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A**B
Four classic crime thrillers
Crime Novels: Four Classic Thrillers 1964-1969 is a collection omnibus which includes 4 full-length novels. Released 12th Sept 2023 as part of the Library of America series, it's 950 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.The four novels included are true classics and will be familiar to most readers of crime fiction. Ed McBain's Doll is an early(ish) 87th Precinct novel and is an exemplary example of early police procedural. The others range from single protagonist thrillers to psychological drama. All are well known capable writers writing at the top of their formidable forms.The editor, Geoffrey O'Brien, has also included biographical and background notes and an essay on text selection. For lovers and students of classic form American mystery, these extras and introduction will undoubtedly prove valuable and interesting.Four and a half stars. The actual novels included in this and its sister volumes will likely be familiar to most die-hard lovers of American crime fiction; much of the value of the series comes from having the library as a reference source and to revisit the classics over and over again. It would be a superlative choice for public library acquisition, for authors home reference, and for lovers of classic American fiction.
C**N
Good representation of 1960s mysteries by 4 authors
The 1960s was a time of change in culture and attitude, and mystery books evolved during that era. These four books are representative of the period. They often focus on the psychological content and impact of the crimes, the personality of the victims, survivors, and police officers, along with the mental state of the villains. My memory of crime thrillers during the 1950s usually categorized them as pulp fiction featuring hard-boiled private detectives and conniving dames with lurid cover illustrations. There were a few popular and widely read series about crime detection, such as the books by Agatha Christie and the older Sherlock Holmes stories.This collection of four mystery novels serves as an example of books from the late 1960s, and an updated introduction to each author is included. Margaret Millar was a favourite of mine when her books were current. Her stories were classed as psychological thrillers and narrated from a woman's viewpoint. The Fiend is more of a domestic drama centring on two families with young daughters. An aura of menace prevails due to a creepy man who takes too much interest in the girls. I wish a book by the author's husband, Ross MacDonald, had been included, as I remember taking much pleasure in his crime novels.Doll, by Ed McBain, is a police procedural and one of his 87th Precinct novels set in a location similar to NYC. It involves the kidnapping of one of their officers and the desperate search to save him.I had never read anything by Chester Himes and was unfamiliar with his books set in Harlem. Some were made into movies. I found the narrative of Run, Man, Run to be shocking and with profane language. The attitude seemed to reflect a racist tone. It features a prejudiced and paranoid drunken police detective with a hatred towards Blacks. Violence, murder and deception ensue. After learning more about the author, I realized the story was written from the perspective of the victims, and this changed the mood, making it a powerful picture of prejudice, hatred and fear.The Tremor of Forgery by Patricia Highsmith is a solid psychological thriller. A man in a deteriorating mental state has been stranded in a foreign country. He is writing about a man who is also becoming unstable.Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this volume of four collected books that brought back some enjoyable memories. Publication is set for September 12.
F**Y
Four great classic crime stories.
This book includes 4 excellent crime novels from the late 1960's. I really liked the first three stories. Although I liked the fourth story, which did have crime in it; it didn't have the same thriller aspect of the first three. I love the mid twentiest century mysteries and this is a great introduction if you've never read any of them.The first story by Margaret Millar, includes Charlie, a young man who has been convicted of child molestation, but loves little girls, and three somewhat disfunctional families. Charlie usually eats his lunch across from the school playground, and he has picked a very active nine year old, Jessie, as his favorite. She is usually with her girlfriend, Mary Martha, and Charlie isn't sure which girl belongs in which house. Mary Martha's mother is divorced; Jessie's father is involved with the woman next door whose husband travels a lot. She has no children and dotes on Jessie. When Jessie disappears, their are a lot of possible scenarios, making the story very exciting.The second story, Doll, by Ed McBain, features detective Carella of the 87th precinct. It begins with a woman being murdered in her bedroom while her daughter sits in the next room with her doll. The woman is a well known model named Tinka. When the dead woman is discovered the next morning, Carella goes to the crime site, and the young girl is still there. The girl tells him her mother was laughing when he first came but then he was hitting her and her mother was crying, but Anna was talking with her doll Chatterbox so she couldn't hear much from the next room. The supervisor describes the man who was there, and then Carella looks in Tinka's address book and suddenly grabs the doll and runs out. He goes to the address where he breaks into the apartment. Unfortunately, before he can do anything someone hits him with a gun and knocks him out. He awakes chained to the radiator. His wife thinks he dead, and his team is trying to solve the murderer and to find Carella.The third story is Run Man Run by Chester Himes. Matt Walker, a white cop who is drunk and carrying both his service pistol and another with no ID can't find where he parked his car. When he sees a black porter working outside a luncheonette. The man outside tells the man to go inside and talk to his buddy Fat Sam. Walker shoots Fat Sam, and when the first one comes looking he is shot as well. When the third black Porter, Jimmy, comes inside, he sees Walker lift the gun and runs.Walker continues to stalk Jimmy, who becomes more scared all the time as Walker figures out where he lives and where his girlfriend lives. The story is VERY exciting and full of suspense - a great read.Lastly, is The tremor of forgery by Patricia Highsmith. Author Howard Ingham has gone to Tunisia to work on a movie. He is very frustrated when he doesn't hear from his girlfriend or the man who is supposed to be working with him. While waiting to hear from his New York colleagues, he is working on writing a book. He meets another man with whom he often has dinner and goes for outings. The man tells him that he is broadcasting messages to Russia. He keeps seeing an Arab around his car, and the man eventually steals some items out of the car. He also makes friends with a Danish man who has a dog. When he finally hears from his girlfriend she tells him she has been having an affair with the man he's supposed to be working with and the man has committed suicide. When the Arab tries to come into his bungalow in the middle of the night, Howard throws his typewriter at him. Then the Arab seems to disappear, and he thinks he may have killed him.I thank Netgalley and Library of America for the ARC.
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