Tue 8 Jan 2013
A new profile of mystery writer Ed Lacy has appeared online. He died 45 years ago yesterday. Check it out at
http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-arts-and-culture/books/120789/stranger-than-pulp-fiction
Also note that Ed Lynskey did an earlier article about Lacy for Mystery*File on this blog’s primary website:
https://mysteryfile.com/Lacy/Profile.html
January 8th, 2013 at 2:09 pm
Is someone, Ed Lynskey, saying that Lacy’s New Yorker pieces were better written than John O’Hara’s…?
January 8th, 2013 at 2:25 pm
Quoting Ed, he says: “The New Yorker vignettes display a John O’Hara slice-of-life feel to them, only better written with deeper social sensitivity.” I’ve not read any of Lacy’s NEW YORKER pieces, but I’d like to.
January 9th, 2013 at 12:39 am
I’m a big admirer of John O’Hara, especially his shorter fiction and novellas. I like Ed Lacy also but I’ve never thought of some of his work as being better than O’Hara. That’s quite a statement.
Also the Mystery File piece states that James Cain was in POPULAR DETECTIVE. I would have bet money that James Cain never appeared in the pulps but I see the October 1943 issue has a war bond message by Cain. It probably appeared in a wide variety of magazines.
MYSTERY FILE is full of surprises.
January 9th, 2013 at 4:56 am
Both articles are very interesting.
I read two crime novels by Ed Lacy: “Sin in Their Blood” and “Room to Swing”. The second is the better novel.
January 9th, 2013 at 10:54 am
I have a brief overview of Lacy’s ROOM TO SWING on my blog here. A review for MOMENT OF UNTRUTH (the second Toussaint Moore novel) is coming later today. Fantastic writer! Glad I discovered him last year.
January 9th, 2013 at 11:37 am
Up and ready to read! Here’s the review on Moment of Truth.
January 9th, 2013 at 11:49 am
An extremely insightful pair of reviews, John. Nicely done. Everyone reading this really ought to go check them out.