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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
She had the face of a madonna and a heart made of dollar bills!
Amazing. Great dialogue and tons of action. And it never feels ridiculous even when the characters do something as contrived as literally staring into the abyss. Up there with the best of Jim Thompson, easily.
Amazing. Great dialogue and tons of action. And it never feels ridiculous even when the characters do something as contrived as literally staring into the abyss. Up there with the best of Jim Thompson, easily.
Books like this one must be judged within the context of their time, I think. The prose style lacked immediacy. I didn't feel pulled into the story, with the exception of certain scattered moments. Many of the incidents felt, well, incidental. The story really didn't feel all that tight. But, as I say, narrative style in the 1950s--particularly in pulp paperbacks--was not the same as it is today. There were certain lines that I liked, and certain scenes that stood out for me, and then rather longish sections separating them that I almost wanted to skim. But the story, in its best moments, has a rather dark, horrific feel that I really enjoyed. I picked this one up because of the essay in Books To Die For, and I feel the author of that piece was rather hyperbolic in his praise. He oversold it. It would be hard for any book to live up to the expectation he created. Still, it was a fine piece of entertainment, and I'm glad I read it.
What I love about noir fiction, is that the morally bankrupt thrill of it all, is always undercut with social commentary on big issues. Chaze’s masterpiece is no exception. I was thrilled and disturbed throughout this ‘angel of death’ tale, and it also made me think. This is easily one of the best noir novels I have read in some time. I’m eager to read more from this woefully underrated author. LOVED it.
Thanks to my friend Still who recently read and reviewed this book otherwise I never would have known of this story. This has the classic noir tropes, get rich quick heist plan, the femme fatale but what makes this stand out from many pretenders is the writing. I've read plenty of wannabe "noir" books and you can see the author figures anybody can write this type of story and then everything feels forced. This writing feels effortless, I guess that's why so many people think it's easy. This belongs right up there with Cain, Hammett and Chandler.
9/10
9/10
Before this book, I had never read noir before. I do not know where this stands with others of its genre, but I'm willing to bet it's at the top of the list! I love that I know the fate of the characters near the beginning, and I love that the language was so rich and delightful that I looked forward to the journey to find out the details.
Some of the rich (non-spoiler) prose you'll find in this book:
"You hear and read about legs. But when you see the really good ones, you know the things you read and heard were a lot of trash."
"Having her at the wheel gave me a good feeling. She kept the left front fender pasted to the center stripe of the road, grooving it as if it were a rail."
"He wore a shirt with genuine French cuffs and he was so proud of them he kept shooting them out of his jacket sleeves and glancing at them as if they were a perpetual and pleasant surprise to him."
You're not going to regret the pleasure of reading this book!
Some of the rich (non-spoiler) prose you'll find in this book:
"You hear and read about legs. But when you see the really good ones, you know the things you read and heard were a lot of trash."
"Having her at the wheel gave me a good feeling. She kept the left front fender pasted to the center stripe of the road, grooving it as if it were a rail."
"He wore a shirt with genuine French cuffs and he was so proud of them he kept shooting them out of his jacket sleeves and glancing at them as if they were a perpetual and pleasant surprise to him."
You're not going to regret the pleasure of reading this book!
"Most of living is waiting to live. And you spend a great deal of time worrying about things that don't matter and about people that don't matter and all this is clear to you when you know the very day you're going to die."
"The shop, except for the noise and the rust in the air, was a lot like a barracks. Too many men under one roof."
" ... and I know why gentlemen are what they are. They decide to be that way after they've tried all the real things and flopped at them. They've flopped at women. They've flopped at standing up on their hind legs and acting like men. So they become gentlemen. They've flopped at being individuals. So they say to themselves one fine morning: 'What can I be that's no trouble at all and that doesn't amount to a damned thing, but yet will make everyone look up to me?' The answer's simple. Be a gentleman. Take life flat on your back, cry in private, and then in a well-modulated voice."
"Because you can't own anybody by shielding them and bullying them and spying on them. It's just the other way 'round."
"The shop, except for the noise and the rust in the air, was a lot like a barracks. Too many men under one roof."
" ... and I know why gentlemen are what they are. They decide to be that way after they've tried all the real things and flopped at them. They've flopped at women. They've flopped at standing up on their hind legs and acting like men. So they become gentlemen. They've flopped at being individuals. So they say to themselves one fine morning: 'What can I be that's no trouble at all and that doesn't amount to a damned thing, but yet will make everyone look up to me?' The answer's simple. Be a gentleman. Take life flat on your back, cry in private, and then in a well-modulated voice."
"Because you can't own anybody by shielding them and bullying them and spying on them. It's just the other way 'round."
A great first act that, once it hits the "crime," turns into a different kind of book that is much less interesting. Reads like an edgy crime novel from the 1960s in both a good and a bad way.
sparks of creativity in a forest of noir cliches
This is among the best of the best of noir and crime fiction. For starters, it's extraordinarily well written. The story is compelling, but the richness, complexity, and depth of the characters are what make this book stand out.
The book was originally published in 1953, and is set in early 1950's Louisiana and Colorado. Timothy Sunblade is an escaped convict planning a major heist, but he needs a partner. Much to his surprise, he finds one in Virginia, the "ten dollar tramp" that the bellhop brings to his hotel room. I won't give away any plot details, but I will say this book is up there with the best of Jim Thompson, and is even more haunting in some ways. If you're looking for a really good read, this is it.
The book was originally published in 1953, and is set in early 1950's Louisiana and Colorado. Timothy Sunblade is an escaped convict planning a major heist, but he needs a partner. Much to his surprise, he finds one in Virginia, the "ten dollar tramp" that the bellhop brings to his hotel room. I won't give away any plot details, but I will say this book is up there with the best of Jim Thompson, and is even more haunting in some ways. If you're looking for a really good read, this is it.