HARDCASE by Dan Simmons / Z-View
Publisher: Minotaur Books
First sentence…
Late on Tuesday afternoon, Joe Kurtz rapped on Eddie Falco’s apartment door.
Simmons’ first published story, “The River Styx Runs Upstream,” won the Rod Serling Memorial Award. His first novel, SONG OF KALI, won the World Fantasy Award. His first horror novel, CARRION COMFORT, won the Bram Stoker Award. His first science fiction novel, HYPERION, won the Hugo Award.
Even with all the awards, I was only vaguely familiar with his work. I don’t read fantasy, and very little science fiction or horror. I do love a hardboiled thriller though! You know, the kind written by Andrew Vachss, or Eugene Izzi, Stephen Hunter, or Richard Stark… or now, Dan Simmons. That’s right! With Hardcase, Simmons has jumped to the top shelf!
Joe Kurtz was a PI… before he was an ex-con. See he killed a man, a couple of men actually. They’d murdered his girl and unborn child. While it’s pretty reasonable to me that he threw one of ’em off a six story building, the jury didn’t see it that way.
Now, out of prison after eleven-and-a-half years…
…you’d think things would be looking up for Kurtz. You’d be wrong. Too many people want him dead…
Hardcase is the best novel that I’ve read this year [tied with Jack Kelly‘s Line of Sight]. For more about Hardcase, click here.
Hardcase rates 5 of 5 stars.
Rating:
Updated 5/8/23
