QUARRY’S RETURNBy Max Allan CollinsHard Case Crime213 pgs. One must wonder at the twists and turns of fate when a writer of the baby-boomer generation (post-World War II for you youngsters) is still writing about a hired gun well into his seventies. That’s Quarry, one of three series Collins whipped
THE HOT BEATBy Robert SilverbergHard Case Crime227 pgs Though a wee bit dated, this crime thriller pro is still worth a read. Bob McKay is a talented band leader who lets success get the best of him. He becomes an alcoholic and loses his loving girlfriend, Terry, and then his
INTO THE NIGHTBy Cornell Woolrich & Lawrence BlockHard Case Crime240 pgs. Madeline is an introspective young woman caught in the depths of depression. Toying with a loaded revolver, she contemplates taking her life. Then, when setting the gun down on a desk causes it to fire accidentally, the bullet goes
DEATH COMES TOO LATEBy Charles ArdaiHard Case Crime399 pgs What we have here is a collection of crime short stories by writer/editor Charles Ardai. Twenty in all and each is a gem. Though somewhat depressing in large part, there is no denying Ardai’s writing chops. He knows how to spin
NOBODY’S ANGELBy Jack ClarkHard Case Crime218 pgs Eddie Miles is a world weary Chicago taxi-cab driver. He’s divorced; his ex-wife packed her bag and moved away taking his daughter with her. He has no clue where she went. Whatever dreams Eddie had have long ago evaporated and his life is
FIVE DECEMBERSBy James KestrelHard Case Crime427 pgs “Five Decembers” is one of the greatest books we have ever read. It is destined to be a classic of American fiction for so, so many reasons. It is late Nov. in Honolulu, 1941. Tensions between the U.S. and Japan are reaching a
THE GIRL WITH THE DEEP BLUE EYESBy Lawrence BlockHard Case CrimeTitan Books234 pgs With this novel, Block tips his noir fedora to the late novelist James M. Cain who wrote both “The Postman Always Rings Twice” and “Double Indemnity.” Both are considered crime fiction classics and both revolve around a
