Monday 30 March 2020

CRIME FICTION ALPHABET: R IS FOR........ RAYMOND, ROGUE COP, RUSSIA

Week 18 of 26, time to put my Rs on display......

R is for....

Raymond - Derek Raymond and a book from his acclaimed Factory series, the first of five - He Died With His Eyes Open (1976) 

He Died With His Eyes Open (1976)





















The first of the "Factory" series of bleak, atmospheric and subversive crime novels. A boozed-out tramp found under a bush in West London has been systematically butchered. The awesome depths of violent passion that the victim must have inspired fascinates the detective sergeant put on the case.

R is for .......

Raymond - Ring and Arizona Kiss, probably a book I bought because of the cover and never got around to reading. Or I read it at the time when I didn't log my reading and was also in the habit of keeping everything. Nearly thirty years ago and I can't remember what I had for my lunch yesterday, so who knows.

TIME OUT thought it "A first class noir thriller" 


Arizona Kiss (1991)





















When Macky, an ambitious journalist eager to escape from his small southwestern town, attempts to expose a powerful and corrupt judge, a beguiling woman leads him into the town's dangerous underworld 

R is for......

Rogue Cop - a 50s novel from William McGivern


Rogue Cop (1954)





















From the station houses to the joy houses, they knew about Mike Carmody. He was the best cop money could buy, and when the Syndicate boys said jump, Carmody knew just how high. But they couldn't buy Carmody's kid brother Eddie--and when Eddie turned against them, the Mob snuffed him out like a nickel cigar. Now Carmody's coming after them--savage and bloodthirsty. He's stalking them down the city's darkened back alleys ... and straight into hell.

R is for......

Russia - I suppose I could have gone for Martin Cruz Smith's Arkady Renko series which I've enjoyed the first couple from - Gorky Park and Polar Star, but nah. I'll have a bit of Cold War Espionage from a Russian viewpoint

Julian Semyonov and Seventeen Moments of Spring - The Telegraph included it in a list of The 20 best spy novels of all time a few years ago.

Seventeen Moments of Spring (1969)





















During World War II, Soviet super-agent Isaev races to foil a plot by Hitler's advisors to negotiate a separate peace with the West and to create a capitalist-fascist front against the Soviet Union."


Back with something S from the library, I bet you can hardly wait!

Previous Alphabet entries.....

CRIME FICTION ALPHABET - A IS FOR.... AX, ABBOTT, ABERDEEN

CRIME FICTION ALPHABET - B IS FOR ....... BOSTON, BIRD, BONES

CRIME FICTION ALPHABET - C IS FOR.........CAPE TOWN, CONFIDENCE MEN, CROSS

CRIME FICTION ALPHABET - D IS FOR ....... DETROIT, DISHER, DEAD

CRIME FICTION ALPHABET - E IS FOR ....... EDINBURGH, EXCESS, ELLIS

CRIME FICTION ALPHABET - F IS FOR ....... FLORIDA, FRANCIS, FLOATERS

CRIME FICTION ALPHABET - G IS FOR ....... GALWAY, GUNS, GRAFTON

CRIME FICTION ALPHABET - H IS FOR ....... HAMBURG, HAMMETT, HIDDEN RIVER

CRIME FICTION ALPHABET - I IS FOR ....... ICE, ICELAND, IZZO

CRIME FICTION ALPHABET - J IS FOR ....... JAPAN, JACK CARTER. JELLO SALAD

CRIME FICTION ALPHABET - K IS FOR ....... KING, KOREA, KEEPER

CRIME FICTION ALPHABET - L IS FOR ........ LE CRIME, LEONARD, LOS ANGELES 

CRIME FICTION ALPHABET - M IS FOR ........ MIAMI, MACKAY, MUCHO MOJO 

CRIME FICTION ALPHABET - N IS FOR ........ NORWAY, NISBET, NEMESIS

CRIME FICTION ALPHABET - O IS FOR ........ OWEN, ONE NIGHT STANDS AND LOST WEEKENDS, OXFORD

CRIME FICTION ALPHABET - P IS FOR ........ PARKER, PHILADELPHIA, PAYDIRT

CRIME FICTION ALPHABET - Q IS FOR ...... QUARRY, QUINLAN, Q ROAD 

6 comments:

  1. Very glad you have Seventeen Moments of Spring, Col. I liked that one very much, and I've always wished more people knew about it. It does have a great perspective, and I hope you'll enjoy it.

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    1. I'm looking forward to reading it. I like the prospect of experiencing a different viewpoint from that to which I'm usually exposed.

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  2. Derek Raymond is new to me, Col. But McGivern is an old favorite.

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    1. I'm looking forward to reading both, but when I get around to them is anybody's guess. Raymond's Factory series is supposed to be quite bleak, so the current time and situation may not be the ideal to be reading him. It sure isn't going to cheer anybody up.

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  3. Glen has read (and still has copies of) all the Derek Raymond books in the Factory series, and I want to read them, but I think they may be too tense, too violent for me.

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    Replies
    1. At least you have the option of trying them without a commitment of buying. They are dark apparently.

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