The Way We Die Now
Charles Willeford
No Exit pbk, 217 pgs
Review by Gerald Houghton (1997)
Charles Willeford - like Chandler, Hammet, like Jim Thompson - was an original. He did most things in his 79 years - decorated soldier, boxer, horse trainer, radio announcer - before turning academic, teaching English and philosophy at Miami-Dade Junior College. A library of essential pulps followed, including brilliant art-theory drama The Burnt Orange Heresy in 1971, the low-life Cockfighter a year later, and, in the mid-80s, the wonderful quartet of Hoke Moseley novels.
The Way We Die Now is the fourth and final No Exit reprint of the latter. Hoke is a lumbering Florida cop with false-teeth and bizarre family, sent down South to investigate allegations of slavery and murder on migrant farms. Still, that's almost beside the point. From the masterly Miami Blues to here, these are unique character studies, smart examinations of genre-plotting (try the brilliant Sideswipe if you have any doubts), and surprisingly moving into the bargain.
The Way We Die Now is not to be recommended in isolation; these four come as a package deal. All of Willeford's works are essential but the Hoke Moseley novels are the cherry on his "psycho-pulp" cake.