Two Authors have Cameo on Castle

Castle is a light police detective show now in its second season on ABC television. The premise is that of a crime writer that has such good detecting instincts (remember Murder She Wrote?) that he has teamed up with a police detective looking for help in solving real crimes. In the pilot show (March 9, 2009) for the first season the crime writer Rick Castle is seen playing poker with, as it turns out, real mystery writers James Patterson and Stephen J. Cannell.

In the recent season opener on September 21, Castle again goes to the poker game for help, with Stephen J. Cannell again playing himself but now with writer Michael Connelly at the table.

Castle is currently playing on ABC, Monday nights at 10 pm.

You can see that September 21st show on Hulu here.

Love that Raymond Chandler

Finished my fourth Raymond Chandler novel this month. He so clearly owns the title of the father of hard-boiled mystery writers. The plotting, character, and superb description of the setting is so well done. Nothing is irrelevant.

The dialog, the turn of a phrase all set the pace for Robert Parker, Lee Child, Sara Paretsky and all the rest of the great mystery writers of the last fifty years.

Here is just one fine little quote.

Degarmo was there by the counter talking to the desk sergeant. He turned his metallic blue eyes on me and said: "How are you doing?"

"Fine."

"Like our jail?"

"I like your jail fine."

"Captain Webber wants to talk to you."

"That's fine," I said.

"Don't you know any words but fine?"

"Not right now," I said. "Not in here."

"You're limping a little," he said. "You trip over something?"

"Yeah," I said. "I tripped over a blackjack. It jumped up and bit me behind the left knee."

"That's too bad," Degarmo said blank-eyed. "Get your stuff from the property clerk."

"I've got it," I said. "It wasn't taken away from me."

"Well, that's fine," he said.

"It sure is," I said. "It's fine."

---- that's Philip Marlowe in Raymond Chandler's The Lady in the Lake