Customer Reviews

361

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Just when Raymond Kelly was returning from military service, just when he was ready to settle down and spend some time with his family -- his brother, his father, his brother's wife whom he's heard all about and is excited to see in person for the first time -- just then, that's when it all went wrong.

One occasion of being in the wrong place at the wrong time and a month later he wakes up in a hospital room minus a father, a sister-in-law and an eye. With no family left but his brother, Bill, they set to find out who is responsible and wind up discovering a little more about their family than they ever guessed, including the surprising significance of their father's last word. But blood must avenge blood, so Ray and Bill spend a lot of the novel playing a Holmes and Watson with attitude.

The prose in 361 is so fast that I had to slow down my reading just to keep up. It is a fascinating example of the development of Westlake's craft. Most of the Westlake I've read came from a much later period of his career (1980s or later), and I've not read any of the Richard Stark novels, but this book seems like it would suit Parker fans more than those of his comic mysteries. The many fans of other Hard Case Crime novels, however, will eat it right up.

Only his third novel, 361 is not as solid and confident (or as funny) as the only other earlier work I had read -- the Edgar Award-winning God Save the Mark, published just five years later in 1967. What carries it along wonderfully, however, besides the pure power of the storytelling, is the sense that, behind the typewriter is a writer intensely trying to make an impression on the reader. And, as usual, he succeeds.

One thing was decidedly familiar, reminding me of the Donald E. Westlake style his fans know and love: the number of surprises present in this story allow for plenty of leeway in telling the story. You start to think he's going one way, and he goes another. Or he'll spring something unexpected, hiding it within a paragraph of description or "stage business" (as opposed to giving it its own paragraph like most writers do), thus guaranteeing that the reader does a mental "double-take." That's the kind of writing that makes me celebrate. And that's the kind of writing you can expect from 361.

Ray Kelly is 23, just discharged from the Air Force. Met by his dad in New York City, they leave for pop's home in upstate Binghamton. Thirty-eight miles outside of New York City, a Plymouth pulls along side and starts shooting. When the smoke clears, Ray's father is dead, and Ray is in the hospital missing an eye.

Originally written in 1962, "361" is vintage pulp fiction, a minor classic from Don Westlake, one of the masters of the hardboiled crime novel. Written in the vein of Jim Thompson, Dashiell Hammett, and Earle Stanley Gardner, Westlake takes the reader on a no-nonsense odyssey of revenge as Kelly pieces together the jigsaw of the father's life he never knew. Ray, now teamed up with brother Bill, chain-smoke their way from hotel room to hotel room, washing down the smoke with "Old Mr. Boston" straight from the bottle as they track down dad's assasins. As the mystery not surprisingly leads to the mob, one wonders if perhaps Mario Puzo didn't take inspiration from "361" in writing his classic "The Godfather".

Writing styles and culture have changed considerably in the past forty years; one of the hidden jewels in reading early works of Westlake and his ilk is the refreshing peek back into life before political correctness mania. But whether you read it for the plot twists and turns, the hard, unadorned prose served cold, or simply as a nostalgic walk down fiction's memory lane, "361" is prime pulp fiction, a quick thrill to savor and enjoy.

It seems as if Donald Westlake has always been with us. When one has a career that has straddled six decades, one tends to leave that sort of impression. Westlake also seemed to have burst on the scene as a grandmaster; looking at his early work, one is struck by the richness of its voice, even as he was still finding and developing it. While he has built his career on smartly written, lighter crime fiction, one must not forget that he has a dark side that is not limited to his regular offerings under his Richard Stark pseudonym. This is by no means a recent development; it is easy to forget that some of Westlake's early work was extremely dark and foreboding.

Westlake's 361, an early example of his grim and gritty side, has been reissued by the rapidly-becoming-indispensable Hard Case Crime imprint. That any of Westlake's work should be out of print is an unpardonable omission, and to see this grim book --- originally published in 1962 --- back on the rack after an absence of too many years is a welcome occurrence, indeed.

It begins with young Ray Kelly, fresh out of a stint with the Air Force, being picked up by his father for a reunion of sorts. The reunion is cut short when Kelly's father is murdered in front of him. Kelly, himself grievously injured, begins an obsessive hunt for the men who killed his father and changed his life forever. Aided by his brother Bill, Kelly begins a tortuous journey through their father's past, a past that is littered with deceit and disappointment. The subtle focus here, however, is the transformation of Kelly from a peacetime Air Force veteran who is eager and excited with life's prospects to a violent and ruthless killer who knows no limits in his pursuit of revenge.

Westlake's developing mastery of dialogue is on display here. While his reach exceeds his grasp at times, it is instructive to watch Westlake's talent unfolding, in many ways for the first time, on the pages of 361. One also finds here that Westlake, then as now, is a keen observer of the culture and mores of the surroundings --- to wit, New York and its upstate suburbs --- that have served as a rich and ready backdrop for his novels.

While an early work of Westlake's, 361 is not a deficient one, but rather an unacknowledged minor classic that hopefully will be accorded its proper recognition. Recommended.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

Hardcase Crime is to be commended for bringing hardboiled classics like 361 back onto the shelves. Westlake is generally known for his humorous heist novels under his own name, while his "Richard Stark" pseudonym is famous for the wonderfully dark Parker novels. Seeing an early grabber like this one under Westlake's own name is a triumph for his fans.

361 deals with a Ray, a young man who easily, almost naturally shifts from an ex-air force soldier into an avenger upon the underworld when he and his father are driven off the road by a hail of bullets from an unknown assailant. After awakening in the hospital to learn he's lost an eye, full use of his legs, and his father, he becomes a coldly calculating deliverer of violence.

Learning that his father had once worked for a law firm which handled many mobster clients, Ray uses all his wits and a sudden penchant for brutality to work his way through the crime world until he finds the man responsible.

This is a gripping, straight-forward, in-your-face tale of revenge that throws sparks on every page. A terrific gem in the genre, and a wonderful chance to see how this sort of tale was told back in the day. Highly recommended.

This novel is, in a word, FANTASTIC! I defy anyone to pick it up and not devour it in one sitting. With a rocket-fire pace and characters that leap off the page, this revenge tale sucks the reader in to a world of violence and the consequences of that violence. If you think you know where this story's going, you're wrong. Twists and turns abound. And these characters are tough! They make Mike Hammer look like a wimp. Yet they are not one-dimensional. They live and breath and we understand why they do what they do. 361 has been out of print for far too long. This little gem of a book is simply not to be missed. Kudos to Hard Case Crime for bringing it back. A great, great read all the way. One of the best!

Donald Westlake must have written hundreds of novels and short stories to date. '361' is certainly not among his more widely known novels, which is a shame because it is a very decent read. The somewhat complicated but well explained story is about a young man who is quickly sucked into the criminal underworld by virtue of actions of his father many years earlier. There is death, vengeance and despair. '361' is not a happy story; I doubt if it will ever make Oprah's must read list. Yet Westlake's crisp dialogue and very readable prose make '361' an enjoyable read. Is it some long lost classic? No, not by a long shot. But few readers would be disappointed.


Bottom line: a curious journey into the New York underworld circa 1960. Certainly worth a look.

I am a fan of Westlake's work and enjoyed picking up 361. This book moves along with the style and clip of a 50's noir film. Life is grim here and punches are not pulled. But if you hold up 361 and compare it to 'Dog Eat Dog' (an unacknowledged masterpiece if their ever was one), Westlake's book pales. The plot jumps around very quickly, and as a reader I found myself confused several times over just exactly what was going on.

OK, this is a work of pulp fiction, but I still can't give it five stars on the case for nostalgia alone. I think that other reviewers here have done exactly this. Either that or they are pretty exuberant when it comes to handing out five star reviews. I don't think that you will regret getting this book. But keep in mind that this is not Westlake's best by a long shot (though I wish his hard-boiled persona had followed him through his later years).


added later:
Dog Eat Dog was written by Edward Bunker and in turn radically influenced Quentin Tarantino to the point where he got a roll in the director's first flick Reservoir Dogs.

Another brutal author that I cant say enough good things about, better than Bunker, an amazingly gifted newer author, is Zeltserman. try "Small Crimes".

Donald Westlake is one of the classic detective fiction writers, and I was introduced to him through the Hard Case Crime Series. The Hard Case Crime Series releases both old classics and new thrillers of the classic detective stories.

361 by Westlake is a good one. It is full of suspense, violence and clean prose you expect in the genre and doesn't have all the sex, graphic violence, and bad language that some of the newer Hard Case Crime books have.

Ray Kelly has just gotten out of the airforce and gone home, to see his dad. While in the car, his dad is gunned down by thugs. Ray is furious to also find out his brother's wife has been killed. Are the killings connected? Without a home, Ray's purpose in life is to revenge the deaths of his father and sister in law.

Ray and his brother Bill travel to New York where they become involved with a shady law firm, a second rate private detective, and, of course, the mob.

This is a classic book in the Hard Case Crime Series and I recommend it to all.

361 republished by Hard Case Crime (2005) originally was written back in 1962. This may not be Westlake's best ever novel from that era but it is the best fit for the Hard Case Crime various author collection. Hard Case Crime also have republished another classic crime novel by Westlake called Lemons Never Lie (Hard Case Crime) which was written under his pen name Richard Stark. Hard Case Crime should be commended for bringing the classics back for readers of today as most of Westlake's older stuff is very hard to find and expensive if you can get it. At least these two books are affordable and readily available. This is a great novel, non politically correctness, heavy smoking and drinking reinforce the times the story is set in and make it all the more believable as well as fun for the reader. We need more of these classics republished!

In 361 Ray Kelly in New York after serving in the Marines is reacquainting himself with his father and connecting on a level he never did before. Ray's glad to be back and pretty happy. As they leave the New York hotel one morning their vehicle is shot up by a passing car. Ray's father is dead and he wakes in hospital with a number of injuries including the loss of an eye. He swears vengeance on those who did this but to find out their identities he must first learn a bit more about his father. His father has kept quite a few secrets from him throughout his life and Kelly will find himself mixed up in the underworld. He will have his vengeance though!

Westlake is one of the greatest authors of all time, especially his standalone thriller books. A great modern day classic you absolutely have to read is his ultimate solution to unemployment - The Ax!

361, published originally back in 1962 and in 2005 by Hard Case Crime, is a classic hardboiled detective story. Things go bad for the protagonist - his father is killed, while he ends up with a gimp foot and a blind eye - and then, it gets worse.

Like in any hardboiled novel worth the label, 361 has plenty of action, both gunfights and fistfights. The hero empties a bottle of booze about every two pages. This is definitely not high literature, but 361 is a gripping book I'm sure many people will read in one sitting. It has great entertainment value, simply put.