Some genres see so many books published that the only way a book collector of modest means can possibly hope to tackle the genre is to focus on only one or two of the genre's authors, or on one of the genre's many sub-genres. A case in point is the mystery.
Among the many sub-genres of the mystery are hard-boiled detective fiction, bibliomysteries, Tart Noir and police procedurals. These sub-genres often overlap -- e.g., Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep is both a bibliomystery and hard-boiled detective fiction.
One of the most collectible of the mystery's many sub-genres is the caper. In this mystery sub-genre,
the plot centers on the planning and eventual execution of a single daring crime, escape, race, etc., such as the robbery of a bank vault or museum collection so well protected that the operation requires meticulous organization and perfect timing, usually undertaken by two buddies or a gang whose diverse skills are essential, although their interpersonal relations may be less than cordial. Suspense centers on whether and how the plan will succeed, what happens to the plunder, and whether the perpetrators are caught....
Some of the bestselling mysteries of all time are found in this sub-genre, as are some of its bestselling authors:
Donald Westlake penned capers for over four decades. One of this sub-genre's most prolific authors, the three-time Edgar Award winner penned some 90+ titles. He wrote many of them using a pseudonym. If you've picked up a title by Richard Stark, Tucker Coe, Samuel Holt or Edwin West (among many others), you've likely encountered Westlake's work. Westlake used several of his numerous pseudonyms to write softcore porn (hey...it paid the bills!), and these titles (PBOs all) are among the most expensive of all his works to collect in Fine condition:
Hollywood loved Westlake. Fifteen of Westlake's books were turned into films, and his screenplay of Jim Thompson's pulp novel The Grifters was nominated for an Academy Award in 1990. His most enduring character probably is John Dortmunder, a criminal whose capers never turn out exactly the way they are supposed to:
At the opposite extreme are the caper novels that Westlake penned under his Richard Stark pseudonym, featuring the brutal thief, Parker. Several of these have been adapted for more graphic media:
Most authors in the caper sub-genre are not nearly as well known as Westlake. One of the better such authors, now known only to hardcore fans of the caper, was Lionel White:
Several of White's almost three dozen books (most of which were PBOs) were made into movies, and White's many caper novels were one of Quentin Tarantino's acknowledged inspirations for the movie Reservoir Dogs.
One of the most interesting descriptions this writer has ever encountered of White's capers was one penned a couple of years ago by August West for his blog Vintage Hardboiled Reads:
White's stories [are] like smashing two beer bottles against the wall. One bottle being the people stuck in a situation they want out of and the other bottle being the evil guys keeping them in that situation. The reader finds them mixed together dripping to the floor....
Even writers who do not specialize in capers often are drawn to pen one or two during the course of their writing careers. For example: Jack Finney, best known as a writer of science fiction (his novels The Body Snatchers and Time and Again were the basis for popular movies), also wrote 5 Against the House, a caper novel upon which is based the movie of the same name (as well as the movie Ocean's 11). Eric Ambler, best known for his many fine spy novels, also penned The Light of Day, a caper novel better known from its film adaptation as Topkapi:
Even Mark Twain was not above an occasional caper, as can be seen in Huckleberry Finn when Tom Sawyer plots to steal Jim and set him free. So get thee to a bookstore....
Recent Comments