HARDBOILED NOW:
HIDDEN GEMS PART 3
In last week’s column, hard-edged series characters Sand and
Burns Bannion joined Rafferty and Jim Hardman on our growing list of hardboiled
private eyes and tough guys little known outside of The Eye—the inner circle of
acolytes committed to keeping the secrets of the hardboiled genre. This week, we’ll
check out three more series entries, all of which should send you scrambling to
your used book resources ready to crack your piggy bank open.
Before we start, however, I’m making an executive decision
to expand the reach of this series of columns beyond officially licensed
private eyes to add in hard-hitting tough guys (and maybe even a few gals) be
they spies, Parker style criminals, vigilantes, troubleshooters, military
grunts or whatever else strikes my fancy. While most of my buddies within the
hardboiled inner circle know all about these characters, my goal is to expose
these action-filled and deserving series to a wider audience.
I’m also going to be adding in more Internet sources and
reference works—places where you can lose half a day simply browsing through
the entries and still have much more to explore.
This week, I’m going to start with a great guide to retro-espionage
series, SPY GUYS AND GALS, which contains listings
and information on almost 6,000 spy novels from 1,000 different series, as well
as movies, television episodes, and a ton of other pertinent information.
THE TRASH COLLECTOR is another
dangerous website. Here you’ll find way too many desirable vintage men’s
action/adventure paperbacks for sale. Spend too much time browsing and the
irresistible offerings will steal cash out of your wallet like a thief in the
night.
And for those who want to hold a physical book in your hands
(there is also an e-book version) there’s Brad Mengel’s, SERIAL
VIGILANTES OF PAPERBACK FICTION. Subtitled, An Encyclopedia From Able Team To Z-Comm, it is a wonderful
experience to browse through the pages. This extensive reference is not
perfect. The complete lack of related cover art is almost criminal and,
beginning as it does in 1969 with Don Pendleton's The Executioner, there are
some truly great series and characters missing from the listings. However, this
is the first overview ever of the serial vigilante genre and it really is a
terrific effort and required reading. The book examines the connections between
serial vigilantes and the pulp heroes who preceded them and how the serial
vigilante has influenced a variety of tough guys, private eyes, spies and cops
in different media. A complete bibliography for each series is featured.
In 1978, the private eye novel Kyd For Hire made a splash on the mystery scene with the author
Timothy Harris being touted as the next Chandler—which is never a good sign.
None-the-less, while not exactly in Philip Marlowe’s league, Thomas Kyd does
hit the sweet spot for most hardboiled fans. Kyd is a damaged Vietnam vet whose
goal is to make it through to the end of each day as he bounces his PI license
off the mean streets of LA. The three Kyd novels are well worth tracking down,
especially if you can find the British paperback editions of the first two
novels published by Pan. Placed side by side, the two covers complete a
titillating and provocative painting—entitled Bodyguard 2—by Paul Roberts. I have a copy of this print rolled up
and stashed somewhere on my shelves—a prized possession.
THE THOMAS KYD SERIES
Kyd For Hire (1978)
Goodnight and Goodbye (1979)
Unfaithful Servant (2004)
FOR MORE ON THOMAS
KYD CLICK HERE
FOR MORE ON AUTHOR
TIMOTHY HARRIS CLICK
HERE
TO SEE MORE WORK BY
ARTIST PAUL ROBERTS CLICK
HERE
Before he began his bestselling Doc
Ford novels, Randy Wayne White cut his writing chops on several different men’s
adventure paperback original series under various pseudonyms. For a number of years,
White attempted to distance himself from these early works, but eventually
embraced them when offered a lucrative deal to republish all of them under his
own name.
As Carl Ramm, he wrote eleven books in
the Hawker series, featuring an ex-SWAT sniper turned vigilante in the Mack
Bolan mode. After disobeying questionable commands and shooting a suspect
during a hostage situation when the suspect opened fire on a group of rich
teenagers, Hawker is made a scapegoat by weak-kneed political Monday morning
quarterbacks. Angry and frustrated, Hawker tosses in his badge without any real
idea of what to do next. However, he’s just the man a multi-millionaire needs
to bring rough justice down on the criminals destroying society.
What raises Hawker above similar
vigilante series is Hawker is not a mindless tool of destruction slaying away
regardless of collateral damage. He's not afraid to kill when necessary, but he
has some clear restrains—ethics that make him both powerful friends and
powerful enemies.
While I liked the Hawker series, it’s
White’s other early series, MacMorgan—written as Randy Stryker—I think is truly
exceptional. A former CIA agent, with a major body scar from being bitten by a
shark, Dusky MacMorgan is a kick-ass action hero, but the books also get deeper
into character than almost all other men’s action/adventure series. This helps
the reader come to know and like MacMorgan, as much more hot blooded action
hero than cold killing machine.
Working off the books for a secret
government agency, MacMorgan takes assignments where his job as a working
charter boat captain is an advantage. An ex-Navy SEAL with three tours in
Vietnam behind him, MacMorgan left the service for the Florida Keys and his own
charter fishing boat. However, when his wife and twin boys are killed in a car
bomb explosion meant for MacMorgan, there is hell to pay for the killers.
White uses his experiences as a real
life charter boat captain, and his extensive knowledge of the Caribbean, to
skillfully give the reader a vicarious experience of not only adventure, but
culture, music, food, fishing lore, and a sense of place almost always
completely absent from these types of series. The seven books in the MacMorgan
series have been described as part Travis McGee and part early Matt Helm
without being a cheap imitation of either. I agree…
THE
DUSKY MACMORGAN SERIES
Key West Connection (1981)
The Deep Six (1981)
Cuban Death-lift (1981)
The Deadlier Sex (1981)
Assassin's Shadow (1981)
Everglades Assault (1982)
Grand Cayman Slam (1982)
THE HAWKER SERIES
Florida Firefight (1984)
L.A. Wars (1984)
Chicago Assault (1984)
Deadly in New York (1984)
Houston Attack (1985)
Vegas Vengeance (1985)
Detroit Combat (1985)
Terror in D.C. (1986)
Atlanta Extreme (1986)
Denver Strike (1986)
Operation Norfolk (1986)
FOR MORE ON DUSKY
MACMORGAN CLICK HERE
Next week be ready to fall-in with some of the toughest
bastards to ever take the war to the enemy…
You didn't mention MacMorgan's enormous, er, asset. David Thompson once told me that White told him that the asset was a requirement of the publishers. Since that's thirdhand information, I can't vouch for it, though.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny, when I first met Randy way back when he was just starting on his fourth Doc Ford novel, and the first not written in third person. He said he found writing in first person easier and that he wanted this book to sell. And it did, and he became the Randy Wayne White.
ReplyDeleteBut also, at that time, he was only admitting to having written one series prior to Doc Ford, and he wouldn't say what it was. He said that he'd never say what it was, that the publisher was starting this new series and would he be interested in writing one of the books. He told them he wanted to write ALL of the books and the publisher agreed.
What bothered Randy was that for him to able to do this, editing was pretty much out the window. As he put it, "what came out of the typewriter the first time WAS the book."
Anyway, the first two Doc Fords are, I think, absolute classics. He recently said he's literally backlogged for the next five years. What a lot of pressure that must be--most authors say they feel the pressure of having to come up with a hundred thousand words a year for their next book. I think Randy done good.
Anyway, thanks for a great column, Paul....