Author James Crumley Dead

Author James Crumley is dead. Of the crime novelist, Margalit Fox in the New York Times writes, "If Mr. [Raymond] Chandler and Hunter S. Thompson had collaborated to produce a literary offspring, Mr. Crumley would unquestionably have been the result."

I've had a lot fun reading Mr. Crumley's work over the years. As a tribute to his life and work, I'm going to re-read The Last Good Kiss, which has the famous opening line: "When I finally caught up with Abraham Trahearne, he was drinking beer with an alcoholic bulldog named Fireball Roberts in a ramshackle joint just outside of Sonoma, California, drinking the heart right out of a fine spring afternoon."







Note: If you are a fan of famous opening lines to novels, check this NPR page.