That would be the New England Mobile Book Fair. I have no idea why they call it mobile; the place is giant warehouse loaded with new books at a nice discount. For those who live in Massachusetts, go there and be prepared to spend some time. This column thrives on finding titles in used bookstores or anywhere they sell beat-up old books. But I do buy some brand-new ones as a treat for myself from time to time, so here are three I picked up at my quarterly trip to the fair.
NEW HOPE FOR THE DEAD by Charles Willeford — From 1985, the second in the Hoke Moseley series gives a broad look at his world, which started in MIAMI BLUES. Hoke works as a day cop, being a huge prick all the while. The central case that he is saddled with is that of a junkie who died in his mother’s home. The mom and son had a relationship closer than most people would approve of.
Dealing with Hoke’s new partner and being saddled with the cold case files just adds to his pressure. His ex-wife just moved to California with her new boyfriend, a pro baseball player, leaving Hoke to take care of his two teenage daughters. But the problems don’t stop there. On top of it all, Hoke needs to find a new place to live in Miami, per his bosses’ orders.
Even though this is the second book in the series, it’s still a perfect place to start. Hoke isn’t the kind of cop you’d see on BARNEY MILLER. He’ll bust anyone who doesn’t follow the letter of the law, as he barely scrapes by. With this novel, Willeford really shines in a way that shows why people like Donald E. Westlake and James Lee Burke were huge fans of this character. For its time, it was definitely unlike any other cop series out there. The best way to describe it is to take Ed McBain’s 87th books and make one of the main characters a bitter, broke asshole.
Hoke not only rubs his fellow cops the wrong way, but most readers will be like, “This guy is just an ass,” yet still like him. The only bad thing about reading this is that there are only two more books in the series, which from what I understand, only get darker, which gets me chomping at the bit to read them. So, in other words, SIDESWIPE will be read a lot sooner than later.
THUD! by Terry Pratchett — It’s another adventure in the world of Discworld. This series is daunting to get into, unless you do some research. I mainly like the “crime”-oriented ones, which are as if THE LORD OF THE RINGS were written by the combo of Ed McBain and Douglas Adams.
I believe this is the latest in the Discworld “City Watch” series, and it’s a fun romp. Sam Vines is the commander of the City Watch, and in the middle of a whole mess of problems. First, there is a new recruit Sam needs to take on: a female vampire named Sally. We watch as she tries to ingrate herself with her compatriots, including the other female of the force, who is a werewolf with nothing but distaste for this new recruit.
Then there is the never-ending pile of paperwork that Sam never seems to make any progress on, and then the biggest problem of all: a dead dwarf found in one of the mines, with evidence pointing squarely at the Trolls. The story is pretty much Sam having to deal with a race war that could flare up at any moment, with each side doing its best to keep City Watch out of the mess.
This being Pratchett, there is plenty of humor to lighten the subject matter, but he still gets his point across about racism. He never hits the reader over the head, so don’t panic. Of course, Pratchett throws in enough little treats for Discworld fans. Refernces to stamps will remind readers of GOING POSTAL, another fine read in the series.
At the heart is how every day at 6, Sam must go home to read a story called “Where’s My Cow?” to his young son, no matter what. There is a cameo from Death, who pokes fun at the whole mystery genre. Fans of Discworld have probably already read this when it came out in 2005. For those who want some humor in their crime, look for it.
THE BLONDE ON THE STREET CORNER by David Goodis — Probably the second best thing ever to come out of Philadelphia is the writing of David Goodis. I mean, I could read SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER once a year and never tire of it. This novel is not what you would consider a full-fledged story, but more of a picture of a group of friends just trying to get by in 1936 Philly: Ralph and his pals Dippy, Ken and George.
Ralph thinks of himself as a songwriter, even though he has yet to have any success. This foursome passes its time hanging around the street corners, smoking cheap cigarettes and eating Indian nuts. Days go by and each one has to deal with complaints from his family and friend about being in their 30s and still not working.
Goodis’ writing captures this world to the point that the novel seems autobiographical. The bulk of it focuses on Ralph, who seems like he wants to escape this lifestyle, and is growing apart from his friends. There are moments when he really wants nothing to do with this crowd, but has nowhere else to go. Even when he meets a girl who seems interested in him, it just falls by the wayside for him.
I can only imagine when this book came out in 1954, most likely with some lurid cover, only for readers to find out there is no sex. A mention is made, but that is really it. Goodis just paints a picture of this group’s bleak lifestyle. You can just tell that things will never really work out for them. The weird thing is if the prices were changed to today’s, the story could take place in the present. That is how fresh the writing of Goodis is. If you find any of his books, grab them, since they are not easily found in used bookstores.
For the record, the cream cheese is the first thing.
Next time: Gold Medal round. —Bruce Grossman
OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF DAVID GOODIS:
• NIGHT SQUAD by David Goodis
• NIGHTFALL by David Goodis
• STREET OF NO RETURN by David Goodis
• THE WOUNDED AND THE SLAIN by David Goodis
OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF TERRY PRATCHETT:
• GOING POSTAL by Terry Pratchett
• MEN AT ARMS by Terry Pratchett
• THE TURTLE MOVES!: DISCWORLD’S STORY UNAUTHORIZED edited by Lawrence Watt-Evans
OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF CHARLES WILLEFORD:
• THE BLACK MASS OF BROTHER SPRINGER by Charles Willeford
• MADE IN MIAMI by Charles Willeford
• PICK-UP by Charles Willeford
• THE SHARK-INFESTED CUSTARD by Charles Willeford
