2 more from the ranks of the shelves, though I have
to say my photography skills leave a lot to be desired! Let’s hope Mr Simon can
write better than I can use the camera on my phone!
Roger
L. Simon is an American author and screenwriter. He’s
written about 10 novels in all, 8 of them concerning his PI - Moses Wine. The early Wine books were
published in the 70’s. Wine apparently is a former 60’s radical and activist who
is leaving his past behind him.
Unusually for me I haven’t committed to having all
of the series on my shelves, but will see how the first couple measure up
before deciding on the rest or not. A pre-reading plus point is the length of
these books, so hopefully when I do get around to them I can rattle through
them in a day or so. I do like modern-ish pre-tech age crime fiction …… no
computers, internet or mobile phones. I’m no Luddite, but books of this type do
appeal to me.
The full series according to Fantastic Fiction is as
follows:
Moses Wine
1. The Big Fix (1974)
2. Wild Turkey (1974)
3. Peking Duck (1979)
5. The Straight Man (1986)
6. Raising the Dead (1988)
7. The Lost Coast (1997)
8. Director's Cut (2003)
California Roll (1985)
1. The Big Fix (1974)
2. Wild Turkey (1974)
3. Peking Duck (1979)
5. The Straight Man (1986)
6. Raising the Dead (1988)
7. The Lost Coast (1997)
8. Director's Cut (2003)
California Roll (1985)
There’s a piece on Moses Wine on The Thrilling Detective website. He’s Jewish, smokes pot and is "appealing and engaging" – all of
which bodes well. Who wants to read about an uptight dick? Not me!
The first book in addition to winning an award or two was also made into a film starring Richard Dreyfuss. The books have attracted praise from Tony Hillerman and Ross MacDonald amongst others.
Mr Simon has a blog and is happy to
speak his mind: frequently commenting on American politics.
The Big Fix
Moses Wine thought he had put his interest in politics
far behind him when he became a Los Angeles-based private detective. Sure, he'd
once been an activist, but that had been during the Sixties. A lifetime
ago...or so it seemed, before Lila Shea showed up on his doorstep. Lila was a
woman who could have been the love of his life...had they remained together
after their last night of passion in 1967. Nevertheless, she's back, and with a
job for him; locate the chairman of the Free Amerika Party and convince him to
end the smear campaign he's waged against her employer, Senator Miles
Hawthorne, who's running for the presidency. But when Lila later turns up dead,
politics become the last thing on Moses' mind...
Peking Duck
"Wine is the latest in an unbroken line of popular private eyes-molded by Dashiell Hammett in the '20s, psychoanalyzed by Ross Macdonald in the '50s and '60s and now dragged kicking and screaming into a new decade's cultural crunch." -Los Angeles Times Book Review "Men fight and lose the battle, and the thing they fought for comes about in spite of their defeat, and when it comes out not to be what they meant, other men have to fight for what they meant under another name." -William Morris "A fun detective novel you just don't get enough of anymore...there is a certain style reminiscent of those 1950s Mickey Spillane novels when men were men and private investigators were 'private dicks'...definitely recommended reading." -West Coast Review of Books With a new introduction by Roger L. Simon A guided tour of the People's Republic, Aunt Sonya had said: U.S.-China Friendship Study Tour Number Five, arranged by the China Friendship Society, an organization in which she was involved. Why not get away from it all? Moses Wine figured. At least it would get him away from personal injury cases, murder investigations, and the insistent feeling that boredom and alienation were about to become his constant companions in his middle age. But China has a way of springing surprises, and soon California's hippest ex-radical detective is chasing down the priceless Han Dynasty Peking Duck, falling for a gorgeous dragon lady in a Mao suit-and fighting for his life across a vast, mysterious land he barely knows... Ever restless, ROGER L. SIMON has spent his life moving between books and movies, gaining distinction in both. In books, he is best known for the seven Moses Wine detective novels, which have won prizes in the U.S. and Great Britain and been published in over a dozen languages. In film, most prominent among his six produced screenplays-including his adaptation of The Big Fix-is Enemies, A Love Story, for which Simon was nominated for an Academy Award.
Col - I'll be interested in what you think of these. I certainly like the premise for the protagonist quite a lot. And like you, I'm happy when a writer can tell a story without going to doorstop lengths to do it.
ReplyDeleteMargot, I think we're in agreement over book length. Less is more in a lot of instances!
DeleteI feel I should know about the film, but it doesn't sound familiar. I like the idea of the laidback Jewish detective - you need to read them so you can give a positive recommendation and I can decide whether or not to read them....
ReplyDeleteI've liked Dreyfuss in a few films but definitely haven't seen it myself. I'll try and do the first of these later this year, assuming I don't bury them again!
DeleteCol, I liked the cover art and Moses Wine seems to be an unconventional, or perhaps even a non-conformist, sort of PI. I also like the Mickey Spillane variety of detective fiction.
ReplyDeleteYes I was also drawn by the comparison to earlier regarded authors in the genre. Spillane is another who I need to read at some point, but haven't managed to yet. I need to retire so I can read more, but I don't think that is on the cards for a fair few years yet!
DeleteFinally an author I know something about. I cannot remember if I have read any of the books, I think I did. But I saw the movie, The Big Fix. In a theater, in Riverside, California, maybe the last show of the night, because it was me, Glen, and one other person in the theater. I will have to look for one of the books.
ReplyDeleteI knew I could rely on you in respect of the film! Roll on the legendary book sale!
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