Tag Archives: hard case crime

Cut Me In, by Ed McBain

Posted on April 7, 2018 by pete

My ongoing foray into vintage crime fiction meant that it was only a matter of time before I read by first Ed McBain book. Ed McBain, of course, is the most popular of several pseudonyms used by the very prolific … Continue reading →

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Thieves Fall Out, by Gore Vidal

Posted on April 3, 2018 by pete

With the remunerations for his literary works not keeping up with his lifestyle, the writer and intellectual Gore Vidal (1925-2012) wrote a few genre books under pseudonyms, one being “Cameron Kay” for the pulp crime novel Thieves Fall Out. Originally … Continue reading →

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Slide, by Ken Bruen & Jason Starr

Posted on March 31, 2018 by pete

The Ken Bruen and Jason Starr collaboration Bust was at once bizarre and vulgar, but it was a fun read and turned out to be more enjoyable than I expected it to be. That was mostly due to its surprisingly … Continue reading →

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Songs of Innocence, by Charles Ardai (as Richard Aleas)

Posted on March 30, 2018 by pete

After his strong debut crime novel Little Girl Lost, Charles Ardai – using his pseudonym Richard Aleas – continues the story of the private investigator John Blake with Songs of Innocence (2007). SoI also continues the usage of a William Blake-inspired title, … Continue reading →

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Little Girl Lost, by Charles Ardai (as Richard Aleas)

Posted on March 26, 2018 by pete

The Hard Case Crime imprint is known for featuring novels by new or emerging crime authors, as is especially unusual in that it has printed the debut novel by its own co-founder, Charles Ardai. Ardai adopted the pseudonym Richard Aleas for this … Continue reading →

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Two for the Money, by Max Allan Collins

Posted on March 9, 2018 by pete

Max Allan Collins is so prolific that I had already read one his books long ago without realizing it (the novelization for the Dick Tracy movie, which I read on a school bus trip) until looking at his bibliography. Besides … Continue reading →

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The Girl With the Long Green Heart, by Lawrence Block

Posted on February 13, 2018 by pete

Discovering the Hard Case Crime imprint has led me toward the early work of a few widely-known crime authors, including those of Lawrence Block. I’ve found the early Block novels variable in quality, but usually interesting for the characters and … Continue reading →

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Bust, by Ken Bruen & Jason Starr

Posted on February 5, 2018 by pete

The catalogue of the Hard Case Crime imprint features many titles by famous crime authors, but is also a good source for new and interesting names. This was the case when I picked up Bust, a 2006 title by Ken … Continue reading →

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Sinner Man, by Lawrence Block

Posted on January 21, 2018 by pete

The last book I reviewed reached a sort of philosophical climax when the two major protagonists, father and son, confronted each other about their willingness, as Emperors of their people, to commit evil acts in service of the greater good. The … Continue reading →

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Zero Cool, by Michael Crichton (as John Lange)

Posted on January 12, 2018 by pete

January isn’t typically the time for beach reading, but struggling with a post-travel cold virus led me to take a break from a Frank Herbert book and find something less demanding. Hard Case Crime to the rescue! Now, which author … Continue reading →

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