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inulro17. The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
This month's Bibliogoths selection. It turned out to be difficult to have discussion about it, because we all loved it. In my case, despite having devoted a considerable chunk of my life to the detective novel, I've never really gone anywhere near the hard-boiled end of the genre. Why did nobody send me the memo that Chandler could actually write? It turned out to not be just me, we all read the book with black and white pictures in our heads.
If you've never read it, hunt it down and read it soon. It only takes a couple of hours, but just because the sentences are short and easy to follow doesn't mean there isn't genius in there. Chandler's descriptive power is to die for. Seen the film? It's great, but this is better, and you don't know the ending.
Getting my hands on the rest of his work has pushed its way up the to-do list. I also need to see the film again. I watched The Maltese Falcon again last week, but it's not as good.
18. Cross Bones by Kathy Reichs
It had to happen sooner or later - Temperance Brennan takes on first century Israeli archaeology and the can of worms that entails. It's kind of disappointing she sunk to that level, but it's far better off in her hands than in that of many lesser writers. Probably my least favourite of the series so far, but still genuinely enjoyable.
Those of you who are sick of me rabbiting on about Kathy Reichs will be relieved to hear that there is only one more in the series (so far) that I haven't read.
Incidentally, next month's Bibliogoths selection is Perdido Street Station, with which I know at least a few of you are familiar, and you're welcome to join us.
This month's Bibliogoths selection. It turned out to be difficult to have discussion about it, because we all loved it. In my case, despite having devoted a considerable chunk of my life to the detective novel, I've never really gone anywhere near the hard-boiled end of the genre. Why did nobody send me the memo that Chandler could actually write? It turned out to not be just me, we all read the book with black and white pictures in our heads.
If you've never read it, hunt it down and read it soon. It only takes a couple of hours, but just because the sentences are short and easy to follow doesn't mean there isn't genius in there. Chandler's descriptive power is to die for. Seen the film? It's great, but this is better, and you don't know the ending.
Getting my hands on the rest of his work has pushed its way up the to-do list. I also need to see the film again. I watched The Maltese Falcon again last week, but it's not as good.
18. Cross Bones by Kathy Reichs
It had to happen sooner or later - Temperance Brennan takes on first century Israeli archaeology and the can of worms that entails. It's kind of disappointing she sunk to that level, but it's far better off in her hands than in that of many lesser writers. Probably my least favourite of the series so far, but still genuinely enjoyable.
Those of you who are sick of me rabbiting on about Kathy Reichs will be relieved to hear that there is only one more in the series (so far) that I haven't read.
Incidentally, next month's Bibliogoths selection is Perdido Street Station, with which I know at least a few of you are familiar, and you're welcome to join us.
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Date: 2007-03-12 08:33 am (UTC)I've just finished 'Winter in Madrid' by CJ Sansom. (You're a medievalist, so you might enjoy his thrillers set at the time of Henry VIII even though that's later than your specialism; they're rather better than most historical crime as they don't feel like modern people in fancy dress like so many historical crime novels.) Anyway, WIM is set in Spain during WWII, and centres on a young academic sent out to spy on one man he was at school with, another schoolfriend who went missing during the civil war, and the woman who is/was girlfriend to both his friends at different times. Again, it's very good.