The Writer's Life 10/30 - Blowback

Here’s another author I’m embarrassed to say I’d never heard of, especially since his name seems to be Italian, although I was unable to find anything definitive on his ethnic origin. Bill Pronzini is one of the most prolific writers going. Born in California in 1943, he has 35 stand alone novels in print, 44 in his “Nameless” detective series, six in another, 11 under pseudonyms, 19 short story collections, and four works of non-fiction -- and he‘s still at it. He has won many awards, including the prestigious Edgar Grand Master. I just finished Blowback, published in 1977, the fourth installment of the “Nameless” series. The prose and dialogue are first rate, and the story is interesting, not nearly as complicated as the Phillip Marlowe sagas by the great Raymond Chandler. What separates the better mystery novels from the rest is existential angst, and Blowback has it. On the verge of his 50th birthday, “Nameless” has been told he has a growth in a lung. “Benign or malignant?” he wonders throughout the narrative. And he has thoughts such as: “…when you come face to face with your own mortality your beliefs no longer seem so simple and strong and certain.” And: “…Spade and Dalmas (character of Chandler's) and the rest of them are immortal. They’ll go on for centuries shooting hoods and laying blondes and breaking laws with impunity--and was that, Jesus, was that what I had been after all along?” The work is grounded in reality. The PI cooperates with the police, does not antagonize them. Blowback is a satisfying read despite being only 148 pages. The title refers to what happens when the barrel of a rifle is clogged with debris. My only quibble is that the femme fatale is not quite developed enough. Then again, the novel’s aim is realism, not a Hollywood version of it. On a scale of five, I rate Blowback four.

The killjoys are at it again. On the heels of a study that bacon kills comes a report from the Department of Energy that accuses Halloween celebrants of contributing to global warming. Each year Americans buy and discard 1.3 billion pounds of pumpkins. As they rot in landfills, they release greenhouse gases. Jimmy Crack candy corn and I don’t care.

I watched a video of Adele’s new single, Hello. What a singer. Here’s a link. There’s a brief ad before it begins. It runs six minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQHsXMglC9A

My thanks to the kind folks who bought and donated wares today, especially Professor Barry Spunt, author of Heroin and Music in New York City, who bought Rising Star, which has both elements of his book.

Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh

Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3

Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tinyurl.com/l84h63j

Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp

Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

Vic's Blog: http://vicfortezza.blogspot.com/

Vic's Web Site: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/