Reviews

In a Lonely Place by Dorothy B. Hughes, Paula Rabinowitz

gwit's review against another edition

4.0

A compelling dive into an obsessive, paranoid, knotted mind.

dreynoldsbook's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This novel is nothing like Chandler and I’m not sure why he should be ashamed of writing The Big Sleep, Farewell My Lovely and the Long Goodbye because Dorothy B Hughes wrote this, as Sara Paretsky seems to think.

Neither is this novel much like Highsmith’s Ripley. Ripley isn’t a psychopath, more of a sociopath who kills for convenience. The thing about Ripley is that Highsmith has you rooting for him. You never root for Dix. He’s a complete psychopath with no redeeming qualities.

This novel is more similar to The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson, although Thompson’s killer is more credible and fully formed I think. This is a great piece of noir fiction though. 

grambles13's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

4.5

baby_capuchin's review against another edition

dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

chris_tyson's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

r0sie_the_read3r's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

juliekreddy's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

vittidimartino's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

bb9159's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0

yasminlibrarian's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder and Misogyny

Minor: Sexual assault