Crime Fiction Thread 2.0. - Page 30

All you Winslow fans, I'm in the process of popping my cherry via Power of the Dog. And though I'm only halfway through, in my best Michael Corleone voice, "I'm with you now. I'm with you now."

Power of the Dog is one of my favorite books ever written.

The other two I got for Xmas are Winter of Frankie Machine and Savages. I plan on getting through them in that order (of publication, because I'm weird that way) before the Stone flick comes out. This year has been a  tough one for carving out reading time, though.

The rest of his catalog will soon follow, no doubt. But only after I get through the rest of this backlog (HCC's return -- including Choke Hold, still collecting shameful dust -- and the re-released Grofields that just showed up on my doorstep). But if Power of the Dog is any indication, it's wonderful to know they're there, waiting for me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cameron Hughes 


So I've heard. Is it available in Region 1?

I've only seen R2 listed anywhere, and Netflix doesn't have it.

I picked up Thick as Thieves and Triple Crossing thanks to Cameron's recommendations, looking forward to reading both.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trav McGee 

All you Winslow fans, I'm in the process of popping my cherry via Power of the Dog. And though I'm only halfway through, in my best Michael Corleone voice, "I'm with you now. I'm with you now."

Power of the Dog is probably the best book I've ever read. But its not even my favorite Winslow.

You have so much to look forward to.

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Levine 

 

 

Power of the Dog is probably the best book I've ever read. But its not even my favorite Winslow.

 

You have so much to look forward to.

What's your favorite then? Just curious as I've not read Power of the Dog yet and my favorite of his is Savages.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cameron Hughes 

 

David! Glad to see you here!

 

Thanks!

Yeah...I've been...lurking...I guess for over a year. Mostly grabbing recommendations of stuff to read. Not sure why I didn't start posting sooner.

Quote:

Originally Posted by thecallahan 

 

 

What's your favorite then? Just curious as I've not read Power of the Dog yet and my favorite of his is Savages.

Good question. Savages blew me away. I love the Boone Daniels books and would love to spend more time with that group. I kind of love everything...

DOG is just a different animal. I enjoyed it immensely, but for different reasons than his other books. Its so much heavier, and it doesn't have that same spontaneous feel. His other books almost make me feel like I'm sitting at a great dive bar and some guy is telling me the story over a couple beers. 

*Sigh*

I guess I'll just have to buy something else from amazon now.

Now I have to have it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LaurenOrtega 

*Sigh*

 

I guess I'll just have to buy something else from amazon now.

And this is why I try to stay out of this thread.

Thick as Thieves was great, a breathless heist thriller. I like that it just threw you into the middle of an ongoing situation and let's you figure out what the hell's going on.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..........................................

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cameron Hughes 

The Thief by Fuminori Nakamura reads like a movie that Kurowasa never made with Toshiro Mifune, adapted from a Richard Stark novel about a professional pick-pocket. Highly cinematic with a somber but experienced voice, it's an exciting foreign novel and sure to be on a lot of Best of the Year lists.

Bought it...

I'm sure this is old news, but I had no idea Block had a 5th Keller book coming out! So excited!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cameron Hughes 

I love how stripped down and spare the books are. Keller is a sociopath, but he's not over the top or anything and has a life. Obviously I don't really know this, but it's how I imagine real hitmen to be like. Actually, he reminds me a bit of De Niro in Goodfellas. Killing is just business, nothing personal. It's not like Keller has fantasies about mowing everyone down in, say, a bank.

 

My dad. a retired car financier for Chase Manhattan, read the books and said "This guy really nails what a business trip is like. You're in a city you don't know, in a bland hotel room and all there is to do is business, read, or stare at a TV, praying it has all the cable channels."

I love how glossed over the hits are. IIRC, there is a bit more detail early in the series, but by the end so much of it is off camera.

The focus on the man and not the deed is what really sets them apart for me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cameron Hughes 

Y'all should check out Nick Drake's Egypt trilogy,  Nefertiti, Tut(Not the title, but I am NOT spelling that out) and the most ambitious Egypt (Which reads almost more like a spy thriller rather than a mystery). Rather than being dry history lessons, though you learn quite a bit about one of the most fascinating cultures ever, they read more like Connelly/Ellroy novels where the motives for misdeeds have to do with power, sex, sins of the father and family, money, and religion.

Sure, why not? I only have 140 or so books in my kindle wishlist on Amazon. What's three more?

You...you do? Well now I'm just going to have to pay for something else down the road.

I'm REALLY interested in the summary for the book though, if only because I'm almost certain Chon's dad and his drug-trafficking network would come into play.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cameron Hughes 

Question: Who has a copy of Don Winslow's Savages prequel The Kings of Cool?

 

Answer: ME

I hate you.. Every demon I kill in Diablo 3 I'll now imagine I'm clicking on you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cameron Hughes 

I just started, but yeah, a major part of it is about The Association in the 60's.

'bout damn time, too.

Since I can't read the latest Don Winslow like some people I've decided to follow up the first Prince of Nothing book with something totally opposite: Money Shot, I believe it was LaurenOtega that suggested it a bunch of pages back?

Others did too.

But yes, Money Shot is great and it's sequel Choke Hold is even better.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LaurenOrtega 

Others did too.

 

But yes, Money Shot is great and it's sequel Choke Hold is even better.

I think I actually liked Money Shot a bit better, but loved both books.

Choosing them is like choosing my children for me.

Angel Dare is pretty much one of my current favorite crime fiction protagonists.

Been waiting six year for Smith's new book.  He's still alive so there's always hope.

Good news for Scudder fans:

http://collider.com/liam-neeson-scott-frank-a-walk-among-the-tombstones/166963/

Funny, Neeson might've made a better choice for Ballou; there are few actors of the size and weight to pull that role off.  We'll see.
 

I thought the same thing re: Ballou. Neeson never completely loses his accent, which always just makes him "Liam Neeson" for me--which will make buying him as Scudder even more difficult. Oh well, the script is supposed to be very good. I haven't seen Frank's first directorial effort, but I hear good things. I hope for the best.

Cameron, are characters from Winslow's other books still in play for Kings? Already got this shit pre-ordered!

I wasn't too impressed with Triple Crossing, I liked the idea behind it but I felt the execution was kind of stilted, in the wake of Power of the Dog it really doesn't have that kind of power even though it tries to present a simplified view of a complex situation (I realize that's not a fair comparison)

I'm currently reading Lawrence Block's Getting Off and In the mists of the electric confederate dead by James Lee Burke, I got a bunch of Elmore Leonard novels waiting for me too.

Finished Money Shot and have moved over to Choke Hold but I'm a little disappointed I won't have another Angel Dare book to read once I'm done with it. Also, I didn't see the Malloy thing coming at all!