Rating: 
Summary: Warning: Craftsman at work
Review: Simmons will always be an author i respect. first, because he wrote the Hyperion series. and second, because after giving birth to such an amazing body of work, he packed up his bags, waved good-bye to his fans, and followed his whims and wants as he very well pleased.few authors today even attempt such a coup. even fewer can get away with it, and still get published. that said, i didn't enjoy Hardcase nearly as much as i wanted to. i was expecting a literary equivalent of the movie 'Payback' - which, in my opinion, is one of Mel Gibson's best roles, in his later years anyway. and for the most part, that is how Hardcase feels in the beginning. yet at some point in the story, everything starts to feel just a little _too_ contructed; Kurtz keeps one-upping the thugs and suits that are after him, and you begin to wonder just how foolish everyone else is as compared to him; and in the very end, there's so many twists and turns - you almost expect the theme from Mission Impossible to ring up, and everyone to rip of their faces and reveal their true selves! for the sake of brevity: you can taste Simmons' fine sense of craftsmanship behind this novel, and that alone puts it above and beyond many of its kindred. that very craftsmanship, however, starts to feel a bit too polished, as if in his attempt to fulfill the genre, Simmons overdid the construction of its basic elements. so the book gets 3 stars, while i still have 5 on hold for Simmons, cause i know that SOB will keep writing no matter what!
Rating: 
Summary: Simmons is possibly the most versatile writer of our times
Review: Simply put, Dan Simmons can write circles around just about anybody out there. As he's proven in the past, to both fans and critics, it's impossible to pigeon-hole him. Regardless of the genre, Simmons dives in head-first and produces a novels as good as any of the writers who work in just that genre. Books like the "Hyperion" saga and "Carrion Comfort" have cemented his reputation in the SF and horror circles, and with "Hardcase", he flashes his credentials as a writer of the hard-core detective novel. It's disheartening to see comments from fans of his SF/horror works who may see his recent efforts ("Crook Factory", "Darwin's Blade" and "Hardcase") as toss-offs, not worthy of his reputation. But for every disappointed SF/horror fan, I'm sure there's a mystery or pulp-fiction fan adding Simmons to their "must read" list. As much as I liked "Hardcase", and would definately read another Kurtz novel, (how 'bout a little cross-over action between Kurtz and Andrew Vachss's character, Burke? Talk about body counts!!), I hope that Simmons will keep up his chameleonic ways, and that his next book will be another surprise. And I have to agree, that of all his previous work, this one would probably make the best movie. Who knows, it could do for Simmons what "Jurrasic Park" did for Crichton. He'd been writing for decades in relative obscurity (outside his circle of loyal fans, anyway), but after JP the movie, book stores couldn't keep even his worst stuff on the shelves. (Has anyone else ever read "Eaters of the Dead" aka "The 13th Warrior"? Ugggh!) Simmons' "Hyperion/Endymion" books are problably my favorite SF novels, and I think "Carrion Comfort" is as good, if not better, than anything Stephen King has written, and the fairly obscure "Phases of Gravity" is a wonderful example of Simmons facility with straight fiction (how he can pack such an emotional punch just by having a charcter open his eyes is amazing, even after additional readings). Of his recent work in the various flavors of mystery/thriller, I'd say "Hardcase" is the best. They used to say about Sinatra that he could sing the phone book and make it entertaining. Well if Simmons _wrote_ the phone book, I'd be the first in line for a copy. Whether you're a fan of SF, horror, thrillers, myteries or straight fiction, if you're not reading Dan Simmons, I feel sorry for you. You're missing out on a truly amazing writer.
Rating: 
Summary: Hotter than an Extra Spicy Buffalo Wing
Review: Some authors like to ease you into a story. You know, introduce characters, set the scene, establish the tone... Dan Simmons is not one of those authors. The first eleven pages of this novel are probably the most action packed and violent introduction to a story I've ever read. I loved it. I read the first chapter in the store, and I ran right over to the register to buy it. And, remarkably, Simmons keeps this up for the entire book. This is the kind of story you'll race through and be out of breath when you finish. And I loved the Buffalo setting! After going to school there, it was great to read the loving descriptions of Chippewa St., Ted's Hot Dogs, and the mountains of snow. Fans of Richard Stark's Parker will enjoy Joe Kurtz very much.
Rating:
Summary: Joy, joy, joy
Review: The Iliad, Six Days of the Condor, the Prizi's, the blues, Heart of Darkness, biblical recipes, Latin arguments, Vaschs, Buffalo winters, self effacing humor- are but a few of the fun references to be encountered in this fast, tough, highly enjoyable homage to the hard boiled detective novel. This with a real "drawing room" scene. You gotta love it. Now if they just resist temptation and film it as written, maybe get Danny Devito too, it will make a great, nasty B movie. Run out, buy it, read it.
Rating:
Summary: Hard boiled egg salad
Review: There isn't much Dan Simmons hasn't done. He's written full blown horror novels, sci-fi sagas, short stories, mainstream thrillers and a few books that fall between the cracks. He effectively hops from genre to genre, expanding their limitations or, as he does in Hardcase, works well within their boundaries. He doesn't want to enlighten or impress us with his prose - he wants to grab us by the collar, put a knee to our groin and kick us down a flight of stairs. Hardcase is just Dan Simmons doodling between larger projects. As a matter of fact I'd be surprised if it took Simmons as much time to write this areodynamic novel as it takes to read it. Try to imagine a master chef at a 5 star restaurant making an egg salad sandwich on his day off. Hardcase is Dan Simmons egg salad recipe.
Rating:
Summary: Make my day
Review: This is a Mike Hammer type plot - the story leaves bodies strewn about the landscape as villains often get what they deserve. Joe Kurtz, former private investigator, has just been released after serving 11 years in prison at Attica for brutally murdering a man who raped and killed his girlfriend. He learned to use computers while in prison and is now setting up a legitimate investigative service. Joe met the son of a mafia don while he was in prison. Now the family has secretly hired him to find out what happened to their accountant, and who is hijacking their trucks. Joe finds himself confronting enemies, both known and unknown, including friends and families of people he had previously killed plus a police officer who would like to send him back to prison. There are double crosses and a triple cross. The novel has language, graphic sexual content, and a large amount of violence including shootings, stabbings, throwing people from heights, and setting one person on fire. Some cases of violence and injuries are overly descriptive. The story is R rated if not X rated.
Rating:
Summary: Make my day
Review: This is a Mike Hammer type plot - the story leaves bodies strewn about the landscape as villains often get what they deserve. Joe Kurtz, former private investigator, has just been released after serving 11 years in prison at Attica for brutally murdering a man who raped and killed his girlfriend. He learned to use computers while in prison and is now setting up a legitimate investigative service. Joe met the son of a mafia don while he was in prison. Now the family has secretly hired him to find out what happened to their accountant, and who is hijacking their trucks. Joe finds himself confronting enemies, both known and unknown, including friends and families of people he had previously killed plus a police officer who would like to send him back to prison. There are double crosses and a triple cross. The novel has language, graphic sexual content, and a large amount of violence including shootings, stabbings, throwing people from heights, and setting one person on fire. Some cases of violence and injuries are overly descriptive. The story is R rated if not X rated.
Rating:
Summary: Another great book from Dan Simmons!
Review: This is an excellent thriller by the master of all trades.
Rating:
Summary: Not Dan Simmons best, but...
Review: This is still an enjoyable story. Just because we are used to brilliance from Mr Simmons, doesn't mean he can produce it every time. The hero is a flawed ex con who has very rough edges. It is not a very deep novel but I enjoyed it for what is was. Just a fun pulp fiction type of yarn.
Rating:
Summary: Hardcase
Review: Though Dan Simmons's previous novel 'Darwin's Blade' was better, I feel his foray into this mystery/thriller genre was well worth it. Joe Kurtz is an ex private investigator doing time for a homicide. He has survived over 11 years in Attica with a 10,000-dollar bounty on his head, which was offered by the Mosque brothers when he killed one of their own. After his release he decides to offer his services to the local mafia don, Byron Farino. It seems Farino's accountant has gone missing. When Farino decides to hire Kurtz, that's when the fireworks start. The 10,000-dollar bounty offered to kill Kurtz is still payable on the outside; so on top of looking for the missing accountant, Kurtz is dodging bullets from an assortment of bad guy's. Everyone from the drug lords, to the Alabama Beagle Boys, seem to be after a piece of the Kurtz pie. A fast-paced and oft times violent novel. The character of Joe Kurtz seemed to lack depth. The story itself must have lacked a little depth because it read like a sequel. I liked the varied characters and the quick and snappy dialogue. No wasted speech here.
Overall an easy to enjoy, quick read, delivered by an author that's done better work. Recommended.
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