Publication
Orion (2012), 192 pages
Original publication date
1971-12
Collections
Genres
Subjects
Awards
National Book Award (Finalist — Fiction — 1973)
Crime Writers' Association Awards (Shortlist — 1972)
Description
The classic novel from "America's best crime novelist" (Time), with a new introduction by Elmore LeonardEddie Coyle works for Jimmy Scalisi, supplying him with guns for a couple of bank jobs. But a cop named Foley is on to Eddie and he's leaning on him to finger Scalisi, a gang leader with a lot to hide. And then there's Dillon-a full-time bartender and part-time contract killer--pretending to be Eddie's friend. Wheeling, dealing, chasing, and stealing--that's Eddie, and he's got lots of friends.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Jim53
I didn't care about any of the characters or what happened to them. The technique of using lots of dialog to tell the story was interesting, but the dialog didn't really characterize the speakers in any meaningful way, with the possible exception of Dave the cop. Higgins shows us the unhappiness of
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the criminals (basically everyone in the book), and it's clear that none of Eddie's "friends" are worthy of the name. The ending is quite predictable, and there really isn't anything for the reader to do except to be thankful not to be living that kind of life, or to have friends like that. Show Less
LibraryThing member datrappert
Although you can guess how it ends, this novel impresses for the near perfection of its execution. Most of the story is told through conversations, and the reader slowly comes to know the characters through these conversations, some of them pretty funny in a very dark way, rather than a lot of
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narrative, . Eddie Coyle is a small time crook who is in trouble. He's about to be sentenced and he doesn't want to go to jail. How far will he go to keep out? This is claustrophobic noir fiction in the same vein as Hammett's The Glass Key or Sallis's Drive. And if you've ever seen a Tarantino movie, you have to figure this is a book he read and remembered, although unlike much of Tarantino's clever but artificial dialogue, Higgins' characters sound like real people speaking in a real way. Show Less
LibraryThing member ben_a
What kind of person will smash a man in the face with a gun for money? Noir, realistic fiction does not go in for soppy sentimentality about mobsters. These are bad people, defective human beings.
The natural comparison for me is Westlake's Parker novels. My brief (n=2) exposure to Parker suggests
Let me pose another rhetorical question. How do you open a time-lock safe without explosive expertise, or safe-cracking expertise. What is the weakness in the system? Of course, the weakness is man. Show up at the bank president's house, put a gun to his wife's head, and he himself will open the safe.
That heist logic, repeated four times, forms the core of "Eddie Coyle." The passage that will remain with me, is one such bank president, his wife and children hostage, waiting for the time-lock to open. He recalls a vacation, where he finds himself four feet away from a timber rattler. After a paralyzed eternity, the snake slithers off into the grass, but throughout the vacation, he, his wife, his children, step more carefully through the grass. That's the way life is, care-free until it isn't. And once it isn't, it never will be again.
The natural comparison for me is Westlake's Parker novels. My brief (n=2) exposure to Parker suggests
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that Higgins is more the realist. Both are excellent stylists, although one is getting a terse, minimalistic style. Westlake is probably the better writer, but Higgins has the straight dope. Not for him the one-man-army of Parker in The Hunter. Let me pose another rhetorical question. How do you open a time-lock safe without explosive expertise, or safe-cracking expertise. What is the weakness in the system? Of course, the weakness is man. Show up at the bank president's house, put a gun to his wife's head, and he himself will open the safe.
That heist logic, repeated four times, forms the core of "Eddie Coyle." The passage that will remain with me, is one such bank president, his wife and children hostage, waiting for the time-lock to open. He recalls a vacation, where he finds himself four feet away from a timber rattler. After a paralyzed eternity, the snake slithers off into the grass, but throughout the vacation, he, his wife, his children, step more carefully through the grass. That's the way life is, care-free until it isn't. And once it isn't, it never will be again.
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LibraryThing member EdJoubert
This is a classic among crime novels. George V. Higgins did it best!
LibraryThing member RBeffa
This 1971 crime novel is probably the most dialogue intense book I have ever read. The story is told through the conversations of a number of characters. Very stylish and very tight storytelling. I can see why this would be quickly adapted to a movie. It isn't a long novel but like a good film I
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felt like I got to know a few of the characters in the short time we spend with them. None of them are people you'd want to know. None of them are friends despite the title. They are all crime punks and someone is going down. These guys have a code, but it is mostly based on fear. Fear of what will happen to you if you give someone a bum deal or rat them out a little. Eddie gets a bum deal. This is good intense stuff and a must read for fans of the genre. I never saw the film but now I want to. I felt sorry for some of these guys, especially Eddie. 3 1/2 - 4 stars Show Less
LibraryThing member JBreedlove
A truly disppointing book. Except for the fact that it was set in Boston in the late 60's-early 70's and a couple of the chapter I tried to get through this quickly. And for all the hype the dialogue was just OK. But there was a sense that this could have been a much better book in more experienced
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hands. Show Less
LibraryThing member cwflatt
This was one of the most unusual books I have ever read and I LOVED IT!! I read it twice back to back and cant wait to read it again. It's all about the dialogue. Amazing lesson in words mean things. How to tell a lie by telling the truth or vise versa. I got the idea to read this book from the TV
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series "Justified" in the last episode. I don't know of any other book like it. Show Less
LibraryThing member BayardUS
The Friends of Eddie Coyle is probably about 80% dialogue, with Higgins never going in for detailed descriptions, scene setting, or complex sentence structure. On the positive side, Higgins' writing style makes this book fast flowing, but still manages to create scenes with lots of tension (the
The dialogue is good, and the characters are a bit different from each other based almost entirely on this dialogue alone (because again, very little in the way of descriptions). The plot is boilerplate for a crime novel, but not in a bad way, if you're looking for a crime novel you'll be getting exactly what you expect. There's no real attempt at depth here, besides the final couple of pages that touch upon the cyclical and futile aspects of the interaction between criminals and the justice system, and if you called any of that insightful you'd be using too strong a word. But why would you go into this book thinking to find something insightful? It's a crime novel, and a solid one at that; start it on a plane ride that's going to last three hours or more and you'll finish it with time to spare and probably be entertained along the way. The Friends of Eddie Coyle does not pretend or aspire to do or be anything more. I'm giving it a 3/5 because, again, it's a solid crime novel, and that's the score I give books of this sort. If you're a bigger fan of crime novels then this may well be a 4 or 5 star book for you; if you're a fan of crime novels you should check this one out. If crime novels aren't your thing, though, certainly don't go into this one expecting it to somehow transcend or surpass the rest of the genre.
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chapter concerning the VP of the First Agricultural and Commercial Bank and Trust Company is the standout example, and the highlight of the book). On the negative side, Higgins' lack of description means that he almost never sets up his scenes, instead throwing you in to a new chunk of dialogue at the start of each chapter with very little to give you your bearings. In the earlier chapters, before you get all the names down and the roles of everyone established, this lack of setup means you can be lost during each new chapter, at least for the first few pages, at which point you're half way through the chapter as likely as not. The dialogue is good, and the characters are a bit different from each other based almost entirely on this dialogue alone (because again, very little in the way of descriptions). The plot is boilerplate for a crime novel, but not in a bad way, if you're looking for a crime novel you'll be getting exactly what you expect. There's no real attempt at depth here, besides the final couple of pages that touch upon the cyclical and futile aspects of the interaction between criminals and the justice system, and if you called any of that insightful you'd be using too strong a word. But why would you go into this book thinking to find something insightful? It's a crime novel, and a solid one at that; start it on a plane ride that's going to last three hours or more and you'll finish it with time to spare and probably be entertained along the way. The Friends of Eddie Coyle does not pretend or aspire to do or be anything more. I'm giving it a 3/5 because, again, it's a solid crime novel, and that's the score I give books of this sort. If you're a bigger fan of crime novels then this may well be a 4 or 5 star book for you; if you're a fan of crime novels you should check this one out. If crime novels aren't your thing, though, certainly don't go into this one expecting it to somehow transcend or surpass the rest of the genre.
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LibraryThing member PaulRx04
One of the best!! even the movie was good-- a CLASSIC!!!
LibraryThing member danhammang
This is a swift, enjoyable read. The well known highlight is the dialogue but it is also atmospheric and captures well, a moment in time.The dialogue rings true. The term Runyonesque comes to mind and like Runyon Higgins does not use the patois to distinguish characters, no matter what their angle
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is. Show Less
LibraryThing member asxz
This had been on my radar for a while and it was supposed to be groundbreaking and original and snappy. I should have been even more on board as Eddie "Fingers" Coyle is a stocky 45 year old who doesn't know what's good for him. And yet I wasn't entirely convinced. The dialog was sub-Leonard and
Still, Leonard himself loved it and Norman Mailer only had good things to say, so what do I know?
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the day to day lives of criminals and cops has become all too familiar from The Wire and The Sopranos. Even if it was groundbreaking, it's been surpassed.Still, Leonard himself loved it and Norman Mailer only had good things to say, so what do I know?
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LibraryThing member antao
Recently I got my hands on the movie The Friends of Eddie Coyle" by Peter Yates and with Robert Mitchum as the leading star. I've been a long time Mitchum's fan. I can honestly say I've watched all his movies (memorable late afternoons and nights at the Portuguese Cinemateca in Lisbon a long time
Along with "The Night of The Hunter" and "The Lusty Man" (one of Nick Ray's masterpieces), it's still Mitchum's best film, as far I'm concerned. I hadn't seen the movie for more than 20 years. Watching it again reminded me why I loved this period of filmmaking. Damn, but they could shoot wonderful noir movies back in the day... Noir has always been of my passions, whether in literary terms or in movie form.
After watching the movie I felt I had to read the novel on which it was based, ie, George V. Higgins' book of the same name. I was completely astonished by Higgin's mastery of the form. It's all there. One of the problems of reading a novel after watching the movie on which it was based is that in the back of your mind the characters are personified by flesh and bone actors. Most of the time this is not a good thing... Robert Mitchum was the only actor in the world that could have portrayed Eddie Coyle in its absolute calmness. He elevated this style of non-acting to an art form.
The book doesn't have anything flashy, just pure tension, conveyed through the magnificent dialog. Higgins tells the story of Eddie and his friends through vintage dialogue, and he tells it swiftly and well. Characterization is at a minimum. I never thought that a book without a high density of characterization was even remotely possible, let alone that it could be a successful work of fiction. This novels proves it. It's possible...
The book is spare and it’s as cold as concrete. Through the observational style, we forget that, inevitably, the world in which these characters operate is chaotic. Everything seems so reasonable and certain, every word and action measured.
The quintessential noir book.
PS. "Doctor Copernicus", "Gun Machine" and now "The Friends of Eddie Coyle". My first three book of 2013, and all of them top-notch! I hope it's not all crap from here on out...lol"
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ago...). Along with "The Night of The Hunter" and "The Lusty Man" (one of Nick Ray's masterpieces), it's still Mitchum's best film, as far I'm concerned. I hadn't seen the movie for more than 20 years. Watching it again reminded me why I loved this period of filmmaking. Damn, but they could shoot wonderful noir movies back in the day... Noir has always been of my passions, whether in literary terms or in movie form.
After watching the movie I felt I had to read the novel on which it was based, ie, George V. Higgins' book of the same name. I was completely astonished by Higgin's mastery of the form. It's all there. One of the problems of reading a novel after watching the movie on which it was based is that in the back of your mind the characters are personified by flesh and bone actors. Most of the time this is not a good thing... Robert Mitchum was the only actor in the world that could have portrayed Eddie Coyle in its absolute calmness. He elevated this style of non-acting to an art form.
The book doesn't have anything flashy, just pure tension, conveyed through the magnificent dialog. Higgins tells the story of Eddie and his friends through vintage dialogue, and he tells it swiftly and well. Characterization is at a minimum. I never thought that a book without a high density of characterization was even remotely possible, let alone that it could be a successful work of fiction. This novels proves it. It's possible...
The book is spare and it’s as cold as concrete. Through the observational style, we forget that, inevitably, the world in which these characters operate is chaotic. Everything seems so reasonable and certain, every word and action measured.
The quintessential noir book.
PS. "Doctor Copernicus", "Gun Machine" and now "The Friends of Eddie Coyle". My first three book of 2013, and all of them top-notch! I hope it's not all crap from here on out...lol"
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LibraryThing member mstrust
Eddie Coyle has no friends, just other guys who run in the same circle. He's a small time crook who is about to stand trial for stealing a truckload of whiskey. His most usual income is buying hot guns and selling them to acquaintances who need cheap guns fast. In Eddie's world, everyone is moving
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goods, and concealing and offering up information about the other guys. Eddie just needs to finds a piece of information that is useful enough to the Feds to keep himself out of jail. Show Less
LibraryThing member tmph
Unbelievable dialog.
LibraryThing member leslie.98
3.5* rounded up to 4* due to all the Boston & Cambridge landmarks that I recognized :)
This crime novel, while well-written and fast-paced, was not my kind of story - I prefer mysteries and thrillers that have a strong puzzle element, something that needs to be figured out. Still, I am glad that I
This crime novel, while well-written and fast-paced, was not my kind of story - I prefer mysteries and thrillers that have a strong puzzle element, something that needs to be figured out. Still, I am glad that I
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tried this one. Show Less
LibraryThing member Bookmarque
Racist. Misogynistic. Don't care about anyone in it. DNF & returned to Audible.
LibraryThing member ByronDB
Now that was...painfully fun. 70s hard-boiled. Not a lick of romance or Romanticizing...
LibraryThing member Vulco1
This book is great. It feels like a valuable piece of noir. The book really seems to nail the dialogue between characters and the feel of the "criminal element". Pretty short read but immediately engrossing. Moves at a good pace.
LibraryThing member HHS-Staff
What more needs to be said than Higgins was Elmore Leonard's model for crime fiction? Eddie Coyle is a weary career criminal looking for a way out so he can live out the rest of his (very modest) life in peace. Not so fast, Eddie. Not surprisingly, the way out involves being an informant. In 180
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pages, the reader will see exactly where Leonard learned to write dialogue, which dominates the narrative. Reviewed by:Phil OvereemLanguage Arts Teache Show Less
LibraryThing member FEBeyer
A few quick thoughts:
This lived up to the hype. Higgins constructed this novel out of dialogue and cars pulling in and out of parking lots and rest stops. As there is very little exposition, and the dialogue is in the slang of the 1970s Boston underworld, sometimes I was a little lost as to what
This lived up to the hype. Higgins constructed this novel out of dialogue and cars pulling in and out of parking lots and rest stops. As there is very little exposition, and the dialogue is in the slang of the 1970s Boston underworld, sometimes I was a little lost as to what
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exactly was going on. I think a second reading would sort that out. The plot itself is straightforward and tight and all the characters are memorable. I started watching the movie but Robert Mitcham seemed like he was reading from a teleprompter. The talk in the book should be cut down for a film and the action relied on more - there is a good amount of that in the book too. Show Less
Language
Original language
English
ISBN
1409127621 / 9781409127628
Physical description
192 p.; 7.72 inches
Pages
192