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Charles Willeford

    January 2, 1919 – March 27, 1988

    Charles Willeford was a remarkably fine, talented, and prolific writer whose diverse career spanned everything from poetry to crime fiction to literary criticism. His crime novels are distinguished by a mean'n'lean sense of narrative economy and an admirable dearth of sentimentality. Willeford's style proved particularly suited to the gritty realities of the crime world, offering readers a unique perspective on his characters and their environments. His mastery of atmosphere and character psychology makes him an essential author for suspense enthusiasts.

    Charles Willeford
    High Priest of California
    New hope for the dead
    Miami Blues
    The Woman-Chaser
    Sideswipe
    The Way We Die Now
    • Filmriss

      • 250 pages
      • 9 hours of reading

      Richard Hudson, ein begnadeter Gebrauchtwagenverkäufer, kennt die Schwachstellen der Männer und Frauen wie ein Zuhälter. Seine Anpreisungen rechtfertigt er mit einer höchst perversen Logik, bis auch er erkennt, dass er sein Leben mit der sinnlosen Jagd nach Geld vergeudet. Er muss sich an etwas Kreativem versuchen – einem ehrgeizigen und risikoreichen Filmprojekt. Doch Kräfte, die sich seiner Kontrolle entziehen, machen ihm einen Strich durch die Rechnung. Der wütende und gedemütigte Gebrauchtwagenverkäufer trinkt sich daraufhin durch die Unterwelt von Los Angeles und nimmt monströse Rache an allen, die ihm in die Quere gekommen sind. Im Zentrum von Willefords Roman steht die Erfolgsethik des amerikanischen Traums, wonach alle, die im Sinne des Hyperkommerz nicht konkurrenzfähig sind, gnadenlos ausgestoßen werden. Kreativität bleibt auf der Strecke; Kultur versackt in einer grausam ver zerrten Masse.

      Filmriss2023
      3.7
    • Hahnenkämpfer

      plus Cockfighter-Tagebuch

      • 432 pages
      • 16 hours of reading

      Durchgesehene Neuausgabe, aus dem Amerikanischen von Rainer Schmidt, bearbeitet von Jochen Stremmel; im Anhang: Charles Willefords Cockfighter-Tagebuch in deutscher Erstübersetzung von Jochen Stremmel, mit einem Vorwort von James Lee Burke.

      Hahnenkämpfer2017
      4.0
    • Die schwarze Messe

      • 283 pages
      • 10 hours of reading

      Merita war eine Göttin der Liebe, ein Luder, heilig und profan zugleich. Eine exotische Königin von goldbrauner Farbe, verführerisch wie ein Espresso macchiato aus edelsten Arabica Bohnen. Doch wer war ihr weißer Begleiter, der mit ihr im Anderson Hotel in Harlem eincheckte? War es wirklich Reverend Deuteronomy Springer? Der Pfarrer aus Jacksonville, Florida, der eigenartige Messen zelebrierte, sich in der Bürgerrechtsbewegung engagierte und seine schwarze Gemeinde zum Busboykott aufgerufen hatte? Wie auch immer, an der Rezeption trug sich Meritas Begleiter als William Johnson ein, und das wiederum war wohl eher eine Erfindung des erfolglosen Schriftstellers Sam Springer aus Miami. Aber Merita war keine Erfindung. Ihr war egal, wer er war, sie wollte ihn wirklich ... Charles Willefords brillante Pulp-Noir-Groteske erinnert an Klassiker wie ELMER GANTRY oder DIE NACHT DES JÄGERS. Es ist die unglaubliche Geschichte eines ungläubigen Predigers, erzählt von einem unverwechselbaren Giganten

      Die schwarze Messe2005
      4.0
    • High Priest of California

      • 100 pages
      • 4 hours of reading

      "She was leaning against the door. Her smile was a sickly twisted grimace; the sort a prisoner gives a judge when he's asked if he has anything to say before he's sentenced." Russell Haxby is a ruthless used car salesman obsessed with manipulating and cavorting with married women. In this classic of hard-boiled fiction, Charles Willeford crafts a wry, sardonic tale of hypocrisy, intrigue and lust set in San Francisco in the early fifties. In High Priest of California every sentence masks innuendo, every detail hides a clue, and every used car sale is as outrageous as every seduction. First published 1953.

      High Priest of California2005
      3.8
    • The Way We Die Now

      • 256 pages
      • 9 hours of reading

      The story follows Miami Homicide Detective Hoke Moseley as he navigates a series of unexpected challenges, starting with an unusual order to grow his beard. Confronted by the presence of a man he once convicted living nearby and juggling family dynamics, Hoke's situation worsens when he's assigned an undercover mission without his usual tools. Posing as a drifter, he attempts to infiltrate a farm linked to the murder of migrant workers, only to find that his job prospects are far from what he anticipated.

      The Way We Die Now2003
      4.1
    • Sideswipe

      • 279 pages
      • 10 hours of reading

      A nervous breakdown, two daughters and a pregnant unmarried partner tell Hoke Moseley that it's time to simplify his crazy life. Moving out to Miami to manage a small hotel seems a good idea - until psycho career criminal, Troy Louden, happens along with his makeshift gang and Hoke is dragged back to the job he thought he had left behind for ever. 'No one writes a better crime novel than Charles Willeford' - Elmore Leonard

      Sideswipe2001
      4.1
    • The Woman-Chaser

      • 160 pages
      • 6 hours of reading

      Richard Hudson, woman chaser and used car salesman, has a pimp's awareness of the ways women (and men) are most vulnerable. One day Richard decides to make an ambitious film, which turns into a fiasco. Enraged, he exacts revenge on all who have crossed him.

      The Woman-Chaser2001
      3.9
    • Ein Leben auf der Straße

      Autobiographie

      • 158 pages
      • 6 hours of reading

      Autobiographie. ( american crime scene). 1 Abb. 158 S.

      Ein Leben auf der Straße1995
    • The Burnt Orange Heresy

      • 192 pages
      • 7 hours of reading

      A fast-paced, twisty thriller about an art heist that spins out of control with murderous results... Now a major film starring Elizabeth Debicki, Claes Bang, Donald Sutherland and Mick Jagger 'No one writes a better crime novel than Charles Willeford' Elmore Leonard 'Stunning' NEW YORKER Art critic James Figueras is a psychotic, an amoral unrepentant killer. Out to make a lasting name for himself, he seeks out the greatest painter in the world, now a hermit in the Florida swamplands. Figueras is after more than the man, however - he wants the work, and something more ... something more horrible than can be imagined. Crossing the art world with the underworld, THE BURNT ORANGE HERESY ranges from the upbeat Florida sunshine to an art collector who doesn't care how his art is collected, even if it involves murder.

      The Burnt Orange Heresy1991
      3.2
    • Seitenhieb

      • 279 pages
      • 10 hours of reading
      Seitenhieb1988
      4.0
    • Miami Blues

      • 208 pages
      • 8 hours of reading

      Detective Hoke Moseley faces a chilling mystery after a violent encounter leaves him hospitalized and without his gun, badge, and dentures. As he reflects on a decade of cases, he struggles to identify who might want him harmed. The investigation leads him to a series of puzzling clues linked to a dimwitted hooker, her ex-con boyfriend, and the unusual murder of a Hare Krishna pimp. The narrative weaves together themes of revenge and the complexities of crime, as Moseley pieces together the motives behind his brutal attack.

      Miami Blues1987
      3.9
    • Detective Hoke Moseley has been dumped on by his boss and his ex-wife. His partner has been kicked out of her house and he is about to be evicted from his. However, the worst is yet to come in this crime novel.

      New hope for the dead1985
      3.9