12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Worth finding ......worth reading, December 27, 2001
This review is from: The Burglar (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard) (Paperback)
Ed Gorman in "The Big Book of Noir" said of David Goodis "he didn't write novels, he wrote suicide notes". This was enough to peak my interest and The Burglar(1953) was the first Goodis book I could get my hands on-it didn't disappoint-if you are into this sort of thing. A little perverse, a lot of morose, a good story, a lingering sadness. Goodis is reputed to be an acquired taste-not necessarily for everyone but if you like him chances are you'll like him alot-so far so good. Highly recommended.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Attention Jim Thompson Fans--Goodis is worth a look, May 30, 2002
This review is from: The Burglar (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard) (Paperback)
I tracked this down after reading George Pelecanos describe it as his favorite crime novel. It is a dark, brooding tale of a thief and his cohorts in early 1950s Philadelphia & Atlantic City. It reminded me a lot of Jim Thompson's work from the same period. Not a fast-moving story, but at the same time it's hard to break away from. A good look at the psychological costs of a life of crime.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A definite page-turner - probably Goodis's best, August 7, 2007
This review is from: The Burglar (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard) (Paperback)
The Burglar - first published in 1953 - is a very tightly wound crime story. Just shy of 160 pages, it's a very quick read. I first read it maybe 12 years ago, and it definitely stayed with me. It may be short, but the characters are vivid and the action is suspenseful.
The main character is a professional burglar named Nat Harbin who runs a 4-person burglary crew. There are two other men in his crew, Baylock and Dohmer; the other key member is a young girl named Gladden. Gladden is the daughter of the thief under whom Nat apprenticed, and since his death Nat has been her caretaker. Nat's loyalty to Gladden and to her dead father is the linchpin around which the story revolves. At the beginning of the book Nat's team has completed a very successful jewel heist, but things go downhill from there. The crew is starting to come apart, and they're being hunted by a psychopath who wants the loot from the jewel heist at any and all costs.
David Goodis is one hell of a writer. In addition to this book, he also wrote Dark Passage and Shoot the Piano Player. He was educated at Temple University in Philly, wrote for the pulp mags most of his life, and died of cirrhosis at the age of 50. I would have to agree with a previous reviewer - Goodis and Jim Thompson share a similar literary sensibility. Their protagonists are desperate, usually doomed, and exist in worlds of broken promises and shifting loyalties. If you're a Jim Thompson fan, give David Goodis a try. If you read this and like it, I would also recommend Black Friday and Street of No Return.
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