Things have been popping around here. First came news that Quarry’s Return has been nominated for the Best Paperback Novel “Shamus.” The Shamus is an award that means a lot to me, because my late friend Bob Randisi and I, and a few others, were grousing to each other about the Mystery Writers of America ignoring private eye novels in their Edgar awards. Bob was not one to let the grass grow under his feet and very soon he’d created the Private Eye Writers of America and the Shamus awards.

Arguably, the Shamus awards became the second most-prominent and prestigious honor of its kind in mystery fiction. Others have come and gone, and some may lay claim to being more important now; but I know and remember what it meant to me.

In 1983 my novel True Detective was published and got quite a bit of attention in its approach to merging the PI story with historical crime, and for being the longest private eye novel ever written (later my novel Stolen Away would eclipse it). I was, predictably, ignored by the Edgars but got a Shamus nomination. I was a long shot to say the least, because I was up against a Murderer’s Row of mystery writers: James Crumley, Stanley Ellin, Loren Estleman and Robert B. Parker. But my book won, and I was boosted considerably in the business…and both Nate Heller and I are still around. Stolen Away won the Best Novel in 1992. The series went on to be the most-nominated in the history of the organization.

Anyone who says awards don’t matter (like me, when I lose) are full of it. If Bob Randisi hadn’t started up the PWA, I wonder if Heller and I would still be around.

Nate Heller and True Detective are the basis, of course, of True Noir: The Assassination of Anton Cermak, director Robert Meyer Burnett’s ten-episode audio drama from my adaptation. (truenoir.co)

Quarry has been nominated for the Shamus several times (my hitman even got an Edgar nomination last year for Quarry’s Blood) but I don’t recall him ever winning. Kind of makes sense in the PWA, because to make a private eye out of Quarry, you have to squint and look sideways. But the books are very much built on the private eye novel paradigm.

In other private eye news…

Matthew McConaughey is serious talks with Skydance about reuniting with True Detective writer Nic Pizzolatto in the Mike Hammer movie that has been threatening to happen for a decade or so.

The film is based not just on Mickey’s work but draws upon the entire series (including the collaborative novels and short stories that share a Spillane/Collins byline). I have read the script and it’s solid; as an executive producer, I was able to provide notes, to get the characters and concepts in line with Mickey’s and my work.

This news exploded all over the Internet. I lost count at 21 articles. Here’s a typical one from Deadline.

It was everywhere, from Variety to the Hollywood Reporter. I am optimistic but I never believe this kind of thing till I’m on set and the cameras are rolling. But it has a real feel to it.

You will note a certain irony here: the title of my novel True Detective is of course the title of the (later) HBO series that brought together actor McConaughey and writer Pizzolatto – a highly rated and regarded series that I have never seen, since the use of the title irked me. On the other hand, I plucked the title from the vintage true-crime magazines that were on the newsstands when Heller was starting out in the other True Detective.

Here’s a cool review of The Last Quarry.

My band the Daybreakers has a Wikipedia page! And I didn’t submit it much less write it (a few inaccuracies, but hey).

M.A.C.

Tags: Awards, Daybreakers, Mickey Spillane, Mike Hammer, Nate Heller, Quarry, Quarry's Return, The Last Quarry, True Detective