An amoral thief tracks down the couple that left him for dead. Fast-paced, convincing noir with an irresistible anti-hero at its centre. Westlake/Stark’s first Parker novel zings with terse promise, and doesn’t waste a moment.
Month: March 2019
Quatermass and the Pit, by Kim Newman (BFI/Palgrave, 2014)
Genre authority Newman’s monograph on the third – and best – Quatermass movie excellently places the film in its series, cycle and genre contexts, and isn’t afraid to be both critical and celebratory of the flick. Recommended.
The Elephant of Surprise, by Joe R Lansdale (Mulholland Books, 2019)
Hap and Leonard protect a young woman from an East Texas crime family. The twelfth in the sequence is an action-oriented and brisk tall tale, leavened with Lansdale’s humour and by a real affection for the characters. A solid series addition.