Watching The Detectives discussion
favorite dick!
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Noran
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Jul 05, 2008 01:37PM
mine of course is Holmes, since i was 12 years old, and my father handed my his prized copy of the complete works for me to have. the first book of my father's he gave me. i cherished it, and relished each page. i have read others, but i always go back to him. i hope you did mind me starting the ball rolling with this, but i just could not help myself!lol
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I like that he's not a tough guy, and doesn't come to any great leaps of intuition. He's just a decent guy who gets into bad situations and knows how to think on his feet.
Marlowe. Of course.
Also Marv from Sin City. Sociopaths have never been so fun to read about.
i agree with marlowe--especially on film.
Fred Ward playing Hoke Mosley in "Miami Blues" was cool, I wish he'd reprise the role again.Ralph Meeker's finest role was as Mike Hammer in "Kiss Me Deadly". Again, I wish he'd been able to reprise the role.
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gee, i thought i was not going to be much into this group, for i do not read different dick books, then the above comments comes, and makes me realize i do. thanks1 i love pendergast! 2009 for the next book, which will be a two book story arc, from what i read on their website. only a title released for now, but i do not recall it. jerry orbach as Harry McGraw--it was a short lived series, a spin-off from murder she wrote. i adored it. jerry made it work for me. of course lenny brisco too. i miss him so.
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Here's a quick question which kind of PI do you prefer?
The Sherlock/Kenzie/Marlowe investigative type?
Or the sledgehammer type like Marv, Continental, Spillane version of find someone who just finds someone who knows more then they do and beats it out of them.
sherlock most of time, but if i needed to hire someone, it would be marlowe!
On some weird level, while I admire the Op's no-bullshit approach; I prefer the smartass TV detectives that get the crap beat out of them en route to the solution (see also: Magnum P.I., Jim Rockford, many others)
I love Sherlock Holmes but he'd be my second runner up. For first place it's a tie between Robert B. Parker's Spenser/Hawk (very little like the'80s tv show Spenser for Hire) and Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe.When I was a kid, I really loved Kinsey Milhone and wanted to be her. But as an adult going back and reading Sue Grafton, it's a little too cheesy for me.
Kiss Me Deadly was a good flick. I haven't read the book.Marlowe is also one of my faves.
And I love the EC pic!
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Damn straight I had an aunt who loved them and I used to DEVOUR those things. I think I made it up to I or so before I lost interest.
I've actually got A,B, and C on my shelf, I picked them up at a garage sale, but they remain unread. Perhaps for the best.
i never heard of milhone. loved the hawk saving spenser's butt all the time! my father liked Poirot.
Elvis Cole - Wisecracking but philosophical.
There are too many good ones. My faves are:Charlotte and Thomas Pitt (Anne Perry)
Inspector Wexford (Ruth Rendell)
All the boys of the 87th Precinct (Ed McBain)
Charlie Resnick (John Harvey)
Kate Martinelli (Laurie R. King)
Hey everyone. I'm Margaret. Been a member of goodreads since November and new to this group. Sounds like fun! I like Agatha Christie's Poirot and Miss Marple and the ever popular Holmes. They are oldies, but goodies. I have a list of the 87th precinct books, but I haven't had a chance to look them up. There on my list of 'to reads.'
My favorite classic Noir PI series is Ross Macdonald's Lew Archer books even if i have read The Moving Target only so far i like Lew more than Marlowe,Sherlock and co.I would rate my favorite PI's like this :
Lew Archer
Philip Marlowe
Sherlock Holmes
Kenzie
Harry Bosch was a PI temporary. Otherwise he is my favorite cop hero.
I always prefer the ones that arent Marv like superbad, i liked to see that when they get caught they get their ass kicked.
Hej,OT:There are two new books on recently discovered
Hammett story's.I read the story's where
found in old Pulp Magazines.Dime Detective etc...
Hey everyone! I work for my namesake, and we have a new release out titled The President's Henchman (released Jan 13) by Joseph Flynn. The main character is a PI, and also the husband of the first woman president! It's a great story filled with intrigue, tension and humor.If you are interested, the book is in my profile, or you can go to our website and get a summary and a few sample chapters. If the group as a whole is interested, we could set up a discussion (maybe I could swing the author if he has time).
Let me know! I look forward to everyone's thoughts and ideas.
Hey Variance. It's funny running into you here, just came from the other group undeniable thriller.I once read a book Digger written by Flynn - I'm not sure if this is the same Joseph Flynn. I've been following the Mitch Rapp series written by Vince Flynn.
Digger is the same Flynn, yes. He got rave reviews for that back when it came out. I haven't had the opportunity to read it, but I can imagine that it is a decent book knowing how good The President's Henchman is.
Hey again everyone! I hope all is well since the last time I chimed in =)>. In case you are looking for more on Joe Flynn and his novel The President's Henchman (the dick being Jim McGill), check out his page on our site http://www.variancepublishing.com/boo.... There is a new sound byte up (for those who may not have heard it yet). Also, I highly recommend his blog (http://hippocketthoughts.blogspot.com)... it has nothing to do with his books, but Joe's thoughts on current events.Has anyone taken the time to read The President's Henchman? It ties in quite well with all the 'firsts' we've been going through in the last few months president-wise.
New guy to this group, just figured I'd throw in John MacDonald's McGee....
I like the works of:Chandler,Hammmet,Parker,Doyle,Simenon & the Film CHINATOWN.
Im reading The Continental OP by Hammett so i will finally see what he is about.
Hey everyone,I came on a while back to see if anyone had read our political PI thriller, The President's Henchman. I never got any response, but that doesn't mean that you weren't interested in some part. Well, now if you purchase the hc copy of TPH, you can get a free ebook of another Joe Flynn novel, The Next President! That's right, free! Just go to http://www.variancepublishing.com/the.... I realize many of you are Hammett fans, and Joe has been compared to him, stating that he is heir to the throne!
In turn, if enough people want him on, Joe would be more than happy to come on and talk about his novels, including questions and comments (in a reading group style).
Feel free to contact me with questions, etc. Thanks all!
Marlowe of course, but I admit to a sneaking regard for the too self-regarding Spenser, Boston's well dressed tough guy. Easy Rawlins, now there's a real detective! With Mouse at his side he could have taken that Spenser dude, Hawk too...
I don't know if anybody here listens to much OTR, but the best Mike Shayne was played by Jeff Chandler, who had the surliest F-U interpretation of a PI ever recorded. Shayne played better as a radio show than he did in the books, check it out.
My favorites are:Ken Bruen: Detective Brandt
James Lee Burke: Dave Robicheaux, the early work.
Robert Crais: Elvis Cole
Dennis LeHane: Patrick Kenzie and Gennaro
Michael Connelly: Harry Bosch
Reed Farrel Coleman: Moe Praguer
Rennie Airth: John Madden
Martin Cruz Smith: Arkady Renko
Luis Alfredo Garcia-Roca: Inspector Espinosa
Let me know if you like some of them.
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
Here's a detective with a history: Max Allan Collins' Nate Heller has run up against Al Capone, Baby Face Floyd, Roswell NM, the Black Dahlia,and was pals with Eliot Ness.
C.W. Sughrue certainly isn't a well known P.I. But, read the opening lines of James Crumley's THE LAST GOOD KISS:"When I finally had caught up with Abraham Trahearne, he was drinking beer with an alcoholic bulldog named Fireball Roberts in a ramshackle joint just outside Sonoma, California, drinking the heart out of a fine spring afternoon."
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.
The whole book is one great paragraph after another. His latter books weren't as great--I think his lifestyle caught up to him. May he rest in peace.
I will read it and let you know how I feel about it. I hope you enjoy the Super Bowl.
Jon wrote: "The whole book is one great paragraph after another. His latter books weren't as great--I think his lifestyle caught up to him. May he rest in peace."I just got Red Chaser on my kindle. I will read it and let you know.
I am surprised no one has mentioned John Rebus, Ian Rankin's hard-luck detective. He overcomes the most difficult of opponents, his own failings. Rankin's stories are never predictable, even when Big Ger is too often present.
I enjoy him and I am sad that Ian Rankin is nolonger writing avout him. I never read very much of Ian Rankin and as such never really learned to appreciate him.
Randy Johnson, one of Goodreads avid readers, tells me that there is a new Max Allan Collins Nate Heller book coming out this year. It's title is BYE BYE BIRDIE. If you read the Nate Heller series, you know that there's always a historical crime theme in the books. This one is a different look at Marilyn Monroe's death.
I liked Rankin's setting,scottish style but Rebus himself felt dark in a generic way. Like a weak version of Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch.For me the year since i first wrote in this thread my favs are now in this order:
The OP
C.Augustine Dupin
Holmes
Lew Archer
Matt Scudder
Bosch
Kenzie/Gennaro
Marlowe i have lost taste for.
Jon wrote: "Randy Johnson, one of Goodreads avid readers, tells me that there is a new Max Allan Collins Nate Heller book coming out this year. It's title is BYE BYE BIRDIE. If you read the Nate Heller serie..."I'll be looking for that. That would be a must read for me.
Nate Heller series i read only a month ago for the first time, it was a great novel. Good to see the series is still going strong.
I like Marlowe the best but I never got a sense for him as a person. If you met him, how would he act, what would he say, what does he like, dislike? He always seemed like a very carefully constructed, very effective plot device. I'm not criticizing. Maybe I just didn't relate to him personally.
Author of: Only Money http://www.amazon.com/Only-Money-eboo...
Author of: Only Money http://www.amazon.com/Only-Money-eboo...
deleted user wrote: "I am surprised no one has mentioned John Rebus, Ian Rankin's hard-luck detective. He overcomes the most difficult of opponents, his own failings. Rankin's stories are never predictable, even when B..."I was sold after reading book #1; solidly in love with that character though I will totally admit some of the books are seriously lacking. In fact I am suspicious of a possible ghost writer for some of them (ex. Tooth and Nail). Don't worry, I still love you, Ian Rankin.
Other than Rebus, Holmes is #1 with Harrison Ford's version of Deckard from Bladerunner ("Do Androids dream of electric sheep?") in the running.
I'm also pretty fond of all of the characters Ellroy comes up with - I sure wish they hadn't made that horrible Black Dahlia. L.A. Confidential was awesome, however.
Rebus i found to be too generic flawed cop hero. I liked the setting,how scottish it was but the hero,his story,past was forced too much in the first two books i read.
