Act of Love by Joe R. Lansdale
First Edition
Lansdale published his first novel entitled Act of Love in 1981. A ferocious account of the search for a killer known as the Houston Hacker, his debut was written years before the Hannibal Lecter phenomenon left its mark on American popular culture.
Act of Love by Joe R. Lansdale
First edition
Deluxe hardcover edition
Condition: Fine in near fine dust jacket. Dust jacket has a very light edge and spine crease. Hardcover.
Publishing Info: Subterranean Press, Burton MI, 2012
ISBN: 9781596064171
Illustrated by Tim Truman
In 1981, Joe R. Lansdale, then a noted short story writer, published his first novel, a paperback original entitled Act of Love. A ferocious account of the search for a killer known as the Houston Hacker, Lansdale's debut was written years before the Hannibal Lecter phenomenon left its mark on American popular culture, years before the 'serial killer novel' became a distinct--and highly marketable--publishing category. Thirty years after its initial... appearance, this pioneering novel continues to exert a raw but undeniable narrative force.Set in the vividly evoked urban squalor of Houston, Texas, Act of Love moves with great authority between the disordered mind of a compulsive killer and the increasingly desperate perspectives of the policemen who hunt him. In the process, it offers a detailed portrait of a complex murder investigation and anatomizes a city under siege, a city held hostage by a latter day Jack the Ripper.As long time Lansdale readers will note, Act of Love introduces the soon-to-be-familiar figure of homicide detective Marvin Hanson. More importantly, it introduces, in embryonic form, some characteristic authorial virtues: the deceptively effortless prose, the flawless sense of place, the graphic depiction of inhuman violence, and the casually profane, instantly recognizable Lansdale humor. Unavailable for far too long, Act of Love makes a welcome reappearance in this deluxe anniversary edition, which includes the definitive text of the novel, a new introduction by the author, and a never before published short story featuring Marvin Hanson. The result is a significant--and necessary--act of rediscovery and an irresistible gift for Lansdale aficionados old and new.
Genreworks: genre fiction blog
Joe Lansdale Wikipedia entry
