![]() ![]() ![]() Nevertheless, as Ed McBain (Evan Hunter) says of Pronzini in his Introduction, “He has obviously read and digested everything ever written in the genre by anyone anywhere,” so his judgment in these matters is to be respected. Of course, Pronzini’s criticism is supported by only one example: The Mystery of a Butcher’s Shop. Wodehouse, with a dollop or two of Saki, or maybe John Collier, thrown in - and, like garlic and rutabagas, is an acquired taste.” Gladys Mitchell is Pronzini’s target in Chapter Five: “…Mitchell’s prose is of the eccentric variety, to put it mildly - something of a cross between Christie and P. Gun in Cheek is an amusing and pleasurable reading experience as well as an enlightening guide to hardboiled potboilers.īut they’re not all hardboiled. Within these categories, in what can only be called a labor of love, Bill Pronzini discusses, digests, and shares the best of the worst - adding a wonderfully comprehensive bibliography for advanced and dedicated devotees. Gun in Cheek is … a delightful exploration of what the author refers to as “alternative crime fiction.” Less kindly put, it is a unique crash course in the worst English and American crime fiction of the twentieth century.Įvery category of mystery fiction is represented: the private eye, the stately home, the arch-villain, the gentleman sleuth, the amateur spy, and many others who have blossomed from the genre. ![]()
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