Most of the great line of Hard Case Crime paperbacks are lost American noir classics reissued with great period covers, but Kiss Her Goodbye is a rare, but welcome, exception; it is a modern crime novel that takes place in Scotland.
Joe Hope is an Edinburgh legbreaker who has done a lot of bad things; but is not responsible for the murders of his wife and daughter, though the local constables are eager to put him in the nick. Joe ends up having to rely on a novice attorney, a hardened hooker, and a guy who runs a writer's colony (!) to clear his somewhat tarnished name.
Guthrie writes in a tough, sardonic style with bursts of brutal action. I enjoyed this modern novel greatly and think it stands in good company with its classic counterparts.
I bought this in a big lot of Hard Case Crime paperbacks off of ebay and have been merrily working my way through them.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Thursday, April 10, 2008
#18: Blonde Faith by Walter Mosley
Walter Mosley's Easy Rawlins mystery series is one of my favorites, and I always grab up the next one as soon as it hits the shelves. Rawlins is a sort-of private detective whose cases are set against the backdrop of real events, starting in post-war Los Angeles to the current entry, Los Angeles shortly after the Watts riots (which featured heavily in his last work). With his hardboiled plots and socio-political backdrops of a time and place, I find Mosley's work an engaging mix of Ross Macdonald and Chester B. Himes.
This crackling story has Rawlins fighting a war on two fronts, trying to free his loyal friend (and genial sociopath) Mouse from a police frame-up while also finding out what happened to a new friend, Vietnam vet Christmas Black, who brought a lot of baggage (and a Vietnamese orphan) back with him. Steady readers of the series will get updates on all of the usual characters as well as a few new ones, including the mysterious Blonde Faith of the title.
I have nothing but praise for this notable series and look forward to what's next. I checked this one out from the Morrison-Reeves Library in Richmond, Indiana and read it at a good clip.
This crackling story has Rawlins fighting a war on two fronts, trying to free his loyal friend (and genial sociopath) Mouse from a police frame-up while also finding out what happened to a new friend, Vietnam vet Christmas Black, who brought a lot of baggage (and a Vietnamese orphan) back with him. Steady readers of the series will get updates on all of the usual characters as well as a few new ones, including the mysterious Blonde Faith of the title.
I have nothing but praise for this notable series and look forward to what's next. I checked this one out from the Morrison-Reeves Library in Richmond, Indiana and read it at a good clip.
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