The Blackbirder (Femmes Fatales) [Paperback]

Dorothy B. Hughes (Author)

Book Description

Series: Femmes Fatales | Publication Date: June 1, 2004

A classic World War II-era noir with a page-turning plot, a cast of colorfully sinister characters and a protagonist who is thrust into the heart of political intrigue, this captivating 1943 novel parallels the spy novels of Grahame Greene, Eric Ambler, and the films of Hitchcock and Lang. But in -signature Hughes fashion, The Blackbirder has a genre-bending twist: its hardboiled protagonist is a woman.

Born of American expatriate parents, Julie Guilles was a pretty, sheltered rich girl growing up in Paris, a favorite of the “Ritz Bar” set. But everything changed when the Nazis rolled into the City of Lights. After three years of life underground, Julie is hiding out in New York; but she knows trouble is coming when the corpse of an acquaintance appears on her doorstep. With a host of possible dangers on her tail—the Gestapo, the FBI and the New York cops—she embarks on a desperate journey to Santa Fe in search of her last, best hope. “The Blackbirder”is a legend among refugees, a trafficker in human souls who flies under the radar to bring people to safety across the Mexican border—for a price.

With no resources at her disposal but a smuggled diamond necklace and her own razor-sharp wits, Julie must navigate a tangle of dangers—and take a stand in the worldwide struggle that has shattered the lives of millions. In contrast to the typical representations of wartime women as “Mrs. Minivers” guarding home and hearth, Dorothy B. Hughes gives her intrepid heroine a place at the heart of the action

Dorothy B. Hughes (1904–1993) is the author of numerous hardboiled mystery novels. Three of her books became successful films: The Fallen Sparrow (1943), Ride the Pink Horse (1947), and In a Lonely Place (1950), reprinted by the Feminist Press in 2003. In 1978 she was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: The Feminist Press at CUNY (June 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558614680
• ISBN-13: 978-1558614680
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,559,719 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not Her Best!, December 8, 2006

By 

Louisa the Lemming (Queens, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Blackbirder (Femmes Fatales) (Paperback)

This is one of two Dorothy B. Hughes thrillers reprinted by FEMINIST PRESS. The other, IN A LONELY PLACE, is a classic of historical significance in the crime genre: beautifully written, well-characterized, and chilling.

THE BLACKBIRDER, by contrast, is your bog-standard women's suspense: More interesting, historically, than some, but only barely entertaining, and with the same old obligatory plot "twists" you can see coming from chapter one. FEMINIST PRESS would have done better by Hughes' reputation to have re-printed RIDE THE PINK HORSE or THE EXPENDABLE MAN instead. And THE DAVIDIAN REPORT made a far better potboiler.

This does have some good stuff in it, though. The heroine is a French WWII refugee who has illegally taken shelter in the USA, and who is seeking out a "blackbirder" to smuggle her fiance into the country. Meanwhile, of course, US agents are looking for the blackbirder to shut him down - since such men are also the means by which enemy spies enter the country. It is an interesting premise, and Hughes descriptive abilities bring the various locations - particularly in New Mexico - to life. The heroine is not a complete idiot, but her competence doesn't do her much good, as she is straight-jacketed by the conventions of the genre.

The book throws a little light on some aspects of the refugee experience, and in that sense wasn't a complete waste of my time. But I'm still really surprised it warranted reprinting. Hughes has done so much better than this.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars saltycat, July 17, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Blackbirder (Femmes Fatales) (Paperback)

Give the women mystery writers a chance! A great page turner. I can just imagine Hitchcock doing a job on this one. It's a no-frills mystery. If you enjoy WWII era movies (black and white) you'll love this thriller. Sit back and enjoy. I read it on the beach and lost all track of time.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars World War II United States, July 15, 2009

By 

Lyn Reese (Berkeley, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Blackbirder (Femmes Fatales) (Paperback)

This suspenseful, fast moving thriller follows Julie Guille/Juliet Marlebone as she careens in a mad flight from New York to New Mexico trying to escape the clutches of Gestapo agents working undercover in America. Or are her pursuers F.B.I. agents? Or New York police seeking the woman who was last seen with a murdered German? Flashbacks describe Julie's even more terrifying ordeal when she escaped from Occupied France to Cuba, and then, illegally, to the USA. Fleeing Paris from her guardian Uncle Paul, whom she has discovered is a Nazi collaborator with nefarious plans for her hefty inheritance, she hopes to find the love of her life, Paul, and the mysterious "Blackbirder,"known to provide assistance to refugees who want to enter, or leave, America. Her impressive survival skills, honed by experiences of hidden identities, imprisonment and attempts on her life, make us cheer for Julie every inch of her nerve raking journey.

First published in wartime 1943, The Blackbirder draws the reader into the intrigues, fears, and suspicions, even paranoia, surrounding refugees like Julie. Populated with people involved in clandestine resistance movements as well as those suspected of German "fifth column"operations in America, The Blackbirder represents a classic spy thriller of the period with its plot of wartime espionage and the struggles of people seeking freedom from fascist rule. The lengthy Afterword does a top knot job describing the book's backstory, Nazi occupied France, as well as a well deserved portrait of Hughes' writing style and place in American literature.

The Blackbirder is part of Feminist Press's "FemmesFatales: Women Write Pulp" series which has restored to print the "best of women's writing in the classic pulp genres, originally published in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s."