Brian O'Neill's Discussions
Hardboiled stand-alones?
Replied Apr 22
Hardboiled stand-alones?
13 Replies
Started this discussion. Last reply by Robin Jarossi Apr 26.
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How about Skinny Dip by Carl Hiaasen – not very Chandleresque, but funny.
Anything by Jason Starr (Light's Out or Twisted City) Meagan Abbott can't be beat. Dave's modest but his novel Small Crimes is a fantastic stand alone, same goes with his new one Pariah. I'll also recommend Derek Raymond's Factory series, I was Dora…
A recent book to check out is Roger Smith's Mixed Blood--this is about as hardboiled as you're going to get.
Some older books--Dead City by Shane Stevens, Name of the Game is Death by Dan Marlowe, Cockfighter, The Woman Chaser, The Shark-Infested C…
Anything by Charlie Huston -- trust me on this.
Tony Black's PAYING FOR IT. Not a standalone (there are currently 2) features an ex journalist and is set in Edinburgh. Or Al Guthrie's KISS HER GOODBYE )also set in Edinburgh). You could try Joe Lansdale's THE BOTTOMS - the protagonist is a young b…
For my money you can do no better than Megan Abbott.
Have you ever read any Christopher Brookmeyer? He's a series charcter, journalist Jack Parlabane, but he also writes stand-alones and at least one of them, A Big Boy Did It And Ran Away, is about a high school teacher (and a couple of students) pull…
I've written just such a book, as it happens. BONE MACHINES will shortly be available as a free e-book on my blog, but it was originally published by Bright Spark publishing in the UK in 2007. It's not USA, though, but set in Scotland. But definitel…
Thanks for all of the responses--even from those of you who saw fit to recommend your own books.
I have already read much of Elmore Leonard's work, and I agree that it fits the bill. I will definitely check out Chasing the Dime. I love Connolly's Bo…
Brian
go to www.abook2read.com and have a look at the title 'Adrenalin Rush' It's exactly what you are looking for!
The first one that came to mind for me was Chasing the Dime by Michael Connelly.
There are a lot of Elmore Leonard novels that might fit this, although often the "civilian" is on the other side of the law. Chili Palmer in Get Shorty and Be Cool, Harry Arno in Pronto, that kind of thing.
And they're all good.
LA BRAVA is a great place to start reading Elmore Leonard. Just what you describe, if I remember right. A Vietnam vet runs a second-rate motel in Florida. Bad stuff happens... :-)
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- At 8:54pm on June 25, 2009,
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