First of all, and before I say anything else, I want to make it clear that I understand that any list Entertainment Weekly chooses to compile probably has even less value than I am according it with just this small mention.
Even so, it’s of interest to see which crime-fiction selections made the cut to be included in the magazine’s rundown of “New Classics: The 100 best reads from 1983 to 2008.” And, honestly? Considering the large percentage of readership crime-fiction commands, the inclusion rate in EW is not terribly good.
It won’t surprise anyone who has read the book that Dennis Lehane’s wonderful Mystic River comes in at a very respectable #6. Don DeLillo’s 1997 Underworld shows up at #64, and Ruth Rendell’s A Sight for Sore Eyes from 1998 comes in at #76. And then, from the “you’re kidding” department, Scott Turow’s 1987 Presumed Innocent is at #92 and Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code at #96.
The complete list can be found here.
I was furious thaty it didn't include Lamb or A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore.
ReplyDeleteAny list like that includes crime fiction among the list is invalid without Pelecanos, Price, or Block.
And that's just three authors. I could name more.
Clockers by Price is #49
ReplyDeleteNothing by Don Winslow, Michael Connelly or George Pelacanos and yet they include the DaVinci Code?Yes it sold a ton but I found it unreadable. Dan Brown cannot write dialogue any better than Tom Clancy. His writing just makes me wince.
ReplyDeleteYes, Power of the Dog by Winslow needed to be on there.
ReplyDelete