What Scott’s Reading

(Editor’s note: Scott M. is known in our parts for reading three, four, five books at once, and reading them in swift time. We’ve decided to mine that reading madness and post a sliver every week or so of exactly What Scott’s Reading.)

Tradition seems to be part of my Thanksgiving holiday reading, right along with dinner, pumpkin pie, and left overs. Right now the books in my bag are by some of my favorite authors who I’ve been reading for years.

 
Cogan’s Trade by George V Higgins

I wanted to read this again before the film version, Killing Them Softly, comes out November 30th. This book is powered by streams of knock-around dialogue that makes it one of the most human and funny stories about thugs and gangsters.

 

Target Lancer by Max Allan Collins

Collins’ historical mystery series with Chicago detective Nate Heller is probably what made me a private eye fan. If the title doesn’t give you a clue to what infamous crime he’s involved with, the early chapter where he meets an old acquaintance, Jake Rubenstien (now Jack Ruby) and his buddy, Lee, will.

 

Dancing Bear by James Crumley

Looking forward to our Hard Word book club discussion of this on the 28th. A Montana investigator is on the run after the couple he’s been hired to do surveillance on are murdered by a mysterious band of professionals. Full of humor and humanity on its own terms, this is a private eye novel only James Crumley could have written.