Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett

(hb; 1929)

From the inside flap

“Blackmail runs rampant in a town policed by badged bootleggers in blue who turn a blind eye to protect the Old Man who runs the town.”

Review

Harvest’s narrator/protagonist (an unnamed Continental Op, who also appears in other Hammett works) goes to Personville─nicknamed Poisonville, because of its shady denizens─to investigate a murder, but ends up getting hired to “clean up” the dangerous, lots-of-crime town. He then utilizes some questionable setups to pit some of the big players against each other to achieve said cleansing.

This is a masterful, complex, immediately gripping and fast-moving work, one of the best novels in the pulp genre. Lots of gunplay, clever twists, dead bodies, quotable dialogue and colorful characters─i.e., elements that Hammett excels at─make this one of my all-time favorite crime reads, one worth reading. This one really packs a punch.

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Several films have resulted from this novel, only one of them a Hammett-credited work.

The first, La ciudad maldita, was released in Italy on November 29, 1978. Juan Borsch directed the film, from a screenplay by him and Alberto de Stefanis.

Chet Bakon played OP. Diana Lorys played Dinah. Roberto Camardiel played Sheriff Noonan. Daniel Martin played Max Thaler.

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Other films, which do not credit Red as a source, include:

Yojimbo (1961; director/co-screenwriter: Akira Kurosawa)

 For a Few Dollars More (1965; director/co-screenwriter: Sergio Leone)

The Last Round (1976, director: Stelvio Massi)

When the Raven Flies (1984, a.k.a. Revenge of the Barbarians)

 Miller’s Crossing (1990; directors: Joel and an uncredited Ethan Coen)

Last Man Standing (1996; director: Walter Hill; stars: Bruce Willis and Christopher Walken)

Waldo's Hawaiian Holiday by Alex Cox, Chris Bones and Justin Randall

(pb; 2007: graphic novel. “Quasi-sequel” to Cox’s 1984 film Repo Man)

From the inside flap

“Ten years after Repo Man I became interested in the idea of a sequel. . .

“Specifically─what had happened to Otto, during his ten-year absence from Earth? And what would he make of the changes which had taken place in his absence? Otto, it would appear, had been held prisoner, in great luxury, on the planet Mars. Now he has returned to Earth, and changed his name─to Waldo. – Alex Cox, Writer/Director of Repo Man

Review

When reading this offbeat “quasi-sequel” to the 1984 film Repo Man, it is best to not expect a straight-ahead storyline. True, there are returning characters (Otto/Waldo’s parents; Beatrice Joanna, his mohawk-sporting acquaintance), but they are included largely to keep a Repo-like feel to this spiral of a follow-up tale, which also keeps with themes and elements from its source film: predatory, soulless capitalism and religion; car-based jobs; unease and ennui; familial/generational disconnection─although, as in Repo, Otto/Waldo has some allies who are reliable guides for his journey toward reintegration/healthy wholeness. . . if only he accepts what they’re offering. 

Is Waldo as good as Repo? It’s hard for me to judge, because Repo is burned into my brain while Waldo─its own spin-off creature─bears a faint resemblance to the 1984 film that spawned it, in terms of Otto/Waldo’s trajectory, and how it’s framed. I can safely say it’s character-progressive and different.

In terms of giving readers a lot to think about (beyond its loopy L.A. feels like a broke prison vibe), Waldo succeeds.

If read with the above awareness, Waldo has a shot of not disappointing its film-based readers. It’s as sharp as, and tone-true to, Repo and its characters, but it feels like a less angry, yearning work (Otto/Waldo wants to belong to something less destructive. . . y’know, settle down). I don’t re-read most books (unless it’s a decade or three later)─I plan to re-read Waldo sooner than that, and that’s a good thing.

The Last Boy Scout by Dan Becker

(pb; 1992: movie tie-in novel, based on Shane Black’s screenplay)

From the back cover

“Joe Hallenbeck was one of the country’s top Secret Service agents. Unfortunately, Joe had a run-in with a dirty politician. One frame-up later, and Hallenbeck had lost his job, his pension, everything but his gun.

“James Alexander Dix was a star quarterback for the L.A. Stallions, considered by many to have the best arm in the league. Unfortunately, Jimmy was barred from football when he was caught gambling on the games and was accused of shaving points.

“What Hallenbeck and Dix have in common is that their lives have reached an all-time low. But when Hallenbeck’s client and Dix’s girlfriend turn out to be one and the same─and when she is murdered in front of their eyes─they have something else in common. An investigation into that murder which uncovers a plot involving blackmail, corruption and a threat to the future of professional football.

“When the participants in this scheme haven’t counted on is the emergence of a new team in the league─a team which doesn’t need eleven men to take on the competition.

“Just two. . .”

Review

Boy Scout is a fun, well-written novel-based-on-a-B-screenplay work. If you’ve seen the movie, the book doesn’t add any new wrinkles, but it is worthwhile entertainment (at least for this reader), a good-writer-slumming way to enjoy a neo-pulpy, nostalgic distraction while the world (often stupidly) rages and burns down necessary structures. Worth owning, for those with the above mindset.

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The film version was released on December 13, 1991. Tony Scott directed it, from a screenplay by Shane Black.

Bruce Willis played Joe Hallenbeck. Damon Wayans played James Dix. Chelsea Field played Sarah Hallenbeck. Danielle Harris played Darian Hallenbeck. Halle Berry played Cory. Joe Santos played Bessalo.

Bruce McGill played Mike Matthews. Noble Willingham played Sheldon Marcone. Taylor Negron played Milo. Kim Coates played Chet. Badja Djola played “Alley Thug.” Chelcie Ross played Senator Baynard.

Morris Chestnut played “Locker Room Kid.” An uncredited James Gandolfini played “Marcone’s Henchman.”

Criminal: The Sinners by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips

(pb; 2015: fifth graphic novel in the Criminal series, collecting Criminal: The Sinners issues 1-5)

From the back cover

“Criminal’s most popular character, Tracy Lawless, returns in The Sinners. It’s been a year since Tracy was forced into working for the bad guys, and now made men are turning up dead all over the city, in what appears to be mob-style hits. But since criminals don’t go to the cops for justice, only Tracy can solve this crime.”

Review

Sinners is one of my favorite entries in the Criminal series, along with Bad Night. Sinners picks up shortly after the events of Lawless, with cameos by other previous-story characters─part of Criminal’s creative M.O.─and seamlessly continues Tracy Lawless’s journey through his personal heart of bleak f##ked-upness and sense of honor. The ending is excellent, character- and tone-true, not the usual downward-spiral finish, elevating Sinners to a new creative height, even for the already superb Criminal series.

Followed by the Criminal: The Last of the Innocent.

Night of the Living Dead by John Russo

(pb; 1974: movie tie-in novel, based on John Russo and George A. Romero’s screenplay. Prequel to Return of the Living Dead and Escape from the Living Dead, also by John Russo.)

From the back cover

“They are coming, rising rotten from their graves, filling the night with a furious howl, and staining the earth bloody red. . .

“They are growing, their powers are swelling, from feasting on flesh and gnawing on bone, now they are drunk on the sweet taste of blood. . .

“Now they are here, and they march to the rhythm of death. Now they will crash down the gates, take all that is theirs, and wipe the blood from their lips. . .”

Review

Night is an excellent, stripped-to-the-bone undead (as in: zombie, a word that’s not mentioned in Night) novel. Even if you’ve seen the original 1968 film like many people, this is a taut, chilling and burn-through book, with enough gore to satisfy many viscera-appreciative readers, but not so much it distracts from the deftly sketched characters and urgent happenings within the story. Many of the characters, e.g. Ben, are given more backstories than they are in the film, and there are at least two additional scenes that add to said backstories and further the minor differences between Night‘s book and original film version.

The book likely won’t alter anyone’s outlook on either book or the film versions, along with their sequels and offshoots, but Russo’s Night is a gripping, lean, no-bulls**t and short companion piece to the original film.

If you are a fan of Night like I am, this is worth owning for a quick-thrill, iconic, hour-or-so read, and an acknowledgment of what a milestone the original film is: it completely altered how filmmakers and viewers saw the zombie genre─a media-quaking switch from voodoo-based undead to modern-day-neuroses undead.

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There are too many film versions─remakes, sequels, spin-offs, rip-offs and the occasional worthwhile homages─to list here. Suffice to say, the original film, on which this book is based, was released stateside on October 4, 1968. George A. Romero, who co-wrote the screenplay, directed the film.

Edith’s Diary by Patricia Highsmith

(pb; 1977)

From the back cover

“Edith’s Howland’s diary provided a reflective interlude in her busy day. This  ‘fine and chilling character study’ (Newsweek), though, charts a diary gone wrong: as Edith’s life turns sour, her diary entries only grow brighter. While her life plunges into chaos─her husband abandons her for a younger woman, leaving her with their delinquent son and his senile uncle─a tale of success and happiness blooms in her notebook.”

Review

Diary is an exceptional novel. Its setup, with its suburban unease, the characters’ festering-slivers-under-the-skin grievances, and other unsettling elements, is reminiscent of her 1983 novel People Who Knock on the Door. Unlike People, however, Diary lacks the religious criticism and violence that of the similar, pressure-build-up book. (I think of Diary as an earlier, notably different version of People, one that stands on its own merits.)  

Diary, which runs from the early sixties to the early seventies, tracks Edith’s further spiral into delusion and real-world danger, even as her emotionally distant husband leaves her and her lazy, angry and murderous son sinks deeper into alcoholism and futility. The sense of urgency surrounding her situation grows more intense as the story progresses, leading to a finish that─if it seems quiet or underwhelming─matches Edith’s quiet desperation and increasingly fierce blurring of delusion and reality.

Whenever I hear the phrase “character study” I usually translate it to mean self-indulgent, pointless and meandering work. Thankfully master writers like Highsmith belie that translation, make character studies worthwhile and exciting for readers like myself. Worth reading, even owning, this.

Criminal: Bad Night by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips

(pb; 2015: fourth graphic novel in the Criminal series, collecting Criminal Volume Two issues 4-7)

From the back cover

“Years ago, Jacob Kurtz was a happy family man, long-retired from the life of crime he was raised in. Then the police made him the prime suspect in a horrible crime and ripped his world apart. Now Jacob is less than a shadow of his former self, an insomniac who roams the city at night. Until one bad night he walks into the wrong place at the right time, and starts tumbling down a twisted path from wild sex to kidnapping, robbery and murder.”

Review

Kurtz, the creator of the Gazette-published comic strip Frank Kafka P.I. (seen in at least one previous Criminal graphic novel), is haunted by the past─which is still patiently stalking him. Bad is another excellent, nails-it deeper-into-the-Criminal-verse work, with its new character slant: it has all the sleaze, violence, f##ked-upness, corruption and sex of earlier Criminal entries, making this a graphic novel worth owning. Followed by Criminal: The Sinners.

Keepers by Gary A. Braunbeck

(pb; 2005)

From the back cover

“Everything changed for Gil Stewart on the day he saw the old man die. Gil had witnessed the bizarre accident on the highway and stopped to help. The old man couldn’t be saved, but just before he died he clutched Gil’s shirt and whispered a warming: ‘The Keepers are coming!’

“That was when Gil’s nightmare began. At first he thought it was merely odd, a series of weird coincidences. Household pets started acting strangely. Zoo animals escaped. But now he can see a pattern emerging, a chilling reminder from a past that he can’t─or won’t─remember. As the true horror becomes clear, and terror builds upon terror, Gil can only await the coming of. . . the Keepers.”

Review

Keepers is a fun, oddball, sometimes unpredictable and often chatty read. Normally, novels with first-person POVs engender an instant ‘nope, not reading that’ response in me─if I want to read a YA novel POV-staple, I’ll read a YA novel. That said, in Keepers the first-person POV approach makes its main character's issues (loneliness, regret, etc.) and wild hallucinations go down easier. A mix of surreal fantasy, Biblical stories, nature-love and traditional horror, this is a unique story that could’ve been edited better, but still worth reading for its fast pace, mostly good writing and effective mood-setting.