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Available
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Publication
NYRB Classics (2017), Edition: Reprint, 224 pages
Description
A chilling, stylish piece of LA noirAfter the war, cynical veteran Dix Steele has moved to L.A., a city terrified by a strangler preying on young women. Bumping into an old friend, now a detective working on the case, Dix is thrilled by closely following the progress of the police.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Bookmarque
Before it was included in the Women Crime Writers collection published by Library of America, this book was on my radar. It is one of the earliest depictions of that thriller mainstay; the serial killer. While the narration doesn’t specifically name Dex as the killer, the reader is in no doubt.
The title comes from a void in Dex’s life that he’s tried to fill with the wrong woman before. When he fails he kills. It isn’t an excuse, but a reason and his latest attempt is in the shape of Laurel Gray. At first she’s depicted as fairly reasonable and decent, but she becomes an unsatisfied woman who harps and nags; typical for its time. The misogyny and sexism was surprising to me given that a woman wrote this book. I don’t know if Hughes was including it as an indictment or if it was just such the conventional view of women that she wasn’t aware of doing it.
Things get a bit spoilery if you can't spot the obvious.
Dex is a typically arrogant male who thinks every woman’s reaction to him must be intense attraction. I made a note that Sylvia’s reaction on first meeting Dex, which he mistook, was actually wariness or fear, and it was. She sensed his wrongness and in the end it undoes him. He takes chances and liberties that only a psychopath would. In that sense he reminded me of Ripley, justifying his every crime and killing with the idea that because it’s him it’s ok and that his victims deserve whatever they get. He’s repulsive. A modern writer would surely blame Dex’s mother, but Hughes doesn’t offer any reason for Dex’s defects. They just are. There’s a great sense of dissipation about him and Hughes wrote a great scene for him acting the distraught innocent when he “learns” of a woman’s death in England.
Overall the book works really well and is told with a light detachment that keeps things from being too desperate. There is no victim in his sights as such, but an overall sense of danger and dread permeates the book. That and we want him to be caught, punished and thoroughly brought down. That’s kind of where things get a bit iffy though with some plot holes and oddities I just can’t imagine happening. Like when Brub (oh what a name!) and his boss get involved in the murder in England, the one Dex reacted so histrionically to. They lay out the case and note similarities to the current killings. Every conversation they have had with Dex about the crimes paints a picture of a killer that is a dead ringer for Dex himself, but suspicion never turns his way.
Then it does and Hughes sets up a few subtle clues for the reader to know that finally, Dex is in a net. There’s a lovely set up and then they have him. Fingerprints come to light and other evidence and he’s caught, becoming a blubbering idiot bitten by the confessional bug. It’s a nice way to end it and satisfying both in the villain getting nabbed and from a dramatic perspective. It reminded me a lot of crime movies of this era; no coda, just a solid collar and scene.
In tone and style it reminded me of A Kiss Before Dying by Ira Levin that came out some years later. They both feature a sociopathic young man trying to get above his station no matter the cost. Working is below them. They despise the idle rich but long to be one. Both use and abuse the women in their orbits, but have skill in hiding who they are and keeping the women compliant. There are swishy clubs, money, sex and increasing desperation. Levin’s has a more clever construction, but both are excellent.
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He purposely re-enters the life of an old friend from his military days only to find out that friend, Brub Nicolai, has become an L.A. Detective. Instead of disappearing or failing to pursue the friendship, Dex insinuates himself more firmly in his life, setting up a game that only Dex knows they’re playing. Oh sure, Brub is aware of a killer on the loose and he’s tortured by it and afraid for his wife Sylvia, but he has no idea the strangler is Dex. It’s kind of delicious. Dex alternately is jealous of their marriage and despises them for their cozy conventionality. Sylvia is at turns the most desirable and elegant woman and a vapid, colorless ball and chain. Brub is hero then dupe.The title comes from a void in Dex’s life that he’s tried to fill with the wrong woman before. When he fails he kills. It isn’t an excuse, but a reason and his latest attempt is in the shape of Laurel Gray. At first she’s depicted as fairly reasonable and decent, but she becomes an unsatisfied woman who harps and nags; typical for its time. The misogyny and sexism was surprising to me given that a woman wrote this book. I don’t know if Hughes was including it as an indictment or if it was just such the conventional view of women that she wasn’t aware of doing it.
Things get a bit spoilery if you can't spot the obvious.
Dex is a typically arrogant male who thinks every woman’s reaction to him must be intense attraction. I made a note that Sylvia’s reaction on first meeting Dex, which he mistook, was actually wariness or fear, and it was. She sensed his wrongness and in the end it undoes him. He takes chances and liberties that only a psychopath would. In that sense he reminded me of Ripley, justifying his every crime and killing with the idea that because it’s him it’s ok and that his victims deserve whatever they get. He’s repulsive. A modern writer would surely blame Dex’s mother, but Hughes doesn’t offer any reason for Dex’s defects. They just are. There’s a great sense of dissipation about him and Hughes wrote a great scene for him acting the distraught innocent when he “learns” of a woman’s death in England.
Overall the book works really well and is told with a light detachment that keeps things from being too desperate. There is no victim in his sights as such, but an overall sense of danger and dread permeates the book. That and we want him to be caught, punished and thoroughly brought down. That’s kind of where things get a bit iffy though with some plot holes and oddities I just can’t imagine happening. Like when Brub (oh what a name!) and his boss get involved in the murder in England, the one Dex reacted so histrionically to. They lay out the case and note similarities to the current killings. Every conversation they have had with Dex about the crimes paints a picture of a killer that is a dead ringer for Dex himself, but suspicion never turns his way.
Then it does and Hughes sets up a few subtle clues for the reader to know that finally, Dex is in a net. There’s a lovely set up and then they have him. Fingerprints come to light and other evidence and he’s caught, becoming a blubbering idiot bitten by the confessional bug. It’s a nice way to end it and satisfying both in the villain getting nabbed and from a dramatic perspective. It reminded me a lot of crime movies of this era; no coda, just a solid collar and scene.
In tone and style it reminded me of A Kiss Before Dying by Ira Levin that came out some years later. They both feature a sociopathic young man trying to get above his station no matter the cost. Working is below them. They despise the idle rich but long to be one. Both use and abuse the women in their orbits, but have skill in hiding who they are and keeping the women compliant. There are swishy clubs, money, sex and increasing desperation. Levin’s has a more clever construction, but both are excellent.
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LibraryThing member ecw0647
Reminiscent of Patricia Highsmith. Dix Steele is an ex-Army fighter jock living in Los Angeles and surviving nicely on a monthly check from his uncle. He's living in the apartment, wearing the clothes and driving the car of Mel Torries who has supposedly sublet everything to him and taken off for
This is a deliciously psychological page-turner as we watch Steele descend further and further into darkness. I have to disagree with Megan Abbott's analysis at the end of the book. "To his mind, the enemy is not the war, its trauma, but what men face upon their return: staid domesticity, the strictures of class, emasculation. And these threats are embodied wholly in women. Women, whose penetrating gazes are far mightier than his sword." Given this female perspicacity, I was puzzled by some of their actions that brought them into dangerous proximity to Steele. We only see the world through Steele's warped perception, and his view is hardly the most reliable so it's difficult to know just what the other characters are really thinking; indeed, what might be really happening. We are never privy to any of the violence, either, only the results, but even then everything is nebulous.
What is undeniable is the influence Hughes had on Highsmith and her Tom Ripley, James Cain, and the other practitioners of fifties noir. I will certainly seek out the rest of her novels.
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Rio. One evening he accidentally bumps into his best friend from the war, another fighter pilot, married to Sylvia, who is now a detective with the police force. There has been a series of women strangled by some unknown killer who leaves no clues or traces. Steele both loves and hates women and Sylvia, it turns out, has her suspicions of Steele.This is a deliciously psychological page-turner as we watch Steele descend further and further into darkness. I have to disagree with Megan Abbott's analysis at the end of the book. "To his mind, the enemy is not the war, its trauma, but what men face upon their return: staid domesticity, the strictures of class, emasculation. And these threats are embodied wholly in women. Women, whose penetrating gazes are far mightier than his sword." Given this female perspicacity, I was puzzled by some of their actions that brought them into dangerous proximity to Steele. We only see the world through Steele's warped perception, and his view is hardly the most reliable so it's difficult to know just what the other characters are really thinking; indeed, what might be really happening. We are never privy to any of the violence, either, only the results, but even then everything is nebulous.
What is undeniable is the influence Hughes had on Highsmith and her Tom Ripley, James Cain, and the other practitioners of fifties noir. I will certainly seek out the rest of her novels.
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LibraryThing member jwrudn
In a Lonely Place is terrific, psychological noir. Written in 1947, it depicts post war Los Angeles as a lonely place with fog shrouded canyons and people trying to make it big. The novel is told from the point-of-view of Dix Steele, a serial murderer. Dix is posing as a writer, longing to be rich,
I discovered Hughes only recently and after reading In a Lonely Place, I can see why she is compared with Raymond Chandler for her depiction of post-war LA.
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but chafing under the meager support of his uncle. He Is living in the house, wearing the clothes and driving the car of the rich Mel Terres who he explains has moved to Rio. Recognizing something of themselves in each other Dix and the beautiful, enigmatic Laurel Gray become involved. Laurel, once married to a rich man and possibly involved with Mel Terres, now despises the rich and is an aspiring actress. Because Dix is an unreliable narrator, it is unclear until the end whether he has deceived the police or evidence is mounting against him. Ultimately his downfall is not the tough, dogged and laconic tough guy of many noir plots, but the femme fatale, Laurel, and the wife of Dix’s friend from the war now a policeman.I discovered Hughes only recently and after reading In a Lonely Place, I can see why she is compared with Raymond Chandler for her depiction of post-war LA.
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LibraryThing member charbutton
Published in 1947, In A Lonely Place is a pulp fiction crime novel about a series of rapes and murders of young women in the Los Angeles area. It's a gripping read.
The story is told from the point of view (although in the third rather than first person) of Dix Steele, a veteran of the Second World
However Hughes subtly changes the characteristics of pulp fiction crime, challenging the way that gender is presented in these types of books. For example, Steele is not a typical American man. He rejects the notion that he should work hard to achieve the American dream - he appropriates other people's lives to gain money.
The women of the novel are also not as we might expect. Those who are murdered are not whining, weak victims who provoke their killer thereby justifying his behaviour. They just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and it is clear that the cause of the crimes lies in the weaknesses of the murderer. The violent attacks occur 'off-screen' so there's no voyeuristic thrill for the reader. And the two women who have bigger roles are strong and are at the heart of the story's resolution.
The playing with gender stereotypes does not detract from the atmosphere of the novel. It's chilling and creepy, enhanced by the sparse prose. There are also a couple of flashes of black humour that I really enjoyed.
In case you hadn't already guessed, this was a great book! It's part of a series of female-authored pulp fictions from the 1930s - 1950s published by The Feminist Press and I'll definitely be ordering more books from the series. I'll also be looking up more of Dorothy B. Hughes's work.
The story is told from the point of view (although in the third rather than first person) of Dix Steele, a veteran of the Second World
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War, who wants money and success. Steele is deeply misogynistic, egotistical and restless. It's unsettling to spend the whole of the book with him without respite. So far, it's what might be expected from a 'hard-boiled' post-war novel.However Hughes subtly changes the characteristics of pulp fiction crime, challenging the way that gender is presented in these types of books. For example, Steele is not a typical American man. He rejects the notion that he should work hard to achieve the American dream - he appropriates other people's lives to gain money.
The women of the novel are also not as we might expect. Those who are murdered are not whining, weak victims who provoke their killer thereby justifying his behaviour. They just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and it is clear that the cause of the crimes lies in the weaknesses of the murderer. The violent attacks occur 'off-screen' so there's no voyeuristic thrill for the reader. And the two women who have bigger roles are strong and are at the heart of the story's resolution.
The playing with gender stereotypes does not detract from the atmosphere of the novel. It's chilling and creepy, enhanced by the sparse prose. There are also a couple of flashes of black humour that I really enjoyed.
In case you hadn't already guessed, this was a great book! It's part of a series of female-authored pulp fictions from the 1930s - 1950s published by The Feminist Press and I'll definitely be ordering more books from the series. I'll also be looking up more of Dorothy B. Hughes's work.
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LibraryThing member RidgewayGirl
In a Lonely Place is the reminder I needed of how perfect those early noir novels are. Dorothy B. Hughes has written an extraordinary book told from the point of view of a very bad man. And even as she stays within his point of view throughout, she still manages to create strong female characters
Dix has moved to Los Angeles. He served in WWII in England where he was friends with Brub and when he is in Santa Monica one evening, he calls Brub up and they rekindle their friendship. There are two problems, one is that Brub is now a detective, working on solving a series of stranglings of young women, and the other is Brub's wife, who sees Dix much too clearly for his peace of mind.
What a fantastic novel this was. I enjoyed every paranoid, claustrophobic minute spent trapped in Dix's vile headspace.
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whose bravery shows despite the misogynistic lens through which they're seen. Dix has moved to Los Angeles. He served in WWII in England where he was friends with Brub and when he is in Santa Monica one evening, he calls Brub up and they rekindle their friendship. There are two problems, one is that Brub is now a detective, working on solving a series of stranglings of young women, and the other is Brub's wife, who sees Dix much too clearly for his peace of mind.
What a fantastic novel this was. I enjoyed every paranoid, claustrophobic minute spent trapped in Dix's vile headspace.
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LibraryThing member lsh63
This is one of the few novels in the hardboiled, noir genre that was written by a woman and I loved it. This author certainly holds her own against other authors in this genre, such as James Cain, Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, all authors associated with the classic noir style.
In a Lonely
The movie that was based on this book stars the wonderful Huphrey Bogart, and perhaps lesser known to some, but one of my favorites, Gloria Grahame. I highly recommend the book and the movie.
In a Lonely
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Place, however, was to me much more of a psychological thriller than a mystery, because the story unfolded in an extremely well written manner as the reader experienced the thoughts and actions of a brutal serial killer who molested his victims. The movie that was based on this book stars the wonderful Huphrey Bogart, and perhaps lesser known to some, but one of my favorites, Gloria Grahame. I highly recommend the book and the movie.
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LibraryThing member arubabookwoman
When the book opens, Dix is stalking a young woman who has just gotten off a bus at dusk and is walking home. Nothing comes of it, but we learn that a serial killer is strangling the young women of Los Angeles.
Dix is just back from WW II and at loose ends. He receives a small stipend from an uncle
When Dix reconnects with an old army buddy, Brub, he is surprised to learn that Brub is now married to Sylvia, and that Brud is now a detective on the LAPD. Not only that, Brub is also on the team trying to catch the serial killer. Dix also becomes entangled with a redheaded femme fatale named Laurel.
This is pure noir, in the tradition of James Cain, Raymond Chandler, and Jim Thompson. Moreover, Dix is a worthy predecessor to Patricia Highsmith's Ripley, although I think Dix lacks some of the characteristics that can make some readers feel sympathetic toward Ripley.
Most of the novel is narrated from the pov of Dix, although the gorier parts are left to the imagination, and occur in the breaks between chapters. The book distinguishes itself from other noir novels of this period in that the females play important roles in solving the crime and in that it is explicit in making the connection between misogyny and violence towards women.
This was one of the first novels to be narrated from the pov of a serial killer, and I will say it has held up well over the 70+ years since it was first published.
Recommended.
3 stars
Dix is just back from WW II and at loose ends. He receives a small stipend from an uncle
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and is supposed to be writing a book. He lives in a nice apartment that belongs to Mel, a friend who suddenly took off for Brazil. He drives Mel's car and wears Mel's clothes.When Dix reconnects with an old army buddy, Brub, he is surprised to learn that Brub is now married to Sylvia, and that Brud is now a detective on the LAPD. Not only that, Brub is also on the team trying to catch the serial killer. Dix also becomes entangled with a redheaded femme fatale named Laurel.
This is pure noir, in the tradition of James Cain, Raymond Chandler, and Jim Thompson. Moreover, Dix is a worthy predecessor to Patricia Highsmith's Ripley, although I think Dix lacks some of the characteristics that can make some readers feel sympathetic toward Ripley.
Most of the novel is narrated from the pov of Dix, although the gorier parts are left to the imagination, and occur in the breaks between chapters. The book distinguishes itself from other noir novels of this period in that the females play important roles in solving the crime and in that it is explicit in making the connection between misogyny and violence towards women.
This was one of the first novels to be narrated from the pov of a serial killer, and I will say it has held up well over the 70+ years since it was first published.
Recommended.
3 stars
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LibraryThing member mstrust
So very noir that I pictured the whole story in black and white.
Dix Steele (how many pornstar wanna-bes are kicking themselves for not thinking up that name?) is a serial killer, and his best friend, Brum, is a cop. So the mystery isn't one of who did it or who will catch the killer as the reader
Hughes does a commendable job of writing in the voice of a man, and a psychotic one at that. Dix's mind ricochets between anger, hunger and sleep deprivation with the occasional bouts of joy over tricking his cop friend to give him lots of police information. His version of falling in love, as he does with a neighbor, shows Dix in full stalker mode and gives the reader another scary aspect of his personality.
I'm glad I've finally discovered Hughes and I'll be reading more from her.
Dix Steele (how many pornstar wanna-bes are kicking themselves for not thinking up that name?) is a serial killer, and his best friend, Brum, is a cop. So the mystery isn't one of who did it or who will catch the killer as the reader
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already knows these things. Instead, Hughes keeps us guessing as to which of the three potential victims offered up will Dix choose next. It just boils down to who does he hate more?Hughes does a commendable job of writing in the voice of a man, and a psychotic one at that. Dix's mind ricochets between anger, hunger and sleep deprivation with the occasional bouts of joy over tricking his cop friend to give him lots of police information. His version of falling in love, as he does with a neighbor, shows Dix in full stalker mode and gives the reader another scary aspect of his personality.
I'm glad I've finally discovered Hughes and I'll be reading more from her.
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LibraryThing member sturlington
This is an underrated noir classic that for me surpassed such better known novels as The Killer Inside Me or The Postman Always Rings Twice. Hughes writes from the point of a view of a serial killer who won't quite admit to himself what he is, depicting his breakdown as the police close in. Two who are instrumental in bringing him to justice . I recommend the edition with the excellent afterword by Megan Abbott.
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things I appreciated: she never shows a murder on the page but instead lets the reader read between the lines, and the two female characters in the novel--although the killer views them as opposite "types"--are both real women Show Less
LibraryThing member Shirezu
This was a very dark book. Unlike any other noir book I've read this time we're not in the head of the detective but in the head of the killer. It's a very different viewpoint and I think Dorothy Hughes did a magnificent job showing Steele unraveling as he starts losing control.
I wish there had
All in all though it was masterful writing and you can't help but come away from the book feeling a bit dirty. Well deserving of four stars.
I just have to say though that due to the character's name I kept picturing Leslie Nielsen as Dick Steele from Spy Hard.
I wish there had
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been more uncertainty around Steele though. So you weren't sure if it was him or if it was someone else. Instead there were no surprises in this book. That was the downfall of this book.All in all though it was masterful writing and you can't help but come away from the book feeling a bit dirty. Well deserving of four stars.
I just have to say though that due to the character's name I kept picturing Leslie Nielsen as Dick Steele from Spy Hard.
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LibraryThing member DieFledermaus
The terrifically tense and well-written In a Lonely Place has a suitably twisty premise - serial rapist/killer Dix Steele is best friends with one of the cops hunting him down - but is more about the relationships and life of a disturbingly normal man. Hughes’ prose is appropriately terse and
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hardboiled, with the occasional gleaming descriptive sentence. She expertly characterizes Dix, littering his thoughts with casual and glaring examples of misogyny, and makes staying in his head a claustrophobic experience. As the story is more about Dix’s relationship with his old war friend, Brub Nicolai, Brub’s wife Sylvia and Dix’s new girlfriend Laurel - as well as plenty of concrete things like eating, drinking (lots), and the murders - Dix’s psychological state would seem to take a backseat to the plot which makes Hughes’ portrayal of postwar male loneliness, inadequacy, entitlement and rage all the more impressive. The Los Angeles setting is also vividly described. The introduction (in my copy, by the Feminist Press) is very helpful and highlights some of the subtle twists Hughes makes on standard noir tropes. Show Less
LibraryThing member KeishonT
Very good psychological suspense set after WW2.
LibraryThing member piemouth
Classic noir, classic psychological thriller. We meet the protagonist as he stalks a lone woman taking the bus home from work, then learn that a serial killer is terrorizing post-war Los Angeles. Dix is just out of the Army, at loose ends, living in a buddy's apartment while he tries to write the
It's 70 years old but holds up well. Probably one of the first to tell a story from the POV of the killer. It was republished by The Feminist Press at the City University of New York and there's an intro discussing the way the women have more agency than usual and how the book depicts toxic masculinity, years ahead of its time. Well worth reading.
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great American novel. He reconnects with an old Army buddy who is now a cop investigating the murder. How interesting for Dix! He also meets Laurel, an aspiring singer and mysterious femme fatal.It's 70 years old but holds up well. Probably one of the first to tell a story from the POV of the killer. It was republished by The Feminist Press at the City University of New York and there's an intro discussing the way the women have more agency than usual and how the book depicts toxic masculinity, years ahead of its time. Well worth reading.
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LibraryThing member BibliophageOnCoffee
I was starting to think that the noir genre just wasn't for me until I read this book. I'll definitely try another Dorothy Hughes book when I'm in the mood for crime fiction again.
LibraryThing member yarb
All killer, no filler noir with the double-satisfaction of a serial strangler POV and a case solved by a pair of cool dames.
Great character names (Dix Steele!), perfect title, ideal setting in the clammy, foglit environs of Hollywood and Santa Monica. Hughes nails the two noir essentials of
Now for the film version!
Great character names (Dix Steele!), perfect title, ideal setting in the clammy, foglit environs of Hollywood and Santa Monica. Hughes nails the two noir essentials of
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atmosphere and moral ambiguity and doesn't waste a word in doing so.Now for the film version!
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LibraryThing member LiteraryFeline
In a Lonely Place is purported as author Dorothy B. Hughes best novel, a hardboiled noir set in postwar Los Angeles. Dix Steele is cocky and sure of himself as the novel begins. Although written in third person, the author never strays from the main character’s point of view as the world and the
Sylvia’s husband is none other than Detective Nicolai, Dix’s best friend. His latest case is tracking down a killer known as the Strangler who has left a string of female victims in his wake. Dix takes particular interest in the investigation.
For those who do not care for reading violent scenes, the novel is not at all graphic and instead is more psychological in its approach. Dorothy B. Hughes capably builds suspense and wonder throughout her novel. I cannot say that this particular novel stands out above some of the other serial killer novels of its kind I have read. Although cold and calculated, the killer was never really frightening as a character. Perhaps that in part was because the author did paint the killer as a somewhat sympathetic person. He was smart, no doubt, but his overconfidence and rationalizations never failed to make him seem less so.
In A Lonely Place was an entertaining novel and also made for interesting reading as a period piece. Dorothy B. Hughes’ novel stepped outside of the lines during its day, offering up strong willed and intelligent women and challenging the societal notion that women shared the blame in their victimization. Dorothy B. Hughes certainly earned the high praise her book has received.
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events in the novel filter solely through his viewpoint. He makes for an interesting protagonist, although never a likeable one. It is obvious from the first page he does not think much of women. Instead, sharp-eyed psychologist Sylvia Nicolai and the fiery Laurel Gray, who knows exactly what she wants and goes after it without hesitation, are the two characters who stand out and demand respect from readers. Dix falls hard for the beautiful Laurel Gray, a woman unlike any other he has come across before. She may just be his match and what follows is not at all what Dix could have anticipated.Sylvia’s husband is none other than Detective Nicolai, Dix’s best friend. His latest case is tracking down a killer known as the Strangler who has left a string of female victims in his wake. Dix takes particular interest in the investigation.
For those who do not care for reading violent scenes, the novel is not at all graphic and instead is more psychological in its approach. Dorothy B. Hughes capably builds suspense and wonder throughout her novel. I cannot say that this particular novel stands out above some of the other serial killer novels of its kind I have read. Although cold and calculated, the killer was never really frightening as a character. Perhaps that in part was because the author did paint the killer as a somewhat sympathetic person. He was smart, no doubt, but his overconfidence and rationalizations never failed to make him seem less so.
In A Lonely Place was an entertaining novel and also made for interesting reading as a period piece. Dorothy B. Hughes’ novel stepped outside of the lines during its day, offering up strong willed and intelligent women and challenging the societal notion that women shared the blame in their victimization. Dorothy B. Hughes certainly earned the high praise her book has received.
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LibraryThing member Dreesie
A noir classic, this novel takes place in post-WW2 Los Angeles.
Yes, this is a crime novel, but really it is a study of a criminal. The reader learns very quickly what is going on, but reading the story is watching the criminal's take on his own cleverness. Meanwhile the reader wonders when the
One of the main characters here, though, is Los Angeles. Late 1940s Los Angeles, which most definitely is not the same as modern Los Angeles. Beverly Glen Road is no longer a rural outpost above the city--it is lined with nice houses and is a "shortcut" commuting corridor. There are no longer drive-ins with carhops, and for all the driving around in this book there is no traffic. Because 1940s!
The description of Palisades Park, the California Incline, and Santa Monica Canyon still hold true, for the most part (no more foghorns, and it is 7th Street that drops from San Vicente down into the canyon, not 4th, and it is much more densely populated now). But the fog, the mist, the creepiness of it at night when it is quiet--it is still on point.
I have heard this book described as being very "gray" (it's noir, the NYRB cover is B&W, characters are named Steele and Gray). For me, though, this book was in vivid color. San Vicente is GREEN with trees and grass. Wilshire Blvd is lit up. The sky is BLUE unless it is foggy--and then yes, it is gray and monotone.
I really enjoyed the visit to 1940s LA, but the story itself is not my favorite type of book. I prefer mysteries where the reader is trying to figure it out (and it is possible to figure it out), or psychological studies like Perfume: The Story of a Murderer in which the creepy factor is over-the-top. But this is personal preference, and I plan to watch the movie (which is supposed to be VERY different) soon.
Yes, this is a crime novel, but really it is a study of a criminal. The reader learns very quickly what is going on, but reading the story is watching the criminal's take on his own cleverness. Meanwhile the reader wonders when the
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people around him--including the police--will figure it out. Of course, maybe they already have, and are simply collecting evidence for a successful arrest and charging.One of the main characters here, though, is Los Angeles. Late 1940s Los Angeles, which most definitely is not the same as modern Los Angeles. Beverly Glen Road is no longer a rural outpost above the city--it is lined with nice houses and is a "shortcut" commuting corridor. There are no longer drive-ins with carhops, and for all the driving around in this book there is no traffic. Because 1940s!
The description of Palisades Park, the California Incline, and Santa Monica Canyon still hold true, for the most part (no more foghorns, and it is 7th Street that drops from San Vicente down into the canyon, not 4th, and it is much more densely populated now). But the fog, the mist, the creepiness of it at night when it is quiet--it is still on point.
I have heard this book described as being very "gray" (it's noir, the NYRB cover is B&W, characters are named Steele and Gray). For me, though, this book was in vivid color. San Vicente is GREEN with trees and grass. Wilshire Blvd is lit up. The sky is BLUE unless it is foggy--and then yes, it is gray and monotone.
I really enjoyed the visit to 1940s LA, but the story itself is not my favorite type of book. I prefer mysteries where the reader is trying to figure it out (and it is possible to figure it out), or psychological studies like Perfume: The Story of a Murderer in which the creepy factor is over-the-top. But this is personal preference, and I plan to watch the movie (which is supposed to be VERY different) soon.
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LibraryThing member RickGeissal
I had heard Dorothy Hughes's name but not read any of her work. She is brilliant. This book is fantastic, the creation of the narrator's character grows and becomes ominous, then tougher than ominous. The other major characters are very well-formed and alive. This book is extraordinary. It is also
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different from the movie of the same name which was adapted from this book. I like both very much. Show Less
LibraryThing member FEBeyer
Narrated by a murderous psychopath. The genius is that he is quite normal. He gets his laundry done, falls in love and enjoys time with friends. But he is vain and insecure and lacking in empathy. He eternally feels sorry for himself
“Once he’d had happiness but for so brief a time; happiness
When he is triggered he has trouble controlling his anger. Killing is stress relief, an addiction he'll never kick. He also loves the thrill of taking calculated risks and outsmarting the police. The violence is kept in the background, the murders are described after the act. We know what the ending will be but it is still compelling. The film changes things up a lot and is a top notch noir starring Humphry Boggart. You can Eddie Muller's great intro to the movie on TCM Noir Alley on YouTube.
Dorothy B. Hughes gives a real feel of Hollywood at the time, I'd have no problem putting this in front of "The Postman always Calls Twice" as best noir novel I've ever read.
“Once he’d had happiness but for so brief a time; happiness
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was made of quicksilver, it ran out of your hand like quicksilver. There was the heat of tears suddenly in his eyes and he shook his head angrily. He would not think about it, he would never think of that again. It was long ago in an ancient past. To hell with happiness. More important was excitement and power and the hot stir of lust. Those made you forget. They made happiness a pink marshmallow.”When he is triggered he has trouble controlling his anger. Killing is stress relief, an addiction he'll never kick. He also loves the thrill of taking calculated risks and outsmarting the police. The violence is kept in the background, the murders are described after the act. We know what the ending will be but it is still compelling. The film changes things up a lot and is a top notch noir starring Humphry Boggart. You can Eddie Muller's great intro to the movie on TCM Noir Alley on YouTube.
Dorothy B. Hughes gives a real feel of Hollywood at the time, I'd have no problem putting this in front of "The Postman always Calls Twice" as best noir novel I've ever read.
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LibraryThing member nog
The only thing I would add to the reviews here is that there are way too many passages where there is Dix or someone else lighting a cigarette, or Dix thinking about what he wants to eat, or Dix pouring more alcoholic drinks, or thinking about where he might drive and how he'll get there. Normally,
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I wouldn't notice something like that, but in this novel it's overdone. It's like Hughes was padding. Laurel comes across as sociopathic, which I'm not sure is intended. Otherwise, the positive points that other reviewers have talked about are valid. Show Less
LibraryThing member Dorothy2012
a study in madness... dark, tense, and ultimately very sad.
This is NOT the movie!!
(if you are interested in both, I strongly suggest reading the novel first.)
This is NOT the movie!!
(if you are interested in both, I strongly suggest reading the novel first.)
Subjects
Awards
The Great American Novels (1947)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1947
Physical description
224 p.; 7.98 inches
ISBN
1681371472 / 9781681371474