Hard as Nails: A Joe Kurtz Novel

Super entertaining along the lines of Repairman Jack and Jack Reacher novels. Never a dull moment, well written detective fiction. All three Joe Kurtz novels are good and it's really too bad Simmons has decided to end the series. Oh well, put all three in your beach bag and enjoy.

This is Simmons' third Joe Kurtz novel and they just keep getting better and better. These pulp style 'detective' novels are reminiscent of Chandler and others. However Simmons takes the genre to an all new level. From page one you are drawn in and eagerly wanting to turn that next page but never wanting the book to end. Each of the novels builds on the last but they grow with each new story. Start at the beginning of the series, you'll be glad you did. I can never recommend the books enough times. For anyone who wants a novel that will keep you guessing from the first page to the last, these are the ones you want. I didn't see the end coming in this one it sure was quite a surprise! Buy this book, you'll be glad you did!!

Joe Kurtz, ex PI, ex con is one of the most interesting antiheros currently being written about. Simmons blends the atmosphere and mood of western New York into a modern noir canvas, and Kurtz and his former lover Rigby inhabit that world in a gray area of law and order that is both disturbing and realistic. Even after getting shot in the head, Kurtz displays the almost herculean toughness that would make Spenser wince - hence the title. The plot moves from place to place with a randomness that seems incongruous, but ultimately is very satisfying in the end. One of the best mystery/detective novelists working today. I highly reccommend going to Simmon's back list and catching up with the rest of his fans. He seldom has disappointed.

These are just some of the descriptions used in reviews for the Joe Kurtz series. And I have to agree. Not since Donald Westlake's (aka. Richard Stark) Parker series have I enjoyed reading crime fiction so much. Dan Simmons knows how to, excuse me here ladies, grab you by the balls and take you on a ride.In his latest entry in this series Mr. Simmons puts Kurtz in a bad position from the beginning. Within the first three pages Kurtz is shot in the head, along with his parole officer, and has to deal with a migraine, caused by a concussion, for damn near the rest of the book. Kurtz isn't given a break by any means after being shot. He's blamed for the shooting of the parole officer, has to deal with a family member, is threatened by the mob, chased by a psychopath and has to worry about the Dane. We also get a look at Joe's past in this book, through an ex-girlfriend who also happens to be a cop investigating him, and his feelings for his daughter become more apparent. If you've read the other books in this series I can't recommend this one enough. If you haven't you should really start with Hard Case. You could read and understand this book without reading the others but I don't know why you'd want to.