♬ It’s Only Mystery, But I Like It ♬* (Possibly first in a series)
In this article on bestsellers (worth your time on its own merits), Michael Dirda calls the late, lamented Donald Westlake “the finest all-around American crime writer of the past forty years.” This assertion struck me as a completely defensible and meritorious proposition (indeed, I have argued it myself on occasion) but certainly not outside the realm of debate. Considering Ricochet is the online hangout of more than a few published mystery writers and a very literate Ricochetoisie, it seems an ideal place to kick around some topics on American mystery fiction.
If y’all like this, I’ve got a whole lineup of similar questions to ask about the genre. These are all written in ‘present company excepted’ terms. Feel free to talk up the locals if you like, though.
Given that this may be a long conversation, please stick to the topic and refrain from telling us that you just don’t like mysteries, never have, they’re a goldurned waste of good chainsaw-lubing time. We can do another thread on that.
1. Is Dirda right?
A brief argument for: In terms of versatility, prolificness, clever plotting, entertaining characters, and sharp prose style, Westlake was a five-tool player, as they say in baseball. Ask a writer what they think of a guy who could crank out 14 hilarious and mordantly ironic comic heist novels (and eleven short stories) about John Archibald Dortmunder and crew and two dozen (insanely influential) hard-as-concrete Parker books (as “Richard Stark”) and have them both work brilliantly.
In terms of prolificness, he wrote over 100 novels (that we know about) under his own name and others between 1956 and his death in 2008. That’s better than two a year. Even given that much of his early output was by-the-page hackwork under pseudonyms for smut publishers to pay the bills, it’s still amazing (and he was largely able to escape the anonymous writing after about 1961).
Plotting, characters, deft writing? Take my word for it. (Or don’t and go read some of his stuff, but don’t complain when you don’t make it back to Ricochet for a couple weeks.)
1a. If so, does Westlake have a single masterpiece?
Clearly his Dortmunder and Parker novels are Westlake’s immortality, but they’re almost uniformly of such high quality, I find it difficult to pick one of either as the best. (Picking a worst might be the easier task.) Terry Teachout says Butcher’s Moon for Parker, and one always hesitates to disagree with the estimable Mr. T.
Let me nominate one of my favorites, though, the relatively little-known stand-alone novel Baby, Would I Lie? (1994), in which a country singer; Branson, Missouri; shameless tabloid reporters; and a sensational trial weave an incredibly entertaining, complicated, and surprising plot.
For those who like their comedy abyss-of-space black, though, you’ll want to pick up The Ax.
2. If not Westlake, who you got?
*Name that tune. Anyone?
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Jul '10
Re: ♬ It’s Only Mystery, But I Like It ♬* (Possibly first in a series)
I'm a great fan of Donald, but one of my favorite writers in this genre is the late Ross Thomas. He was, along with Richard Condon, the most cynical writer I've ever found . His best made me cynical about the FBI and CIA. Thomas had such luscious characters as Otherguy Overby, Boy Howdy and the team of Artie Wu, pretender to the Imperial throne of China, and Quincy Durant. His caper books and ones like "The Fools in Town are on Our Side" are a joy to read but show the black side to even the best of men and women. Writing as Oliver Bleek he produced others just as good. I highly recommend him as a worthy equal to Donald.
Nov '10
Re: ♬ It’s Only Mystery, But I Like It ♬* (Possibly first in a series)
His stories are contrived, and his writing only so-so. Elmore Leonard writes rings around him. As does James Ellroy, at least in his earlier books.
Mar '11
Re: ♬ It’s Only Mystery, But I Like It ♬* (Possibly first in a series)
Best Dortmunder? Drowned Hopes. Equally good crime writer? John D. MacDonald and his Travis McGee books. Better crime writers? George V. Higgins and Elmore Leonard.
Mar '11
Re: ♬ It’s Only Mystery, But I Like It ♬* (Possibly first in a series)
I really enjoyed the Westlake books I've read, but 40 years? Rex Stout, John D. MacDonald, and Robert Parker all fall into that era, so I'll have to respectfully disagree. I also really like Elmore Leonard.
Dec '10
Re: ♬ It’s Only Mystery, But I Like It ♬* (Possibly first in a series)
Westlake is a fine nominee and I am a big fan of MacDonald and Leonard. However, for the local flavor I am most fond of James W. Hall. I find him to be the best for really capturing the feel of rural and wilderness Florida, the places most people have either never heard of, or have failed to appreciate.
Feb '11
Re: ♬ It’s Only Mystery, But I Like It ♬* (Possibly first in a series)
Westlake's lack of respect is because he wrote some funny books too, in addition to his darker stuff. Another name to consider would be Evan Hunter, particularly his Ed McBain police procedurals. Lawrence Block has been prolific, but also able to master different genres. Love the post, and looking forward to other questions.
Aug '10
Re: ♬ It’s Only Mystery, But I Like It ♬* (Possibly first in a series)
Coincidentally , yesterday Terry Teachout had a NR column about this and Butcher's Moon is on the way. He has written alot about Westlake and ,as usual, it's both entertaining and a great incentive to buy the book.
Jun '10
Re: ♬ It’s Only Mystery, But I Like It ♬* (Possibly first in a series)
I love Westlake. His Dortmunder novels are almost a genre of their own (comic mysteries). My favorite Dortmunder is What's the Worst That Could Happen. My favorite non-Dortmunder is God Save the Mark.
My all-time favorite mystery/crime writer is Ross MacDonald (actually a Canadian). His Lew Archer novels combine great plots and even better writing. Read The Chill, which may be the best American crime novel ever.
Sorry to go outside the limits of the question, but P. D. James (now Lady James) is my favorite English crime novelist--may she live forever.
Make this a weekly feature (please).
Jun '10
Re: ♬ It’s Only Mystery, But I Like It ♬* (Possibly first in a series)
One more point. Is genre fiction automatically of a lower caliber? No. For example, the early and middle works of John Le Carre (before he went nuts in his last 4-5 books about the evils of the West and the US in particular) are literary novels written in the spy genre. The Smiley trilogy is great fiction. Period.
In the mystery genre, P. D. James's novels follow the conventions of the mystery genre, but they are beautifully-written, nuanced explorations of humanity.
I'll stack the sentences of either Le Carre or James up against Roth, Updike, DeLillo, Pynchon, Barth, Mailer (and they would win, in my humble opinion). The only contemporary writer who could beat them is Marilynne Robinson, whose prose follows the rhythms of the King James Bible.
Jun '10
Re: ♬ It’s Only Mystery, But I Like It ♬* (Possibly first in a series)
Re: ♬ It’s Only Mystery, But I Like It ♬* (Possibly first in a series)
Drew Klavan. The best alive.
I'm also enjoying the North Korean detective novels -- not kidding -- of James Church.
Oct '10
Re: ♬ It’s Only Mystery, But I Like It ♬* (Possibly first in a series)
How can you mention "Baby, Would I Lie?" without also mentioning "Trust Me On This" (BWIL is the sequel)? To me TMOT was even funnier, and still spot on about tabloids and their tactics for getting (and occasionally creating) stories.
Oct '10
Re: ♬ It’s Only Mystery, But I Like It ♬* (Possibly first in a series)
Ah, yes - "Veni, Vidi, Vici Through Air Power"!
Since I'm no literary expert (I read for entertainment), my favorite Dortmunder book is "Good Behavior", which (IIRC) is the only story where Dortmunder and gang actually come out ahead at the end.
Re: ♬ It’s Only Mystery, But I Like It ♬* (Possibly first in a series)
As always, I agree with Rob Long. But seriously, the problem here is not whether Westlake is wonderful - he was. But to isolate him as the best is to miss how many great ones there really are. Not only are so many great modern American novelists crime writers, but so many of the best modern American "literary" novels - "East of Eden," "American Tragedy," "In Cold Blood," "Executioner's Song" leap to mind - are crime stories. That said, I second (or third) the nomination of John D. MacDonald to the list. If he'd only written the Travis McGee series, he'd be up there, but he also wrote the tales that inspired, Cape Fear and the great TV show "Run for Your Life," plus the delightful fantasy, "The Girl, The Gold Watch and Everything."
I'd also like to add that having Norm Hapke comment on Ricochet may raise the intelligence of the conversation to the point where I can no longer participate.
May '11
Re: ♬ It’s Only Mystery, But I Like It ♬* (Possibly first in a series)
Wierd. Something in my thoughts this morning before I climbed out of bed made me think of Travis McGee, who I haven't thought of in many years. I thought then (5:45 AM, not years ago) that Travis McGee was the most warmly humane and likeable protagonist of the genre. And his libertarian econmist friend Meyer was the perfect quirky sidekick.
Steve Hamilton, Michael Connelly, T. Jefferson Parker, James Lee Burke and Robert Crais don't include humor in their work as much as some of the authors mentioned above but do a good job of giving substantive meaning to predictable storylines while still being entertaing.
Mar '11
Re: ♬ It’s Only Mystery, But I Like It ♬* (Possibly first in a series)
I used to love James Lee Burke, but the political preaching in his novels finally got to me and I stopped reading him. More data for Pigboy's recent post, I guess.
Southern Pessimist:
Steve Hamilton, Michael Connelly, T. Jefferson Parker, James Lee Burke and Robert Crais don't include humor in their work as much as some of the authors mentioned above but do a good job of giving substantive meaning to predictable storylines while still being entertaing. · Jul 7 at 7:37am
May '11
Re: ♬ It’s Only Mystery, But I Like It ♬* (Possibly first in a series)
Basil Fawlty: I used to love James Lee Burke, but the political preaching in his novels finally got to me and I stopped reading him. More data for Pigboy's recent post, I guess.
Jul 7 at 8:44am
The politics are not so obtrusive to me which gets at Pigboy's point, but Burke's "Rain Gods" seems to be taking him into Cormac McCarthy territory.
Edited on Jul 7, 2011 at 8:54amAug '10
Re: ♬ It’s Only Mystery, But I Like It ♬* (Possibly first in a series)
Rob Long: Drew Klavan. The best alive.
I'm also enjoying the North Korean detective novels -- not kidding -- of James Church. · Jul 7 at 7:03am
My 14 year old daughter is seriously bummed that the new Homelanders she got last week is the last one. She devours those things, one or two days and she's done. Thanks Andrew.
Sep '10
Re: ♬ It’s Only Mystery, But I Like It ♬* (Possibly first in a series)
I'm with Bill Walsh: of Westlake's novels I like Baby, Would I Lie? followed closely by the Dortmunder novel What's the Worst that Could Happen? Also, Cops and Robbers is terrific.
I loved John D. MacDonald's "The Girl, The Gold Watch and Everything." Since he has such good taste, I'll also have to check out this Klavan guy, whoever he is.
Edited on Jul 7, 2011 at 10:07amSep '10
Re: ♬ It’s Only Mystery, But I Like It ♬* (Possibly first in a series)
I forgot to mention Westlake's Trust Me on This, which introduces most of the main characters in Baby, Would I Lie? It's a great yarn based in a hilarious tabloid newsroom, and on second thought I may like it even more than its sequel.