In a Lonely Place (Femmes Fatales) [Paperback]

Dorothy B. Hughes (Author), Paula Rabinowitz (Afterword)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2003 | Series: Femmes Fatales

"Puts Chandler to shame . . . Hughes is the master we keep turning to."—Sara Paretsky, author of the V. I. Warshawski novels

"A superb novel by one of crime fiction's finest writers of psychological suspense. . . . What a pleasure it is to see this tale in print once again!"—Marcia Miller, author of the Sharon McCone novels

"This lady is the queen of noir, and In a Lonely Place is her crown."—Laurie R. King, author of the Mary Russell novels

Postwar Los Angeles is a lonely place where the American Dream is showing its seamy underside—and a stranger is preying on young women. The suggestively names Dix Steele, a cynical vet with a chip on his shoulder about the opposite sex, is the LAPD's top suspect. Dix knows enough to watch his step, especially since his best friend is on the force, but when he meets the luscious Laurel Gray—a femme fatale with brains—something begins to crack. The basis for extraordinary performances by Humphrey Bogart and Gloria Grahame in the 1950 film version of the book, In a Lonely Place tightens the suspence with taut, hard-boiled prose and stunningly undoes the convential noir plot.

Femmes Fatales restores to print the best of women’s writing in the classic pulp genres of the mid-20th century. From mystery to hard-boiled noir to taboo lesbian romance, these rediscovered queens of pulp offer subversive perspectives on a turbulent era. Enjoy the series: Bedelia; The Blackbirder; Bunny Lake Is Missing; By Cecile; The G-String Murders; The Girls in 3-B; In a Lonely Place; Laura; Mother Finds a Body; Now, Voyager; Skyscraper; Stranger on Lesbos; Women's Barracks.

Product Details

• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: The Feminist Press at CUNY; 1 edition (November 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558614559
• ISBN-13: 978-1558614550
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.5 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #306,786 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dorothy B. Hughes (1904-93) was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and lived most of her life in New Mexico. A journalist and a poet, she began publishing hard-boiled crime novels in 1940, three of which were made into successful films: The Fallen Sparrow (1943), Ride the Pink Horse (1947) and In a Lonely Place (1950). In her later years, Hughes reviewed crime novels for the LA Times, the New York Herald Tribune and other papers. She was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: The Feminist Press at CUNY; 1 edition (November 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558614559
• ISBN-13: 978-1558614550
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.5 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #306,786 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 43 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Hard-boiled and scary because of its understatement April 27, 2004

By abt1950

Format:Paperback

"In a Lonely Place" is a neglected classic of American crime fiction. Harder than hard-boiled, it follows the actions of a vicious serial killer in post-war Los Angeles. The antihero, Dixon Steele, maintains the appearance of an average guy while periodically venting his anger and hatred of women by raping and strangling random girls that he picks up. Through the course of the book, he plays a cat-and-mouse game with his old army buddy, now a detective, who has been assigned to solve the case.

Published in 1947, "In a Lonely Place" is different from much of today's standard serial killer fare. Unlike books such as "Hannibal" or "Red Dragon," all the violence occurs offstage, during gaps in the narration. But that doesn't make it any less scary--in fact, it ups the creepiness quotient considerably. Hughes tells her story from the point of view of the "perp" himself, with all the events filtered through Steele's eyes and thoughts. Normal in the book is what's normal to the killer whose solitary, predatory nature places him "in a lonely place" outside of the rest of humanity. His anger, his misogyny, his hatred of those richer than he, and his sense of entitlement justify his actions in his own mind. By keeping the gore offstage, the author maintains the focus on the killer's twisted mind, which is where the true horror lies.

"In a Lonely Place" was made into a movie in 1950 starring Humphrey Bogart (who else?) and Gloria Grahame. The film kept some of the elements of the book, but switched the focus to domestic violence. Dark as the film is (and it's a masterpiece of film noir), the book is even darker. If you're looking for a play-by-play novelization of the movie, this isn't it.... But if you're looking for a character study of a killer's mind, then turn on the night light and dig in. Read more ›

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Undervalued classic March 25, 2003

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

How is it that Dorothy B. Hughes's great suspense novels of the 1940s have fallen into oblivion? This is clearly a situation for a nervy publisher like Godine or Dalkey Archive to rectify, as the more conventional ones, like Vintage, remain clueless. And here's a good place to begin. Written in 1947, In a Lonely Place was one of the first American novels to broach the subject of a serial killer--it was instantly followed by a host of imitators in the late '40s and early '50s. (Other than the Belloc-Lowndes The Lodger, a 1912 UK novel, the theme had been long neglected.) Hughes's approach is psychological stream-of-consciousness; she traces the cat and mouse game of the sociopathic Dix Steele who, reuniting with an old war buddy turned cop, comes along for the chase to find the murderer. If you know the great Nicholas Ray film with Bogart, don't expect much resemblance--Ray took only the title and the names of most of the characters. Though like the movie, the novel is a brilliantly claustrophobic look at LA in the postwar years. The violence is offstage, the pathology on. Hughes's ability to penetrate a man's mind is remarkable and never less than credible. She wrote only a handful of books (The Fallen Sparrow, Ride the Pink Horse, and The Davidian Report are her other benchmark novels) but they deserve a closer look--they are compulsively readable, prophetic, and apparently timeless.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The killer inside him. December 4, 2010

By Michael G. VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

In a Lonely Place by Dorothy Hughes is written as a third person narration told from the perspective of Dix Steele, a cold blooded murderer. The evocative prose used by the author masterfully transports the reader to Los Angeles, circa 1947, where a series of rape/murders has been plaguing the area with no end in sight. It should be noted that the book contains no graphic violence. All killings take place off the written page.

There are four major characters: Dix Steele, an outwardly appearing normal WWII veteran, who in actuality is a remorseless killer. Brub Nicholai, Steele's old war buddy, who by remarkable coincidence is now a police officer trying to solve the murders his own friend is committing. Laurel Gray, an ambitious starlet who becomes Steele's lover. And Sylvia Nicholai, Brub's wife and perceived nemesis to Steele.

One of the most interesting aspects of In a Lonely Place is that the reader is privy to the inner thoughts of the killer as he goes about his daily activities; shaving, going to the dry cleaners, stopping for fast food, etc. Through most of the novel, Steele is acutely aware of his surroundings, always on the lookout for signs of law enforcement's watchful eye. Yet, when the police finally do catch on to him, he becomes all but oblivious to their not so subtle attempts to observe his increasingly desperate actions.

In a Lonely Place is an artfully written, original take on the crime novel. Highly recommended.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Definitely Worth the Read July 23, 2008

By Rachel Smith

Format:Paperback

Dorothy B. Hughes is certainly a powerful (and sadly over-looked) writer. In "In a Lonely Place" she depicts a vivid, hypnotic vision of post-WW2 LA, and she draws a scarily realistic and sometimes sympathetic portrait of "protagonist" Dix Steele. The novel is notable for its narrative twists & turns, its suspense (that most of the 'action' is not explicity show is both terrifying and brilliant, from a technical standpoint), and its tendency to turn both traditional noir structure and stock characters on their heads, so to speak. If you like noir or Cold War-era-informed fiction, give the unusual, the compelling, and the bone-chilling "In a Lonely Place" a chance.