Customer Reviews

The Black Path of Fear

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This book is one of Woolrich's famous "Black" series (possibly the series which helped to coin the term "noir").

A young man runs away with a gangster's wife to Cuba. When they are barely off the boat, the ganster has his wife murdered, and now the young man is left framed for the murder in a country where he has no friends and doesn't speak the language. This story is his struggle to clear himself while staying out of the hands of the authorities, find the real killer(s), and exact revenge.

While it starts out as a very promising noir thriller, Woolrich's pulp magazine writing roots show through, and the action turns into a "fast-action whiz-bang", with the story-line moving at breakneck speed through opium dens, Cuba, and the United States. Fortunately, Woolrich was very good at writing whiz-bangs, and much noir remains in the story. It is a shame, though, that the story has an almost schizophrenic nature.

It's an enjoyable stor! ! y, but not one of Woolrich's best. By all means read it, but try to find some of his better "black" novels, such as "Rendezvous in Black", or his William Irish novels, such as "Phantom Lady", too.

The Black Path of Fear is formulaic (read: okay, but not a classic) Woolrich crime novel. As usual we have a lead character under duress, with Woolrich turning up the heat. Predictable? Yes, generally. However Woolrich treats us with a rather surprising ending.

The story is simple. A down-and-out guy gets a job as a gardener for a rich Miami gangster (timeframe: circa 1940). He gets into a brief relationship with the gangster's wife, and both escape to Havana. Naturally things go badly, and our leading man finds himself running through the seedy parts of Havana to escape capture from the police. His saviour is a most unusual Cuban woman (a compassionate criminal with extreme hatred of the police). Along the way we are treated with encounters by masochistic thugs, drug smugglers and opium addicts.

Bottom line: an enjoyable, escapist read. Worth a look.