10 Greatest Detective Novels -- follow-up

Okay, the debate on my list of the 10 Greatest Detective Novels has been raging for a while now... Let's see if we've come to any conclusions.

Here is my original list of seven, which I'm still feeling pretty good about:

10 Greatest Detective Novels (in alphabetical order):

• Lawrence Block - When the Sacred Ginmill Closes
• Raymond Chandler - The Long Goodbye
• Michael Connelly - The Black Echo
• Robert Crais - L.A. Requiem
• Dashiell Hammett - The Maltese Falcon
• Walter Mosley - Devil in a Blue Dress
• Robert B. Parker - Looking for Rachel Wallace

To that list, I want to add:

• James Crumley - The Last Good Kiss

(Thanks to folks for pointing out that omission. Although the ending of LGK stinks, it's a powerful book.)

We also need a Travis McGee novel, so for now I'm going to add:

• John D. MacDonald -- The Dreadful Lemon Sky

(Guyot! Should I pick a different one?)

I haven't yet been persuaded to change any of the original picks, although I'm open to it. A couple people suggested Parker's Early Autumn rather than Looking for Rachel Wallace. Early Autumn is a great book, and it would be my second pick of a Spenser novel. I think that, on the level of a pure detective story, however, Rachel Wallace is superior.

As for Connelly...Most of the Bosch books are excellent, and I could pick a different one from The Black Echo. But that book is so damn good, and it also has the advantage to being the first, so I'm tempted to keep it for now.

Let's assume that I'm going to keep these same authors. That gives me nine books, with space for one more. There have been strong votes for both Dennis Lehane and Dorothy L. Sayers. I need to try to find the time to read a couple of theirs. I'm not holding out much hope, though.

I'm tempted to add Laura Lippman's Every Secret Thing to the list, but it's so recent, and I'm also not sure it qualifies as a detective novel. In fact, the more I think about it, I don't believe it does. The Tess Monaghan books certainly would, but I don't know if I could single out one of those. By a Spider's Thread maybe?

Again, though... it's so recent. Same thing goes for Denise Hamilton's work. I'd like to have at least a decade's worth of separation from the book -- and hopefully a subsequent re-reading -- in order to be certain of its lasting power.

I love George Pelecanos, whom someone suggested in the comments section, but I just don't think of him as a detective writer. While it's true that he has on occasion written about detectives, his books still don't strike me as detective novels. I might need to rethink that, though.

Part of the problem here is that there are just so many people that I haven't read. When you think of all the detective novels that have been published in the last 60 years, it's an impossible task.

Even so, though, I think this list is shaping up nicely...

Comments

[Sandra Ruttan]

It is one of the problems with 'best of' lists - who can possibly have read everything? But I notice your list is dominated by Americans - is that because you review primarily American authors?

I was asked to do a top ten list recently, and it's proving to be a headache. It's also proving to be mostly British. I've given up on making it literally the best ten books, but am trying to pick one representative work by the authors who top my list.

Thank goodness the word 'detective' wasn't thrown in - just makes it that much trickier. I never realized it would be so hard.

[Victor Gischler]

Have to respectfully disagree about the ending of LAST GOOD KISS, David. Although you didn't like the ending of SUICIDE SQUEEZE either, so we probably just have some basic differences on what a good ending is in general. (Ha.)

But I'm not one to quibble. As long as Crumley makes the list, I'm happy. (That's the point of the list, right? To make me happy?)

Victor

[Cameron]

I think SOUL CIRCUS definately deserves a spot. It's just so damn good and powerful and Derek Strange and Terry Quinn are definately private detectives.

[David J. Montgomery]

"But I notice your list is dominated by Americans - is that because you review primarily American authors?"

I do primarily read and review American crime fiction. I have found that those are the books I'm most drawn to. That's not to say that there aren't plenty of terrific British (or European) detective novels -- I just haven't thought of any that I prefer to those on the list.

Who's on your list?

[Duane Swierczynski]

I cannot endorse any "10 Greatest Detective Novels" list that fails to include Emerson LaSalle's SHAMUS VIXEN.

[patti abbott]

I'd like to see Ross MacDonald on the list. But other than that....

[Elaine Flinn]

Oh, for shame, you guys! How could any of you forget Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer? Or Dennis Lynds (Michael Collins)-Dan Fortune?

[Dan]

Not sure if they would qualify as top 10 of all-time, but I'd like to throw a vote in for Steve Hamilton's A Cold Day in Paradise and Dennis Lehane's A Drink Before the War.

[Harry Hunsicker]

Let me cast one more vote for Lehane. You really need to read A DRINK BEFORE THE WAR before you finalize the list.

[Cameron]

I really think if Lehane gets on the list it should be for Gone, Baby, Gone

[Victor Gischler]

Mickey Spillane is tricky, Elaine. If the list were most influencial private eye *writers* then Ithink you would have to incude Spillane. But when narrowing it down to a single novel ... well, not so cut and dried.

Victor

[Peter]

Elaine/David:

Interesting to see Michael Collins' Dan Fortune mentioned. All I've read of his is the short story "A Reason to Die." It's a terrific story, with as wrenching a crime as you'll see anywhere and real compassion. But there is a touch or two of sentimentality, places where Collins/Lydds tugs just a little too hard at the heart strings. This list is about novels, but perhaps a similar sentimentality creeps into his novels and keeps them from from qualifying for the pantheon.

OK, here's my dark horse:

The Fabulous Clipjoint, Fredric Brown -- A Chicago novel, if you feel like throwing a bone to your home town.

[Elaine Flinn]

Victor & Peter:
Points well taken. Thank you.

I guess then - I'll go with The Maltese Falcon - The Black Echo as second choice.

[David Thayer]

I'd like to mention Ross Thomas for "The Fools in Town Are on Our Side" if only for the title's perfect summation of current events.

[Lana Lang]

I know you don't care for Sue Grafton, but I think an objective list would have to include one of her first five Kinsey novels.

[David Montgomery]

While I do think it's possible to discern some objective quality to books, I don't think there's enough that you could compile an objective list of (for example) the 10 Greatest Detective Novels.

That being said, I read a couple of the early Grafton novels. I thought they were pretty good. But not of the level that I'm looking for with this list.