TLS signed “Dutch,” one page, 8.5 x 11, personal letterhead, January 27, 1981. Letter to his literary agent H. N. Swanson, in part: "Something good could develop from the arson material Robert Guralnick sent. Characters and scenes come to life immediately. At first I was afraid the story seemed too familiar. I don't mean because of the Warren Oates-Arthur Kennedy picture that dealt with arson. It seemed familiar because of the environment: ghetto desolation, devoid of hope, danger just around the corner. Authentic, but a downer. Another problem is, who cares? Another fire in the South Bronx or Bed-Sty. In '79 there were over 114,000 fires in New York. But I'm beginning to see the possibilities. Kevin Hughes, former fireman, now an assistant district attorney in the Bronx, jumps out…a man with a personal reason for wanting to convict the arson-for-profit bad guys…An angry young man, assistant D.A. with Dirty Harry inclinations…And Joe Bald is a natural heavy: a family man, pillar of his temple, who hires Puerto Ricans to burn down his buildings. I can see the guy come into the apartment building with his arson kit. The tenants pack up as he starts drilling holes and not a word is said. It's not a disaster story. If the fires are kept to a minimum and most of the action is played downtown, it could be quite different than what I first imagined. Facts unraveled to reveal a sub-plot about people on the take…It's worth considering." In fine condition.
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