Ed Lacy, whose real name was Leonard Zinberg, was one of the
top hardboiled writers of the Fifties and Sixties. His novel LEAD WITH YOUR
LEFT was published first in hardback in 1957 by Harper and reprinted in
paperback by Pocket Books. It’s being reprinted, along with another Lacy novel
called THE BEST THAT EVER DID IT, in a new double volume from the always
excellent Stark House.
Lacy really keeps things zipping along in this one, which, with its Italian protagonist (Italian/Jewish, actually) and abundance of police procedure, reminded me at times of Steve Carella and the 87th Precinct. Dave Wintino has more domestic drama to deal with, though, than usually crops up in the 87th Precinct novels. Lacy does a good job of tying all the strands of the plot together and the solution to the murders is a satisfying one.
LEAD WITH YOUR LEFT is a very good hardboiled novel from an era that specialized in them. I enjoyed it a great deal and if you’re a fan of the genre, this new Stark House edition is well worth picking up.
1 comment:
These Stark House volumes are SO hard to resist.
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