Chapter 1. A Nose for Danger
Chapter 2. Chasing Down the Mischief
Chapter 3. The Guys onna Street and Others
Chapter 4. Post-Hardboiled
Chapter 5. Some Words onna Street
Chapter 6. The Street Talks Back
Chapter 7. With Friends Like These
Chapter 8 Conclusion
Peter Wolfe is the Curators' Professor of English at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
With this excellent study of Higgins, Peter Wolfe sustains, in his
twentieth book, my judgment that he is the liveliest and wisest of
crime fiction critics. His style and intellect were at high energy
in his previous book on James Ellroy's shot-gun depiction of the
sordid mysteries of Los Angeles. Wolfe adjusts his colorful style
and delving intellect to do justice to Higgins' more controlled
artistry and his objective analysis of Boston crime. I have
followed Wolfe's work over four decades; I would follow him down
any mean street he chooses.
*David Madden, author of books and articles on Tough Guy Writers of
the Thirties, James M. Cain, Horace McCoy*
A new study by Peter Wolfe is always a cause for celebration, and
Havoc in the Hub: A Reading of George V. Higgins is no exception.
Perceptively written, critically astute, Wolfe's latest is an
engaging read that informs us as much about the dynamics of the
creative process as it does the importance of Higgins' work.
*The Journal of Popular Culture*
George V. Higgins, perhaps the contemporary American writer most
gifted at making the commonplace fascinating, is himself made
fascinating by the gifted and incisive Peter Wolfe. The synthesis
of the author, his world, and his work is explored here with a
precision and perception that hold the reader tight to the
page.
*John Lutz, Shamus Award and Edgar Award-winning author of more
than 30 novels and 200 short stories, includingSingle White Female
and his l*
George V. Higgins changed the face of American crime fiction, and
his first published novel, The Friends of Eddie Coyle, is one of
the genre's enduring masterpieces. His extensive body of work is
overdue for the thorough, sympathetic reading it receives from
Peter Wolfe, who in this book shows scholars, students, and fans
how to begin taking Higgins seriously as a teller of crime stories,
a chronicler of the city, and an American novelist.
*Carlo Rotella, author of October Cities: The Redevelopment of
Urban Literature and Director of American Studies at Boston
College*
Wolfe should get a medal for this sympathetic and perceptive
analysis of a most gifted writer.
*John le Carré, author ofThe Constant Gardener,The Tailor of
Panama, andThe Spy Who Came in from the Cold*
At last - a scholarly reading of George V. Higgins by Peter Wolfe,
who previously pioneered scholarship on Hammett, Chandler and
Macdonald. His knowledge of the genre and broader literary context
make this book a must for anyone interested in Higgins' characters,
plots, and themes.
*William Marling, Case Western Reserve University*
Wolfe's own writing is lucid and enjoyable, and he offers here a
clear-eyed evaluation of a writer whose place within crime fiction
is assured....Recommended.
*Choice Reviews*
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