Doesn't have the charm and wit of an Elmore Leonard novel. Closer to a Mickey Spillane hardboiled, no-nonsense noir but doesn't have quite the edge to it. Feels like someone writing a homage (and is?), which is fine, except if you come to this after the Hyperion saga or even more recent hits like The Terror you'll be scratching your head wondering where the magic went. ( )

En su búsqueda del desaparecido contable de los Farino, una familia de la mafia, Kurtz se mezcla con la gente equivocada, aunque por buenas razones. Solo cuarenta y ocho horas después de salir de la cárcel, ya tiene a dos asesinos de poca monta sorprendentemente eficaces siguiendo su rastro, a una preciosa pero indomable mujer en su cama, a un legendario asesino a sueldo llegado desde Dinamarca pisándole los talones, y los restos de su tormentoso pasado desmoronándose a su alrededor. En su travesía por las sombras de ese caótico submundo, Kurtz se topa con mercenarios, tarados, traidores y psicópatas. El desenlace será lo más devastador de todo.

I would enjoy Simmon's books more if his writing weren't so sexist. For example, why comment on the size of a woman character's breasts? To be fair, he should describe a male character according to the size of his penis. I wonder if this Joe Kurtz is what Simmons wishes he could be, I.e. someone who, when he gets out of prison for 12 years, can have sex for several hours without coming to an orgasm. Yea, right. ( )

This entire book is a cliche, but that doesn't stop it being entertaining from the first to the last page. The protagonist (he's not really a hero when one takes an objective view, yet he gains the reader's sympathy very quickly) is not hard-boiled, he's grilled on the forge Sauron used to make the One Ring. I'm surprised there hasn't been a film adaptation, since the book has the tone and plot of a crime-revenge-thriller-action movie. Looked at another way, it's Dashiell Hammett for the current day.

It seems like Simmons can do anything; he's got SF, supernatural, crime and historical fiction to his name, that I'm aware of - I've read from his contributions to the first three genres and the only things I can find in common are that they are all well worth my time and they all have references to Important Books (say in voice-over man portentous tones). It's been suggested that the protagonist of Hardcase is called Kurtz simply so that Simmons could use a literary in-joke and I could believe it. There are also two addicted down-and-out former college professors who argue with each other by quoting writers in Latin, Greek, Sanskrit, even English! Kurtz, himself, has read quite a bit - reminiscent of Marlowe's chess games.

There are another two Kurtz novels and I would happily read them. ( )

Over the past 2 years, I’ve discovered that my favorite books to read are crime fiction. I fell for the genre when I picked up my first Charlie Parker novel and have never looked back – reading stuff by Stieg Larsson, Connolly, Koontz and Jeff Lindsay. With those authors, I have yet to even crack open the proverbial briefcase of crime fiction but hey, you got to start somewhere.

When perusing good reads one evening, I noticed a few reviews for the Dan Simmon’s series about hard boiled ex-PI, Joe Kurtz. In his debut novel, Kurtz is freshly released from prison following the murder of a no-good-nik (can I still use that phrase). It should be noted that Kurtz spent 11 of those hard years protecting both himself and the son of a prominent mob boss. Upon release, Kurtz is granted a meeting with said boss and finds himself in employment once again. This time, Kurtz is working for the mob in an effort to track down the family accountant who recently went missing.

This book was really fun. Unlike a lot of crime fiction I read, they delve into extensive back stories and character development. That’s not too say that Simmons writes simple one dimensional characters, it’s just that that’s not really his focus here. I don’t want to speak directory for the author but it reads like a Hollywood blockbuster. I mean, you’ve got the vengeful anti-hero, the conspicuous plot and an array of enemies that mirror your average big budget action film. You’ve even got the unstoppable monster who rarely speaks! C’mon! What else can you ask for?

The writing is pretty straightforward; there are a lot of one liners and violent action scenes but you can’t really find fault in that as it works really well. There’s one particular “fight” scene that had me laughing out loud. Anyone who literally kicks someone’s ass can always get a chuckle out of me.

I’m game for the next in the series and the only reason that this received anything less than 5 stars is just personal preference. While I did enjoy it, it’s not up there with the more intricately plotted novels and characters I’m used to. If I could give it 4 and a ½ stars, I would. Either way, it’s a sold outing in my book.
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