Remembering Ted Lewis

This month, BBC4 is broadcasting a new six-part dramatization of Ted Lewis' brilliant 1970 crime novel JACK'S RETURN HOME, famously filmed as 1971's GET CARTER, starring Michael Caine.

Lewis (right, on the set of GET CARTER), who died tragically young in 1982 at age 42, is a constant on my list of favorite crime writers (the others tend to fluctuate). Sadly, most of his books are now out of print, including JACK'S RETURN HOME and his other masterpiece, 1980's GBH. Along with the dramatization, BBC4 is also airing "Lewis's Return Home," an audio documentary tracing his life and work, with contributions from writer – and Lewis aficionado - Nick Triplow. I recently included JACK'S RETURN HOME on my list of "The Five Best Crime Novels You've Never Read," for reviewer Elizabeth A. White's blog.