Ernest Tidyman (1928–1984)

The first, and among the best of the Shaft books. Tidyman weaves a very tight plot centred around his creation of John Shaft. Shaft is written as a tough, streetwise private eye who was brought up in the rough streets of Harlem. His decision to work as a private eye based in the "white" area of Manhattan is viewed by his black acquaintances as a betrayal. This is most notably protested by the character of Ben Buford, a militant with whom Shaft had grown up with in Harlem, but also by the show more gangster Knocks Persons who claims he approached Shaft because of his white connections.
The race issue is not the centre of the book, however, it is just a backdrop giving it a unique (at the time) flavour. The main drive of the book is the plot surrounding the kidnapping of Persons' daughter by the Mafia and how Shaft is used, by both the gangsters and the police, despite his cockiness and self-assurance. Shaft carries himself with such arrogance that he thinks no one will get the better of him. He thus gets himself into some pretty dangerous situations along the way and even gets a severe beating by mafia hit men.
That Shaft wins out in the end comes as no surprise and the reader is carried along with him through to the exciting finale. Along the way the book is liberally dosed with barbed dialogue and wisecracks. As such it follows the tradition of the hard-boiled detective books of Raymond Chandler and Mickey Spillane, albeit spiced up with heavier doses of sex and violence.
Other books in the series are:- Shaft Among the Jews, Shaft's Big Score!, Shaft Has a Ball, Good-bye Mr Shaft, Shaft's Carnival of Killers and the last Shaft. All are worth searching out for entertaining thick ear fiction. show less

Second and best book in the Shaft series. This is a fantastic read for anyone with a hankering for seventies pulp fiction. Tidyman has a writing style that is both tough and humorous. The plot, involving the hunt for an old diamond cutter who has developed a formula for creating synthetic diamonds, provides a great backdrop for a cast of well drawn villains for Shaft to take on. There are some delicious moments of absurdity peppered with excellent dialogue. Lots of action and sex to fulfill show more male fantasies. show less

The sixth and shortest book in Tidyman's Shaft series. This is set in Jamaica and is probably the most far-fetched. The assassination attempt plot is risible and lacks credibility - as does the finale. Having said this, the book is fast-paced and enjoyable in a trashy kind of way.

Two New York cops follow an unlikely drug smuggling lead.

Gripping and memorable. It doesn't amount to more than an action movie (albeit one of the best action movies ever made), which is a little surprising for a based-on-a-true-story Oscar winner - in a good way.

Concept: C
Story: C
Characters: C
Dialog: C
Pacing: A
Cinematography: B
Special effects/design: B
Acting: B
Music: A

Enjoyment: A

GPA: 2.9/4

(Apr. 2013)