Pulp Fiction discussion

I finished Dorothy Hughes's final novel


The Expendable Man by Dorothy B. Hughes
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading


The Burglar by David Goodis

RJ - Slayer of Trolls wrote: "I started reading:


Cool Hand Luke by Donn Pearce


The Collector by John ..."</i>

<i>RJ - Slayer of Trolls wrote: "I started reading:

[bookcover:Cool Hand Luke
Cool Hand Luke by Donn Pearce


The Collector by [author:John ..."

Sometimes nothing is a cool hand.

Joe wrote: "Sometimes nothing is a cool hand."

Yeah, well...sometimes nothing can be a real cool hand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPG-P...

That was an awesome movie. Paul Newman did a lot of them. Another good one he starred in based on an Elmore Leonard book is "Hombre" (1967).

Ben Benson (1913-1959) was a police procedural writer of the 1950s who died young but not before completing 19 volumes. (He had spent THREE YEARS in the hospital as the result of a World War II injury, and apparently began his writing as a therapeutic activity.)

I have read Beware the Pale Horse in Benson’s Wade Paris series (Massachusetts State Police Inspector), and enjoyed it very much. He also has another series about a Massachusetts State Trooper, Ralph Lindsey.

Crime fiction aficionados and bloggers have done excellent work on researching semi-forgotten writers such as Benson. I often obtain and read books like his because of a blog post that alerts me to or reminds me of a writer.

Stewart Sterling (1895-1976) was “The King of the Specialty Detectives”! - hotel detective, department store detective, fire marshal, harbor policeman. I like this kind of thing (I recently finished the Scottish writer Hugh Munro’s Who Told Clutha, about a shipyard detective). I very much enjoyed Sterling’s Alibi Baby in the Gil Vine hotel detective series, and have got two more titles on my iPad, The Body in the Bed (another Gil Vine) and Where There's Smoke (Fire Marshal Pedley, natch).

More info here:

https://mysteryfile.com/Sterling/Dete...

Jim wrote: "That was an awesome movie. Paul Newman did a lot of them. Another good one he starred in based on an Elmore Leonard book is "Hombre" (1967)."

I need to read that one. Got it on my shelf somewhere here...

Patrick wrote: "Ben Benson (1913-1959) was a police procedural writer of the 1950s who died young but not before completing 19 volumes. (He had spent THREE YEARS in the hospital as the result of a World War II inj..."

You have come up with some authors I've never heard of, Patrick. I'll have to look out for Benson and Sterling.

I finished the classic Science-Fiction/Horror novel


The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I am currently in the process of reading Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne, one of his classic books that I for some reason haven't read until now which is odd considering it's his most popular novel.

STOP THE PRESSES! A Nero Wolfe Mystery Robert Goldsborough

2/5 stars

Coming out September 5, 2023

Please read my review linked below:

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

I finished the bleak noir classic


The Burglar by David Goodis
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading a WWI-era spy novel that is the sequel to The Thirty-Nine Steps


Greenmantle by John Buchan

RJ - Slayer of Trolls wrote: "and I started reading a WWI-era spy novel that is the sequel to The Thirty-Nine Steps

Greenmantle (Richard Hannay #2) by John Buchan
Greenmantle by John Buchan

and..."

Let me know your thoughts on this one.

Tom wrote: "....Let me know your thoughts on this one."

I'm not gonna lie, it's slow going at times.

For those who enjoy pulp Science-Fiction, I finished an anthology containing 26 of the most notable Science-Fiction short stories from the time period 1929-1964


The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One, 1929-1964 edited by Robert Silverberg
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started on the first half of the second volume of the anthology which contains the 23 most notable classic Science-Fiction novellas from roughly the same time period (with one notable exception - The Time Machine by H.G. Wells from 1895) - this volume, Part II-A, contains 12 novellas


The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume Two A: The Greatest Science Fiction Novellas of All Time Chosen by the Members of The Science Fiction Writers of America edited by Ben Bova

Shaker by Scott Frank

A good crime thriller from an author that turns out to be a successful Hollywood scriptwriter. Indeed, the influence of the work Frank had done on Elmore Leonard stories has probably influenced his debut novel: good characterization, tight writing, lots of black humour.

Not sure how much of the story I will remember in a year or so. I've seen too many similar stories on the silver screen

I finished the first book in the Border Trilogy


All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I finished the first Travis McGee novel


The Deep Blue Good-By by John D. MacDonald
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading


Triple by Ken Follett

I finished the Cold War-era espionage thriller


Triple by Ken Follett
Rating: 2 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading


The Bottoms by Joe R. Lansdale

I just finished rereading all of John Sandford's Prey & Virgil Flowers books in chronological order. Obviously, I like them a lot, but the last one Righteous Prey was a terrible disappointment.

A series like this is formulaic & that can get wearing. Sandford has kept it fresh by growing his recurring characters & with well crafted plots. It's the latter that's missing in Righteous Prey. There are huge holes that constantly irritated me through the entire book. I still gave it 2 stars since both Lucas & Virgil teamed up well again, but I'm very disappointed. I hope Sanford does better next time.

Here's my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I finished the disappointing Edgar Award winning mystery novel


The Bottoms by Joe R. Lansdale
Rating: 2 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading


A Simple Plan by Scott Smith

I'm reading Night and the City with a plan to watch the movie adaptations after I finish. I'm sort of surprised about how good and convincing Gerald Kersh writing is, given he is almost forgotten today as an author.
I did find out that Kersh did a lot of odd jobs in the London slums described in the book, including some wrestling.

I’m currently reading the Shadow novel, Kings of Crime.

I finished


A Simple Plan by Scott Smith
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading the second Lord Peter Wimsey book


Clouds of Witness by Dorothy L. Sayers

I started reading next month's group read


Ice Harvest by Scott Phillips

3/5 stars
Coming out 3/19/24

How did Howard get burned to a crisp?

Please read my review linked below:


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

Finished The Big Sleep last night. I can't believe I had not read Raymond Chandler. I m..."

I’m right there with you. I just finished The Little Sister. I haven’t read The Big Sleep yet, but my favorite so far was The Long Goodbye.

I finished the Midwestern noir


Ice Harvest by Scott Phillips
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Yesterday I also finished, but did not particularly enjoy, the second Continental Op novel


The Dain Curse by Dashiell Hammett
Rating: 2 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading the book that was the basis for the 1987 Kevin Costner film No Way Out as well as two other older film versions


The Big Clock by Kenneth Fearing

I finished the classic thriller/mystery


The Big Clock by Kenneth Fearing
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading the second book in the Virgil Tibbs series


The Cool Cottontail by John Dudley Ball

I just finished reading the Parker series by Richard Stark all the way through chronologically for the first time. I've come close before & read some of the books several times, but always wound up missing a few. One problem is that I couldn't find "Breakout" & "Nobody Runs Forever" in audio.

It's a great series. I really like how economical the books are. In part, that's due to Parker. He's kind of a robot, so there's no gooey introspection or digressions, just logical calculation that's on point. The plots are straightforward with a limited amount of players, nothing too complex. Usually Parker sets up the job, does it, deals with some foul up, & heads off for vacation - with Claire from the "Rare Coin Score" on.

I was very impressed at how the books didn't change much after the long hiatus between "Butcher's Moon" (1974) & "Comeback" (1997). Often authors have changed their style a lot in the intervening years, but Stark's voice stayed the same. (I haven't read enough of Westlake's other books to have an opinion on them.) The books did get a little longer & more complex & the last 3 books were basically one long novel, but it was still the same Parker.

I finished the second installment in the Virgil Tibbs series


The Cool Cottontail by John Dudley Ball
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading the third James Bond book


Moonraker by Ian Fleming

I'm having a great time with Dreaming of Babylon by Richard Brautigan, a pastiche of classic noir that turns out to be incredibly sharp and layered [and very funny, if you like jokes about depression]

I finished the third book in the James Bond series (my favorite so far)


Moonraker by Ian Fleming
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading the second book in the Kensie and Gennaro series


Darkness, Take My Hand by Dennis Lehane

Just starting The Son of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

I finished the second Kenzie & Gennaro mystery


Darkness, Take My Hand by Dennis Lehane
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and then I quickly finished the first McNally mystery


McNally's Secret by Lawrence Sanders
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

then I started reading the sixth Easy Rawlins book, which is a prequel to the series


Gone Fishin' by Walter Mosley

and I also started reading


Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

Started Lonely Vigils by Manly Wade Wellman, a collection of his supernatural detective stories, all written before the Silver John stories, I believe. I intend to dip into this off and on through the year.

Just started The Tragedy of X by Ellery Queen.

5/5 stars

A twisty Icelandic thriller.

Please read my review linked beelow:

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

I finished the sixth book in the Easy Rawlins series


Gone Fishin' by Walter Mosley
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started the pulp noir classic


A Killer Is Loose by Gil Brewer

I finished the pulp crime classic


A Killer Is Loose by Gil Brewer
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading the fifth Philip Marlowe novel


The Little Sister by Raymond Chandler

I just finished Point Zero by Seichō Matsumoto.

I give it 5 stars. There is murder and suicide, yet, like much of the Japanese writing I have been exposed to, there is serenity and peace and sadness. At some point i'll write a review.

I'm just starting Breaking Point by C.J. Box.

I've finished the second book set in Dublin by Caimh McDonnell : The Day That Never Comes , and I might even continue with the series , even as I liked the first book al lot better.

Just finished The Thief Who Couldn't Sleep by Lawrence Block

Michael wrote: "Just finished The Thief Who Couldn't Sleep by Lawrence Block"

How did you like it? I haven't read anything by Block yet.

I finished the fifth Philip Marlowe book


The Little Sister by Raymond Chandler
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading


The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks

3/5 stars

Coming out April 16, 2024

Please read my review linked below:

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

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie