Monday, 21 April 2014

2 BY LOREN D. ESTLEMAN

Loren D. Estleman has been writing and getting published since the mid-70's........about 5 different series the most long-lived of which concerns his Detroit PI - Amos Walker (23 books so far) and more than 25 standalone books - PI books, crime fiction and a lot of westerns

I have read the odd Walker book, but the series which interests me the most is his 5 book Peter Macklin series. Macklin's a hit man. I wonder why I'm drawn to these books over his others?

The first 3 were published in quick succession in the mid-80's and then Macklin went into cold storage until the early 2000's.

Kill Zone is the first, Any Man's Death is the third. I believe I have the second and fourth also. What may surprise you is that I don't have the fifth, oh well might have to rectify that oversight.




The full Macklin series is:
Kill Zone (1984)
Roses Are Dead (1985)
Any Man's Death (1986)
Something Borrowed, Something Black (2002)
Little Black Dress (2005)









Kill Zone

Peter Macklin, a consummate hit-man working for the Boniface crime family of Detroit, finds himself working for the FBI and the Secret Service to secure the release of several hundred hostages aboard a tour boat on Lake Erie.



Any Man's Death


Former Mob hitman Peter Macklin is back in a third adventure, in which Macklin must protect a controversial Detroit preacher with a contract on his head--and hope the hitman isn't his own teenaged son. Estleman holds a Western Writers of America Aces and Eights.




12 comments:

  1. Col - Somehow I'm not surprised that that particular series interested you. I have to admit I've not read it myself, 'though I am glad you reminded me of the Amos Walker series. I must do a spotlight I think on one of his books.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Margot - I'm getting predictable, you can read me like a book - probably a thin one!

      Delete
  2. I have read great things about Estleman. I have the first Amos Walker book (Motor City Blues) in my stack of books to take on the Alabama trip. I won't get to all of them, but I will be making it a high priority for this year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Spooky timing, I hope you try the Walker book on your break. The whole series interests me, but it's probably one long series too many for me to undertake. Five with a hit man is definitely more manageable.

      Delete
  3. Right up your street. I have read one by LDE a long time ago - I think back then I wasn't sure if Loren was male or female, but the content made me sure it was a he, if that's not too much of a generalization. More yours than mine...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Probably right, more me than you, but I live in hope of converting you to the dark side. Did I mention his hit man has a shoe and hat fetish? OK - I made that bit up.

      Delete
  4. Col, I have only read Loren D. Estleman's western fiction and I liked his writing style and his characters, and I do want to read his other work.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I suppose I would want to try one of his westerns at some point, time permitting. I think I ought to deal with Macklin first before taking on anything else from him. That said, I like the look of his novel Gas City - a standalone and not a western.

      Delete
    2. The two westerns I read not long ago were GUN MAN and BLOODY SEASON. He draws powerful characters.

      Delete
    3. I'll look them up, but doubt I'll go beyond that Prashant. Thanks,

      Delete
  5. Estelman I have in my stacks as well. Have a couple of titles to try in future.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Keishon - too many books and not enough time! Though if I had more time, I'd probably have even more books.

      Delete