Nightfall [Paperback]

David Goodis (Author), Bill Pronzini (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2007

“An almost perfect book, spare, balanced, and inexplicably moving.”—Geoffrey O’Brien

Jim Vanning has an identity crisis. Is he an innocent artist who just happens to have some very dangerous people interested in him? Or is he a killer on the lam from his last murder—with a satchel worth over $300,000 in tow?

Relentlessly focused, Nightfall may be David Goodis’ most accomplished novel. It is a fiendishly constructed maze, filled with unpredictable pitfalls and human predators whose authenticity only makes them more terrifying.

David Goodis (1917–1967), a former pulp, radio, and Hollywood script writer, is now recognized as a leading author of crime fiction. Besides sojourns in New York City and Hollywood, he lived primarily in Philadelphia.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Known as the poet of the losers, David Goodis (1917-1967) was an elusive, reclusive man. At his death he was living in obscurity with no living family. Few photographs of him exist. Dark Passage was his first major work, published in 1946, and opted for a Hollywood film with Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall.

Product Details

• Paperback: 220 pages
• Publisher: Centipede Press; Reprint edition (May 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933618175
• ISBN-13: 978-1933618173
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,955,779 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic, March 24, 1999

By 

Douglas J. Bassett (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nightfall (Paperback)

Wonderful story of a man on the run from the law, and the sympathetic policeman who takes an interest in his case. A beautiful book, spare and haunting. Not a wasted word. Goodis sometimes reaches for poetry in his tales, but here he achieves it with a delicate poise. Very atypical of the bulk of Goodis's output, and probably not the place to start, but this is one of the great post-WW2 thrillers, and as close as anyone's ever come to evoking film noir on the page.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars a paranoid and claustrophic thriller with something missing, December 23, 2002

By 

lazza (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nightfall (Paperback)

'Nightfall' is a short novel by David Goodis, written at the height of his career (in the early 1950s). True to form, Goodis focuses on a single character and his angst. This time we have a man who has difficulty remembering the details of his involvement with $300,000 taken in a bank heist. On his tail are the bank robbers and the police. One fully appreciates this man's plight. However this alone didn't capivate this reader. Why?

Authors like David Goodis and Patricia Highsmith who specialise on suspense and apprehension of a leading character (typically a victim or a criminal) succeed when there are additional characters and/or circumstances that 'fill out' the story. However 'Nightfall' is really a one-dimensional story. The author fails to build on an interesting sub-plot involving a police detective, with the help of his wife, chasing our poor central character. Before long I found 'Nightfall' to be a tedious read.

Bottom line: certainly a must read for those into 'noir' fiction. Others will probably find it too dark, depressing and claustrophobic.

4.0 out of 5 stars Noir yet paradoxically uplifting., August 4, 2009

By 

Michael G. "mikefromrochester" (Rochester, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Nightfall (Paperback)

David Goodis defies convention in the pages of Nightfall, a noirish tale of an innocent man pursued by both criminals and the police. Jim Vanning, Navy veteran and commercial artist, knows it's only a matter of time until he's captured by one or the other and must live every moment with the claustrophobic fear only the relentlessly hunted can understand. The unconventional aspect of this book derives from the persona of Fraser, the New York detective charged with bringing Vanning in. Quite remarkably, Fraser has developed sympathy for his quarry and takes it upon himself to go the extra mile and then some to help Vanning out.

The storyline to Nightfall takes several unexpected twists and turns along the way. Adding to Nightfall's considerable appeal is the no nonsense rapid fire dialogue Goodis has written for the various characters. All in all, this intriguing novel of crime and its unforseen consequences is a very worthwhile read. Had it not been for a number of overly contrived plot elements, it would deserve a 5 star rating.