Great summer read

[germdoc]

I am finishing up a book I got on a whim while in the bookstore looking for another book. It's "Deadwood", by Pete Dexter (published 1989). It's obviously based on the real SD town where Wild Bill Hickok met his fate, and virtually all the characters are historical figures. The TV series "Deadwood" was not adapted from this book, though they share a lot of characters. My reading indicates that the book is much closer to real life than the TV series. Certain characters, such as Wild Bill and Calamity Jane, are portrayed much the same way in the book as on TV.

The language is marvelous. This guy Pete Dexter is another Hemingway--concise, to the point, and very funny. He wrote another well-regarded book, "Paris Trout", that is next on my list to read. He captures the grit and sense of adventure present in the "Old West" better than anyone I've ever read.

Other than maybe another book in the Flashman series, I can't think of a better way to spent reading time in the summer.

Anybody else have a suggestion?

[docrowan]

I've become somewhat addicted to Raymond Chandler and his Philip Marlowe series. His prose crosses over (in my opinion) from being a plain old hard-boiled detective story to literature. They were written and are set in the late 30's to early 50's, but his characters are still vivid to me.

[stormdog74]

Dexter is a great writer. I've read Paris Trout and it is an excellent book.

He also used to write a column that was published in the Sacramento Bee; he was always to the point and he was one of the few columnists worth reading, unlike so many today where you need only read the topic and know what they are going to say.

[germdoc]

Dexter is a great writer. I've read Paris Trout and it is an excellent book.

He also used to write a column that was published in the Sacramento Bee; he was always to the point and he was one of the few columnists worth reading, unlike so many today where you need only read the topic and know what they are going to say.

Apparently as a writer for the Philadelphia Enquirer he wrote an article in 1981 that so enraged readers to the point that a drunken mob beat him up and caused serious damage. He thereafter switched from journalism to fiction writing. (Guess the pen is not always mightier than the sword...)

[stormdog74]

Apparently as a writer for the Philadelphia Enquirer he wrote an article in 1981 that so enraged readers to the point that a drunken mob beat him up and caused serious damage. He thereafter switched from journalism to fiction writing. (Guess the pen is not always mightier than the sword...)

Interesting - I had never heard that. Apparently he got over it, or figured it was safer to write out here, but he was writing columns in Sacramento in the 90s, although he eventually moved to the northwest and wrote his columns from there. I guess you can upset people in another state and stay safe!