Now's the Time: The Complete Resnick Short Stories

Following the end of Harvey's Nottingham-set Charlie Resnick series, this book collects his eleven (not twelve, as some reviews erroneously state) Charlie Resnick short stories, nine of which previously appeared in anothologies such as "Fresh Blood," "London Noir," "Blue Lightning," "Mean Time," and "No Alibi." Unlike most crime short stories, the stories (each named after a Charlie Parker work) don't worry about setting up a conundrum or puzzle, but rather focus on characters. While it's not strictly necessary to have read the entire Resnick series to enjoy these stories, you'll certainly be missing a lot of established background on a lot of the characters and a fair amount of the texture and flavor of the setting.Jazz musician Ed Silver, from the book Cutting Edge, reappears in the story "Now's the Time." Jerry Grabianski, an art thief who first appears in the book Rough Treatment, shows up here in "Bird of Paradise," before reappearing later in the book Still Water. The Snape family appear for the first time in "Dexterity," before their feature in Easy Meat, and later walk-on in Last Rites. However, the most reoccurring group is teenager Ray-o Cooke, his criminal uncle Terry, and various and sundry associates, who are introduced in the book Off Minor, span four stories here, and then return in Last Rites. Indeed, the stories serve as bridges between, and footnotes to, the various Resnick series. Basically, if you're a fan of the series, you'll like the stories. And if you haven't read the series, the stories are a good introduction to Harvey's style.

Any fan of Charlie Resnick, and those who are new to John Harvey's series, will love this book. I don't typically like short stories, but Harvey does a great job developing a good crime story and the usual wonderful characters despite the limitations of the genre.