From Publishers Weekly
Prolific anthologist and mystery writer Pronzini (the Nameless Detective series) and Adrian (Detective Stories for the Strand) have compiled a superb anthology of gritty crime fiction. Grouped by decade, from the 1920s to the '90s, the stories sample some of the best crime writers, many of whom cut their teeth on pulp, including Dashiell Hammett, Ross Macdonald, Mickey Spillane, James M. Cain, Elmore Leonard, Evan Hunter (aka Ed McBain), James Ellroy, Andrew Vachss and Lawrence Block. Some of the older tales, like Hammett's plot-heavy, trick-ending "The Scorched Face," haven't aged well. Others, like Macdonald's "Guilt-Edged Blonde," a Lew Archer story, and Leonard's "3:10 to Yuma," a taut tale of a marshal escorting a convicted robber to prison, still impress in this account of the evolution of an American popular art form.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
If jazz is America's contribution to music, then hard-boiled crime fiction is its literary equivalent. These 36 selections represent the best of the genre's short form. The editors, both well respected in the field, have included plenty of big names but also have chosen some less famous but very talented writers. The pieces are arranged chronologically, and the editors provide concise literary biographies for each contributor. Among the most famous names are Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, James M. Cain, Mickey Spillane, and Jim Thompson. Surprise entries include Elmore Leonard's western story "3:10 to Yuma." A western? Read it, and you'll understand why you don't need neon lights to generate hard-boiled atmosphere. Other highlights include Andrew Vachss' nasty exercise in self-preservation, and Ed Gorman's modern morality play in which the villains are weakness and lust, not thugs with guns. A wonderfully evil collection.
Wes Lukowsky
