Pulp Fiction discussion

Currently reading Don't Send Flowers . Enjoyable so far. Fans of Don Winslow would enjoy this.

Paul wrote: "Currently reading Don't Send Flowers. Enjoyable so far. Fans of Don Winslow would enjoy this."

Thank you. I just bought it and when it gets here everything else gets put aside. I love Martin Solares.

Simon wrote: "The one other book that A Clockwork Orange actually has the most in common with for me is... Neuromancer. Both being written in a weird future slang that's at first co..."

Neuromancer is an all-time fave for me. Back when Gibson used to write about ninjas with detachable thumbs instead of boutique hotels and...pants. PANTS fer Christ's sake!

I finished:


Arthur & George by Julian Barnes
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

...which is not really pulp at all, but it does involve a crime. I'd recommend it to anyone. Excellent read.

RJ wrote: "Back when Gibson used to write about ninjas with detachable thumbs instead of boutique hotels and...pants."

Har har har! I read one of Gibson's newer novels back in the summer, Virtual Light. One thing that struck me is that except a couple futuristic elements that get less fanciful with each passing day that book basically played like a contemporary crime thriller set in the weirder subcultures of the US West Coast. Well written and a perfectly enjoyable reading experience, but not on the same level as the Sprawl Trilogy at all.

Last night I finished Maigret Has Scruples. Very melancholic and sad story, but oozes with well crafted atmosphere.

I finished:


A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I’m currently reading the nonfiction book:

Mrs. Sherlock Holmes: The true story of New York City’s greatest female detective and the 1917 missing girl case that captivated a nation


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

I have been in such a reading funk, mostly due to overwork, my level of concentration is at an all-time low. I'm starting Cop Hater . It's not heavy duty and and i've wanted to try it out for some time.

Lawrence wrote: "I have been in such a reading funk, mostly due to overwork, my level of concentration is at an all-time low. I'm starting Cop Hater . It's not heavy duty and and i've wanted to try it..."

I've been a fan of the 87th Precinct series since my teens, and I'm slowly (very slowly) attempting to read all of them in order. The early books are not the best, but do serve as good reads when you're looking for some quick thrills and distractions that don't require a lot of intellectual attention. Hope you like it, Lawrence.

Lawrence wrote: "I have been in such a reading funk, mostly due to overwork, my level of concentration is at an all-time low. I'm starting Cop Hater . It's not heavy duty and and i've wanted to try it..."

They are great light reading as most of them are very short. For me, each is like an episode of a TV show, rather than a complete novel. I've read the first 24 so far.

AndrewP wrote: "I've read the first 24 so far."

Wow! Hats off to you, Andrew. You're almost halfway through the series ;-D Do you have a favorite character?

(I like Meyer Meyer, but it's probably just the name thing.)

Other than Steve, Cotton and Meyer, I really like Burt Kling. He starts out as patrolman and gets promoted to detective. His romantic interests and personal life form an ongoing backstory.

If you can find a copy And All Through The House is an 87th Precinct Christmas special and a good read this time of the year.l

AndrewP wrote: "If you can find a copy And All Through The House is an 87th Precinct Christmas special and a good read this time of the year."

That one does sound jolly. It would involve my jumping ahead by about 30 volumes in the series, but I may just do that. Thanks.

Goodreads has that as 87th Precinct #46 but I do not think that's correct. It doesn't seem to fit into any particular time line and was written in 1984 which would put about #37 in publishing order.

Like Melki, I'm also an 87th Precinct fan, and snatched up a boatload of Kindle editions at 99¢. They're well-written, quick reads - perfect as a palate cleanser between bigger projects.

All Through the House is a short story, wedged into the novels lineup, published in a hardback illustrated edition. It first appeared in Playboy, and should be #38 based on publication date. Funny, after looking up that issue, I remember seeing it, but don't remember reading it!

Yes, I got an e-mail from Amazon offering Ed Mcbain books for 99 cents. I’m on it....

Lawrence wrote: "Yes, I got an e-mail from Amazon offering Ed Mcbain books for 99 cents. I’m on it...."

I've been nabbing those as well.

It seems as though And All Through The House is not yet available for Kindle, but there are plenty of used hardbacks available. Sound like a case for the North Pole Precinct.

Has anyone read anything by Ann Cleeves? I have been enjoying the TV Series 'Shetland' and that is based on her books/characters.

I’ve been reading her Shetland series!

Just finished Pick-Up after transferring the mobi file from about six defunct Kindles. (i.e., the Kindles kept wearing out before I could finish the book)

Glad no one spoiled it. There were quite a few twists for an essentially plotless book.

At one point, I thought Willeford must have been imitating Camus's The Stranger, but then I thought they probably both picked up the same vibe from The Postman Always Rings Twice.

(view spoiler)[ I don't know how I can simultaneously think, "Whoa that last line was a cheap trick!" and be completely blown away. Man, it makes me want to read the book over again, except that' also the last thing I want to do... (hide spoiler)]

This was published by a soft core firm, Softcover Library, IN 1967. There is some generic phrasing of that nature on p.19 of the Black Lizard ed. The book must have been distributed in erotic book stores and on spin racks in specialty stores for men. If this is "softcore sleaze," it is IMO the best of the bunch, and people like Lawrence Block, John MacDonald, and Harlan Ellison wrote them, under synonyms. The distinction between "high literature" and "mere throwaway entertainment" is a false and class-bound one.

I finished:


Rainbow Six by Tom Clancy
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


In the Heat of the Night by John Dudley Ball


Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer

Patty wrote: "I’ve been reading her Shetland series!"

If you have read more than one then I'm assuming they are worth reading. Something for me try in 2020 I think :)

Just started Impossible Causes by Julie Mayhew.

“For seven months of the year, the remote island of Lark is fogbound, cut off completely from the mainland.”

If you want to live on Lark, you are assessed, and then pledge to participate fully in their religious community.

Sounds to me like the closed-room mysteries of Agatha Christie meets Tom Tryon’s Harvest Home. That’s good enough for me.


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...

AndrewP, the series is good. I like the landscape of the Shetlands; pretty sure that’s what draws me to these stories. I’m drawn to books with bleak landscapes; like those from Iceland as well.

The books are different from the series.

Just finished “Accidental Presidents: Eight Men Who Changed The World” by Jared Cohen

It was really well done! I loved how he was able to humanize all the Presidents and gave historical background where our nation was at the times where Vice Presidents had to step in and take control.
Very informative, however he tended to repeat himself at times.

Overall, great book, would like to read his other books.

I finished:


In the Heat of the Night by John Dudley Ball
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

And I started reading:


Live and Let Die by Ian Fleming

the second book by Peter May set in the windblown Hebrides Island was as good as the first one. Lots of flashbacks that paint a vivid picture of the hardscrabble living there/
The Lewis Man

I finished:


Live and Let Die by Ian Fleming
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


A Drink Before the War by Dennis Lehane

I finished:


A Drink Before the War by Dennis Lehane
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

And I started reading:


A Little Yellow Dog by Walter Mosley

RJ wrote: " And I started reading:
A Little Yellow Dog (Easy Rawlins, #5) by Walter Mosley
..."

Loved the first couple of entries of Mosley's "Easy Rawlins" series.
I need to start the series all over.
Take it from the top.

Still wrote: "Loved the first couple of entries of Mosley's "Easy Rawlins" series.
I need to start the series all over.
Take it from the top."

I've thought about doing that myself someday.

Pimp by Ken Bruen and Jason Starr.........the end of a crazy, unpredictable and overall unsettling series

"To Catch a Thief" and "The Bone Collector" : both very good, with my personal preference for the classic story of the acrobat burglar from Cannes

I finished:


A Little Yellow Dog by Walter Mosley
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


The Vengeful Virgin by Gil Brewer

and


To Walk the Night by William Sloane which is the first book in the collection:


The Rim of Morning: Two Tales of Cosmic Horror by William Sloane

In the last few days I finished:


The Vengeful Virgin by Gil Brewer
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


To Walk the Night by William Sloane - the first book in the collection The Rim of Morning: Two Tales of Cosmic Horror
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


The Lady in the Lake by Raymond Chandler


The Edge of Running Water by William Sloane - the second book in the collection The Rim of Morning: Two Tales of Cosmic Horror

I am currently reading Tales of the Night by Peter Høeg, the author of Smilla's Sense of Snow. It's one of his non-crime/espionage works, being an anthology of historical short stories that take place on the same date in 1929 and frequently involve real life historical personalities as characters. You can definitely tell on the writing style and even the themes of the stories (scientific history, colonialism, conflict between different cultures and social classes) that they are the work of the same author as "Smilla", though.

I finished:


The Edge of Running Water by William Sloane
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Edge of Running Water is the second book in this collection:


The Rim of Morning: Two Tales of Cosmic Horror by William Sloane
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I finished:


The Lady in the Lake by Raymond Chandler
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


Pop. 1280 by Jim Thompson

Pop. 1280 is a great book. My favorite Thompson

Bryan "They call me the Doge" wrote: "Pop. 1280 is a great book. My favorite Thompson"

I agree!

There was a pretty good movie adaptation of it, which switched the scene from the American West to a French Colony in Africa. A little different, but it follows the storyline pretty faithfully

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082206/...

(Coup de Torchon)

Tom wrote: "Bryan "They call me the Doge" wrote: "Pop. 1280 is a great book. My favorite Thompson"

I agree!"

I'm enjoying it so far. He's got a twisted sense of humor that really comes out in this book.

My favorite Thompson up to this point is The Grifters.

Started re-reading Ghost in the Shell by Masamune Shirow today, which is probably the third time I've read it. Probably my gold standard for future-noir comics as far as plot and worldbuilding goes. (for artwork it's Moebius' "The Long Tomorrow")

I was disappointed by Thomas Perry's latest book A Small Town: A Novel of Crime. He's been one of my favorite mystery/thriller authors since I read Metzger's Dog. I was thrilled to see a new one, but could only give it a 2 star review here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Also started reading Don Winslow's The Force. Only 27 pages into it, but I can already recognise Winslow's characteristic sense of humour and writing style.

I finished:


Pop. 1280 by Jim Thompson
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


Wild Fire by Nelson DeMille

Just finished The Hustler by Walter Tevis which was turned into an instant classic starring Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason.
The movie is a little different than the book, which is to be expected. Both are fantastic!

Loved the book! Tevis did an excellent job bringing life and suspense to the rather complicated game of straight pool. The characters are well written and George C Scott as Bert Gordon and Gleason as Minnesota Fata nail the characters perfectly.
It was a tightly knit story and felt as though you were in the poolrooms and standing right next to Eddie Felson through his glories and falls.

I’m looking forward to reading the sequel The Color of Money.

Halfways through Winslow's The Force by now. You get a very good sense of the different cultural and ethnic divisions within New York City and how they impact the plot. It's very quick to read despite the complicated storyline and how many chapters don't advance the plot as much as just add funny anecdotes that show insight into the characters' personalities.

Come to think of it, other than the NY setting "The Force" basically feels like L.A. Confidential as told through Dudley Smith's eyes. Right down to showing what a "minor crime reveals big conspiracy" plotline feels like from the villain's point-of-view.

I have just finished the third and last book in the Lewis Island trilogy by Peter May : The Chessmen.
It was a solid, well written episode, yet somehow failed to move me as much as the first two books did. The formula used to construct these books became a bit too obvious once it was applied for the third time in a row. I would have welcomed some new material.