Harry,
I'm a big fan of noir novels with a particular job/industrial
background. Off the top of my head I can think of these 3 that (more or
less) fit the automotive noir category.
Fever Heat by Angus Vicker (aka Henry Gregor Felsen)
Gun-shy stock car racer gets pulled back into the racing circuit by a
femme fatale. Felson wrote a lot of teen-focused hot rod fiction that's
well-loved but this one fits your bill best.
The Woman Chaser by Charles Willeford
Main character is a used car dealer trying to work an angle by moving
clunkers from one city to another. Not completely car-based but what's
in there is great.
Killdozer! by Theodore Sturgeon
More SF/Horror but the style and tone is right for noir.
I've also cataloged these PBs (but haven't read so I can't testify to
the quality or noirishness)
1. Felsen, Henry Gregor. Crash Club (Bantam A2076). New York, NY:
Bantam, 1960.
2. Felsen, Henry Gregor . Hot Rod (Bantam 923). NY: Bantam, 1951.
3. Felsen, Henry Gregor . Street Rod (Bantam 1437). New York, NY:
Bantam, 1956
4. Jackson, Caary. Stock Car Racer (Signet KD503). New York, NY:
Signet, 1957.
5. O'Rourke, Frank. Car Deal! (Ballantine 111). New York, NY:
Ballantine, 1955. Paperback Original.
6. Ruesch, Hans. Racer, The (Ballantine 17). New York, NY: Ballantine,
1953. Paperback Original.
7. Runyon, Charles. Death Cycle, The (Gold Medal s1268). New York, NY:
Gold Medal, 1963. Paperback Original
8. Scott, Warwick. Cockpit (prev. published in the UK as: Image in the
Dust) (Lion 140). New York, NY: Lion Books, 1953. First US Edition.
First American paperback edition
9. Wurlitzer, Rudolph; Will Corry; Monte Hellman. Two-Lane Blacktop
(Movie tie-in Edition) (Award Books A897N). New York, NY: Award Books,
1971. First Edition, First Printing. Movie tie-in PBO with the Monte
Hellman film starring Dennis Wilson (of the Beach Boys) and James
Taylor. Includes 20+ page interview with Hellman, 8 pages of photos,
Production Notes and the screenplay.
Good luck.
Regards,
Will
Hang Fire Books
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : 13 Jul 2010 EDT