Joey's Case | Suggested Reading

Joey's Case Related Titles

As has been noted, Constantine's two most recent books reveal new trends in his work. Both Joey's Case and Sunshine Enemies (1990) reduce the importance of the "whodunit" suspense found in his earlier novels, especially in The Blank Page (1974). He uses dialogue even more extensively than in The Man Who Liked To Look At Himself (1973). An increased proportion of both Joey's Case and Sunshine Enemies is devoted to Balzic's introspection. The most notable difference between Joey's Case and previous Balzic books, however, is the shift to an emphasis on psychological and, to an extent, even hormonal explanations of human behavior. Whereas previously Constantine related the psychological to the sociological, giving the latter greater or at least equal weight, he has now changed the balance. If Constantine continues this emphasis, he may become a writer of mainstream fiction, and although his skills will certainly continue to produce absorbing fiction,...
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