Mohammed ’s Comments (group member since Dec 30, 2008)

Mohammed ’s comments from the Watching The Detectives group.

The Last Good Kiss is a pretty classic modern crime book. I have seen many known crime writer hail it.

I have wanted to read it for a while. I hope Crumley writes as well as that opening in the hole book/series.

I would update my list like

The Continental OP - Hammett
Sherlock Holmes
Jack Taylor -Ken Bruen in the early books when he acted like a PI
Lew Archer - Ross Macdonald
Harry Bosch - Michael Connelly
Patrick Kenzie and Gennaro - Dennis Lehane
Arkady Renko - Martin Cruz Smith

London BlvD got reprinted this month so i can get it now.

I thought Once Were Cops was most similar to Jack Taylor series. It was great dark humour and brutal.

I'm not in UK the first Brand book isnt in the library. I will get it next month though as second hand. It shouldnt cost too much in abebooks for example.

I have only read The Killer Inside Me so far.

Of those books.

Yeah i saw Neville's book was a debut. I thought i should try him and see if he is half as good Bruen and it would be worth it.

I havent read Brant books yet. The first three are out of print because old publisher issues.

Jack Taylor is my fav works of Bruen. Great series,great characters,humour.

Have you read his 2008/2009 book Once Were Cops ? His best stand alone book to date i think.

Hi Robert

Check out my bookshelfs. Ken Bruen is my fav modern crime writer. His Noir books are great. Bleak,great character,great prose,awesome dark humour.

I have read 7 books of him in less than a year.


I have wondered about other Irish Authors. Staurt Neville i recently read about in some review recently.

Michael Chabon's Yiddish Policeman's Union was very disappointing to me.

Bending uses of the form needs a better knowledge of the genre you are working in.

Lethem i have more interest in reading.

Im reading The Continental OP by Hammett so i will finally see what he is about.

Let me know your thoughts when you have started reading or finished it.

Roger wrote: "Yes, Bruen is very Irish. Preoccupied with Catholicism and the loss of "Old Ireland" in the face of material greed. He isn't ashamed of being sentimental either!"

No and i laughed at some angry jokes about the english,the way they speak english in Jack Taylor books.

Sentimental i dont do usually well but i like how Bruen writes it. I read American Skin by him it was very sentimental.

By the way that book was all about criminals. Not about a tragic anti-hero. It had an american southern sicko called Dade that would have made Jim Thompson proud. I liked him much more than the main character.

Which is good. I take Thompson tradition over Chandler any day of the week. Not that i dont like PI classic noir.

The reason i love reading Bruen is that he is so un-american. Its an american dominated type of fiction Noir. Him being so irish adds new layer to my reading.

Heh it was nothing i actually thought i might have been offending :)

I didnt even know Auster wrote this kind of fiction. So im not dissing him writing or something.


Ken Bruen's Jack Taylor books are Noir,literary quality and very little crime/detective fiction in it. He plays with many other things that barely has anything to do with the genre. George Pelecanos's Derek Strange series are the same.

Very much noir but very little crime,detective in it. Both series could have been sold as mainstream lit,non-genre almost. Both quality authors i read for their skill and not because of the genre.

There are many crime authors that experiment with the genre you just have to try them to find them.

Havent read this. You dont read Auster for crime books reading.

Never heard of Zeltserman. I will add him to the list then. Have you read Ken Bruen ?

He is no wannabe.

Bruen saves,keeps Noir alive today for me. He is so talented,dark,funny. He is one of few authors i read every book of. He could write about Jack Taylor doing nothing and i would like it.

I havent tried Vachs yet. Im trying to catch up on Bruen,Pelecanos.

I have read the first McGee book. It was interesting.

Jack :

I like George Pelecanos too. He is modern version of the quality Noir writers of yesterday. He is a new favorite. His Derek Strange PI series is awesome. Captures the urban feel of the area.

Ken Bruen is the best modern Noir writer to me. He is the Irish version of Jim Thompson.

I like Chandler alot but i think as Noir writer Thompson,Ross Macdonald,Richard Stark is better. He is the best at writing style though.

I will be looking for Brown and Cain.

Speaking about Goodis, is Moon in The Gutter one of his best ones ?

I want a book seen as one of his best now that im done with the impressive Shoot The Piano Player. Did he write about criminal,other bad guys as main character ?

I need more authors with criminal main characters :)

Wierd Noir stuff is what i like. Goodis was like that. Not as dark Thompson but it was about the character mind,thoughs etc

Thats the kind of Noir i like and not the action filled. Unless its Richard Stark.

I havent even heard of Frederic Brown. A old or a new writer ?

Speaking about Noir writers im reading Shoot The Piano Player by Goodis. A really good first person noir in the vien Thompson and co.