Cheers and Enjoy!!!
ABP
Money Shot - Christa Faust Christa Faust is an American author, amongst other talents. It's not a traditional PI setting, rather a former porn star who turns sleuth to sort some real bad people out. As you'd expect it is very sexy as well as hard-boiled. The protagonist, Angel Dare, is just great, a real kick-ass lady. Actually I reckon Angel Dare would partner up beautifully with my Harry Kenmare, and I reckon the sizzling would be heard on both sides of the Pacific! Excellent read in the wonderful American style. I'm waiting on the next one in the post! |
The Guards - Ken Bruen Ken Bruen is an Irish author and his PI, Jack Taylor, hails from Galway. Taylor is an ex-cop (garda in Irish) and a massive drinker. This was my first taste of Irish hard-boiled and I loved it. I've actually read the second in the series as well - equally as satisfying. I think it must appeal to my Irish ancestry, as well as my hard-boiled crime writing obsession. Oh, and did I mention the drinking??? Very Irish and very much its own style - fantastic. |
White Leopard - Laurent Guillaume Now I have read a number of French crime authors of various eras - it seems a constantly popular genre in France and they have produced some stunners. I actually heard about Laurent Guillaume's novel on the Amazon page for my own novel - you know where it says "readers who bought this also..."? Anyway, I did a bit of research and the book looked up my alley, so I took the plunge. And was I pleased I did. The main man is a PI, Solo Camara, an ex-cop from France who is back in Mali - he is of mixed Malian and French extraction. This is really great hard-boiled in the traditional way, but its Malian setting gives it an altogether unique flavour in the crime reading I've done. I loved this and went looking for more, but, alas, no other works from Guillaume have yet been translated. I hope they hurry up! |
He Died with His Eyes Open - Derek Raymond And the fourth is from the man widely regarded as the father of British noir. Derek Raymond died in 1994, but authored a wide range of works, including what was known as The Factory series, of which this is the first. No PI here - rather we have a very hard serving detective sergeant in London. Interestingly, our main man remains nameless throughout. This is brutal at times and a bloody good read, as is the second in the series which I've recently finished too. |