Friday's Forgotten Books: They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

One of the first books I picked up when I began exploring the world of Crime Fiction was They Shoot Horses, Don't They?. Written in 1935 by Horace McCoy, it was a short book that I found on someone's "Best of List" at Amazon.com. I had no real idea what the story was about, it just seemed like an interesting title, but it was written in the early period of the genre and I wanted to start there.

More of a novella than novel, the story begins with the main character, Robert, standing trial for murdering a woman named Gloria. Each chapter begins with a snippet of Robert's trial and finishes by explaining the path that brought him there. Robert and Gloria were two wannabe actors trying to make it big in Hollywood during the Great Depression. Robert is fresh faced and determined, while Gloria has been run through the grinder and tires of the rat race. (Gloria is not some you take home to mom.) after a random meeting on the street they become hesitant friends and decide to enter a couples only Dance Marathon to earn some cash. A Dance Marathon is exactly what is says apparently; couples must dance, (or be in some sort of motion,) 24 hours per day with only a 10 minute break every two hours.The fact that these Dance Marathons were real and the misery the contestants go through just to make a buck was the most horrifying part of the story. Crowds came to watch these things which make it seem like the first real seeds of reality TV.

At the time I had never read anything quite like it. Thinking back now, and having a broader base to compare to, I would say it is in the same vein as James M. Cain's work, meaning it's completely dark and brutal. If you are looking for an old school, black as night noir, pick this up and enjoy. It's definitely a classic that should be mentioned up there with the greats.

(This story was turned into a Sydney Pollack film bearing the same name starring Jane Fonda as Gloria. I've never seen the film but judging from the trailer below it sure seems to capture the tone.)

Nothing Forgotten Today

Sorry I don't have a forgotten book this week. I was going to review The Ax by Donald Westlake but I'm sorry to say I can't give it a positive review. Mr. Westlake is certainly not forgotten so I didn't have much of a case for adding The Ax to this week's round of Forgotten Books. I will definitely have one next week and I'm almost done with a post summing up my Inauguration experience. My apologies again.

Friday's Forgotten Books: The Gutter and The Grave

It's hard to label The Gutter and the Grave by Ed McBain forgotten since it was re-released by Hard Case Crime in 2005. I would make the case, however, that McBain's Matt Cordell should be in the discussion for the greatest PI put to paper.

The Gutter and the Grave was firsted published under the title I'm Canon - For Hire in 1958 by the great Ed McBain. Matt Cordell (in the pre-Hard Case edition known as Curt Cannon) is a successful private investigator in New York City until one day he comes home to find his wife in bed with one of his operatives. After pistol whipping the man, he loses his license and his wife. His life spirals out of control and finds him disgraced and alone on the streets. That is until Johnny Bridges, an old friend from the neighborhood, finds him on a park bench, drinking another day away. Initially asked to help Johnny find out if his business partner is stealing from him, Cordell is sucked in to a murder mystery when the partner is found dead, with Johnny's initials scrawled in blood next to him. From there Cordell reluctantly takes the case and the story takes twists and turns, with the truth a hard thing to come by.

The premise is nothing too original but Cordell as a character is the real highlight. As with any hardboiled detective worth his salt, he is tough as nails but soft as butter when it comes to woman. Through out the book Cordell has numerous run ins with woman, with some looking to change him and others looking to use him. He also had a brutal side, as evident by the pistol whipping, that seemed to be mostly uncommon for the PI's that preceded him.

I'd be interested to see if Cordell had some influence on Lawrence Block's Matthew Scudder. Both are brilliant detectives but horrible events in their lives have turned off their will to care. If, as Raymond Chandler said in The Simple Art of Murder, "Dashiell Hammett gave murder back to the people that do it for a reason, not just to provide a corpse", McBain gave the hard stuff back to PI's that do it for reasons other than just quenching their thirst.

The Gutter and The Grave is the only full length novel featuring Matt Cordell, with six short stories collected in 1958's I Like'em Tough. It's a real shame considering, in my opinion, Cordell could have been one of the greats of the genre had he been fully fleshed out.

Friday's Forgotten Books: Rendezvous In Black

When I first started creating a list of crime/noir writers I had to read, Cornell Woolrich was right at the top. Trying to find just the right story to start with was much more difficult than the others on the list. He didn't have Archer or Marlowe serials that let you start at #1 and move on from there. I originally chose "It Had To Be Murder", the story that would become Hitchcock's Rear Window, but could not find it at my local library. "The Bride Wore Black" was checked out. Ditto for "I Married A Dead Man". My last available option happened to be "Rendezvous In Black". As it turned out, I don't think I could have picked a better place to start.

The story begins on May 31st and Johnny Marr is meeting his bride-to-be one last time before they tie the knot the following day. Just as everything couldn't be better for Johnny, his every dream is shattered in an instant. From this point forward he is hell bent on inflicting the same amount of loss on those that took everything from him.

With the engine started, the story is then broken into five "rendezvous". Each episode is centered around a character that may have been directly or indirectly involved in Johnny's moment of horror. In an ironic twist, the rendezvous always ends on May 31st, the same date they took everything from Johnny.

This is where Woolrich really earns his Master of Suspense moniker. Since you have no idea how Johnny will be introduced into each story, you are left to assume the worst of every character introduced. There is also this ticking time bomb always in the background as May 31st looms. The last rendezvous is the strongest of the group. He takes his time crafting a simply horrifying scenario (albeit slightly ridiculous) that is so vividly told, it felt like I was watching the last scene unfold on a movie screen in my mind. Intertwined through the story is a detective who follows in Johnny's wake of destruction, trying to piece together the random events. This adds another layer of suspense as he gets closer and closer but always seems to just miss saving the day.

The beginning is a bit slow and hard to follow, but as events unfold it is a dark suspense story of never ending love and unflinching revenge. By the end you may not approve of Johnny's actions but you can't help but share a little understanding of his motives. While Cornell Woolrich is definitely not forgotten, I think "Rendevzous in Black" may not get the credit it deserves.

Check out Patti Abbott's blog for more Forgotten Books.