Stark
House Press has released a two-fer of Ed Gorman’s private
eye fiction. The titles are two of Mr Gorman’s best: The Autumn Dead and The Night
Remembers.
Jack Dwyer is Mr Gorman’s first private eye. The
series ran five novels and The Autumn
Dead is the best of the group. It is also one of Ed’s best novels. It is a thoughtful,
melancholy journey that is heavy on working class angst. The Autumn Dead originally appeared in 1987. The legendary critic
and crime writer Dorothy B. Hughes said:
“The
Autumn Dead, with its depth, its
heartbreak, and its melancholy hope, is a new and important kind of American mystery.”
Scotland
on Sunday added:
“Ever
since I read The Autumn Dead, I’ve rated Gorman as highly as Crumley, Ellroy and Burke.”
The
Night Remembers is a standalone. It features time weary
and nostalgic retired police officer Jack Walsh. A man who has problems younger
than his age—a young son with a woman nearly half his age—and a character I
wish had seen one more case. It first appeared in 1991. Andrew Vachss said:
“Takes
crime detection to the dark edge of man-made horror.”
San
Diego Union added:
“The
Night Remembers is a gem [and] an
ingenious story.”
The best part the Stark
House Press edition, aside from the two brilliant novels, are the two
introductions. The first is from Stark
House regular Rick Ollerman—who is an excellent critic and writer on his
own merits—and the other from the relative newcomer Benjamin Boulden, which is
actually me.
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