Rating: 
Summary: Hardcase
Review:
Rating: 
Summary: If You Like To Read Comic Books, You'll Like This Book!
Review: According to author Simmons, readers are supposed to like to read about a "hero" who committed a revenge killing, served eleven years, and now comes out of jail to be an unlicensed "investigator" who knocks bad guys out with a sap, breaks legs, and kills without thought or remorse. It's okay, though...these bad guys are all trying to kill him! He is such a "nothing" character that I almost wanted to do him in, myself. If you like mindless action, gun-talk, might-makes-right, and a little sex thrown in, this is your tome! Beats me how anyone reads this author...but some people eat chocolate-covered grasshoppers too.
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Summary: Hardcase? Now there's a supreme understatement....
Review: After reading the reviews from many of Dan Simmons' ardent fans, I'm convinced that I stumbled in the right direction when HARDCASE became my first Simmons read. That's not to say that I won't peruse his offerings in the other genres however, it seems that HARDCASE is a really nice intro for an author new to me. As a precursor to the book, Simmons' dedication reads: "This is for Richard Stark, who sometimes writes under the wussy pseudonym of Donald Westlake." Well, that'll nab one's interest. Simmons takes a lash at Westlake (who conversely writes under the pseudonym of Stark) right off the bat. However, it is obvious that Simmons' statement is tongue-in-cheek. Regardless, the dedication defines the book's impending aura of "in your face" entertainment. As the book opens, we meet Joe Kurtz, a hardboiled Mike Hammer-type private investigator. Kurtz is tracking the second of two men who killed his partner...well, not tracking, stalking is a better word. By the end of the intro chapter, Kurtz has all but mangled Eddie Falco when he decides the coup de gras is to throw Falco out of his sixth-story apartment window. Without much ado, Kurtz heads to Attica for an extended stay at the state-run luxury resort. While in Attica, Kurtz meets Steven "Little Skag" Farino, the son of aging Buffalo, New York, mob boss Don Byron Farino. As a "reward" for protecting Little Skag's manly pride from unwanted jailhouse affection, Kurtz gets an audience with Don Farino upon his release from prison. Don Farino, now crippled from a would-be assassin's bullet, is still clinging to a denigrated level of authority and power he used to hold as the feared boss of one of New York's elite organized crime families. Kurtz makes a deal with the Don to locate the Family's missing accountant. Without too much detail, it is obvious that the accountant knows way too much to be "missing." Don Farino's attorney, Leonard Miles, is introduced to the reader and immediately stakes his position as consigliere while ruffling Kurtz's feathers. Kurtz, in form to be consistent throughout, lashes back at Miles with dripping sacrcasm and challenging lines. It is apparent from this exchange with Don Farino, his consigliere, and all the bodyguards present that Joe Kurtz takes no issue with stating his current frame of mind regardless the potential consequences. With the storyline framed, Simmons leads the reader down a path fully expected of a hardboiled PI like Kurtz. While Simmons takes the reader on a violent tour of the Buffalo underworld, the action and noir detail keeps the storyline fresh and taut. But, one of the chief assets of this Simmons' offering is his character development, and what characters they are. As a short list there's Malcolm Kimbunte, a sadistic killer-for hire; Cutter, Kimbunte's psychopathic sidekick; Doo-Rag, a gangbanger and Kimbunte's lackey; the Alabama Beagle Boys, brothers from an Aryan Nation organization; Sophia Farino, Don Farino's sultry, hot daughter; Pruno, a homeless junkie informant who used to be a Princeton professor; the Dane, a faceless hitman with a ubiquitious reputation; and a dwarf named Manny Levine, hell-bent on avenging his brother's death at the hands of Kurtz. There are just a few of the snapshot characterizations within this relatively short thriller. This is hardboiled noir at its best. The only downside is a less than perfect ending. Simmons was somewhat cathartic in his need to exhaust the storyline, which, in my opinion, detracted from the climax found in the second to last chapter. This is the only reason this book is sitting with four, instead of five stars. If you're looking for the hardboiled noir genre, you've found it here. Simmons' Kurtz makes Spillane's Hammer look wimpy. This was a fun, fast and action-packed read. Recommended to anyone enjoying hardboiled noir.
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Summary: Hardcase
Review: An open letter to Mr. Dan Simmons.
Dear Mr. Simmons: Please stick to horror novels and leave the PI stories to writers who understand the genre. Your novel Summer of Night is one of my favorites. But Hardcase has more holes than a 20 year old bucket. Why would anybody give an ex-con like Kurtz the time of day, much less quit their old job, give him a millon dollars etc.... And do not forget that in the first of the book Kurtz was looking for a missing accountant. After the accountant's wife is killed you never hear about him anymore.
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Summary: Whatever happened to Dan Simmons?
Review: Ask me a year ago and I would have put Dan Simmons up there with Stephen King and Orson Scott Card, not just in terms of quality, but in terms of his ability to write successfully in every genre. His thriller "The Crook Factory" was as good as it gets.
Then came two clunkers in a row, "Darwins Blade" and now "Hardcase." Both suffer from the same shallow chaterierisation and lackluster plots. Hardcase's tale of an ex-cop/con working for a crimeboss lacked both the color and complexity we've come to expect from Simmons. Regrettably, Mr. Simmons seems to be writing in the hopes of selling to Hollywood. The book reads like a lame star-driven action piece.
Come back Mr. Simmons. You're the best when you let yourself be.
Rating: 
Summary: I love this book
Review: Call it Noir, call it hard-boiled, call it what you want this book is good.
I haven't found may characters in fiction quite like Kurtz. He's as mean and tough as they come. The only other character that comes to mind is Richard Stark's Parker.
If you want a fast action packed read, this is the book for you.
Rating: 
Summary: Unremittingly dark
Review: Dan Simmons has made a name for himself as a writer of very cerebral science fiction and horror novels. Lately however, he seems to have taken to reinventing himself as a mainstream genre novelist (if there is such a thing) and to this end he has written a superb novel of World War II espionage (The Crook Factory), a mediocre urban legend novel (Darwin's Blade) and now with Hardcase, a hard boiled gangster novel. Joe Kurtz murders the drug dealer who killed his girl friend. It's a revenge killing and Joe makes sure that he gets every ounce of revenge going. The murder is brutal, excruciatingly painful and bloody and, for Joe, enormously satisfying. He gets eleven years in Attica jail, but they pass in the turning of a page. When Joe gets out, he uses the contacts he made inside to wangle a job with a Mafia big boss. The boss wants Joe to track down one of his comrades who has vanished with a lot of the Mafia funds. It seems straight forward, but there are wheels within wheels, loyalties within loyalties and Joe is soon up to his neck in ultra-violence. Everyone wants him dead. The tension never lets up and the violence never ends. Blood drips off the page, agony screams from every chapter heading, mangled bodies litter the paragraphs. The carnage never stops. It's a dark, dismal novel and I felt slightly dirty when I'd finished it.
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Summary: Fun, Fun and more Fun!
Review: Dan Simmons is one of the most versitile authors out there. He works in every genre and everything he writes is amazing and brilliant. Summer Of Night is one of the best horror novels ever written and the Hyperion series is just breathtaking. Now, Simmons is trying his hands at the criminal, pot-boiler ficiton, and he succeeds at it amazingly well. Hardcase is a quick, fast read about mistaken identities and coincidences. It reminded me of the early works of Elmore Leonard. The book is as brilliant as Leonard's best. It is fast paced, violent and extremely funny. I never thought Simmons could be so sarcastically comic! All in all, Hardcase is a welcomed departure from a writer who is underrated and who deserves much more praise and fame than he is getting. Don't let this one pass you by! It's a guaranteed fun read, especially now that the beaches are open and reading out in the sun seems to be on everyone's mind. (Note to Hollywood: this one would make a GREAT movie!)
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Summary: A FANTASTIC ENTRY INTO THE "MYSTERY" GENRE!!!
Review: Dan Simmons was originally planning to publish HARDCASE under a pseudonym. Why? I'm not sure, other than the fact that he pays homage to the "Parker" novels, which were written by Richard Stark (a.k.a. Donald Westlake), at the beginning of his book and that maybe he wanted to, at first, emulate the path Westlake took as a writer. Whatever the reason, I'm extremely happy that Mr. Simmons decided to go ahead and have this exceptional entry into the "mystery" genre published under his own name. Otherwise, I probably would've missed it. HARDCASE is a story that deals with ex-P.I. Joe Kurtz, a man who's hard as nails and can kill when the need arises, yet still has his own code of honor. When Kurtz's female partner is raped and murdered by Sammy Levine and Eddie Falco, he quickly extracts revenge on the two men and spends eleven years in Attica for it. While in jail, Kurtz helps out and protects Steve Farino, the son of Buffalo, New York's mob boss, Don Byron Farino. This leads to a job with the Farino Family when Kurtz is finally paroled. Kurtz offers his help to the Don in finding out who's trying to secretly take over the Family business of drugs trafficking and truck hijackings. There are a number of people, however, who'd rather not have Kurtz sticking his nose in places it doesn't belong. Killers (Malcolm Kibunte and Cutter, DooRag and his posse of gangbangers, the Alabama Beagle Boys, and an assassin known only as the Dane) are hired to take out Kurtz before anything incriminating can be uncovered. If that wasn't enough, there's also Manny Levine (a dwarf who carries a .44 Magnum revolver and looks like a mean version of Danny DeVito), who's seeking revenge for the death of his brother, Sammy. Kurtz is going to find out that staying alive on the outside is a lot harder than when he was in jail. HARDCASE literally hooked me in the first six pages and kept me riveted to the couch, until the book was finally finished a few hours later. I knew I liked the character of Joe Kurtz the moment he threw Eddie Falco out of a six-story apartment window as police cars were pulling up to the curb down below, then turned around, opened the door to the apartment, and waited patiently on his knees with his fingers laced behind his head for the cops to come in. Few novels are able to grab a reader that fast and not let go! Kurtz proves to be not only smart and tough, but also loyal to the people close to him. There's his street-wise secretary, Arlene, and a homeless man named Pruno, who was once a college professor and speaks Latin, plus Doc, who's a night security guard in a vacant factory and has an arsenal of high-quality handguns for sell. Then, there's Rachel, the twelve-year-old daughter of his late partner, Samantha, and though it's never stated or actually implied, I think Joe is the young girl's actual father. Mr. Simmons (an author who has continuously proven his talent with such diverse novels as CARRION COMFORT, SUMMER OF NIGHT, SONG OF KALI, CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT, THE CROOK FACTORY, and DARWIN'S BLADE) has written a book of such excellence that it deserves to win an Edgar or Shamus Award for the best "Mystery" novel of 2001. His writing is that of a seasoned pro, his multitude of characters are sharply drawn and never boring, and the story line keeps the reader, not only guessing right up till the final page, but rushing to get there. I hope that HARDCASE is only the first in a long line of "Joe Kurtz" novels to follow. This could easily be a series that would enlarge Mr. Simmons's fan base, plus hopefully put him on the bestseller lists where he truly belongs.
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Summary: Ever Heard of Dan Simmons?
Review: Ever heard of Dan Simmons? Simmons' first published story, "The River Styx Runs Upstream," won the Rod Serling Memorial Award. His first novel, Song of Kali, won the World Fantasy Award. His first horror novel, Carrion Comfort, won the Bram Stoker Award. His first science fiction novel, Hyperion, won the Hugo Award. Even with all the awards, I was only vaguely familar with his work. I don't read fantasy, and very little science fiction or horror. I do love a hardboiled thriller though! You know, the kind written by Vachss, or Izzi, Hunter, or Stark... or Simmons. That's right! With one book, Simmons has jumped to the top of the list! Joe Kurtz was a PI... before he was an ex-con. See he killed a man, a couple of men actually. They'd murdered his girl and unborn child. While it's pretty reasonable to me that he threw one of 'em off a six story building, the jury didn't see it that way. Now, out of prison after eleven-and-a-half years...
...you'd think things would be looking up for Kurtz. You'd be wrong. Too many people want him dead... Hardcase is the best novel that I've read this year [tied with Jack Kelly's Line of Sight]. Ever heard of Dan Simmons? My prediction is that you will. But remember that you FIRST heard about him here!
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