Buying Bonanza
I had a good week with book purchases. Let’s have a little look-see at the covers of the classics I’ll soon be reading.
Ed McBain’s The Gutter and the Grave. I see a lot of McBain fiction on the shelves and have never been particularly drawn to pick it up, but could not pass off a Hard Case Crime copy for under $4. My brother has read it and tells me that it’s good.
Day Keene’s Home Is The Sailor. I’m keen (sorry for the pun) to read this one as I have already enjoyed Keene’s The Brimstone Bed. This one won’t take me long to get to.
Robert Terrall’s Kill Now, Pay Later has a cover that intrigues me. Obvious use of sexuality to sell, and it works on so many levels, except for the shading on her stomach that at a glance always makes me think this chick has wicked abs and is dressed for a muscle show. Kind of changes the context of the cover and makes me think I bought a very different book.
David Dodge’s The Last Match. It’s got a very Redford/Newman cover, to me.
Ken Bruen & Jason Starr’s Slide has a pretty awesome cover, and sounds like a very cool book.
Shane Maloney’s The Brush Off is meant to be very good. Another sub-$4 bargain, how can you say no?
I can’t wait to slowly sink my teeth into them all. I’m currently reading Richard Telfair’s The Corpse That Talked. It’s an easy little piece of pulp/spy crime that has a few twists and a few heads with bullets in them.
As for writing, I’m over 82k and it’s all looking good. Each day brings a new messed up little scene for me to write about, and I think the story will most like stretch its legs over 100k, but that’s okay. I have no problem with that. I know I’m in the story’s last 20 hours or so and it’ll all fit together very nicely, I assume.
Posted on September 6th, 2009 by ryan
Filed under: books
Gutter and Grave is awesome!!!!! More twists than a fonzie.
Home is the Sailor has some wicked set pieces and an over all readable book.
Do you know where the Kill now, pay later chick is??? She’s probably in the men’s room doing push ups. But don’t worry just hang onto the lats and picture Evander Holyfield. Pussy!
I would recommend delving into Gutter post haste!!!!
Those are pretty much all excellent covers. More contemporary novels need covers like those – who could resist ‘em?
Yeah, Rol, the covers are unreal, I’d love one when I get published, that would be the ultimate.