An ex-con with a young family tries to go straight, but his criminal brother and a vengeful cop point him on a crooked path in John Trinian's Scratch A Thief.
Scratch A Thief is an especially hardboiled noir, with literary touches and a great sense of place (early 60s San Francisco), which makes this read especially rewarding. The forward mentions that there was a film version as well.
Speaking of the forward, I originally became interested in the book because of the colorful history of the author, who counted among his friends people like Jack Kerouac and Richard Brautigan. It seems apparent that Trinian's real life often bled over into his (relatively small, for pulp writers) book and television output.
But the novel stands on its own merits and is recommended for noir fans.
I got this in a nice edition from Stark House Press, in a double with House of Evil. I am eager to read more from John Trinian.
Scratch A Thief is an especially hardboiled noir, with literary touches and a great sense of place (early 60s San Francisco), which makes this read especially rewarding. The forward mentions that there was a film version as well.
Speaking of the forward, I originally became interested in the book because of the colorful history of the author, who counted among his friends people like Jack Kerouac and Richard Brautigan. It seems apparent that Trinian's real life often bled over into his (relatively small, for pulp writers) book and television output.
But the novel stands on its own merits and is recommended for noir fans.
I got this in a nice edition from Stark House Press, in a double with House of Evil. I am eager to read more from John Trinian.
No comments:
Post a Comment