Two of my good friends — Max Allan Collins and Zoe Sharp — got rave reviews for their new books in the Chicago Tribune today. Critic Paul Goat Allen called Zoe's new book THIRD STRIKE "one of the very best crime fiction sagas out there" and praised Max's THE FIRST QUARRY as " a neo-pulp noir classic." Congratulations to you both!
I recently read Max Allan Collins’ novelization of “The X-Files: I Want to Believe” and to me, there’s no way he could be blamed for that, considering the poor source material. Had Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz made an X-Files film worthy enough after a six-year absence, there would have been material to really bite into.
I’ve been getting more into Collins’ books lately, particularly after I found two copies available in the Los Angeles County library system of the novelization of “Dick Tracy” by him, which I had in my collection as a kid. Plus, his “Titanic Murders” is the first book I’ve put on hold in a long time without looking into it on Amazon. The Titanic aspect is enough for me and so is Collins.
It’s nice to see these good reviews. I’d like to say, “Merry Christmas,” to you, Lee, and your family, and everybody on the blog — may 2009 by our break-through year!