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Monday, December 12, 2011

Books I've Recently Read

Haven't done this in awhile,  but here's a gander at what I've been reading lately, or what I just finished recently. I'll number them 1-6 across and then down, starting with Saguaro Riptide, by Norman Partridge.

Kevin's bookshelf: read

Saguaro RiptideHeadstone CityFatal ErrorDark TrailBilly the Kid: The Endless RideGuild

More of Kevin's books »I 

1. Saguaro Riptide, by Norman Partridge - I read a review once that said this about Ray Bradbury: "a style often imitated, never duplicated." The same applies to Norm Partridge.  Sure, you could try and write tight, mean, compact prose - but would it have the same punch? The same kick? Probably not.  

This one is right up there with his best.  Smooth and fast and tasty, what's not to love about an ex-heavyweight champion mixing it up with a kung-fu kicking woman sheriff named Wyetta Earp? Throw in a mean, shot-gun toting Elvis impersonator, G. I. Jane and a Muslim hitman, and you've got one heckuva fine tasting noir stew on boil.

2. Headstone City, by Tom Piccirilli.  My first Tom Pic novel, and I loved it.   Also a nice smooth read, the crime/noir/mobster/supernatural mix was a fine treat. I mean, mobsters gotta have ghosts too, right?

3. Fatal Error: A Repairman Jack Novel, by F. Paul Wilson.  Drawing toward the end of this series, and like I was with The Dark Tower (Stephen King), I can't wait to see how it all plays out, but don't want it to end.  Jack is drawing closer to the ultimate showdown, and even though the series ends with titles like The Dark at The End and Nightworld, I hope Jack still gets to kick Rasalom's head in.

4.  Dark Trail, by Ed Gorman.  I've only recently dipped into Westerns - in working on my own Western project - but Ed Gorman has become a new favorite.  Easy to read prose that flows and also enjoys moments of subtle lyricism, Ed's wild west is very real. And quick and violent and often full of gunplay, too. This was a Leo Guild novel, a character I've grown fond of.

5. Billy the Kid: Endless Ride.  Another Billy the Kid biography, the best I've read so far.  I particularly liked how it delved into the Kid's childhood and adolescence.  Gave me lots of material to work with.

6. Guild,  by Ed Gorman.  Ditto on what I already said about Gorman's prose, and a new character for me to follow: bounty hunter Leo Guild.  Don't know if he's written any more of these,  but I hope so. 

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