Customer Reviews

Crime Novels: American Noir of the 1950s: The Killer Inside Me / The Talented Mr. Ripley / Pick-up / Down There / The Real Cool Killers (Library of America) (Vol 2)

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This book is the second volume in the Library of America set on American crime noir. I enjoyed the first volume so much that I decided to read the second one during Christmas break. Once again, the LOA has done a nice job of collecting a fine series of stories. These stories were written during the 1950's and 1960's. The book is nice to look at too; it's covered in red cloth with a cloth bookmark.

The first story is from the demented mind of Jim Thompson. This story, called The Killer Inside Me, is much better than The Grifters, a book by Thompson that I read some time ago. The Grifters seemed to be pretty one-dimensional with respect to its characters. This story is the exact opposite. A deputy sheriff in a Texas city has a terrible secret. He plays dumb on the outside, but inside he is a cunning sociopath. A long simmering resentment leads to a terrible revenge. Bodies quickly stack up as a result. This seems to be the story that Thompson is best known for and it's no surprise why. This is a dark, twisted tale with a grim ending.

Patricia Highsmith wrote a whole series of stories concerning Tom Ripley. The one included here is The Talented Mr. Ripley, probably better known due to the recent film with Matt Damon. This tale isn't as noir as I would have liked, but it still has enough twists and turns to keep anybody in suspense. Ripley is a low class conniver who ingratiates himself into a wealthy family who wants him to go to Italy and bring back their son. Ripley sees the potential for bucks and meets up with the kid and his lady friend. Of course, things take a turn for the worse and the bodies start stacking up. This story was probably my least favorite out of the entire collection.

The next story, Pick-Up, by Charles Willeford, is a depressing tale about two alcoholics who go bump in the night. The story follows the adventures of this alcoholic couple as they attempt suicide, check themselves into a mental hospital, and drink themselves into a stupor. After the female half of the couple dies in another suicide pact, the story switches to a prison tale. The end is somewhat of a twist, but really doesn't impact the story that much, in my opinion. Again, not really noir as noir can be, but still a fine story that can stand by itself.

Down There, by David Goodis, is a wild ride of a tale. Full of suspense and death, this is a great story that deserves to be included here. A family of ne'er-do-wells drags their talented piano-playing brother into their personal problems. The background information on Eddie, the piano player, is phenomenal. The tragedy that has struck him once is bound to repeat itself again. This story has great bit characters that really liven up the background.

The final story, by Chester Himes, is The Real Cool Killers. This is noir on acid: pornographic violence, massive doses of grim reality, and characters you're glad to see get killed. The story is set in Harlem and involves two tough cops named Grave Digger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson. Someone kills a white guy in Harlem and the cops try and track them down. This story contains one of the funniest descriptions of a person falling off a balcony that I've ever read (and I've read a few, disturbingly enough). The writing has enough similes and metaphors to give Raymond Chandler an apoplectic fit. A cool story that certainly deserves a place in this book.

If you like noir, read these two LOA novels. They are long (together they're almost 2000 pages) but it is definitely worth the effort. These kinds of stories are just a great way to while away some free time and relieve stress.

Excellent compilation of crime novels from the 50's. The authors don't just follow the formula they exploit it. Can only buy individual books in paperback so the hardcover binding is nice. If you have the books in paperback already get for the pretty package. I did. Includes arguably the quintessential Jim Thompson novel, a chilling first person narrative of a psychopathic cop, The Killer Inside Me, The Talented Mr. Ripley which is great but not as good as the sequels Ripley Under Ground and Ripley's Game, Pick up, a story narrated by a depressed, cynical loser who's given up on life and decides to take the woman he picks up with him. You'll never guess the great twist at the end as well The Real Cool Killers and Down There which was made into Truffaut's Shoot the Piano player. Sure, the authors' literary devices and cheap tricks might rub the literary critic in you the wrong way but I guarantee you won't be able to put it down. Don't think twice- get it.

This is a fine collection of crime novels in a durable, easy to read format. It starts off great with "The Killer Inside Me", the all time best trip through a killer's mind. The selections by Highsmith and Goodis, while not as intense as "Killer", are just as good in their own quieter ways. The only novel I would have left out is "Pickup"; while I like Willeford I think this is one of his more leaden performances. I also have a quibble with the volume's title, as the word "noir" has been beaten to death and doesn't tell us much about most of these books. "The Talented Mr. Ripley" owes more to Henry James than to Raymond Chandler, and "Killer" doesn't feature any dark city streets. Quibbles aside, however, the book is well worth buying.

In this area of noir, I suggest starting with Raymond Chandler. If you've whipped through his books, like me recently, as well as those of Micky Spillane and Dashiell Hammett, then you are definitely ready for this collection and its partner volume of crime novels from the '30s and '40s. I need to mention, in particular, a real treasure in this collection, which is The Real Cool Killers by Chester Himes.

At this point, allow me a brief political comment. These days, when I see an anthology of five books, and one of the authors is a woman and one is an African-American, perhaps you will forgive me if I guess that something other than storytelling merit went into the selection process. Too harsh? Keep in mind that we are talking about a genre (in this case, hard-boiled crime stories from the 1950s) where you don't exactly expect to see a rainbow coalition of gender and ethnicity. What's more, my suspicion was initially confirmed by reading The Talented Mr. Ripley, which is clearly the weakest story in the collection, and only then observing that this was the first novel in the field I had seen written by a female author.

That introduction brings me to the Real Cool Killers, by Chester Himes. I have since learned that he was an African-American author who wrote many books. But I will fight it out with anyone who claims that Real Cool Killers was selected because of Himes' race. This story is the best of the lot, and I look forward to reading more of his work in the future. In fact, our era of political correctness in literature and academia probably means that Himes does not get nearly the attention he deserves. He is wonderfully impartial when it comes to skin hue in his presentation of nasty characters and their evil deeds. He is equally impartial in his socio-economics. The poor are not automatic angels; the police and the wealthy are not cardboard oppressors. Himes is just a great writer. His novel, which is the last in the book, was a surprising treat.

The Library of America has several interesting compilations of Noir novels. I had read Himes' Real Cool Killers separately and also have just watched his "Cotton Comes to Harlem" from the novel, with the same lead detectives. Himes is almost a forgotten author, typical of the bigotry of the Jim Crow era, in that he wasn't appreciated in the US, but received major prizes in France, where he lived out his life.

The Killer Inside Me is about a despicable deputy in a small TX town, a character one detests but nevertheless can't ignore. The Talented Mr. Ripley was a movie, and, again, presents an evil young man in his downward spiral. I'm reading it now, having seen a film of it years ago. Two other novels in the volume I've yet to start.

These are well bound books with a huge amount of good content for the money. I bought another volume of similar works from the 1930's and 1940's, and one of Dashiell Hammett works at the sme time. Many of these tales have become classic films. I look forward to much pleasant reading from the group.

The other reviewers misunderstand "Pick Up", (****warning -- spoiler****) which is a fascinating novel because the narrator is mentally disturbed and completely unreliable. This fact explains the "twist" ending, a number of apparent editing errors and the unlikely events that occur throughout.

I usually don't like genre fiction, but this book is a great collection of "Noir" novels. Film buffs will be particularly interested in reading the novel on which "Shoot the Piano Player" was based, as well as the first "Mr. Ripley" novel (much nastier and darker than the recent film). Most highly recommended.

"Crime Novels: American Noir of the 1950's" is the second and last volume of the hardboiled anthology published by the Library of America starting with the volume devoted to the genre in the 30's and 40's. This follow-up continues the saga of run-down characters hardened by experience and tough luck. The familiar cast of roguish males, femme fatales, and temperamental and violent detectives set the stage for a diverse and entertaining ride into the depths of the underworld.

"The Killer Inside Me" - Jim Thompson's most popular work is a memorable tale of a Texas law enforcer with a sinister past whose dark and psychotic nature is cunningly veiled behind a genial facade that barely contains "the sickness" which the main character has successfully concealed. A sudden turn of events unleashes the beast inside leading to a tragic odyssey of disillusion, violence, and murder. Pioneering in it's time for revealing the inner mind of the serial killer, the bracing prose and chilling character development makes this work one of the best in the genre.

"The Talented Mr. Ripley" - Tom Ripley is a con artist successfully making ends meet through one of the most reprehensible professions in New York City. A drifter and social outcast, one night in a bar he comes across a parent of an old acquaintance he barely recalls and is asked to do a favor. When he consents, his true nature unfolds in this story of murder, sexuality, and identity. Made into film in 1999 starring Matt Damon in the leading role, this cosmopolitan travelogue with a Decadent touch in the end introduced the world to one of the most oddly sympathetic and diabolical characters in Literature.

"Pick-Up" - Charles Willeford's winning style successfully conveys the sad and tragic tale of two lost alcoholics in the skid row section of San Francisco in the 1950's. Scene by depressing scene the author chronicles the faith, hope, and disillusionment of a couple whose time revolve around the contents of a bottle. The engrossing prose is marred unfortunately with an unbelievable twist and dissapointing ending.

"Down There" - The best selection of the entire series, "Down There" is an unforgettable account of a barroom piano man whose days of glory were ended by tragedy. Rendered indifferent to life by his soul-breaking experiences, he meets an equally lost soul and together they encounter adversity supporting each other as only similarly dark-fated individuals can. The heartbreaking ending still haunts me whenever I think about it.

"The Real Cool Killers" - Blaxploitation on speed! The talented Chester Himes vividly conjures this adrenaline yarn of two black detectives taking on the streets of Harlem in no holds barred action. Race, violence, and loathsome scenemakers feverishly grapple in this heat-inducing neon nocturne of urban society. Black humor at one of it's very finest.

Flawed but highly readable, these long forgotten and out of print works have been handsomely restored and given ample tribute by the laudable Library of America. Wanting to familiarize myself with the enduring genre, reading the two vols. of the "Crime Novels" series has been a pleasant introduction and reading experience to me.

The stories in the book should each be taken singularly. The writing itself is pure nostalgia. You should be warned: if you're easily offended by racial slurs - this book may not be for you. The writers use words appropriately to set the mood. A couple of stories have surprise endings!