First, my apologies for not reading this entry when it was published. I turned off email notifications, thinking I didn’t need them. Ha!
Next: generally I avoid crime fiction because murder as a pretext for puzzles is bad for my mental health. But I trust your judgment. Violent Spring is now on my to-read list. Thank you, Michael.
Haven’t read Violent Spring but am going to get it. My husband just finished Nina Revoyr’s Southland which seems very much in keeping with the subject although it is as much historical fiction as it is a crime story. Have you read Southland?
may not qualify as mystery but Hugo's Les Miserables lays some decent groundwork for this capitalism thing in fact Dickens, Orwell, Dos Passos all appeal to me on the political level even if their whodunnits were masked ha....Melville's White Whale hotly pursued as well...back to reality tho
you can feel Ross MacDonald's grip tighten with his detective Lew Archer on the callous entitlement of a certain Californian upper class
I enjoyed reading this newsletter thing. Please keep it going. Mosley is a wonderful writer so I look forward to this book. Thanks for the tip and endorsement. Also for weaving in your personal experiences.
This is such a complex topic. I despise racism; it makes me sad to see so much fear and hatred. SMH…
I haven't read Violent Spring, though now I really want to! I love crime and mystery TV, so it sounds right up my alley (also, the last fantasy book I bought is atrociously bad and I'm desperate for something else). I thought for a second this post was going to be an excerpt from the book, but even better that it was your thoughts on it. I love how you wove in your personal experience of living through that time as well as your thoughts on the author.
Thanks Erin! I think you'd really enjoy Violent Spring. Phillips also has a current series about a Black photographer / part-time PI in 1960s Los Angeles. I think the first book is called One-Shot Harry. That's how I first found the author. Obviously, the 1960s is a bit before my time, but it was cool to read about an LA my grandparents and parents knew well. Also, thanks for your kind words about this post! I'm still feeling my way here, but I want this to be a place to talk about crime fiction that I love and why I love it, more than just a review. I wouldn't know how to write a review, actually. But talking about this stuff is way up my alley.
Thanks Bob! There will be plenty more of these posts. Planning to take them as they come to start, meaning I'll talk about what I've recently read or seen, but once I hit my stride I'll absolutely write about specific books and films.
First, my apologies for not reading this entry when it was published. I turned off email notifications, thinking I didn’t need them. Ha!
Next: generally I avoid crime fiction because murder as a pretext for puzzles is bad for my mental health. But I trust your judgment. Violent Spring is now on my to-read list. Thank you, Michael.
Haven’t read Violent Spring but am going to get it. My husband just finished Nina Revoyr’s Southland which seems very much in keeping with the subject although it is as much historical fiction as it is a crime story. Have you read Southland?
I've seen it in bookstores. It's now on my official TBR.
PS: loved reading this and am excited about your project
I adore crime books,movies and tv shows. I love to read it, watch it , do it(whoops)
may not qualify as mystery but Hugo's Les Miserables lays some decent groundwork for this capitalism thing in fact Dickens, Orwell, Dos Passos all appeal to me on the political level even if their whodunnits were masked ha....Melville's White Whale hotly pursued as well...back to reality tho
you can feel Ross MacDonald's grip tighten with his detective Lew Archer on the callous entitlement of a certain Californian upper class
I enjoyed reading this newsletter thing. Please keep it going. Mosley is a wonderful writer so I look forward to this book. Thanks for the tip and endorsement. Also for weaving in your personal experiences.
This is such a complex topic. I despise racism; it makes me sad to see so much fear and hatred. SMH…
Thank you, Darrell! Always nice to meet another Mosley fan!
Hadn’t known of Gary Phillips before your post. But, the book sounds good and I will be reading it.
Enjoy!
Confound you, Estrin, for adding to my TBR!
Haha! You turned me on to Crais! So turnabout is fair play.
Touché.
I haven't read Violent Spring, though now I really want to! I love crime and mystery TV, so it sounds right up my alley (also, the last fantasy book I bought is atrociously bad and I'm desperate for something else). I thought for a second this post was going to be an excerpt from the book, but even better that it was your thoughts on it. I love how you wove in your personal experience of living through that time as well as your thoughts on the author.
Thanks Erin! I think you'd really enjoy Violent Spring. Phillips also has a current series about a Black photographer / part-time PI in 1960s Los Angeles. I think the first book is called One-Shot Harry. That's how I first found the author. Obviously, the 1960s is a bit before my time, but it was cool to read about an LA my grandparents and parents knew well. Also, thanks for your kind words about this post! I'm still feeling my way here, but I want this to be a place to talk about crime fiction that I love and why I love it, more than just a review. I wouldn't know how to write a review, actually. But talking about this stuff is way up my alley.
Michael, anytime you want to shoot the breeze about crime fiction, I’m there.
I love this series idea! I'll be patiently awaiting the next post.
How about crime fiction TV shows? I really, really enjoyed Broadchurch and Mindhunter.
Granted, if you put those two casts on a show about counting grains of sand, I'll watch it.
More like this, please! Would love to hear more about recentish work, noire but a bit light, more the Thin Man than The Maltese Falcon?
Thanks Bob! There will be plenty more of these posts. Planning to take them as they come to start, meaning I'll talk about what I've recently read or seen, but once I hit my stride I'll absolutely write about specific books and films.
Yes, there will be TV shows and movies in future posts.
The people have spoken!
Thanks Sarah! What crime fiction have you read so far?
Mr. Mercedes is on my list. I tend to associate King with horror. I suspect most people do. But he is a prolific crime writer too.
Stephen King is superb, and so versatile. Definitely not just horror. Green Mile, Shawshank Redemprion, Insomnia.