Jack MacMichael

Years ago, I came down off my high horse, put away Crime and Punishment (ugh) and turned to Hard Case Crime/PI/Detective pulp. In particular, first person, fast paced narrative, as entertaining and yes, literary, as any of the so called “ classics” that I forced myself to slave through. Perhaps small minds are easily entertained; I just like the idea of being entertained, with no pretence. I don’t need to be taught a lesson. For those unfamiliar with the genre, don’t disregard as gratuitous and violent glorification, rather, plot lines are mainly character driven, and ripe with internal conflicts. Be careful, you may find yourself thinking right along with many of the protagonists. Enjoy.

Now firmly ensconced in a second (and third) reading of the same book, I may just spend the rest of my days in revisits. And why not? I won’t be disappointed, I’ll read to the end, unlike the countless books I’ve started, only to put down. And quite frankly, it’s the characters and prose that draw me in much more than plot lines... so much so that I swear I could read the chapters in reverse order and be equally entertained. Upon second or third reading, I forgot who DID IT ? I may not even care, and may not the next time, either. Such is the case with 100 or so Jesse Stone/Spenser (with an S) novels.