I haven’t begun the process of moving in earnest yet. It’s going to be a long process–most of the summer and maybe part of autumn. But I have started laying down the foundation, which means sorting through my massive piles of stuff.
In one box I found something I’d been looking for for ages, my copy of Duane Swierczynski‘s great Not Quite Parker novel, The Wheelman. I’d been looking for it partially because I wanted to read it again and give it the writeup it deserves, but also because of this:
He isn’t kidding about being a Parker fanatic. He named his son Parker.
Back in the early days of this site, Duane was kind enough to send me this book. I read it over Christmas vacation and loved it.
I felt awful for losing this. It ended up in a box of random crap and I have no idea how. I never would have done that intentionally. Now I have it back, a little worse for the wear but that doesn’t matter. It’s not like it was going up for sale anyway.
Unfortunately, there’s a good chance it will soon be going into another box, packaged more carefully this time. It’s likely Kindle-only for me for the next few months, although I’ll see about making an emergency-reads box of current books that I’ll feel guilty about if I don’t get to soon.
But once I’m settled into the new home, The Wheelman will take its proper place on my Not Quite Parker shelf.
As an aside, you’ll notice this one is from St. Martin’s Minotaur imprint, same as Wallace Stroby’s books including the Not Quite Parker Crissa Stone series. Someone at St. Martin’s loves us.
An additional bonus was finding my first edition of Flashfire, which I’ve also been looking for for ages, in the same box. This should demonstrate to Mr. Swierczynski, should he read this, that the inscribed copy he was nice enough to send to me being thrown into a box of random crap wasn’t personal! I certainly wouldn’t have thrown either into that box on purpose.
Lots of other boxes to go through, and lots of other treasures to find!
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Good news that moving can be something else than a catastrophe for your books.
The Wheelman was on of the great discovery I made these last few years thanks to you Trent.
And Duane S an author I follow and advise to my friends.
From Duane S I discovered Tom Piccirilli.
And now, on top of my to-read-tower is “Cold Shot To The Heart”
That is another form of wheel that you drive.
M
The Wheelman is indeed a good book, despite some of the errors in the original printing. When I read it, I had fallen under the influence of some writer pals who had more experience (and contracts) than I who suggested my crime fiction leanings were holding me back and that nobody wanted this kind of book anymore…The Wheelman showed me how wrong they were, which, deep down, I already knew, and it was great to be able to tell them about this book as an “I told you so”.
I am on record for not liking the ending.
Brian Drake
The Wheelman is excellent. I loved it. I’ve got the first two Charlie Hardie books in my queue as well.