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The Concrete Flamingo
A beautiful fraudster gives a drifter a chance at an irresistible score
Jerry Forbes, on the run in Fort Lauderdale, is careful not to tell Marian Forsyth his real name. But Marian already knows his secrets. She's been following him since Miami Beach, fascinated by this handsome drifter since the first time she heard his voice. Finally, she tells him the truth: Together, they're going to steal a fortune from a rich sap named Harris Chapman. The plan is simple--all they have to do is ask. Marian chose Jerry because he could be Chapman's double. With a little coaching, he'll be able to walk into the rich man's bank and take whatever he likes. But it's not long before the plan gets complicated, and Jerry is smart enough to know that when a heist turns sour, it's not the women who die.
Originally published by Dell as All the Way, a paperback original. Basis for the noir film The 3rd Voice starring Edmond O'Brien, Laraine Day, and Julie London.
Jerry Forbes, on the run in Fort Lauderdale, is careful not to tell Marian Forsyth his real name. But Marian already knows his secrets. She's been following him since Miami Beach, fascinated by this handsome drifter since the first time she heard his voice. Finally, she tells him the truth: Together, they're going to steal a fortune from a rich sap named Harris Chapman. The plan is simple--all they have to do is ask. Marian chose Jerry because he could be Chapman's double. With a little coaching, he'll be able to walk into the rich man's bank and take whatever he likes. But it's not long before the plan gets complicated, and Jerry is smart enough to know that when a heist turns sour, it's not the women who die.
Originally published by Dell as All the Way, a paperback original. Basis for the noir film The 3rd Voice starring Edmond O'Brien, Laraine Day, and Julie London.
186 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 1958
7 people are currently reading
109 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 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 7, 2024
12/2016
An actual concrete flamingo features in the plot. So this is one novel they didn't change the title of! Williams is best with the hows: detailed directions for setting a fire, audiotaping, or in this case, impersonating someone. He does this in a way that is clear, suspenseful and extremely readable. His books do usually end sadly.
Never mind - I just saw that it is also called All The Way.
An actual concrete flamingo features in the plot. So this is one novel they didn't change the title of! Williams is best with the hows: detailed directions for setting a fire, audiotaping, or in this case, impersonating someone. He does this in a way that is clear, suspenseful and extremely readable. His books do usually end sadly.
Never mind - I just saw that it is also called All The Way.
March 9, 2021
“The Concrete Flamingo” by Charles Williams was first published in 1958 under the title “All the Way” and then published in the United Kingdom in 1960 under the title “The Concrete Flamingo.”
What happens when Jerry Forbes, a guy who has been drifting between jobs, ends up in Miami Beach, and meets a Marian Forsyth, a woman who just wasted six years of her youthful vigor on a wealthy executive before being dumped for a younger model? Marian knows everything about Jerry and he is just the guy she has been looking for - - to pull off a murder and a complicated con job on her ex-boss, the guy who dumped her. Why is he the perfect guy for this part in the con? Well, Marian heard Jerry talking and, on the phone, he is Harris Chapman.
Jerry falls for her hook, line, and sinker. Murder, sure why not? Pilfering brokerage accounts? Why not? As long as they can run off to some Mediterranean isle when its done. Of course, it is never that simple when it’s a pulp novel and there are some twists and turns along the way that the reader does not expect.
Marian, meanwhile, is a different kind of femme fatale. She bewitches Jerry without even trying, but she “was as beautifully adept and as pleasant and as far away and unreachable as ever.” You wonder reading this if Marian had all the life sucked out of her by Harris Chapman and what she has left to give Jerry. She has a one-track mind and is on a mission and she will do whatever is necessary to keep Jerry in the game.
What’s terrific about this novel is the detail that Williams puts in as to the planning and execution of one of the most complicated and detailed scams ever invented. Week after week is spent preparing, rehearsing, getting ready for the role of a lifetime. Marion tells him: “In ten days of extensive study, you could become Harris Chapman.” If he pulls this off right, then Not even Chapman's own fiancé should suspect anything. Yeah, right. No detail is left unplanned. Nothing is left to chance.
The actual plot line can be boiled down fairly simply, but this book is not about the plot so much as it is about getting there and what happens ultimately when the con is pulled off.
What happens when Jerry Forbes, a guy who has been drifting between jobs, ends up in Miami Beach, and meets a Marian Forsyth, a woman who just wasted six years of her youthful vigor on a wealthy executive before being dumped for a younger model? Marian knows everything about Jerry and he is just the guy she has been looking for - - to pull off a murder and a complicated con job on her ex-boss, the guy who dumped her. Why is he the perfect guy for this part in the con? Well, Marian heard Jerry talking and, on the phone, he is Harris Chapman.
Jerry falls for her hook, line, and sinker. Murder, sure why not? Pilfering brokerage accounts? Why not? As long as they can run off to some Mediterranean isle when its done. Of course, it is never that simple when it’s a pulp novel and there are some twists and turns along the way that the reader does not expect.
Marian, meanwhile, is a different kind of femme fatale. She bewitches Jerry without even trying, but she “was as beautifully adept and as pleasant and as far away and unreachable as ever.” You wonder reading this if Marian had all the life sucked out of her by Harris Chapman and what she has left to give Jerry. She has a one-track mind and is on a mission and she will do whatever is necessary to keep Jerry in the game.
What’s terrific about this novel is the detail that Williams puts in as to the planning and execution of one of the most complicated and detailed scams ever invented. Week after week is spent preparing, rehearsing, getting ready for the role of a lifetime. Marion tells him: “In ten days of extensive study, you could become Harris Chapman.” If he pulls this off right, then Not even Chapman's own fiancé should suspect anything. Yeah, right. No detail is left unplanned. Nothing is left to chance.
The actual plot line can be boiled down fairly simply, but this book is not about the plot so much as it is about getting there and what happens ultimately when the con is pulled off.
November 22, 2025
"All the Way", also published under the title, "the Concrete Flamingo", is a hard-boiled noir thriller by Charles Williams about a drifter named Jerry Forbes who gets involved with a seductive and manipulative femme fatale, Marian Forsyth.
She recruits him for an elaborate scheme to steal a fortune from a rich man she loved who wronged her, with Jerry's unique voice as the key to impersonating the victim. He sounds exactly like the victim, it's uncanny how similar they both sound.
Anyway, despite knowing he's being used, Jerry falls in love with Marian and agrees to the plan, which involves fraud and murder, driven by his obsession with her.
It's another femme fatale tale from Charles Williams, but still feels new. There are a few surprises here and there and towards the end, you can see how far a man can go for the woman he loves.
I had read a Touch of Death earlier this year and while I enjoyed that one much more, this is still worth a read.
Recommended.
She recruits him for an elaborate scheme to steal a fortune from a rich man she loved who wronged her, with Jerry's unique voice as the key to impersonating the victim. He sounds exactly like the victim, it's uncanny how similar they both sound.
Anyway, despite knowing he's being used, Jerry falls in love with Marian and agrees to the plan, which involves fraud and murder, driven by his obsession with her.
It's another femme fatale tale from Charles Williams, but still feels new. There are a few surprises here and there and towards the end, you can see how far a man can go for the woman he loves.
I had read a Touch of Death earlier this year and while I enjoyed that one much more, this is still worth a read.
Recommended.
August 15, 2012
Noir believes in love at first sight—or at least that men are capable of love at first sight—or at least that men are capable of lust at first sight, which they convince themselves is love. Case in point: Charles Williams’ All the Way, in which narrator Jerry Forbes falls at once for Marian Forsyth, allowing her to manipulate him as she sees fit. As is often the case, readers will have difficulty accounting for Jerry’s obsession with Marian, who is not the typical noir sexual bombshell, beyond the fact that the plot requires it. Marian’s plans hinge on the fact that Jerry’s voice is indistinguishable from that of her former boss and lover, and therefore Jerry can impersonate him on the phone as per Marian’s instructions. The first half of All the Way is somewhat slow; the book establishes its premise quickly, but the plot takes a while to get moving. The second half is fairly intense as Jerry encounters unexpected obstacles in pulling off his impersonation. On the whole, this one is well worth seeking out.
September 11, 2021
What a simp!
But in all seriousness, a jilted woman dreams up a rather cunning (if not clumsy) plan to kill her former lover crumbles to dust in the face of genuine human emotion. There is some dark humor to be found here, I especially had fun imagining some of the wilder scenes the protagonist acts out playing the part of the dead lover with outrageous outbursts that brought to mind Johnny Depp's portrayal of Hunter S. Thompson in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Read it and see for yourself if it doesn't. Pretty good stuff.
But in all seriousness, a jilted woman dreams up a rather cunning (if not clumsy) plan to kill her former lover crumbles to dust in the face of genuine human emotion. There is some dark humor to be found here, I especially had fun imagining some of the wilder scenes the protagonist acts out playing the part of the dead lover with outrageous outbursts that brought to mind Johnny Depp's portrayal of Hunter S. Thompson in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Read it and see for yourself if it doesn't. Pretty good stuff.
January 13, 2025
A hair-raising novel with a plot so twisted and suspenseful that you need to take a break before finishing the last fifty pages.
September 10, 2021
Charles Williams is unparalleled at devising and describing elaborate capers. This is probably his most complicated -- more than half the book is spent detailing the various ploys, feints, and dodges. It was never tedious.
As usual, Charles Williams' male protagonist, Jerry Forbes, loses his head over a dicey dame.
The gushing in River Girl was a little hard to take. But Jerry exceeded my limit for mushy foolishness.
As usual, the caper went sour. The resulting suffering was mainly psychological. I would have preferred more physical suffering, like the author did in The Hot Spot and River Girl.
As usual, Charles Williams' male protagonist, Jerry Forbes, loses his head over a dicey dame.
"CHUMPS OF MY CALIBRE DIDN’T come along every day"
The gushing in River Girl was a little hard to take. But Jerry exceeded my limit for mushy foolishness.
As usual, the caper went sour. The resulting suffering was mainly psychological. I would have preferred more physical suffering, like the author did in The Hot Spot and River Girl.
June 16, 2025
The ending’s cool, sort of subversive in that it refuses to deliver a shocking twist. The twist is the lack of one. Our duo pulls off the perfect crime and gets to keep the loot, but they break down psychologically and emotionally. I usually go for more hard-boiled stuff, but it’s actually refreshing to see this kind of conclusion now and then. Still noir-ish and dark as hell.
More here (review includes spoilers!):
https://a60books.blogspot.com/2025/06...
More here (review includes spoilers!):
https://a60books.blogspot.com/2025/06...
April 7, 2024
it is the second i am reading in a row of his thrillers. if the first one , a touch of death, was great tjan this one is nice, good reading but...the idea of a cold lady and naive guy who falls in her trap is a bit repetative. even not the same and different endind it is not strong and amazing as the first one. still very good writer and interesting plot. i will check his others.
November 5, 2020
This one takes off with a hard-charging start as Jerry Forbes, whom we know initially as George Hamilton, is completely played by Marian Forsyth and quickly finds himself enmeshed in a robbery scheme. He's a shallow-conscience ex-adman and she's a femme-fatale: a perfect match. After telling Forbes her plan to steal $75,000 from her ex-boss's brokerage account, she ups the ante to murder. By this time, Forbes, in classic noir fashion has gone off the deep-end for her and is quickly drawn into the murder plot, which involves him impersonating the man to be murdered. What's Marian's motive, you might ask? No it is not just the money: "Money is important to me. I like success. I poured everything I had into making him one, thinking I was doing it for both of us. Do you think I'm going to move aside now and give it up? Let him hand it all to some simpering, feather-brained little bitch who can't even balance a checkbook?" So it's game on and Williams concocts an intricate and incredibly detailed plot where half the book involves Forbes covering tracks and planting false clues and all the while we just know he's going to get crossed . . . or will he? No more spoilers from me as there are plenty of neat twists to keep you guessing all the way to the end in this top-notch noir. The paperback edition is tough to find but there's an eBook version with a different title - Concrete Flamingo - so check that out.
Want to read
July 19, 2020elibrary
October 15, 2021
"What woman would waste her time eavesdropping on a pair of filberts second-guessing a sailfish?"
One of Williams' darkest novels. This one must be among his top five.
A sailor conman who is nearly broke is hired by a classy (patrician) lady to take revenge (murder and rob) on her ex-boyfriend who ditched her for a younger woman. The plan is for the conman to impersonate the ex-boyfriend while he is on a holiday because the conman has a similar voice and build.
The crime procedural aspect of the novel is intricate and the execution is thrillingly described. Williams really does write the best crime procedurals. The man puts his heart and soul into it. It is amazing how he ties it all up together with some twists and surprises. He also gives us a nice sense of the place without being overtly descriptive. We are taken around the hotels, motels, bars and back-roads of the Florida Keys. I was thinking this would make a great movie with how the duo plans the crime with the spoken recordings of the boyfriends life which the conman uses to study to execute the crime.
“And what other personality problems do you have, Mr. Hamilton, besides shyness?”
Built around the crime procedural is a tragic and disastrous romance. Marian Forsyth, the woman who drives the conman to do what he does is described as a rare combination of beauty and brains. The conman pines for her throughput the novel. All the Way (also called The Concrete Flamingo) is mostly a thrilling but ultimately downbeat story of obsession and guilt.
One of Williams' darkest novels. This one must be among his top five.
A sailor conman who is nearly broke is hired by a classy (patrician) lady to take revenge (murder and rob) on her ex-boyfriend who ditched her for a younger woman. The plan is for the conman to impersonate the ex-boyfriend while he is on a holiday because the conman has a similar voice and build.
The crime procedural aspect of the novel is intricate and the execution is thrillingly described. Williams really does write the best crime procedurals. The man puts his heart and soul into it. It is amazing how he ties it all up together with some twists and surprises. He also gives us a nice sense of the place without being overtly descriptive. We are taken around the hotels, motels, bars and back-roads of the Florida Keys. I was thinking this would make a great movie with how the duo plans the crime with the spoken recordings of the boyfriends life which the conman uses to study to execute the crime.
“And what other personality problems do you have, Mr. Hamilton, besides shyness?”
Built around the crime procedural is a tragic and disastrous romance. Marian Forsyth, the woman who drives the conman to do what he does is described as a rare combination of beauty and brains. The conman pines for her throughput the novel. All the Way (also called The Concrete Flamingo) is mostly a thrilling but ultimately downbeat story of obsession and guilt.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews