I found a copy of this hard-boiled, noir novel of a thuggish ex-cop.
Once the toughest detective on the force until he was shoved out in disgrace, Marty Bond, now older and with many regrets, gets the chance to make some things right with one last case.
Lacy pulls no punches with Marty. He is not a good guy. Readers will understand him while not liking him.
This suspense story comes to an action-packed conclusion with a weird final scene. But that hardly matters. It was the characters, the lean, punchy writing style, and the cynical dialogue that kept me turning the pages of this short book.
Ed Lacy (1911-1968) was the pen name of Leonard Zinberg, a prolific writer of novels and short stories from the mid-1930s to the late 1960s.
(For more posts on books, check out Patti Abbott’s blog.)
I read THE MEN FROM THE BOYS and reviewed it recently: http://georgekelley.org/fridays-forgotten-books-463-by-ed-lacy/
ReplyDeleteEd Lacy was a very underrated writer.
I read something from Ed Lacey years ago. I think I have something else by him on the pile. I'll have to get back to some of my older books later this year, I hope!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your review on Ed Lacy; he deserves the attention. Stark House Press has just reissued this title: ISBN: 9781944520465. They do a very nice job with their Black Gat series reprints, resurrecting many undeservedly forgotten writers and works. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteI agree, Bill. Lacy deserves to be read. And the folks at Stark House are doing good work. Thanks for stopping by and checking out the post.
DeleteMy pleasure. If you are interested in Lacy's life and his writing as Leonard Zinberg, I recommend Trinity of Passion: The Literary Left and the Antifascist Crusade by Alan W. Wald
DeleteUniversity of North Carolina Press, 2007 (pb in 2104). The first 100 pages or so covers Lacy/Zinberg. The book also has a section on Chester Himes. I got my copy via Interlibrary Loan.