Fifty-to-One, by Charles Ardai
Sep. 20th, 2009 11:20 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shannon_aHere's the premise that got the book started, from the author's note: "Of course, in retrospect the concept was insane: to write a 50th book that would commemorate the (fictitious) 50th anniversary of the founding of Hard Case Crime, set 50 years ago, and to tell the story in 50 chapters, with each chapter bearing the title of one of our 50 books, in their order of publication."
The book is a mystery/pulp by Charles Ardai, who is the editor of the imprint and has previously written two superb books under the alias Richard Aleas.
This one is a fun romp. You can enjoy its cleverness as you look at the chapter titles, though the reviewer that I saw over on Amazon who claimed that they were never forced was incorrect. Still, it was a whimsical run through a 1950s world of gangsters, molls, down-on-their-luck girls, cheats, and liars. It was also a nice period piece.
But, unlike Ardai's other books, which haunt you, this one is pretty forgettable.
(And a note to myself, his fourth book is now out, Hunt through the Cradle of Fear, the second book in a new hero-pulp series.)
The book is a mystery/pulp by Charles Ardai, who is the editor of the imprint and has previously written two superb books under the alias Richard Aleas.
This one is a fun romp. You can enjoy its cleverness as you look at the chapter titles, though the reviewer that I saw over on Amazon who claimed that they were never forced was incorrect. Still, it was a whimsical run through a 1950s world of gangsters, molls, down-on-their-luck girls, cheats, and liars. It was also a nice period piece.
But, unlike Ardai's other books, which haunt you, this one is pretty forgettable.
(And a note to myself, his fourth book is now out, Hunt through the Cradle of Fear, the second book in a new hero-pulp series.)