My life is complete once again. The three latest Richard Stark Parker thriller reissues are out from University of Chicago Press and they are all in my hot little hands. I'm currently reading Butcher's Moon, which wraps up the Parker series for Stark (aka Donald Westlake) when he thought he was done writing about the enigmatic crook, in 1974. Little did he know twenty years later he'd return and write eight more Parker novels to add to the list of 16 that he wrote from 1962-1974. But I digress...herein begins The List.
1. Richard Stark. There's nothing more beautiful in crime fiction than his Parker books. Told with an economy of words--there isn't a wasted one in any of the 24 books--that perfectly compliments his taciturn protagonist, Parker, a serial thief who is always looking for the next big score. But life happens to Parker each and every time, and that's what makes these books so great. Start with the first one--The Hunter (it's only $9 bucks!)--and work your way through the entire series.
2. Michael Connelly. I've enjoyed every one of his books from The Black Echo on, and luckily he puts out at least one a year, sometimes two. LAPD homicide detective Harry Bosch remains my favorite of his characters and he appears in most of the 20+ books Connelly has written, with a few notable exceptions. While he sometimes misses (9 Dragons, anyone?), even then his writing is better than most. His latest--The Fifth Witness, starring Lincoln Lawyer Mickey Haller--comes out April 5.
3. James Ellroy. I gave up on Ellroy with his latest trilogy. He has his own style and rhythm these days and you either take to it or you don't. I prefer his earlier stuff. There's nothing better than the "LA Quartet," a series of historical novels that delve deep into the life and times of Los Angeles circa 1947-1960 or so. For my money, there is no greater mystery novel than LA Confidential...and it's probably the best book to movie adaptation since The Maltese Falcon.
4. Tom Rob Smith. And now for something completely different. Smith's books take place in post World War II Russia, as the Soviet Union moves into the Twentieth Century and slowly discovers the evil of the rest of the world, including serial killers. His Leo Demidov struggles with the basic villainy of his country while history marches on. Another historical fiction author, Smith has only two Demidov books out now (Child 44 and The Secret Speech) but both are epic in scope and cinematic to the max, artfully weaving in and out of Russia's tortured story to tell his own tales. A third novel featuring Demidov, Agent 6, is due out in January 2012.
5. Charlie Huston. His first Hank Thompson book--Caught Stealing--is one of the great crime novels of all time, in my opinion. But for a real kick in the pants, read his Joe Pitt Casebooks (start with the first, Already Dead), which marry hardcore noir detective stories with the ever-popular vampire genre, Twilight be damned. There are five of them, and sadly Charlie may be done with the character (for now). His The Shotgun Rule is also a great standalone novel.
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