Review: The Black Hand by Will Thomas

The Black Hand Will Thomas Touchstone/Simon and Schuster, 2008 First Line: I stepped across the still of the conservatory, glass crunching under the heels of my boots, and steadied my Webley pistol with both hands, reluctant to step inside. The Black Hand is what happens when one combines the allure of the 19th century detective [...]

Review: A Dance at the Slaughterhouse by Lawrence Block

A Dance at the Slaughterhouse Lawrence Block Avon, 1992 (HC: Morrow, 1991) First Line: Midway into the fifth round the kid in the blue trunks rocked his opponent with a solid left to the jaw. A Dance At the Slaughterhouse is the ninth novel to feature Lawrence Block’s private detective, Matthew Scudder.  Scudder, an unlicensed [...]

Review: Promised Land by Robert B. Parker

Promised Land Robert B. Parker Dell Books, 1992 (Orig. 1976) I’m from an generation for whom Avery Brooks is best known for playing Captain Sisco of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.  For another generation, and a different set of genre fans, he is perhaps better known for his 65 episode run as Hawk, PI Spenser’s [...]

Review: The Zebra Striped Hearse by Russ Macdonald

The Zebra Striped Hearse Russ Macdonald Vintage, 1998 (orig. 1962) First Line: She was waiting at the office door when I got back from my morning coffee break. When trying to fill out my detective fiction reading with a broad spectrum spread across more than two decades I stumbled across the names Russ Macdonald and [...]

Review: I, the Jury by Mickey Spillane

Raymond Chandler’s The Long Goodbye with its lyrical prose and distinct voice is a tough act to follow.  It is no small surprise then that I, the Jury, the first of Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer novels, falls a bit short when viewed alongside Chandler’s work.  Despite being roughly 30 years apart in age both Chandler [...]

A Not So Simple Art

The Simple Art of Murder is both an essay and a collection of short stories by novelist Raymond Chandler.  As I begin to delve into my detective reading project it is the former, Chandler’s criticism of the detective genre and discussion of the nature of art in general, that is most pertinent to my own [...]