Crossing The Line is a short story which introduces the reader to Hayden Glass who is the anchor in Schwartz's two novels; Boulevard.and Beat. Glass is a detective in the Robbery-Homicide department of the LAPD. Hayden endeavours to fight crime and corruption whilst battling his own issues with sex-addiction.
I have the two novels lying on the shelves of unread masses and I have provisionally pencilled in Boulevard to fill the Californian slot of my US State Reading Challenge for 2014.
Ever the completist, I was always puzzled by the mentioning of Crossing The Line on the bibliography page for the author on the Fantastic Fiction, particularly as the "book" seemed conspicuous by it's total lack of availability anywhere. In the end I e-mailed the author to query it.
A day later Stephen responded explaining the origins of Crossing The Line and attaching the story for me to read. I do like it when an author takes the time out to answer a question. It kind of makes me feel more inclined to take notice of their work.
The author is currently working on a standalone thriller set in Amsterdam with a young FBI agent and there is a third Hayden Glass book on its way - presently a work in progress.
As for Crossing The Line..........interesting, gritty, dark and dirty - Glass' job exposes him to the seamier ugly side of LA. Just 20-odd pages of prose and I want to read more about Glass. Hopefully soon.
I can rate this story/book on Amazon and Goodreads, so I'm kind of inclined to include it in my reading figures for the month and year. It's my rules so there and as I'm up on my personal target anyway the inclusion doesn't make a difference either way.
4 from 5
Story was obtained from the author.
Col, I enjoy reading short crime fiction, stories or novellas. This one sounds good as does the character of Hayden Glass with the unusual addiction. I haven't read that in fiction.
ReplyDeletePrashant, I'm looking forward to the novels. Hope you enjoy the shorter piece!
DeleteCol - Glad you enjoyed this. I often think short stories are great ways to get to know characters. You can 'meet' them and decide what you think of the writing style etc. without investing a lot of time in a novel.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely this approach would have served me well with some writers I haven't enjoyed quite as much as I had hoped to.
DeleteStephen - I reckon I was okay to take the chance on with the longer form. He seems a nice guy as well>
Interesting story, and he does sound like a nice person, but I'll wait till you review one of the novels before deciding. And I fully endorse your interpretation of your rules - we have to have some freedom in life...
ReplyDeleteMoira thanks. I wasn't expecting you to snap my hand off with this author, but I reckon in 2014 we'll get you reading some hard-boiled!
DeleteWell you know how I feel about short stories at this point in my life. So I will also wait to see what you think of the novels. But I will admit that a detective in the Robbery-Homicide department of the LAPD sounds like a perfect protagonist (as long as he isn't a dirty cop).
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping he is interesting and not dirty, perhaps a little bit loose regarding his interpretation of rules and regulations...... I think I will have to tackle this in January to at least get my state challenge underway with a bang! Short stories - I probably won't acquire any more, but will at least read the ones I already have.
DeleteLet's just say I'm truly honored that you and your readers are reading and discussing my work. Thank you so much for contacting me, Col, and for the wonderful write-up. I'm interested in what you think of the novels, too - my experience is that people generally enjoy the books more than the short story. The books, especially Boulevard, bring the reader into the protagonist's world more smoothly, giving us a better understanding of the actions he takes. He's definitely a dark character, a man struggling with demons. In Boulevard we see him working towards redemption - we see him in his twelve-step meetings, we see him slipping and getting back up again. I believe there's a truth in his journey.
ReplyDeleteStephen thanks for stopping by and for introducing Hayden in a bit more detail. I'm definitely setting a January date for him! Cheers, Col
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