Bordersnakes by
James Crumley
hbk out October 97
Published by HarperCollins
at £15.99
Once upon a time, what is starting to seem a long time ago, James Crumley wrote a perfect crime novel. THE LAST GOOD KISS is (with the possible exception of James Ellroy's THE
BLACK DAHLIA) the best hardboiled detective novel of the post-Chandler age; a dazzling achievement in character, plot and voice, it introduced hard-living investigator C.W. Sugrue, and secured a much-deserved place for Crumley in the crime writer's pantheon. Crumley's next book, featuring his other
series detective, Milo Milodragovitch, came five years later, and there then followed an excruciating ten-year wait for THE
MEXICAN TREE DUCK, the perhaps inevitably disappointing return of Sugrue.
BORDERSNAKES has only taken four years to appear, so perhaps Crumley isn't after all aiming to be the Stanley Kubrick of crime fiction. Needless to say, quality is far
more important than quantity, but given the extreme anticlimax of MEXICAN TREE DUCK, it remained to be seen if Crumley still
possesses the fire.
If BORDERSNAKES does not live up to the standard of THE LAST GOOD KISS -- and let's face it, what could? -- it does demonstrate that Crumley is still a talent to be reckoned
with. Crumley possesses Joe Lansdale's knack for dialogue, Andrew Vachss' talent for over-the-top action, and James Lee Burke's affinity for landscape and atmosphere. That's not news, of course; he's proven all that before. But whereas only drips and drabs of those abilities seemed intact in the confusion of MEXICAN TREE DUCK, BORDERSNAKES reveals a writer in control of his skills. Where BORDERSNAKES fails is in Crumley's inability to bring those divergent talents into focus within a coherent and fully compelling narrative.
BORDERSNAKES unites Sugrue and Milo, who were only revealed to have a connection at the very end of MEXICAN TREE DUCK. The narrative voice switches back and forth between the investigators in alternate sections, a not entirely successful device given the broad similarity of the characters' voices. The plot is also two-fold, taking as a starting point the theft of Milo's held-in-trust fortune, and an unrelated (or is it?) attempt on Sugrue's life. Depending on your point of
view, there follows either far too much or far too little story. The plot meanders wildly, with uncertain logical consistency, as the two tough guys wander back and forth from
Texas to California and across the Mexican border in pursuit of money, love and some serious bad guys.
There's a lot to criticize in BORDERSNAKES: Crumley doesn't seem to care that much about the plot; the Peckinpah-style macho
posturing and beat 'em up action is hyped to near absurd levels; neither Sugrue nor Milo seem entirely consistent with their established personae; the climax is silly enough to out of a Robert Rodriguez film…
But amazingly, it still works.
I think what comes down to is that Crumley loves these characters so much -- is so committed to their experiences and points of view -- and possesses so much pure writerly skill, that these other failings pale against the sheer authority of their construction and realization. For that reason BORDERSNAKES is not the best place to start reading Crumley,
although because the dialogue, in particular, is so sharp, even newcomers will likely get hooked. That said, there doesn't seem to be anything left for Crumley to do with these
characters -- BORDERSNAKES feels like a farewell to both Sugrue and Milo. If so, it's a fitting enough good-bye: entertaining, often gripping, and almost always good fun.
Let's just hope it isn't another half-decade wait for his next book.
(
Jay Russell
- one of the greatest talents the horror industry has produced for some time… (Black Tears))
Bordersnakes by
James Crumley