Pulp Fiction discussion

It's crime, not pulp, but very familiar and I really liked it - Murder on the Orient Express.

I've also been reading Dashiell Hammett's The Thin Man, thought it was kind of lite, so started reading Nightmare Town: Stories, totally different - planning on reading Red Harvest - probably will finish all 3.

I finished Black Noir: Mystery, Crime, and Suspense Stories by African-American Writers.
There were some good stories, though not much I'd consider to be actual "noir".

I will definitely be reading more by Chester Himes.

I'm currently reading The Girl Who Played With Fire. Up next is Winter's Bone, probably followed by something lighter like Voodoo River.

Chester Himes is pretty good. Run Man Run is really underrated.

Alberto wrote: "I'm currently reading Room to Swing written in 1957 by Ed Lacy, the first of two novels starring Toussaint Marcus Moore, often credited as "the first credible african-american P.I"...."

I've read ROOM TO SWING, but not the second book. I have read several of Lacy's other novels.

Alberto wrote: "I'm currently reading Room to Swing written in 1957 by Ed Lacy, the first of two novels starring Toussaint Marcus Moore, often credited as "the first credible african-american P.I"...."

Sounds interesting. I've never read Ed Lacy before.

I'll be reading The Lime Pit by Jonathan Valin next. Company in town right now, so I'm busy being tour guide for the next few days.

I read 2 more by Agatha Christie - Death on the Nile - and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - I love her writing.
Currently reading, about 3/4's through, Resurrection Men by Ian Rankin - good police procedure, police dynamics, and so far, although it could change drastically at the end, all the murders are not with firearms, which I find interesting :)

In addition to "The Continental Op", I'm reading "Never Look Away" by Linwood Barclay (very exciting) and "The Reversal" by Michael Connelly (another great Mickey Haller story).

OK so my previous foray in to sci-crime was a total epic bust thanks to Finch spectacularly failing to live up to expectations but that hasn't stopped me picking up a secondhand copy of The Mammoth Book of Future Cops which is a collection of hard-boiled and other cliched cop/detective PI conventions moved to a science-fiction setting.

I know of very few of the authors but i'm quietly optimistic after thoroughly enjoying the second (and most of the third so far) story.

Maxim Jakubowski owns the crime bookshop in London apparently so if there's something he should get right its this, in the same way that I'd trust any compilation put together by Otto Penzler i guess.

Tfitoby wrote: "OK so my previous foray in to sci-crime was a total epic bust thanks to Finch spectacularly failing to live up to expectations but that hasn't stopped me picking up a secondhand copy of The Mammoth..."

I had that Future Cops anthology and i regret badly i traded it away in bookmooch. Dont read the PKD story, its only a chapter of Scanner Darkly Novel.

I'm reading The Honourable Schoolboy by John le Carré - the middle book of an espionage trilogy about a Russian mole deeply entrenched in British intelligence. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy was the 1st one. LeCarre worked for British intelligence and the details he gives are the kind no one could make up. Good book, elegantly written.

Tfitoby wrote: "OK so my previous foray in to sci-crime was a total epic bust thanks to Finch spectacularly failing to live up to expectations but that hasn't stopped me picking up a secondhand copy of The Mammoth..."

I'm willing to bet that will be an entertaining anthology. I have Jakubowski's pulp fiction anthology and it's one of my favorites.

Labrava by Elmore Leonard


The setting of South Beach,Miami is handled very well, in colorful 80s style. The writing, characters are so far 240 of 400+ pages not the top level Leonard book.

Mohammed wrote: "Tfitoby wrote: "OK so my previous foray in to sci-crime was a total epic bust thanks to Finch spectacularly failing to live up to expectations but that hasn't stopped me picking up a secondhand cop..."

Cheers Mohammed. I finished the book today actually, i was pretty sure A Scanner Darkly was a full novel so paused and researched it before deciding to skip those pages.

are you in australia? i put it in to my 'trade at secondhand bookstore' pile, i'd be happy to give it to you instead. its just mailing outside of australia is costly.

Flash Beagle wrote: "I'm reading The Honourable Schoolboy by John le Carré - the middle book of an espionage trilogy about a Russian mole deeply entrenched in British intelligence. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy was the ..."

I read TTSS and decided that if I'm gonna read another Le Carre it would be The Spy Who Came In From The Cold. You're right about his style. So calm and stylish. Sort of addictive.

Kurt wrote: "I'm willing to bet that will be an entertaining anthology. I have Jakubowski's pulp fiction anthology and it's one of my favorites. "

It certainly had its moments Kurt. I think as crime goes he's probably got his finger on the pulse but the science-fiction let it down. That and my expectation being so high.

I nearly bought Paris Noir: Capital Crime Fiction that he was editor for but the reviews on GR have been mixed to say the least.

Tfitoby wrote: "Mohammed wrote: "Tfitoby wrote: "OK so my previous foray in to sci-crime was a total epic bust thanks to Finch spectacularly failing to live up to expectations but that hasn't stopped me picking up..."

Im in Sweden and dont worry i can find it cheaply online. I didnt have the patiene to read anthlogoy when i got that book. To me who likes any SF story like those will enjoy. I like law and order in the future. Doesnt have to be detective SF stories.

Started the Big Sleep. Has been on my list for awhile. Really enjoying it.

Michael wrote: "Started the Big Sleep. Has been on my list for awhile. Really enjoying it."

An absolute classic, I hope you are still enjoying it by the end.

Also from the classic noir period, I just finished my first book from Ross Macdonald which left me a bit cold. Ideally the next one will be better.

Have moved on to my first James Lee Burke, The Neon Rain, as I seem to have picked up 7 from $2 sales recently and thought I had better read one sooner rather than later.

Tfitoby wrote: "Michael wrote: "Started the Big Sleep. Has been on my list for awhile. Really enjoying it."

An absolute classic, I hope you are still enjoying it by the end.

Also from the classic noir period, I ..."

You mean The Moving Target?

No, I still haven't found the first Lew Archer book, I think Knowledge Lost said I can start anywhere in the series so I grabbed one at random off of my shelf. I read The Ivory Grin

Tfitoby wrote: "No, I still haven't found the first Lew Archer book, I think Knowledge Lost said I can start anywhere in the series so I grabbed one at random off of my shelf. I read The Ivory Grin"

I dont think you can start anywhere because im bigger fan of RM,Archer than Knowledge. The Moving Target the first book or The Way People Die the third book tells you what the PI story style,themes there is to the series. Its not fair to a legend in the field to start randomly and maybe read the weakest book in the series.

Its like reading Dain Curse first with Hammett and not Red Harvest or Maltese Falcon imho.

Yes, The Big Sleep and The Spy Who Came in from the Cold - both classics; read them recently. James Lee Burke, Pegasus Descending is on my tbr.

I was all set to quit my neighborhood book club when one of the members, in a show of rare good taste, picked The Big Sleep. You coulda knocked me over with a feather!
I'll quit next month when somebody picks something like Transition: The Story of How I Became a Man by Chaz Bono.

The idea of hard boiled novels written and set in Spain in the late 1970s sounds awesome! Any of these make it to English translation?

Currently reading: American Pulp (anthology of short stories from the 50s and 60s)

Alberto wrote: "I'm reading La Rusa (The Russian Girl). I'm sorry but I think there's no translation to this one in english. After reading The Night And The Music by Lawence Block, and seeing how masterly Mr. Bloc..."

Melki wrote: "I was all set to quit my neighborhood book club when one of the members, in a show of rare good taste, picked The Big Sleep. You coulda knocked me over with a feather!
I'll quit next month when s..."

That sounds awful, the main reason I have never jjoined a book club. Yet.

Melki wrote: "I was all set to quit my neighborhood book club when one of the members, in a show of rare good taste, picked The Big Sleep. You coulda knocked me over with a feather!
I'll quit next month when s..."

Or...you could nominate it and see if everybody else quits :P

DUE OR DIE by Frank Kane. From 1961, it's a Johhny Liddell thriller.

Torpedo actually made me look for spanish hardboiled novels. Its hard i dont know the big names. I got Fatale by Manchette as french hardboiled and i need names of english translated books of spanish hardboiled too!

I will look for those authors you mentioned Alberto.

There are many french crime in swedish hopefully those hard to get spanish hardboiled books can be found in swedish too :)

Alberto wrote: "Adrien wrote: "The idea of hard boiled novels written and set in Spain in the late 1970s sounds awesome! Any of these make it to English translation?


Happy to see someone interested in spanish..."

I was desperately trying to think of Southern Seas to reply but just couldn't remember the name or the author. I bought it a few months ago but changed my mind. How good is it in your opinion?

Very nice i found there is 4-5 books by Vazquez Montalban in the library translated to swedish. I dont like to read french,spanish,italian writers in english either. Dont want south europeans to sound like americans,brits in translation.

The books are those set in Barcelona and about Pepe Carvalho.

Alberto wrote: "Great. Let me know how you like them if you read any. I think I'll read some title by him in my TBR stack next."

I have a week holiday coming early may that i will try to get those books from the library before that. I dont want to try many more new authors but two south european noir authors in Montalban,Manchette is just my itch to explore more lit outside the books easily found in english.

Its been a while since I posted - been reading more fantasy and horror as of late. Recently I finished SOMEBODY OWES ME MONEY by Donald Westlake. A nice pulp novel where the hero doesnt try to be one. I gave it 4 stars.

Am just about to start Elmore Leonard's ROAD DOGS. The last Leonard book I read was TOUCH which I gave 2.5 stars to so I'm hoping for this one to be the goods :-)

Just finished the first story from The Continental Op, "The Tenth Clew." Really liked it. Looking forward to more.

Josh wrote: "Its been a while since I posted - been reading more fantasy and horror as of late. Recently I finished SOMEBODY OWES ME MONEY by Donald Westlake. A nice pulp novel where the hero doesnt try to be o..."

Is these your only Leonard books ?

OK, yesterday I read my first Jerome Charyn, Marilyn The Wild, which is from a series of novels set in New York in the 70's featuring an attempt at a Jewish hardboiled cop. If you've read The Yiddish Policemen's Union you've got a good idea of the style of this one.

Today I started on (finally!) the first book from 'The Factory' series of British crime books from the 80's, He Died with His Eyes Open and so far so brilliant. The only thing that comes close in comparison is the forerunner in the June group read poll - Shoot the Piano Player.

TH EMERALD STORM by William Dietrich, an Ethan Gage historical thriller.

Hey guys, just finished He Died with His Eyes Open and absolutely loved it. Incredible stuff. I'm not one for leaving review links around but I loved the book so much and want to share why with likeminded people:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

I just finished ROAD DOGS by Elmore Leonard and have got to say this is my favourite book by the grandmaster to date!

Review can be founder here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

5 stars!

Am about a third of the way through the third Stella Hardesty book by Sophie Littlefield - not as good as the first A BAD DAY FOR SORRY but still pretty decent.

Just finished A BAD DAY FOR SCANDAL, the third book by Sophie Littlefield to feature Stella Hardesty - I gave it 4 stars. Review below if you're interested.

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

I'm about to start reading DARK PASSAGE by the Noir God himself David Goodis. I've got this in the Library of America collection published this year:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12...

Also - if you weren't aware, Russell Atwood's PI book EAST OF A is FREE on the kindle. He also wrote LOSERS LIVE LONGER, published by Hardcase Crime. Go check it out:

http://www.amazon.com/EAST-A-Urban-Th...

Happy reading everyone!

Tfitoby wrote: "Hey guys, just finished He Died with His Eyes Open and absolutely loved it. Incredible stuff. I'm not one for leaving review links around but I loved the book so much and want to share why with lik..."

Nice review - thanks for posting it! Damn, another book I've got to add to my read pile...

Josh wrote: "Nice review - thanks for posting it! Damn, another book I've got to add to my read pile... "

Sorry! I actually went and bought the next three books in the series straight away, the fifth one is a little more obscure apparently so it's the same price as the others combined. I can't wait though.

Josh wrote: "Just finished A BAD DAY FOR SCANDAL, the third book by Sophie Littlefield to feature Stella Hardesty - I gave it 4 stars. Review below if you're interested.

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/24..."

I really should read another Goodis soon. Although i'm trying to read some cybernoir at the moment. Altered Carbon is REALLY doing it for me at the moment.

Sadly Altered Carbon is one of a kind. You wont find other quality SF with noir character,story like that.

Mohammed wrote: "Sadly Altered Carbon is one of a kind. You wont find other quality SF with noir character,story like that."

not even the other takeshi kovacs books?

have you tried Snow Crash mohammed? probably a stupid question, but its got its similarities despite not really being a bit on the noir side.

Tfitoby wrote: "Mohammed wrote: "Sadly Altered Carbon is one of a kind. You wont find other quality SF with noir character,story like that."

not even the other takeshi kovacs books?

have you tried Snow Crash m..."

I like cyberpunk novels even when they arent noir like. Snow Crash was so bad prose that it put me of the writer when i tried him with that novel. He is one of those writers that are too many in SF. Scientist that became writers and dont have the craft for it. Every review of his mention that prose of his even the good ones.

The second Takshi Kovacs book is military SF/Space opera. Third book is SF noir like book 1.

Have you tried When Gravity Fails?

Michael wrote: "Have you tried When Gravity Fails?"

No and i must thank very much for mentioning that book,author i have never heard of. Im big fan cyberpunk thrillers with enchanced killers like Kovacs. The lead of that book,his book sound like that.

Plus im always looking for more variation culturally in my SFF reading. My name,backround makes non-western setting SF even more interesting to me. I want to read about people in other settings like arab hero SF.

It gets little boring after while reading SFF stories with characters that are always americans,europeans.

Mohammed wrote: "Michael wrote: "Have you tried When Gravity Fails?"

No and i must thank very much for mentioning that book,author i have never heard of. Im big fan cyberpunk thrillers with enchanced killers like..."

then i guess you should try
Paolo Bacigalupi or maybe River of Gods or The Dervish House (both from Ian McDonald) and Jon Courtenay Grimwood's Arabesk trilogy.

Tfitoby wrote: "Mohammed wrote: "Michael wrote: "Have you tried When Gravity Fails?"

No and i must thank very much for mentioning that book,author i have never heard of. Im big fan cyberpunk thrillers with encha..."

River of Gods was very good take on Indian mythology in SF,people from that country in the future. I have planned to buy Dervish House.

Bacigalupi and his Thailand setting SF was also interesting for the same reason. Arabesk i have read parts of the first book.

Like i said i try those kind of books unless its lesser known authors i have missed and not award winning SF authors like Macdonald,Bacigalupi.

You reminded me though to read more modern SF books like those. I tend to favor my alltime SF fav authors from 1940s-1980s.

Im reading The Devil by Ken Bruen, Jack Taylor book 8. Its a great writing as usual and depressing read but also great pitch black humor that have made me laugh at times.