Thu 17 Sep 2015
A Review by Barry Gardner: JEREMIAH HEALY – Shallow Graves.
Posted by Steve under Reviews[6] Comments
JEREMIAH HEALY – Shallow Graves. John Francis Cuddy #7. Pocket Books, hardcover, 1992; paperback, 1993.
I’m on record as believing Jerry Healy to be one of the better of Chandler’s heirs. He’s one of a group — Greenleaf, Nealy, Lyons, Valin, Estleman — that are somehow linked in my mind as the wave of the 80s, though Lyons got a head-start in the late 7Os. To be honest, obligatory homage to Chandler aside, Macdonald and Lyons, with perhaps a soupçon of Parker, would probably be more appropriately listed as influences.
Whatever the taxonomy or genealogy, he still ranks in the forefront of current practitioners in my opinion.
Cuddy is hired by the insurance company that once fired him to investigate a claim on a murdered model. He accepts only out of sympathy and liking for the individual who was told to retain him, and has many questions as to the reason for it all. He begins to get an inkling when the father of the Amerasian model turns out to be a prominent gangster, and Cuddy finds himself walking a tightrope as his investigation takes him into the family’s past and secrets.
The plot is not exceptional, but Healy’s writing is. He handles the characterization of his protagonist and his relationships as well as anyone, and better than many. His relations with the police are a paragon of realism compared to most of the field. Some of Healy’s novels I have finished with the feeling that this was one of the best of the breed; others with “just” the sense of having read a well-crafted, enjoyable example of one of the kinds of novels I enjoy most
This was one of the latter, which is more than enough reason for me to recommend it. I do.
September 17th, 2015 at 4:25 pm
In one of my comments to my own review of the John Sandford book, I said there are a lot of other authors I would rather read or re-read. Healy is close to the top of this category. I’ve read most of his, and wouldn’t mind re-reading any of them, but this one for some reason I own but have never read.
September 17th, 2015 at 8:05 pm
That group of authors, along with Sue Grafton, is what hooked me onto the PI story back in the 80’s, Lyons first then the others. Decided to try and collect as many as I could as 1sts, got to about 2,300 books out of maybe 3,500 domestic titles before I ran out of steam.
Estleman had a much different style of writing, but Greenleaf, Healy, Valin and Lyons had sensible, realistic characters that you cared about.
I haven’t read any of their work in quite a long time, it might be time to go back and start rereading again.
September 18th, 2015 at 9:02 am
When I overdosed on the genre then Healy and Greenleaf were two I never considered cutting. I would reread either with pleasure.
September 18th, 2015 at 10:51 am
Couple of others that were must read were the Nameless books by Bill Pronzini and the Peter Bragg books by Jack Lynch (pbo’s)
September 18th, 2015 at 11:20 am
It is good to see that the Bragg books are being put back in print, by Brash Books:
http://www.brash-books.com/author/jack-lynch/
September 19th, 2015 at 3:37 pm
I missed the Bragg and Lynch, and Bill Pronzini was on a list no change in taste would effect. For my taste Nameless is ranked with the greats like Spade, Marlowe, Shayne, Hammer, Archer, and Spenser not to mention Pronzini’s suspense and Western novels.