Hardcase [Hardcover]

Dan Simmons (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 24, 2001

Sometimes revenge is best paid in cold steel.

HARDCASE

Joe Kurtz has been wronged one too many times. So when he takes out the drug-dealing thug who killed his girlfriend, the ex-PI gets to cool his heels for 11 years in Attica. It's there that he meets "Little Skag" Farino, the son of an aging Buffalo, New York, mob boss. In exchange for protecting the kid's manhood against any unwanted jailhouse affection, Kurtz gets an audience with Little Skag's father upon his release from prison.

Semi-retired Don Byron Farino is still clinging to what dwindling power he holds on the New York organized crime scene. He enlists Kurtz's help to track down the Family's missing accountant--a man with too much knowledge of Family business to have on the loose. But someone doesn't want the accountant found. As the story twists and turns and the body count rises, Kurtz no longer knows whom he can trust. Everyone seems to be after something, from the mob boss's sultry yet dangerous daughter, to a hit man named The Dane, an albino killer who is good with a knife, and a dwarf who is armed to the teeth and hell-bent on revenge.

Bestselling author Dan Simmons expertly builds the tension as he springs one surprise after another, all the while daring the reader to take a ride with Kurtz through the cold, windy streets of Buffalo where one wrong move could mean a belly-full of lead.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Penzler Pick, July 2001: Dan Simmons is not an author who writes the same book twice. He doesn't even come close. Since switching from fantasy/horror to mystery, Simmons has written Crook Factory, set in Cuba and starring Ernest Hemingway, and Darwin's Blade, featuring a genius insurance claims investigator who only has to look at a demolished vehicle to be able to know exactly what led up to the crash.

With Hardcase, Simmons both pays homage to over-the-top pulp fiction and writes a remarkably good example of it. Joe Kurtz has no intention of giving up his chosen profession of private investigator, even though he's just spent 12 years in jail. He believes it's only a matter of finding the right case. But that case will never come to him, so he pays a call on Byron Tatick Farino, mob boss, and suggests that for $400 a day plus expenses, he'll try to find the Family's missing accountant and also figure out who's hijacking the Family's trucks. Farino is inclined to let him do this since he has nothing to lose, and Joe did save his son from a fate worse than death in Cell Block D.

So Joe is off and running, and after picking up his ex-assistant, Arlene, he opens an office in the basement of a porn store and begins looking into the Mob's business. He no sooner interviews the accountant's wife than she is found dead and horribly mutilated.

The list of those who want Joe to butt out is long, and they are evidently very serious about preventing Joe from finding out too much. There's the person who is hijacking the trucks, and wants to continue. There's also a couple of sociopaths (if not psychopaths) named Malcolm and Cutter who work for the Mob's lawyer. Unsurprisingly, they are not exactly loyal and know that there's a $10,000 reward for the guy who wasted Ali, one of the Death Mosque brothers in Cell Block D. Finally, there are the Levine brothers, Manny and Sammy. Joe hasn't heard of either of them, but word is that Manny blames Joe for Sammy's death.

These numerous and varied storylines remain remarkably lucid as Simmons treats us to a fast-paced thriller with excitement on every page. --Otto Penzler

From Publishers Weekly

In books such as Darwin's Blade, Carrion Comfort and Hyperion, Simmons has shown a chameleon talent for mastering the colors and shadings of the horror, suspense and science-fiction genres. He adds one more tone to his palette with this terse hardboiled crime thriller, set in an upstate New York town bathed in Conradian darkness. When ex-PI Joe Kurtz emerges from Attica after an 11-year-stretch, he is still being sought by the brother of a man he iced for murdering his partner, as well as by disciples of a Black Muslim group whose leader he killed in stir. Not the most obedient parolee, Joe clandestinely resumes detective work, tracing a vanished mob accountant for aging don Byron Farino much to the aggravation of the don's family and associates, who are secretly double-crossing one another and jockeying for power. Simmons sets up the paths of crossfire necessary for the story's few surprising twists, then simply lets the bodies start falling once the bullets start flying. His narrative is all sinew and bloody gristle, stripped of the deep reflection and lively character-development that usually give his books a plusher texture. His plot depends on coincidence, exploitation of the raging Niagara Falls backdrop and Joe's superhuman capacity for taking and dishing out physical abuse, but his rapid pacing keeps the reader from dwelling too much on its improbability. This tale is unlikely to advance modern crime-fiction's literary ambitions, but it will be hard to beat for a pulp-fiction beach-read.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; 1st edition (July 24, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312274971
• ISBN-13: 978-0312274979
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,341,200 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dan Simmons was born in Peoria, Illinois, in 1948, and grew up in various cities and small towns in the Midwest, including Brimfield, Illinois, which was the source of his fictional "Elm Haven" in 1991's SUMMER OF NIGHT and 2002's A WINTER HAUNTING. Dan received a B.A. in English from Wabash College in 1970, winning a national Phi Beta Kappa Award during his senior year for excellence in fiction, journalism and art.
Dan received his Masters in Education from Washington University in St. Louis in 1971. He then worked in elementary education for 18 years -- 2 years in Missouri, 2 years in Buffalo, New York -- one year as a specially trained BOCES "resource teacher" and another as a sixth-grade teacher -- and 14 years in Colorado.

His last four years in teaching were spent creating, coordinating, and teaching in APEX, an extensive gifted/talented program serving 19 elementary schools and some 15,000 potential students. During his years of teaching, he won awards from the Colorado Education Association and was a finalist for the Colorado Teacher of the Year. He also worked as a national language-arts consultant, sharing his own "Writing Well" curriculum which he had created for his own classroom. Eleven and twelve-year-old students in Simmons' regular 6th-grade class averaged junior-year in high school writing ability according to annual standardized and holistic writing assessments. Whenever someone says "writing can't be taught," Dan begs to differ and has the track record to prove it. Since becoming a full-time writer, Dan likes to visit college writing classes, has taught in New Hampshire's Odyssey writing program for adults, and is considering hosting his own Windwalker Writers' Workshop.
Dan's first published story appeared on Feb. 15, 1982, the day his daughter, Jane Kathryn, was born. He's always attributed that coincidence to "helping in keeping things in perspective when it comes to the relative importance of writing and life."
Dan has been a full-time writer since 1987 and lives along the Front Range of Colorado -- in the same town where he taught for 14 years -- with his wife, Karen. He sometimes writes at Windwalker -- their mountain property and cabin at 8,400 feet of altitude at the base of the Continental Divide, just south of Rocky Mountain National Park. An 8-ft.-tall sculpture of the Shrike -- a thorned and frightening character from the four Hyperion/Endymion novels -- was sculpted by an ex-student and friend, Clee Richeson, and the sculpture now stands guard near the isolated cabin.
Dan is one of the few novelists whose work spans the genres of fantasy, science fiction, horror, suspense, historical fiction, noir crime fiction, and mainstream literary fiction . His books are published in 27 foreign counties as well as the U.S. and Canada.
Many of Dan's books and stories have been optioned for film, including SONG OF KALI, DROOD, THE CROOK FACTORY, and others. Some, such as the four HYPERION novels and single Hyperion-universe novella "Orphans of the Helix", and CARRION COMFORT have been purchased (the Hyperion books by Warner Brothers and Graham King Films, CARRION COMFORT by European filmmaker Casta Gavras's company) and are in pre-production. Director Scott Derrickson ("The Day the Earth Stood Stood Still") has been announced as the director for the Hyperion movie and Casta Gavras's son has been put at the helm of the French production of Carrion Comfort. Current discussions for other possible options include THE TERROR. Dan's hardboiled Joe Kurtz novels are currently being looked as the basis for a possible cable TV series.
In 1995, Dan's alma mater, Wabash College, awarded him an honorary doctorate for his contributions in education and writing.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A FANTASTIC ENTRY INTO THE "MYSTERY" GENRE!!!, July 8, 2001

By 

Wayne C. Rogers (Las Vegas, Nevada United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hardcase (Hardcover)

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.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Unremittingly dark, November 17, 2001

By 

Alan Robson (Wellington, New Zealand) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hardcase (Hardcover)

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.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hardcase? Now there's a supreme understatement...., October 2, 2002

By 

R. Shaff "Velocipede" (USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hardcase (Hardcover)

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.