When Willa Ree emerges from the boxcar, he is broke and ready for a fresh start. And Breton looks to be a town full of fresh suckers. Ben Halliday is not one of those suckers, or so he thinks. One of the town leaders, he needs a new cop with adjustable morals. Ree is the perfect fit. Unfortunately, Ree is even less subtle than Halliday had hoped. Because Ree has plans of his own. Now that he s a cop, he intends to steal every dollar he can lay his hands on, and seduce any woman he wants. This Texas oil town is ripe for the picking on all accounts. It s Willa Ree s town now, and nothing that Halliday or anyone--can do will stop him.
One for Hell
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle.
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
Review
A boxcar bum named Willa Ree enters a small town with the intention of picking it clean, and in the process all kinds of secrets and corruption come to light. It s a fine noir story with a powerful ending that Jim Thompson would have been proud to have written. --Bill Crider s Pop Culture Magazine
Jada M. Davis s One for Hell is something special, a lost classic that actually lives up to its reputation as one of the finest hardboiled crime novels ever written. Raw, crude, and at times downright mean and nasty, it s also full of life and passion and suspense. This is one of the best books I ve read in a long time. --James Reasoner
One for Hell is hi-octane noir, coming at you like a rifle shot. This story will get in your gut and stick. --Frank Loose
Jada M. Davis s One for Hell is something special, a lost classic that actually lives up to its reputation as one of the finest hardboiled crime novels ever written. Raw, crude, and at times downright mean and nasty, it s also full of life and passion and suspense. This is one of the best books I ve read in a long time. --James Reasoner
One for Hell is hi-octane noir, coming at you like a rifle shot. This story will get in your gut and stick. --Frank Loose
About the Author
Born in 1919 to bitter poverty on a West Texas farm, Jada Davis was a hired laborer in cotton fields as a child. He was a voracious reader when he could escape his farm chores, and found that he could make extra money as a teenager by writing short pieces for magazines. After serving in the last true cavalry division of the U.S. Army in the 1930s, he was forced by tuberculosis to sit out the Second World War. Davis earned a degree at the University of Texas at Austin, and then went on to edit several West Texas newspapers. Around that time, he authored One for Hell. Davis later joined the Southwestern Bell Telephone Company, where he rose up the ranks to become a senior PR executive. He died in 1996.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
reprint of a powerful 1950s Noir,
This review is from: One for Hell (Paperback)
Riding the boxcars in Texas, Willa Ree takes a quick glimpse around as the train he rides enters Breton. Willa leaps off just before the train stops at the station as he is hungry and broke and believes there are plenty of fat oily suckers here for him to skim.Town leader Ben Halliday seeks a new cop who has no trouble with turning the other cheek as money is stolen. Willa and Ben meet and size each other up before agreeing this is a marriage made in hell. Ben arranges for Willa to be his dirty cop. However, Willa proves to be an out of control psycho in Ben's mind; as the new cop fails to conceal neither his contemptible thieving ways nor his womanizing. Each knows a showdown for who owns Breton is coming soon though the affluent locals will probably hire a fast gun while Willa relies on himself. This is a reprint of a 1950s Noir that now reads like a powerful historical crime caper. Readers will anticipate the face-off, but not expect the fabulous twist. Well written and filled with plenty of action though character driven, One For Hell provides a deep look at Korean Era Texas with a strong cast as the audience will wonder who will be the last one breathing when the dust (and blood) clots. Harriet Klausner
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A choice pick for readers looking for something pulpy,
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: One for Hell (Paperback)
When corruption runs deep, there is little limit to potential for cruelty. "One for Hell" tells the story of a man who comes to a Texan oil town, finds himself with a badge. As the town sinks into corruption, the man uses it to do what he deems fun, even if that is murder. A fun read of classic noir and mystery, "One for Hell" is a choice pick for readers looking for something pulpy.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
