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Man on the Run
Pursued by the police, a desperate man fights to stay free--and stay alive
It's raining hard when the man leaps off the train. He lands safely and creeps into town, praying he will find someplace to hide. It's nearly daylight, and the police are not far behind. He breaks into an unoccupied seaside cottage, and is overjoyed to find coffee, whiskey, and cigarettes. But before the fugitive can relax, the doorknob rattles. The police are at the door. Russell Foley, third mate on an oil tanker, is not a cop killer. But the night before he got into a fight with a police detective, and a few hours later the cop was found stabbed to death. Unable to explain himself, he bolts, hoping to evade the police and somehow find the real killer. But for a man who cannot stop running, justice can be a hard thing to find.
It's raining hard when the man leaps off the train. He lands safely and creeps into town, praying he will find someplace to hide. It's nearly daylight, and the police are not far behind. He breaks into an unoccupied seaside cottage, and is overjoyed to find coffee, whiskey, and cigarettes. But before the fugitive can relax, the doorknob rattles. The police are at the door. Russell Foley, third mate on an oil tanker, is not a cop killer. But the night before he got into a fight with a police detective, and a few hours later the cop was found stabbed to death. Unable to explain himself, he bolts, hoping to evade the police and somehow find the real killer. But for a man who cannot stop running, justice can be a hard thing to find.
177 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1958
8 people are currently reading
131 people want to read
About the author
Charles Williams
33 books97 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Please see: Charles Williams
Charles Williams was one of the preeminent authors of American crime fiction. Born in Texas, he dropped out of high school to enlist in the US Merchant Marine, serving for ten years (1929-1939) before leaving to work in the electronics industry. He was a radio inspector during the war years at the Puget Sound Navy Yard in Washington state. At the end of World War II, Williams began writing fiction while living in San Francisco. The success of his backwoods noir Hill Girl (1951) allowed him to quit his job and write fulltime.
Williams’s clean and somewhat casual narrative style distinguishes his novels—which range from hard-boiled, small-town noir to suspense thrillers set at sea and in the Deep South. Although originally published by pulp fiction houses, his work won great critical acclaim, with Hell Hath No Fury (1953) becoming the first paperback original to be reviewed by legendary New York Times critic Anthony Boucher. Many of his novels were adapted for the screen, such as Dead Calm (published in 1963) and Don’t Just Stand There! (published in 1966), for which Williams wrote the screenplay.
After the death of his wife Lasca (m. 1939) from cancer in 1972, Williams purchased property on the California-Oregon border where he lived alone for a time in a trailer. After relocating to Los Angeles, Williams committed suicide in his apartment in the Van Nuys neighborhood in early April 1975. Williams had been depressed since the death of his wife, and his emotional state worsened as sales of his books declined when stand alone thrillers began to lose popularity in the early 70s. He was survived by a daughter, Alison.
Please see: Charles Williams
Charles Williams was one of the preeminent authors of American crime fiction. Born in Texas, he dropped out of high school to enlist in the US Merchant Marine, serving for ten years (1929-1939) before leaving to work in the electronics industry. He was a radio inspector during the war years at the Puget Sound Navy Yard in Washington state. At the end of World War II, Williams began writing fiction while living in San Francisco. The success of his backwoods noir Hill Girl (1951) allowed him to quit his job and write fulltime.
Williams’s clean and somewhat casual narrative style distinguishes his novels—which range from hard-boiled, small-town noir to suspense thrillers set at sea and in the Deep South. Although originally published by pulp fiction houses, his work won great critical acclaim, with Hell Hath No Fury (1953) becoming the first paperback original to be reviewed by legendary New York Times critic Anthony Boucher. Many of his novels were adapted for the screen, such as Dead Calm (published in 1963) and Don’t Just Stand There! (published in 1966), for which Williams wrote the screenplay.
After the death of his wife Lasca (m. 1939) from cancer in 1972, Williams purchased property on the California-Oregon border where he lived alone for a time in a trailer. After relocating to Los Angeles, Williams committed suicide in his apartment in the Van Nuys neighborhood in early April 1975. Williams had been depressed since the death of his wife, and his emotional state worsened as sales of his books declined when stand alone thrillers began to lose popularity in the early 70s. He was survived by a daughter, Alison.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 23, 2020
Man on the Run was originally published in 1958. It involves an often- used pulp motif of a man on the run from the police for a murder he did not commit. In typical pulp fashion, as he tries to figure out what happened and who was responsible, the evidence against him increases and the quagmire he finds himself in gets deeper and deeper.
While it is plot-wise not that remarkable, Williams was a master craftsman at storytelling and gives us a quality story that is easy to read, intense, hard-to-put-down, and just plain good reading. You can feel the intensity and the fear as Foley evades the police time and time again and he gets deeper and deeper in over his head, all alone, freezing, with nowhere to turn. And, even when he finds a friend, he has to wonder what the friend’s real motives are. Really enjoyed this one. Williams is just a terrific writer.
While it is plot-wise not that remarkable, Williams was a master craftsman at storytelling and gives us a quality story that is easy to read, intense, hard-to-put-down, and just plain good reading. You can feel the intensity and the fear as Foley evades the police time and time again and he gets deeper and deeper in over his head, all alone, freezing, with nowhere to turn. And, even when he finds a friend, he has to wonder what the friend’s real motives are. Really enjoyed this one. Williams is just a terrific writer.
May 17, 2023
04/2027
From 1958. The plot is so built on suspense, it moves so fast. There is a happy ending, which isn't always true of books by Charles Williams. I loved everything about it. It did remind me of Dark Passage by David Goodis (1946), but the thing it notably has in common is the beautiful blonde stranger lady willing to do anything to help the fugitive.
From 1958. The plot is so built on suspense, it moves so fast. There is a happy ending, which isn't always true of books by Charles Williams. I loved everything about it. It did remind me of Dark Passage by David Goodis (1946), but the thing it notably has in common is the beautiful blonde stranger lady willing to do anything to help the fugitive.
October 10, 2019
The first 25 pages of Man on the Run are simply fantastic. A man on the run from the law, breaks into a beach facing summer cottage and finds a blanket, cigarettes, whiskey and cans of corned beef. While he is laying low and enjoying the fruits of freedom, a beautiful tall Viking woman parks her car in the garage. The woman, a popular writer, is drunk and falls down in the garage and nearly chokes of carbon monoxide poisoning, before our hero saves her. Together, they go about proving the man's innocence. Show me one guy who would not enjoy this escape fantasy.
The rest of the novel is preposterous. But who cares? While the rest of the novel pales in comparison to the first 25 pages, Williams ties it all up really well in the end. The novel is similar to Williams excellent The Sailcloth Shroud, which also features a man on the run, trying to prove his innocence for a murder he did not commit. The unknown bad guys are more dangerous than the cops.
I bought the original 1958 edition from a Swedish guy on a Swedish website for 800 rupees ($10). It took more than a month to arrive and I thought it was lost in transit. It was nice to hold and read the first edition of a Charles Williams novel. The printing is really small and perfectly suits Williams' lean prose. The newer editions are pretty ugly with their gaudy covers and large print. I felt like this old edition would crumble in my hands as I read the whole book on a national holiday. It was all in one piece but a bit fragile. My wife gave me a suspicious look when she saw the cover.
The rest of the novel is preposterous. But who cares? While the rest of the novel pales in comparison to the first 25 pages, Williams ties it all up really well in the end. The novel is similar to Williams excellent The Sailcloth Shroud, which also features a man on the run, trying to prove his innocence for a murder he did not commit. The unknown bad guys are more dangerous than the cops.
I bought the original 1958 edition from a Swedish guy on a Swedish website for 800 rupees ($10). It took more than a month to arrive and I thought it was lost in transit. It was nice to hold and read the first edition of a Charles Williams novel. The printing is really small and perfectly suits Williams' lean prose. The newer editions are pretty ugly with their gaudy covers and large print. I felt like this old edition would crumble in my hands as I read the whole book on a national holiday. It was all in one piece but a bit fragile. My wife gave me a suspicious look when she saw the cover.
July 3, 2013
Man on the Run begins with a man on the run for a crime that he didn’t commit. Russell Foley is his name, and he has the more-than-good fortune to break into the home of Suzy Patton, a stranger who is willing to help him. This is absurd even for a novel of this type, and the book’s ham-handed plotting as Russell and Suzy try to clear his name only heightens the absurdity. If I had not known that Charles Williams wrote this book, I would never have guessed it. I expect much, much better from him.
March 16, 2018
A very tight thriller. Typical hard boiled/noir type story. Seemingly innocent man accused of a crime which forces him to go on the run. Femme fatales, gun molls, tough guys, and tough cops all around. Genuinely good fun.
Williams is excellent with his clean as a bone prose. Fast paced with no lulls. Recommended if you like him, Woolrich, or Westlake.
Williams is excellent with his clean as a bone prose. Fast paced with no lulls. Recommended if you like him, Woolrich, or Westlake.
December 29, 2016
Not the best Williams has to offer, but still enjoyable. He later revisited this innocent-man-on-the-run theme with the superior THE LONG SATURDAY NIGHT.
October 23, 2019
What an unexpected gem this book was! From the opening page to the last I was hooked! I read the whole book it two 90 minute sessions. Originally published in 1958 I'm not sure how easy it is to track down? It was amongst a whole pile of books I picked up at auction years ago, for about a quid, It was a slow day! But If you do come across it you will read a lot worse books.
Russell Foley, third mate on an oil tanker, is not a cop killer. But the night before he got into a fight with a police detective, and a few hours later the cop was found stabbed to death. Unable to explain himself, he bolts, hoping to evade the police and somehow find the real killer. But for a man who cannot stop running, justice can be a hard thing to find.
The book is up & running as Russell Foley jumps out of at train on a rain soaked night with the Police in hot pursuit. He seeks shelter in a small coastal town in a cottage, he soon meets up with Suzy Patton, the owner of the cottage where Foley is hiding. She's a dazzling blonde and a writer of romance novels that take place during the American Civil War, For reasons that aren't fully explained Suzy believes Foley's story and is willing to help him. Needless to say They both fall for each other and together head back to Sanport, Where they both come from strangely enough! To find the real killers. But by now it's not only the Police who are after Foley.
The action never stops! And the suspense is as dramatic as I've read in a long while! Written in a sharp style, This book delivers in a way that will keep the reader hooked!
Russell Foley, third mate on an oil tanker, is not a cop killer. But the night before he got into a fight with a police detective, and a few hours later the cop was found stabbed to death. Unable to explain himself, he bolts, hoping to evade the police and somehow find the real killer. But for a man who cannot stop running, justice can be a hard thing to find.
The book is up & running as Russell Foley jumps out of at train on a rain soaked night with the Police in hot pursuit. He seeks shelter in a small coastal town in a cottage, he soon meets up with Suzy Patton, the owner of the cottage where Foley is hiding. She's a dazzling blonde and a writer of romance novels that take place during the American Civil War, For reasons that aren't fully explained Suzy believes Foley's story and is willing to help him. Needless to say They both fall for each other and together head back to Sanport, Where they both come from strangely enough! To find the real killers. But by now it's not only the Police who are after Foley.
The action never stops! And the suspense is as dramatic as I've read in a long while! Written in a sharp style, This book delivers in a way that will keep the reader hooked!
August 17, 2019
A good read even if the plot was not so special.
May 15, 2021
They just republished new versions of the author’s 50s crime stories and man does this one hum like a fine tuned engine. Never lets up from the first page. Practically read it in one sitting.
December 11, 2022
Fun, slick, fast read. Loved it. Noir to the hilt.
Want to read
July 19, 2020elibrary
Want to read
April 22, 2021RK Kindle
August 27, 2021
Ese final... es como si el autor se hubiera cansado y quisiera terminarlo de una vez. Mas allá de eso es entretenido.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews