Ethan Iverson, when he’s not playing the piano, is apt to be reading crime fiction—and writing eloquently and incisively about it. (His new survey of Rex Stout’s body of work is remarkable.) Here’s what he’s now posted:
“One of the new best novels I’ve read in years is Lawrence Block’s Dead Girl Blues. I wrote a five-star Amazon review:
“DEAD GIRL BLUES is a surprising late triumph: one of a kind, touched in equal parts with genius and sin. The author has been heading this way for a while — probably his whole life — but recent sensationalist tales like GETT
ING OFF (2011), THE GIRL WITH THE DEEP BLUE EYES (2015), RESUME SPEED (2016) and A TIME TO SCATTER STONES (2019) now seem like sketches for the real deal. Donald E. Westlake shared a lifelong friendship with Block. For me, the dark standalone THE AX is Westlake’s masterpiece; when the dust settles, I suspect I will give the same honor to DEAD GIRL BLUES. Not for the faint-hearted. If you have any trigger warnings around, put them on this book. Put ’em *all* on.”
And he adds (and I quite agree), “If you love the arts, don’t hesitate to leave thoughtful praise online when you can. As we all know, the “discourse” these days is heavily weighted towards politics, protest, and the endless amplification of bad news. Protest is valuable, but life is more than protest. Again: If you love the arts, don’t hesitate to leave thoughtful praise online when you can. It does make a difference.”
Can you provide a reference to Ethan Iverson’s work on Nero Wolfe? I googled him, and his criticism, especially of Westlake, was excellent. But I couldn’t find the work on Rex Stout. Iverson is a real polymath. Thanks for introducing him!
Ethan notes: “The crime fiction material is under this heading https://ethaniverson.com/newgate-callendar/ LB got an early look at the Rex Stout overview, I will be posting it publicly next week.”