The Eyes Still Have It, from 30 years ago, still stands out as one of the best collection of Private Eye stories ever collected. Bob Randisi provides a compelling introduction and adds comments before each story to put the authors and their works in context.
I was impressed that Randisi included TWO stories by Loren De. Estleman and Lawrence Block…both excellent!
If you’re in the mood for some superb P.I. short stories, don’t miss The Eyes Still Have It. GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Introduction by Robert J. Randisi — vii
What you don’t know can’t hurt you / by John Lutz –1
Cat’s paw / by Bill Pronzini — 21
By the dawn’s early light / by Lawrence Block — 45
Eight mile and Dequindre / by Loren D. Estleman — 65
Fly away home / by Rob Kantner — 89
Turn away / by Ed Gorman — 105
The crooked way / by Loren D. Estleman — 117
The killing man / by Mickey Spillane — 139
Final resting place / by Marcia Muller — 165
Dust devil / by Nancy Pickard — 185
Mary, Mary, shut the door / by Benjamin M. Schutz — 203
The merciful angel of death / by Lawrence Block — 229
Just picked it up again for the first time in years to take along to an MD visit the other week…and barely had any waiting time to reread more than the intro! Though the medical assistant who took my vitals was curious about it…asked her if she read any CF, and she admitted she mostly read romance fiction, some of it criminous. Will be giving it a run through again sooner rather than later.
Todd, you’ll like THE EYES STILL HAVE IT. Great stories!
I already did, the first time!
Eight of the twelve stories are very familiar and I’m pretty sure I’ve read the remaining four. A solid anthology with solid writers. Randisi sure knew his stuff.
Jerry, Bob Randisi edited a number of excellent anthologies. THE EYES STILL HAVE IT is one of his best!
An excellent anthology from the resurgent ’80s-’90s era of PI fiction. Gorman, Randisi, Schutz, Spillane, gone away too soon.
Fred, the 1990s was a great time for P.I. fiction and this book proves that.
Look at the lineup and you know you’re in good hands. No weak links there. I read this years ago, probably soon after it came out.
Good choice.
An aside: Happy Birthday to Jackie today.
OK, looked it up, and I read it February 1, 1996.
Jeff, I’ve had THE EYES STILL HAVE IT on my shelves since the mid 1990s. Finally got around to read it…
Jeff, wish Jackie a Happy Birthday for us! Any Special Plans to celebrate Jackie’s Day?
We’re going to our favorite Italian restaurant and will get an appropriate Italian dessert for later.
Jeff, that sounds like a great way to celebrate Jackie’s Birthday!
Nice to see one from Ed included.
Patti, Ed Gorman was an underrated writer.
Not by us, George…nor by his readers.
I have THE EYES HAVE IT, but don’t see this one on my shelves! I’m not so sure this was a great time for PI fiction, unless you were female! A lot of male PI writers were left in the dust when the female PIs inundated the market with books that were mostly imitation male characters!
Bob, if you want THE EYES STILL HAVE IT, let me know. I’ll send it with OWLHOOT.
OWLHOOT the fanzine? Haven’t thought of that for a while.
Todd, Cap’n Bob runs OWLHOOT like a Swiss Watch. I send him my Western apazine, QUICK DRAW.
Thanks, but you’d better not! In fact, you’d be doing me a favor if you didn’t send any hardback books! I really don’t have room, and I don’t need to hear the better half’s squawking about them!
Bob, whatever you say… I smuggle books into the house so I don’t upset Diane.
I actually recognize all the authors!!! That rarely happens these days
Maggie, all the authors in THE EYES STILL HAVE IT are NAME writers. Today, I see a lot of anthologies with names I’ve never heard of…