Doc McCoy, a convict, is released from a Texas prison after his wife, Carol, arranges a deal with a corrupt businessman named Benyon. In return Doc must carry out a bank robbery. When the job goes wrong and Doc and Carol end up on the run with the stolen money, the couple head toward Mexico while their relationship, built on mutual suspicion, begins to come apart. Jim Thompson's noir moves quickly and is bleak about human nature.
Readers who like hard-boiled crime fiction and heist stories will enjoy the pace, and the ending is one of the strangest in the genre. It also works as a counterpart to the film versions of the same story.
Escapist; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Curious Generalist. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1958
- Language
- EN
