Master's Mates (Cliff Hardy series)
After a couple of decades, your typical mystery series tends to get a little stale. But there are exceptions: Westlake's Dortmunder novels (35 years), McBain's 87th Precinct series (49 years), and Corris' Cliff Hardy series, which is now at the quarter-century mark and still going strong. Unlike the oft-reprinted novels of Westlake and McBain, however, Australian Corris' work is not widely available in the U.S. The publication of this representative Hardy novel should help change that. InMaster's Mates, Hardy is hired by a beautiful woman to look into her husband's heroin-smuggling conviction. He uncovers a nasty little conspiracy that threatens his own life, but as usual he has the guts to get himself out of the scrape. The Hardy series doesn't depend on snazzy prose, flashy characters, and stunning plot twists. Rather, Corris sticks to basics--a likable lead, a solid mystery, plenty of action and humor--and keeps grinding them out. This series could go on another quarter century, easy.David PittCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved