Reviews - Pulp Fiction 1

Published in 1929, Red Harvest was Hammett's first novel and featured his Continental Op private investigator. In this classic tale he's hired to solve a murder in the mining town of Personville. This municipality is so corrupt it's known as Poisonville to anyone familiar with the place. The Op immediately finds himself immersed in a tangle of corruption, fraud, and profiteering between the mobsters and the crooked local government. He decides to clean the place up and skillfully plays one side against another ingratiating himself with each faction. The melee that follows is the basis of the book's title. It's fast-paced, clever, and deliciously loaded with unforgettable atmosphere, characters, and dialogue. No wonder Hammett is considered the inventor of the hardboiled detective novel.

Close to Home By Peter Robinson

The 13th Inspector Banks novel continues Robinson's tradition of first-rate crime fiction. This time out Banks works two cases involving the disappearance of teenage boys. The first occurred years ago in the mid-60s. The victim was a neighborhood chum from Banks' childhood and the body was never found, the case never solved. The second also involves a teen who has only just been reported missing. Banks works each case, in two different locations. Robinson weaves each story masterfully, slowly uncovering clues and revealing the facts from which the truth will emerge. Beautifully written, with richly developed characters, and smart dialogue, Robinson has crafted another excellent work of detective fiction. Top

Thrilling Detective Heroes cover

Thrilling Detective Heroes
Edited by John Locke & John Wooley

This is a wonderful collection of pulp detective stories reprinted from the pages of Popular Detective and Thrilling Detective. Each tale represents a single installment from a series of second-tier heroes that mostly never quite graduated to their own titles.

Editors Locke and Wooley have obviously scoured these crime scenes carefully and they haven't missed a single detail. The stories they've selected offer a thrilling joy ride into pulp fiction's hard-boiled, adventurous past.

Here's what's waiting inside:

Skullface (Doctor Coffin) by Perley Poore Sheehan
Sinister Night (Duffy Kildare) by Frederick Painton
The Dead Man Screamed (Dr. Feather) by Ray Cummings
A Trap for Mister Finis (Mister Finis) by Benton Braden
Death Rides the Silver Streak (Bagdad, Hobo Detective) by Milton Lowe
Camelback Kill (Dr. Zeng) by Walt Bruce
Mahatma of Mayhem (Nick Ransom) by Robert Leslie Bellem
Not My Corpse (Race Williams) by Carroll John Daly
The Unknown Murderer (Archie McCann) by M.D. Orr
The Frightened Faces (Don Marko) by Stewart Sterling

Each story is preceded by a short introduction about the author and his characters. Plus, Locke and Wooley have provided a comprehensive history of the Thrilling Group and its founders Ned Pines and Leo Margulies. This collection is a must read for pulp fiction fans. 240 pages. Published by Adventure House. Top
Artwork © Adventure House

Listening Woman by Tony Hillerman

This is an excellent crime novel, one of many featuring Joe Leaphorn of the Navajo Tribal Police. Besides delivering great detective stories, Hillerman's series is packed with Navajo and other Native American cultural and religious traditions. This an earlier book in the series, written before the younger Jim Chee was introduced. This edition is well plotted - filled with surprises and plenty of suspense. In fact, the last third of the book is non-stop action as Leaphorn finds himself alone and outnumbered in a deadly battle of wits against the vengeance-driven Buffalo Society. This is one of Hillerman's best stories in an excellent series. Top

A Dedicated Man by Peter Robinson

The second story of the Inspector Banks series, A Dedicated Man is a wonderful read. Robinson is a master of storytelling. The pacing of this murder mystery is spot on. Robinson follows Banks through his investigation gathering facts and comparing stories from the friends, family, colleagues, and acquaintances of the victim. Banks relentlessly sorts through the facts, gossip, and lies. H e keeps probing deeper as he revisits the primary characters until the truth unfolds. The story takes place in a small town in England and Robinson's wonderful writing brings the atmosphere and the characters to life. This is a top-notch installment of a modern day detective series. Top

Mr. Paradise book cover

Mr. Paradise by Elmore Leonard

This is amazing stuff. Leonard is a master of dialog and storytelling. He spends very little time describing characters - instead, their words reveal a clear picture of who they are as they propel the story forward. Leonard's Rum Punch was the basis for the classic Tarantino film, Jackie Brown. Mr. Paradise is cut from the same vein with a similar assortment of knuckleheads, punks, cops, and vamps. You should get it, but if you don't get it, don't. Top

Kings of Crime book cover

Kings of Crime by Maxwell Grant

This is the 20th Shadow story in Maxwell Grant's (aka Walter Gibson's) original pulp series. This paperback is No. 11 in Pyramid's series, published in 1976. The cover by Jim Steranko depicts the four kings of crime as cards and their leader as the ace of spades. In this yarn, The Shadow appears in Seaview City and works alone, without Harry Vincent or any of his other loyal associates. He does however enlist the aid of an unexpected ally before the tale concludes. Top

Lost Lake by Phillip Margolin

An entertaining thrill ride through the tangled lives of a mercenary killer and a paranoid, scandal-sheet news woman. This is a crime novel layered with espionage, secret soldiers, political ambition, and conspiracy theories. It's fast paced, but Margolin strikes a good balance between action and time for character development. Recommended for readers of popular crime/courtroom fiction. Top

book cover

The Italian Secretary by Caleb Carr

Who better to write a new adventure with Sherlock Holmes? Caleb Carr is the bestselling author of
The Alienist and The Angel of Darkness - perhaps the perfect choice to further the adventures of this classic detective series. Carr captures the characterization, narrative style, and dialog of Holmes' world nicely. His tale is built around an historical crime set in Edinburgh, with ghosts, murder, and mysteries aplenty. What a treat to find a new, complete novel of this quality with Holmes and Watson. Highly recommended for murder mystery and Baker Street fans. Top

The Black Dahlia By James Ellroy

A modern day pulp fiction novel based on the unsolved murder of Elizabeth Short from the nineteen forties. Ellroy captures the flavor of the best of the classic hard-boiled pulps with a welcome contemporary update. His characters have substance and depth, drawing the reader into their lives as they wrestle with the choices they make and their consequences. With plenty of action and plot twists, Ellroy keeps the reader rushing headlong toward the bittersweet end. Ellroy added an Afterword to this edition on the recent Brian DePalma film starring Josh Hartnett. Highly Recommended for murder mystery and pulp fiction fans. Top

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