Pulp Fiction discussion

Way behind here but I just finished 'The Hunter' by Richard Stark. To be honest I didn't like it at all. Too much senseless violence so I will not be reading any more of that series.

AndrewP wrote: "Way behind here but I just finished 'The Hunter' by Richard Stark. To be honest I didn't like it at all. Too much senseless violence so I will not be reading any more of that series."

For sure if you didn't like THE HUNTER, you won't like the rest of the series. I myself felt very put off by THE MAN WITH THE GETAWAY FACE, which is if anything even starker than Parker no. 1.

But THE OUTFIT, and pretty much everything after THE JUGGER- THE SEVENTH, THE HANDLE, etc.. are just amazing to me... and so well constructed that re-reading is more rewarding than the first time.

The group read this one sometime back I believe, but if this is indicative of Dorothy Hughes' writing, then I want to be a member of her fan club.

AndrewP wrote: "Way behind here but I just finished 'The Hunter' by Richard Stark. To be honest I didn't like it at all. Too much senseless violence so I will not be reading any more of that series."

Responses to the Parker series seem to be fairly evenly divided. I loved The Hunter. But if you are put off by violence, then i agree with Christopher, Parker just isn't for you.
I enjoyed all the Parker novels, some more than others. Slay-ground, The Hunter & The Sour Lemon Score (Parker, #12), being my favorites.
Kudos to you Andrew for reading The Hunter & stepping outside your comfort zone. Many of the books discussed on this site tend to be of the grittier persuasion. Not too many Agatha Christie fans on "Pulp Fiction".

Paul wrote: "Kudos to you Andrew for reading The Hunter & stepping outside your comfort zone. Many of the books discussed on this site tend to be of the grittier persuasion. Not too many Agatha Christie fans on "Pulp Fiction".

It's not the violence I have a problem with since Mickey Spillane is one of my favorite authors :) Parker just seemed to be a cardboard character with just a sketch of background, motive and story.

Paul wrote: "Not too many Agatha Christie fans on "Pulp Fiction."

I like Agatha. But I like Jim Thompson and Elmore Leonard more.

Randy wrote: "Paul wrote: "Not too many Agatha Christie fans on "Pulp Fiction."

I like Agatha. But I like Jim Thompson and Elmore Leonard more."

I love Christie's work and I always will, but my personal preference leans toward darker work, especially when the characters take center stage rather than plot.

I've recently finished two books by Graham Greene -- The Ministry of Fear which is, in my opinion, excellent and far better than the movie, along with The Third Man & The Fallen Idol. I can't help it - I liked the books much better than the movies, although The Fallen Idol is the closest I've come to enjoying the movie more than the story. Now there's a great film.

Nancy wrote: "I've recently finished two books by Graham Greene -- The Ministry of Fear which is, in my opinion, excellent and far better than the movie, along with [book:The Third Man & The Fallen..."

I hadn't heard of that movie. I'll have to track it down.

AndrewP wrote: "Paul wrote: "Kudos to you Andrew for reading The Hunter & stepping outside your comfort zone. Many of the books discussed on this site tend to be of the grittier persuasion. Not too many Agatha Chr..."

Not keen on spillane tbh, his characters seem a little too papier mache to me;P

Tom wrote: "Nancy wrote: "I've recently finished two books by Graham Greene -- The Ministry of Fear which is, in my opinion, excellent and far better than the movie, along with [book:The Third Ma..."

it's well worth finding. The boy in the main role is absolutely amazing.

Reading Inherent Vice by Thomas Pynchon in my quest to read all the selections on the poll for April and I'm half way through this one to get a head start.
I think having seen the movie first actually has helped me with this unusual read.
Pynchon really covers the area and time period well with the drug culture present, very funny at times and it's amazing that anything at all is ever accomplished in those days with everyone perpetually stoned.

Tim wrote: "Reading Inherent Vice by Thomas Pynchon in my quest to read all the selections on the poll for April and I'm half way through this one to get a head start.
I think having seen the mo..."

That book is so funny -- I pretty much laughed my way through a lot of it.

Definitely! Doc and Big Foot's conversations really make me laugh, quite an interesting relationship they have.

Cphe wrote: "Reading Death on the Nile - it's been many years since I read Christie.

Tend to forget just how enjoyable the books are."

I tend to enjoy the Poirot outings which have an exotic setting, like this one, and those are the ones I keep around to read again from time to time.

Bobby wrote: "Cphe wrote: "Reading Death on the Nile - it's been many years since I read Christie.

Tend to forget just how enjoyable the books are."

I tend to enjoy the Poirot outings which have ..."

I like them all, but I agree with you - the Poirot novels are the best.

I'm beginning The Talented Mr. Ripley. The only previous Highsmith work I've read is The Cry of the Owl, which was pretty good.

Damnotion wrote: "I'm beginning The Talented Mr. Ripley. The only previous Highsmith work I've read is The Cry of the Owl, which was pretty good."

I loved that whole Ripley series. But usually the first is best, imo.

Damnotion wrote: "I'm beginning The Talented Mr. Ripley. The only previous Highsmith work I've read is The Cry of the Owl, which was pretty good."

That is, in my opinion, one of the best books she's ever written. You may not like Ripley, but she is a master of getting inside his head. If you continue to read Highsmith, she is a master of not only getting inside the heads of what we might consider "the bad guys, " but you will find yourself understanding where they're coming from. And that, I will say, is freakin' genius.

For some reason I just could not get into Ripley. I know everyone praises it, but for me it wasn't working. What murderous sociopath is that insecure?

I might go back to it, but I'm reading another early Lawrence Block novel instead. A Diet of Treacle. Seems kinda lightweight, but it's set in the Village beatnik milieu so it's giving me amusement so far.

Started Woodrell's The Bayou Trilogy: Under the Bright Lights, Muscle for the Wing, and The Ones You Do. The first book was fun and had a real nice setting and atmosphere. Still it was overwritten and too witty for it's own good. Hoped I would've liked it more, since I obviously like Woodrell and crime pulp both. Slightly longer review here.

was wondering: should there be a "exhange your books" topic in our group? Also, where's the right topic for making such suggestions, cause I'm sure this one isn't it. But since this is the most watched topic...

Frank wrote: "was wondering: should there be a "exhange your books" topic in our group? Also, where's the right topic for making such suggestions, cause I'm sure this one isn't it. But since this is the most wat..."

maybe open a 'book swap' discussion in the general part of the forum

I have just finished "First Blood" and it was both more violent (if that is possible) and more seriously dealing with war trauma than the movie version. For me it belongs in the noir genre through the sense of inevitable doom laid on the two main characters, who cannot escape their destiny once the conflict is set in motion by the clash of two dominant males.

Algernon wrote: "I have just finished "First Blood" and it was both more violent (if that is possible) and more seriously dealing with war trauma than the movie version. For me it belongs in the noir genre through ..."

I agree. Don't read the second & third books. Obviously, (view spoiler)[since Rambo dies in the end of the book (hide spoiler)] they're for the movies, might just be novelizations. Nothing like the first which is a classic.

Morrell has written some other good books, although I think First Blood is his best. The Brotherhood of the Rose is the first of his Mortalis books. Ostensibly there are 3 of them, but he explained why a short story & a 4th book can also be included when he participated in a group read. I copied his words into my review of the 3d book, The League of Night and Fog which is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

While I don't care much for his horror, I was really impressed by his historical fiction, Last Reveille. It's about Black Jack Pershing's stab into Mexico after Poncho Villa, told through the eyes of a young soldier mentored by an old veteran.

Jim wrote: "Algernon wrote: "I have just finished "First Blood" and it was both more violent (if that is possible) and more seriously dealing with war trauma than the movie version. For me it belongs in the no..."

Yes, I plan to read more from Morrell, based on how well he achieved his goals in First Blood. Maybe Rose Brotherhood will be next, later this year.

I'm a few pages into The Blank Wall, by Elizabeth Sanxay Holding.

Just finished a Richard Prather Shell Scott story, Dead Man's Walk, and it was a wonderfully entertaining read. A real hoot.

Just finished The Barbed-Wire Kiss .

My short review is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Nancy wrote: "I'm a few pages into The Blank Wall, by Elizabeth Sanxay Holding."

Interesting. I bought the The Suspense Novel MEGAPACK TM: 4 Great Suspense Novels for the Fletcher Flora and Thomas B. Dewey novels and included are two novels from Elizabeth Sanxay Holding, who I had never heard of before.

Edwin wrote: "Nancy wrote: "I'm a few pages into The Blank Wall, by Elizabeth Sanxay Holding."

Interesting. I bought the The Suspense Novel MEGAPACK TM: 4 Great Suspense Novels fo..."

She's a good writer. This particular book wasn't as hard- boiled as her others - in fact, one professional reviewer referred to it as 'soft-boiled .' She reminds me of Highsmith in a big way, just not as dark.

That's a great comparison. The Blank Wall was a great film a few years ago, and a better novel, by a little bit. If one characteristic is noir is that "no one gets out of here alive" (in mind and/or body), then The Blank Wall is definitely noir. There are impressive details that go beyond just the physical, as for ex that shockingly cold swim that the protagonist takes early in the novel.

Jay wrote: "That's a great comparison. The Blank Wall was a great film a few years ago, and a better novel, by a little bit. If one characteristic is noir is that "no one gets out of here alive" (in mind and/o..."

I would disagree, actually. Sanxay-Holding's writing reflects concerns about women's issues of her time, and in this book, the main character "gets out of here alive" in a big way.

True; compare Donnelly's sacrifice to Lucia's. "All that had happened must be pushed down, out of sight. ... Maybe when I am old, and have plenty of time and quiet ..."

Starting Ride the Pink Horse, by Dorothy B. Hughes. I'm only on page 20, but I already have that gut-clenching thing I get when reading very good noir.

Started Where All Light Tends to Go by David Joy, had read a newspaper review of his new book The Weight of This World and wanted to start with this one first. I am almost half way into it and it's very good, and David Joy is a writer I'll be paying attention to in the future.

Great book, and , believe it or not, the film is even better. See it if you havent. I bought the DVD from Amazon.

Just finished "The Hunger" by Charles Beaumont. A good first copy of the paperback will be expensive. I picked up an "acceptable" copy from EBay pretty cheap. The kind you just throw or give away when you're done, hoping all the pages are still there. Read this back in the early 60's, and it scared the hell out of me. Not quite that powerful now, but still a good read. Seventeen short stories by the man who wrote the screenplays for most of Rod Serling's Twilight Zone.

Frank wrote: "Just finished "The Hunger" by Charles Beaumont. A good first copy of the paperback will be expensive. I picked up an "acceptable" copy from EBay pretty cheap. The kind you just throw or give away w..."

The Hunger: And Other Stories was reprinted by Valancourt a few years back. They specialize in bringing old books back into print. Just an FYI

Frank wrote: "Just finished "The Hunger" by Charles Beaumont. A good first copy of the paperback will be expensive. I picked up an "acceptable" copy from EBay pretty cheap. The kind you just throw or give away w..."

I ended up buying a copy of this book - taking it on vacation in May.

Very late last night I finished Ride the Pink Horse, by Dorothy Hughes. I think appreciation of this novel has probably been eclipsed by the fame of her In a Lonely Place, but it's an excellent read.,

I have read the second and third of the Daniel Port series and thought it was a good time to head back to his origin story. Loved it. He may be my favorite recurring character in this genre.

Nancy wrote: "Very late last night I finished Ride the Pink Horse, by Dorothy Hughes. I think appreciation of this novel has probably been eclipsed by the fame of her [book:In a Lonely Place|591354..."
Just finished up In A Lonely Place. Enjoyed it, especially as it went on. I'm looking forward to Ride A Pink Horse. Want to get it in within the next month or so.

Currently reading THE RIDGE by John Rector, as well as several other books including "IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT" which is the only book left for me to read from last month's poll selections.

Jay wrote: "That's a great comparison. The Blank Wall was a great film a few years ago, and a better novel, by a little bit. If one characteristic is noir is that "no one gets out of here alive" (in mind and/o..."

I just finished watching the film made from this book -- "The Reckless Moment." Good adaptation - hits all of the undercurrents of the novel. My multi-region DVD player is turning out to be a great investment.

Tim wrote: "Currently reading THE RIDGE by John Rector."

THE RIDGE was solid. Rector's a great thriller writer.

Recent reads-

Diet of Treacle- with its mix of trash and finely-tuned truth, I liked this one a lot. More than some "real" beat lit.

The Cutie- Yawn of a "mystery" plot, but Westlake's descriptions unfailingly hit their mark. The last 2 or 3 pages cast a surprising chill.

The Mourner- Weaker than the first 3 Parkers, but still makes you burn through the pages

Now reading The Score.

Damnotion wrote: "Recent reads-

Diet of Treacle- with its mix of trash and finely-tuned truth, I liked this one a lot. More than some "real" beat lit.

The Cutie- Yawn of a "mystery" plot, but Westlake's descripti..."

I thought The Cutie had a flawed plot, but amazingly good dialogue for a first novel. If you get a chance to read The Busy Body, you will see that it is The Cutie much improved.

Damnotion wrote: "Recent reads-

Diet of Treacle- with its mix of trash and finely-tuned truth, I liked this one a lot. More than some "real" beat lit.

The Cutie- Yawn of a "mystery" plot, but Westlake's descripti..."

Good that you are reading the Parker novels in order. I read them originally 'as-they-came', as i got mine through my library. I now have all of them & would consider reading them a second time. I've read The Hunter for the second time & still really enjoyed it. Although they can be read as stand-alones, there are occasionally quick references to earlier installments. Since few, if any of the Parker novels number more than 200 pages, i would find myself finishing one & picking up another.

Read Bill Pronzini's "Nightcrawlers,"one of his Nameless Detective novels. Well written, good stuff. This is the first Pronzini I've read. At first I was put off by the multiple POV's and I kept wondering when the nameless detective would show up. I didn't dislike this book, but I suspect I'd like the earlier entries in the series better.