I finally got my hands on a copy of A I Bezzerides Long Haul. Although I was
sure it was noir fiction, I was pretty sure it wasn't crime fiction, if
that's possible and it turned out it's not. It's a very dark novel, though,
set during the depression, in the same vein as Grapes of Wrath and They
Shoot Horses. If you like the latter two books then Long Haul is a must. I'm
not sure why it hasn't gotten as much attention over the last 70 years, but
it certainly deserves it. It was the basis for the George Raft, Humphrey
Bogart movie, The Drive by NIght.
Although it was reprinted in paperback by Dell (as They Drive by Night) and
Lion (Tough Guy) it's pretty hard to come by and certainly not cheap,
although I see copies can be had on eBay for $25 and abebooks.com for $30.
Bezzerides only wrote two novels, Thieves Highway being the other, and was
known more as a screenwriter of film noir classics.
Is Thieves Highway crime fiction?
Jeff
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