Ugh, I really have to pull 250 words out of thin air for this one? Okay. Here goes nothing… The most recent season of Bojack Horseman, centers around the titular character starring in a tv show called Philbert. Philbert is a hilarious skewering of male-centered nihilistic mystery dramas that most clearly mocks True Detective. Now I liked season 1 of True Detective but it’s impossible to deny how cloying the presentation is of steely eyed men trying to right wrongs in the hellish underbelly of postmodern America. Reading Night Train made me feel like I […]
Murderous Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous
Ross Macdonald’s Lew Archer series is my personal favorite mystery series. The mysteries themselves are often dense and layered, yet Macdonald’s Archer is able to empathize with his prey, helping to develop a fully formed story beyond just cops-and-killers. After the earliest books, Macdonald would eschew the tough talking Chandler-esque dynamic in his character in favor of one who is aware of his masculinity and mournful enough of the world’s social ills. Despite often writing about the lives of wealthy and powerful people who do […]
…but you can’t pick your family.
My favorite mystery writer of all-time is Kenneth Millar, better known by his pen name “Ross Macdonald.” Macdonald’s Lew Archer series would get my vote for best detective series written in the United States. The mysteries are dense and multilayered but it’s not just that. Millar had a great way of getting into his character’s psyches and making them three dimensional. There are always stakes in an Archer book and the stakes feel real to the reader. Archer is less of a character in those […]
You’re Such A Boy
My mother raised two boys. She loves spending time with my son, her grandson, who has a tendency to bouncing-off-the-walls physical craziness in the manner of many toddlers. When he does something along those lines, my mother, who would know, is fond of saying “You’re such a boy.” I read mostly male authors but I have done better in recent years. I’ve tried really hard to get away from tough-talking PIs who put women in their place and screw them when the case is solved. […]