James Crumley Ordre des livres (chronologique)

C.W. Sughrue hasn't slept through the night for months and is having trouble with his bowel movements. A recovering gunshot victim, the last thing he wants is more work from Dr Will MacKinderick. Sughrue is soon cursing as he finds himself taking on yet another dangerous case for the desperate psychoanalyst.

James Crumley first gained attention in crime fiction with his 1975 debut featuring hard-drinking private investigator Milo Milodragovitch. His 1978 novel became a seminal PI work of the late 20th century. Over the next 18 years, Crumley published only three more novels, becoming known for his meticulous craft, though none matched his early success. In this unexpected return, Milo Milodragovitch, now in a prosperous yet unfulfilling late middle age, owns a bar and motel in Texas but feels trapped in boredom. To escape, he resumes his private eye career, starting with the search for a runaway wife. During this, he encounters Enos Walker, an ex-con who has just killed a drug dealer, igniting Milo's sympathy and curiosity about Walker's past. As he investigates, Milo uncovers a web of lies and betrayals reaching back 20 years, involving a corrupt district attorney, a multimillionaire, and various associates. His journey spans from Texas to Las Vegas to Montana, filled with danger, substance abuse, and physical challenges. Ultimately, Milo emerges transformed, marking a significant evolution in his character. Crumley's skillful writing and rich characterizations elevate this tale of violence and greed, avoiding parody while maintaining a gripping narrative.

16 nouvelles inédites par les maîtres du suspense américain.

Le détective privé Milo et son partenaire Sughrue sont à la recherche d'un héritier millionnaire : une affaire personnelle qui se transforme en un défi de presque mortel. Les récits de détective laconiques de James Crumley sont des chefs-d'œuvre de la littérature criminelle contemporaine, rivalisant avec les héros endurcis de Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett ou Charles Bukowski.

Ex-private eye C.W. Sughrue has been depressed, jobless and living in the basement of a morgue, but now a job has come up. He sets off on an odyssey of liquor, sex and gunplay to find a missing woman who has eluded the FBI and cocaine dealers.

Sughrue, détective privé, doit retrouver Trahearne, un écrivain parti écluser les bars en délaissant ex-épouse, femme et mère. Il finit par le dégoter dans un bistrot. S'étant découvert le même penchant pour l'alcool, les deux hommes repartent à la recherche de Betty Sue, la fille de la patronne, qui n'a pas réapparu depuis dix ans. Ils emmènent dans leur périple Fireball, un bouledogue amateur de bières. Ils mènent la belle vie, mais toujours point de Betty Sue, qui semble avoir mal tourné... À travers plusieurs états, au sens propre comme au figuré, le lecteur est convié à une road story où se croisent crapules minables et figures pittoresques. Si elle n'en est pas la trame, la nostalgie de l'Ouest, des grands espaces est l'essence même du Dernier baiser. L'inénarrable Sughrue semble promener sa carcasse d'ivrogne comme dans un éternel lendemain d'ivresse. Ce qui ne l'empêche pas d'être bourré... d'humour !

Milo once had a thriving divorce-case business in the small town of Meriwether, in the Pacific Northwest, but because of liberal new divorce laws has taken to drinking and staring out of the window. He's up to his third drink of the morning when an attractive young woman walks into his office and asks him to find her brother.