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.

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

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  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.

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    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.

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  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...

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    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.

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  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.

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    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.

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

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

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

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

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