Shadows | Characters/Techniques
In all detective fiction, the work proceeds from the characterization of the hero. Craine seems almost a parody of the traditional fictional detective: Whereas Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot forget nothing, Craine practices voluntary amnesia; whereas Ross Macdonald's Lew Archer has eagle eyes and subtle powers of observation, Craine is nearsighted; whereas Robert B. Parker's Spenser is physically fit, Craine is decrepit, out of shape, and recovering from an operation for colon cancer; whereas Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe is a two-fisted drinker, Craine is an alcoholic who is...
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