Books
December, 1982
But down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid. . . ." That's the standard for fictional private eyes set by Raymond Chandler in 1944. Since then, his Philip Marlowe and Dashiell Hammett's Sam Spade and The Continental Op have all gone on the big sleep. And their successor, world-weary Lew Archer, has been retired by the ill health of his creator, Ross MacDonald. Which raises the question: Who's minding today's mean streets?Well, diffe...
