Thanks, Mission--I'll have to check them out. I love Robert B Parker, Ed McBain, Raymond Chandler, John MacDonald, Rex Stout....
And as a parting thought, here is one of Raymond Chandler's---
“ Those hot dry winds that come down through the mountain passes and curl your hair and make your nerves jump and your skin itch. On nights like that every booze party ends in a fight. Meek little wives feel the edge of the carving knife and study their husbands' necks. Anything can happen. ”
—Raymond Chandler, 'Red Wind'