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Book Review of Gun in Cheek: An Affectionate Guide

Gun in Cheek: An Affectionate Guide
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âHe was dead, all right. He had been shot, poisoned, stabbed, and strangled.

Either somebody had really had it in for him or four people had killed him. Or else it was the cleverest suicide I'd ever heard of.â
From Take A Murder, Darling

Gun In Cheek is a treasure trove of such gems, a delightful exploration of what the author refers to as âalternative crime fiction.â Less kindly put, it is a unique crash course in the worst English and American crime fiction of the twentieth century.

Every category of mystery fiction is represented: the private eye, the stately home, the arch-villain, the gentleman sleuth, the amateur spy, and many others who have blossomed from the genre. Within these categories, in what can only be called a labor of love, Bill Pronzini discusses, digests, and shares the best of the worst â" add in a wonderfully comprehensive bibliography for advanced and dedicated devotees.

Gun I cheek is an amusing and pleasurable reading experience as well as an enlightening guide to hardboiled potboilers.

âShe was a lovely as a girl could be without bludgeoning your endocrines.â
From Killers Are My Meat