Okay, boys and girls, time for my promised commentary about some of my favorite thriller/crime writers and their recurring characters. Recurring main characters are very tricky, especially if the books featuring them become commercially successful. On the one hand, you can really develop a rich character given the luxury of plotting their development over the course of several books. On the other hand, you run the double edged sword of losing your audience's affection if you change the character too much, versus losing your audience by allowing the character to remain too static. These are challenges really good writers find ways to deal with. Three characters that are genre legends, and happen to be three of my favorites for differing reasons are: Jack Reacher,creation of Lee Childs, and featured, as of this writing, in twenty novels, Harry Bosch, creation of Michael Connelly, featured, as of this writing, in twenty-one novels. and Matthew Scudder, creation of Lawrence Block, featured, as of this writing, in seventeen novels (though only three since 1998).
Let's start with a look at Jack (no middle name) Reacher. Most of the characters in his universe just call him Reacher, and he is the most iconic and legendary within the world of his own novels. He is a former Major, an Army cop, who after retiring from the Army chooses to live life off the grid as a sort of wandering hobo. He carries only a toothbrush, passport, and in a nod to modern civilization, a debit card. When his clothes get too dirty or smelly, he just buys a new outfit and throws the old ones away. Of course, he is brilliant when it comes to deduction and the art of observation. He has a head for numbers. Additionally, he is a huge man, possessed of great physical strength who also happens to be a military championship level marksman. The trick that Mr. Childs has pulled off, deftly for the most part, is to make Reacher so extreme, the reader can't wait for his next feat of physical prowess or mental acuity. The author has to ride the fine line between fantastic and ridiculous, possible and unbelievable. Mr. Childs has written on Reacher prolifically, averaging about one book a year for twenty years. Some of the books have been very plot driven suspenseful nail biters, usually featuring Reacher taking on some conspiracy plot and coming out on top against all odds. Some of the books have been more character driven, involving his family relationships. or his involvement with a woman. Unfortunately, Mr. Childs is a good writer but not a truly great one, and his best books were the earlier ones in the series. The last few, Never Go Back, A Wanted Man, Personal, were particularly formulaic. This reader gets the feeling that the last few were paying the bills. And heck, we all gotta' eat, but I don't have to spend my valuable time reading it. I have not read the most recent Reacher novel, Make Me, and I'm in no hurry. Contrast that to early in the series, when I waited anxiously for my next dose of Reacher.I would heartily recommend "The Killing Floor", "Tripwire" (which features the best villain of the entire series), "Persuader" (the best beginning of any of the books), "One Shot" (the basis for the Jack Reacher movie), and "The Affair" (perhaps my favorite).
Heironymous Bosch, better known as Harry, is an LA police detective, who works homicide in the first two thirds of the novels, and cold cases in the most recent third. Harry's mom was murdered when he was a child, and he was an orphan, product of the social services system, and his character is fueled by issues of resentment, identity, and the fight for the underdog. He was a tunnel rat in the Vietnam War before becoming a detective. Unlike Reacher, you have a "real" person here. The Bosch novels take place in a very real Los Angeles and the plots are typical police procedurals. What the author, Michael Connelly has done, is created a very nuanced character that the reader cares about at least long enough to find out how the book ends. Mr. Connelly has, unfortunately, put his character through more than his share of melodrama featuring the kidnapping of his daughter and murder of his ex-wife. All in all though, we root for Harry without conditions. How can you dislike a guy whose motto is "someone has to speak for the victim"? My recommendations for Bosch are: "The Black Echo", "The Concrete Blonde", "The Last Coyote", and "The Narrows". Though most any of the Bosch novels will give you your money's worth.
Matthew Scudder, has the luxury of coming from the mind of Lawrence Block, the best writer of these three. Scudder killed a young girl, an innocent bystander, in the pursuit of a bad guy, and this brought on his retirement from the NYC police force and a descent into alcoholism. He makes ends meat by taking jobs, sort of a private eye, but more of a fixer, as people are referred to him by his street pals, old friends on the force, etcetera. He is a normal guy, no superpowers, he's not a great fighter or a great shot, but he is resourceful and cunning. It's is both entertaining and agonizing to watch the potent cocktail of alcohol and guilt from which he emerges in the early books to bring someone justice or make something right. As the series progresses, he sobers up, and that has its own challenges. Mr. Block, being a brilliant writer (write to please yourself, he says, so he isn't worried about what his audience thinks) supports Scudder with great characters, both "bad" guys and friends. His best friend, Mick, is a Hell's Kitchen thug, who owns a bar, and his weapon of choice is a meat cleaver (says it all). His girl-friend is an ex-hooker (yeah Block is great, but this character borders on cliché) with the proverbial heart of gold. Mr. Block also makes so much of the New York City backdrop that the city almost functions like a character in the stories. In one of many notable moments in the series, after a night of brutality that results in the rescue of an innocent and the death of two horrible human beings, Mick and Scudder get back to Mick's bar at dawn. Without a word, Mick goes and puts on his butcher's apron, and he and Scudder walk a few blocks to the early morning "butcher's mass" at Trinity Church. The poignancy and irony of the moment is not lost on the reader. As I've said in a previous post about John Irving, Mr. Block writes entire paragraphs I wish I could write on my best day. The level of writing is seriously good here. All the Scudder novels are worth reading, but I think Mr. Block was at the height of his powers in the early 90's when he wrote "A Ticket to the Boneyard", "A Dance at the Slaughterhouse", and "A Walk Among the Tombstones" back to back to back.
Next time, we're going to cover a writer from another country, just haven't chosen between two, so maybe you get both. In the meantime, read well and prosper.
Let's start with a look at Jack (no middle name) Reacher. Most of the characters in his universe just call him Reacher, and he is the most iconic and legendary within the world of his own novels. He is a former Major, an Army cop, who after retiring from the Army chooses to live life off the grid as a sort of wandering hobo. He carries only a toothbrush, passport, and in a nod to modern civilization, a debit card. When his clothes get too dirty or smelly, he just buys a new outfit and throws the old ones away. Of course, he is brilliant when it comes to deduction and the art of observation. He has a head for numbers. Additionally, he is a huge man, possessed of great physical strength who also happens to be a military championship level marksman. The trick that Mr. Childs has pulled off, deftly for the most part, is to make Reacher so extreme, the reader can't wait for his next feat of physical prowess or mental acuity. The author has to ride the fine line between fantastic and ridiculous, possible and unbelievable. Mr. Childs has written on Reacher prolifically, averaging about one book a year for twenty years. Some of the books have been very plot driven suspenseful nail biters, usually featuring Reacher taking on some conspiracy plot and coming out on top against all odds. Some of the books have been more character driven, involving his family relationships. or his involvement with a woman. Unfortunately, Mr. Childs is a good writer but not a truly great one, and his best books were the earlier ones in the series. The last few, Never Go Back, A Wanted Man, Personal, were particularly formulaic. This reader gets the feeling that the last few were paying the bills. And heck, we all gotta' eat, but I don't have to spend my valuable time reading it. I have not read the most recent Reacher novel, Make Me, and I'm in no hurry. Contrast that to early in the series, when I waited anxiously for my next dose of Reacher.I would heartily recommend "The Killing Floor", "Tripwire" (which features the best villain of the entire series), "Persuader" (the best beginning of any of the books), "One Shot" (the basis for the Jack Reacher movie), and "The Affair" (perhaps my favorite).
Heironymous Bosch, better known as Harry, is an LA police detective, who works homicide in the first two thirds of the novels, and cold cases in the most recent third. Harry's mom was murdered when he was a child, and he was an orphan, product of the social services system, and his character is fueled by issues of resentment, identity, and the fight for the underdog. He was a tunnel rat in the Vietnam War before becoming a detective. Unlike Reacher, you have a "real" person here. The Bosch novels take place in a very real Los Angeles and the plots are typical police procedurals. What the author, Michael Connelly has done, is created a very nuanced character that the reader cares about at least long enough to find out how the book ends. Mr. Connelly has, unfortunately, put his character through more than his share of melodrama featuring the kidnapping of his daughter and murder of his ex-wife. All in all though, we root for Harry without conditions. How can you dislike a guy whose motto is "someone has to speak for the victim"? My recommendations for Bosch are: "The Black Echo", "The Concrete Blonde", "The Last Coyote", and "The Narrows". Though most any of the Bosch novels will give you your money's worth.
Matthew Scudder, has the luxury of coming from the mind of Lawrence Block, the best writer of these three. Scudder killed a young girl, an innocent bystander, in the pursuit of a bad guy, and this brought on his retirement from the NYC police force and a descent into alcoholism. He makes ends meat by taking jobs, sort of a private eye, but more of a fixer, as people are referred to him by his street pals, old friends on the force, etcetera. He is a normal guy, no superpowers, he's not a great fighter or a great shot, but he is resourceful and cunning. It's is both entertaining and agonizing to watch the potent cocktail of alcohol and guilt from which he emerges in the early books to bring someone justice or make something right. As the series progresses, he sobers up, and that has its own challenges. Mr. Block, being a brilliant writer (write to please yourself, he says, so he isn't worried about what his audience thinks) supports Scudder with great characters, both "bad" guys and friends. His best friend, Mick, is a Hell's Kitchen thug, who owns a bar, and his weapon of choice is a meat cleaver (says it all). His girl-friend is an ex-hooker (yeah Block is great, but this character borders on cliché) with the proverbial heart of gold. Mr. Block also makes so much of the New York City backdrop that the city almost functions like a character in the stories. In one of many notable moments in the series, after a night of brutality that results in the rescue of an innocent and the death of two horrible human beings, Mick and Scudder get back to Mick's bar at dawn. Without a word, Mick goes and puts on his butcher's apron, and he and Scudder walk a few blocks to the early morning "butcher's mass" at Trinity Church. The poignancy and irony of the moment is not lost on the reader. As I've said in a previous post about John Irving, Mr. Block writes entire paragraphs I wish I could write on my best day. The level of writing is seriously good here. All the Scudder novels are worth reading, but I think Mr. Block was at the height of his powers in the early 90's when he wrote "A Ticket to the Boneyard", "A Dance at the Slaughterhouse", and "A Walk Among the Tombstones" back to back to back.
Next time, we're going to cover a writer from another country, just haven't chosen between two, so maybe you get both. In the meantime, read well and prosper.
