Authors you love

[bruce]

Here is a super quick list:

Mickey Spillane, Ross Macdonald, Richard Stark, Donald Westlake, Harry Whittington, John D. MacDonald, Margaret Millar, Hank Janson, Warren Murphy, Richard Sapir, Lester Dent, Maxwell Grant, Megan Abbott, Robert E. Howard, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Dashell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, Max Brand, George Gillman, Donald Hamilton, Edward Bunker, and Bret Halliday

[Spoony]

What do you think of Ross MacDonald? I was told he was supposed to be the heaviest hitter of the noir writers, but honestly, I wasn't that thrilled. Not saying he was a snooze or anything, but I didn't see what was separating him from the pack.

C

[kimota]

so it is Maxwell Grant, Walter Gibson or both?  I guess I have Shadow books under both names.

[bruce]

What do you think of Ross MacDonald? I was told he was supposed to be the heaviest hitter of the noir writers, but honestly, I wasn't that thrilled. Not saying he was a snooze or anything, but I didn't see what was separating him from the pack.

His first few are direct takes on Chandler and Hammet. But once he gets to The Doomsters he becomes his own writer, since instead of the crime being the main selling point. It's more about Lew Archer finding out what drives these people to commit them.

Also The Instant Enemy is a total kick to the balls of a read.

Totep: Maxwell Grant was the house name used for all Shadow books, but Walter Gibson is the creator of the series and wrote the bulk.

[kimota]

Totep: Maxwell Grant was the house name used for all Shadow books, but Walter Gibson is the creator of the series and wrote the bulk.

Oh yeah.  Thanks, Bruce.

[dave from knoxville]

I am sort of fond of John D. McDonald, too, if you're looking to kill an evening with decent snappy dialogue and the manliest of macho men (Travis McGee, that would be.)

[A.M. Thomas]

Nabokov

García Márquez
Neruda
Vonnegut
McEwan
Eggers
Saunders
Denis Johnson
Et Cetera
Et Cetera

[gravy boat]

Lots of greats mentioned. I'll only second Graham Greene as my favorite, throw a shout to Russell Banks for you Carver fans (think New England trailer parks instead of the Pacific NW), give Jersey love to Philip Roth, and mention my favorite noir stuff is Walter Mosley's Easy Rawlins books.

[Amplituden]

My favorites:

John Steinbeck, Robertson Davies, Wayne Johnson, David Rakoff, Vickram Seth....

Thats all I can think of right now.

[Putin]

Vonnegut

YES!

[thecramedog]

[Oogie]

rudy rucker, jk huysmans, and matt drudge

[Putin]

Tom Robbins..i just love dirty, insane screwball novels.