet, but so far I think he might be better as a gonzoid journalist/memoirist than a novelist.

After watching and really enjoying the Jack Taylor series on Netflix, I had to continue my Bruen reading with The Killing Of The Tinkers.

Alberto wrote: "I'm currently reading and loving Cold Caller: A White Collar Noir first Jason Starr novel. I'll give a try to some other title by him.
Any recommendation of something similar, Charles Willefordes..."

Yeah, Alberto, I could do that!

Alberto wrote: "I'm currently reading and loving Cold Caller: A White Collar Noir first Jason Starr novel. I'll give a try to some other title by him.
Any recommendation of something similar, Charles Willefordes..."
I think I read his first 6 or 7, one after the other. Talk about bleak, I think I poured some bleach in my eyes for some light relief! He's pretty good, but not one of my favourites, TBH.

Currently reading Nesbo's Headhunters in addition to Hell On Church Street by Jake Hinkson

Currently reading Nesbo's The Redeemer and trying to understand the names, not an easy task for me.

Almost as soon as I finished "Destination Morgue", I go down to the library and borrowed "Crime Wave" by the same author.

Reading Flashfire by Richard Stark. Be interesting to see what the movie is like.

My review of Destination: Morgue! is up now.

Having recently read 2 vintage 1950s paperback originals (e-book formats) by the truly brilliant Charles Williams, River Girl and Nothing In Her Way, I kind of want to stay in the post-WWII/pre-Vietnam era of paperback fiction... I'm considering Gil Brewer's A Killer Is Loose or trying one of Clifton Adams non-Western noirs.

As I'm reading Crime Wave: Reportage and Fiction from the Underside of L.A. I've noticed that crime fiction has usurped fantasy as my second-most read literary genre. Still need 28 more titles in the genre before it topples science-fiction, though!

Col turned me on to another fine item. In this case an anthology ("...Essays, tributes, interviews, and short fiction...") titled The Europa World Noir Reader

From that anthology I am currently reading an excerpt from Total Chaos by the celebrated Jean-Claude Izzo as translated from the French by Howard Curtis.

I'm most impressed with this Izzo "lad".

Recently finished Death of a Citizen , The Killing Of The Tinkers and The Magdalen Martyrs. I have to say I've fallen hard for Bruen and his Taylor series. Have not read any other titles from him. I really have to remedy that situation.

Now you know why Bruen is my fav modern noir author, Jack Taylor is his greatest works. So very Irish, different author and series compared to American favorites..

I really hate that I have read all 9 books. No interest in Taylor tv series because its only the prose, black humor of Bruen that make that series. It's not crime,detective stories first kind of books.....

Wonderland by ace Atkins , continuation of the Robert b Parker series about the cool knight in shining armour from Boston : SPENSER!

Mohammed wrote: "Now you know why Bruen is my fav modern noir author, Jack Taylor is his greatest works. So very Irish, different author and series compared to American favorites..

I really hate that I have r..."

I get that feel from the Scudder series, the case is secondary to the exploration of the character.

On the comics front, I've resumed "100 Bullets" and am 2/3 through volume 9. Might finish the series this summer, actually.

Taking a brief break from hardboiled/noir pulp fiction
Currently reading an interesting true crime book by Steve Fischer - When The Mob Ran Vegas.
More a series of vignettes than in-depth analysis but it features some really memorable quotes from principals like Virginia Hill, Lucky Luciano and other lesser known felons.

A kind of Hollywood Babylon of organized crime.

I just finished reading Gladiator by Philip Wylie. This was published in 1930 & is free on Gutenberg.org. A friend said in his review that the hero of this book was the inspiration for Doc Savage, Superman, & most modern comic book characters. Sure seems that way. My very short, 4 star review is here:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

I guess it qualifies as pulp : To Have and Have Not by Hemingway. I think it's one of the few books of his that I didn't read in my teens. After the first chapters, I'm a little surprised about how different it is from the Bogart-Bacall movie.

Just finished Jack Ketchum's Cover, which is kinda tame by Ketchum standards but decent enough. 'Nam vet living in the woods hunts down some campers. Much better than it sounds.

Only read one Jack Ketchum " the girl next door" I think it was called and it was really grim , awful material brilliantly written.

Mark wrote: "Only read one Jack Ketchum " the girl next door" I think it was called and it was really grim , awful material brilliantly written."

The Girl Next Door is probably the gold standard for Ketchum; it is indeed a horrifying book. Everything I've read by him has been, to a greater or lesser extent, but that one's really rough. Recommended for anyone who likes their fiction obsidian-dark.

Ctgt wrote: "Mohammed wrote: "Now you know why Bruen is my fav modern noir author, Jack Taylor is his greatest works. So very Irish, different author and series compared to American favorites..

I really h..."

Exactly the reason those two series,characters are important reads for me. I enjoy connecting,trying to the great writing about flawed,damaged men like them trying to get better with their life. That and how important their setting of Galway, New York city is in the books is much more interesting read than the crime plot,the cases they work in.

John Garfield's 1950 film "The Breaking Point" and to a lesser extent Audie Murphy's "The Gun Runners" are both much more faithful to Heningway's book.

Applied the brakes to Fischer's When The Mob Ran Vegas.
Paperback Confidential -Crime Writers Of The Paperback Era arrived by mail from Stark House yesterday afternoon.

Wow!
Terrific foreword by Rick Ollerman! Brian Ritt has done a superb job. I stayed up last night reading entries on various authors. The information contained in this satisfied my long held questions about certain authors, their pseudonyms and the chronological order of many of their series entries and stand-alones.

Some of the info on favorite writers like William Lindsay Gresham and David Goodis is especially poignant.

I can't recommend this publication highly enough.

Went through it at random, looking up favorite authors first & working from there. I'm almost completely finished reading it although I will continue to use it for reference in filling in my collections by assorted favorites.

Invaluable reference item!

I much by far prefer Le Carre to Fleming, with Ludlum being somewhere in between.

Today I finished James Ellroy's Crime Wave. His article on the trial of O. J. Simpson was pretty interesting, wonder what his thoughts on that of George Zimmermann are.

I finished reading "The Last Van Gogh" by A.J. Zerries. They are husband and wife writers who started out in advertising. The book takes you into
the world of art galleries, dealers, collectors, and art theft. The set-up is really very good. A NYPD detective from the Major Case Unit known as the "art guy" gets called in when the Met receives a plain
package UPS delivery from Argentina. Inside is Van Gogh's "Portrait of Monsieur Trabuc" with a note indicating that it was stolen by theNazis during WW2.

As the story unfolds the coincidences start piling up as high as the bodies until it is rendered unbelievable. You have the "usual suspects" along with some weakly drawn characters that could have been better. Yet the author's back story on the Van Gogh painting is top rate. That along with the initial set-up which describes in detail
several well planned art thefts made me stay with the book till the end.

If you want to find out more about the art world and art theft and like interesting back stories, you could try this book. It is hit or miss. I found myself skimming and skipping through the parts that missed.

Mohammed wrote: "Now you know why Bruen is my fav modern noir author, Jack Taylor is his greatest works. So very Irish, different author and series compared to American favorites..

I really hate that I have r..."

When I read the Bruen series (I'm currently up to date on all the Jack Taylor's), I always keep a pad beside me to jot down the names of the authors of all the books Jack's reading at any given time -as well as the music artists he's into.

No idea how many great authors I discovered because of a "disgraced" former officer of the Garda.
Most of the music had already been in my collection for years.

Simon wrote: "I much by far prefer Le Carre to Fleming, with Ludlum being somewhere in between.

Today I finished James Ellroy's Crime Wave. His article on the trial of O. J. Simpson was pretty interesting, wond..."

Le Carre is the better writer,prose writer,better with real world spy story but Fleming is the better storyteller with hardcore spy hero. They are different things. I read Fleming despite some dated elements,writing because Bond is awesome character.

Le Carre The Spy Who Came in from the Cold i thought was brilliant but the first Smiley book i read after that was far from impressive.

Mantan wrote:

Applied the brakes to Fischer's When The Mob Ran Vegas.
Paperback Confidential -Crime Writers Of The Paperback Era arrived by mail from Stark House yesterday afternoon.


Thanks for the heads-up. Ordered my copy.

Yeah, I know that Fleming and Le Carré are an apples and oranges situation. It's just that the former fits into an idea of cool I just find archaic and kind of quaint in a manner I oddly don't get with the likes of Chandler et al. Strange.

I just finished The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith aka J.K. Rowling and I think it is a new genre - touchy-feely crime.

Flash Beagle wrote: "I just finished The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith aka J.K. Rowling and I think it is a new genre - touchy-feely crime."

That's hilarious!

Two on the go at the minute, Chasing Bad Guys: Frank Knott Returns with a New Sidekick ... and The Dark Winter