What do you think?
Rate this book
Drake - The Man With Nobody's Face #1
The Name of the Game Is Death
In the course of his line of business, the man who calls himself Roy Martin has robbed a bank in Phoenix, killed three men, and caught a bullet in his arm. Safety--and one half of $178,000--awaits him on the other side of the country. All that separates "Martin" from his destination are two thousand treacherous miles and three lethal temptations: to trust the wrong friend, to love the right woman, and to start believing that a man like himself can ever be safe.
The Name of the Game is Death combines a narrative as taut as a hangman's rope with chillingly authentic insights into the psychology of casual murder
The Name of the Game is Death combines a narrative as taut as a hangman's rope with chillingly authentic insights into the psychology of casual murder
197 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1962
43 people are currently reading
1702 people want to read
About the author
Dan J. Marlowe
87 books35 followersaka Albert Avellano, Jaime Sandaval, Gar Wilson (house name)
Dan J. Marlowe was a middle-aged businessman who, in the personal turmoil after the death of his wife of many years, decided to abandon his old life. He started writing, and his first novel was published when he was 45.
Marlowe's most famous book and his best-known character arrived from Fawcett Gold Medal Books in 1962 ("The Name of the Game Is Death").
Dan J. Marlowe was a middle-aged businessman who, in the personal turmoil after the death of his wife of many years, decided to abandon his old life. He started writing, and his first novel was published when he was 45.
Marlowe's most famous book and his best-known character arrived from Fawcett Gold Medal Books in 1962 ("The Name of the Game Is Death").
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 149 reviews
September 16, 2014
When a bank robbery goes pear-shaped and he is wounded, Roy Martin (aka Chet Arnold) and his partner split up, with the plan being Roy will receive payments in the mail. When the money dries up under suspicious circumstances, Roy goes on a road trip to investigate. Will Arnold get his money?
The Name of the Game is Death is a hardboiled gem that's been on my radar for a long time. Why didn't I take it from the mountainous unread pile before now?
It reads like one of Richard Stark's Parker books told in the first person. The man known as Roy Martin, Chet Arnold, and later, Earl Drake, is a slightly less mechanical version of Parker, a man that doesn't kill indiscriminately but does what it takes to get the job done. In this case, the job is finding out why the bank job money stopped being sent. The main character is pretty brutal, especially by the standards of the time this was written. Women and men alike fall beneath his guns.
Marlowe's prose is economical and punchy, again, similar to Richard Stark's. The plot has some wrinkles in it but it's pretty much a detective yarn with a criminal doing the detecting. This isn't literary fiction and doesn't try to be. It's full of bullets, booze, blood, and broads, everything a pulp detective story needs. It also has great lines like "It was as cold as a whore's heart."
Fun Easter Egg - The name of the bar Chet Arnold frequents is The Dixie Pig, the same name as the bar in The Dark Tower. I know Stephen King was into detective yarns at some point so it's a pretty safe bet he read this one.
The Name of the Game is Death is a pretty slim book but it's as long as it needs to be. Maybe the advent of e-books will user in a new golden age of detective novels that are 200 pages are less. They don't make them like this Fawcet Gold Medal classic anymore. 4 out of 5 stars.
The Name of the Game is Death is a hardboiled gem that's been on my radar for a long time. Why didn't I take it from the mountainous unread pile before now?
It reads like one of Richard Stark's Parker books told in the first person. The man known as Roy Martin, Chet Arnold, and later, Earl Drake, is a slightly less mechanical version of Parker, a man that doesn't kill indiscriminately but does what it takes to get the job done. In this case, the job is finding out why the bank job money stopped being sent. The main character is pretty brutal, especially by the standards of the time this was written. Women and men alike fall beneath his guns.
Marlowe's prose is economical and punchy, again, similar to Richard Stark's. The plot has some wrinkles in it but it's pretty much a detective yarn with a criminal doing the detecting. This isn't literary fiction and doesn't try to be. It's full of bullets, booze, blood, and broads, everything a pulp detective story needs. It also has great lines like "It was as cold as a whore's heart."
Fun Easter Egg - The name of the bar Chet Arnold frequents is The Dixie Pig, the same name as the bar in The Dark Tower. I know Stephen King was into detective yarns at some point so it's a pretty safe bet he read this one.
The Name of the Game is Death is a pretty slim book but it's as long as it needs to be. Maybe the advent of e-books will user in a new golden age of detective novels that are 200 pages are less. They don't make them like this Fawcet Gold Medal classic anymore. 4 out of 5 stars.
October 11, 2015
This is 100% hard boiled fun.
A bank robber temporarily going by the name of Roy Martin pulls off a heist, but things get messy during the getaway. Roy and his partner Bunny are forced to split up with the understanding that Bunny will hold the loot until they can hook up later. However, after Roy makes his escape he learns that something has happened to Bunny and their money in the small town his partner was living in. Roy makes his way there and posing as a traveling laborer begins to insinuate himself into the lives of several people including a friendly real estate agent, a world-weary woman who runs a bar, the local postmistress, and a sheriff’s deputy with a bad reputation in order to learn what happened to Bunny and the cash.
This is one fantastic example of the old dime store crime paperbacks at their best. The story and the writing are extremely well done, but it’s the lead character that Dan J. Marlowe created that really stands out here. It’s made absolutely clear through the first person narration that Roy is a man who would rather die than compromise or quit, and he’ll murder without hesitation anyone who stands in his way. We learn enough of Roy’s personal history to understand why he chose to be a criminal and has nothing but contempt for the law, but there’s no excuses made or forgiveness asked. There’s also precious little compassion or mercy in him for people although he’s distinctly soft-hearted when it comes to animals.
Setting a guy like this up in a plot where he’s acting as sort of undercover detective makes for some excellent fireworks once the fuse is lit, and even before that Roy’s mad scramble to escape the aftermath of the bank heist is the kind of entertaining heist story that fans of Richard Stark’s Parker series would also love.
A bank robber temporarily going by the name of Roy Martin pulls off a heist, but things get messy during the getaway. Roy and his partner Bunny are forced to split up with the understanding that Bunny will hold the loot until they can hook up later. However, after Roy makes his escape he learns that something has happened to Bunny and their money in the small town his partner was living in. Roy makes his way there and posing as a traveling laborer begins to insinuate himself into the lives of several people including a friendly real estate agent, a world-weary woman who runs a bar, the local postmistress, and a sheriff’s deputy with a bad reputation in order to learn what happened to Bunny and the cash.
This is one fantastic example of the old dime store crime paperbacks at their best. The story and the writing are extremely well done, but it’s the lead character that Dan J. Marlowe created that really stands out here. It’s made absolutely clear through the first person narration that Roy is a man who would rather die than compromise or quit, and he’ll murder without hesitation anyone who stands in his way. We learn enough of Roy’s personal history to understand why he chose to be a criminal and has nothing but contempt for the law, but there’s no excuses made or forgiveness asked. There’s also precious little compassion or mercy in him for people although he’s distinctly soft-hearted when it comes to animals.
Setting a guy like this up in a plot where he’s acting as sort of undercover detective makes for some excellent fireworks once the fuse is lit, and even before that Roy’s mad scramble to escape the aftermath of the bank heist is the kind of entertaining heist story that fans of Richard Stark’s Parker series would also love.
September 12, 2022
I pulled the .38 and shot her in the throat, three times. "Tell your story in hell, if you can get anyone to listen," I told her. She trashed on the floor, blood pulsing between the fingers of the hands clasped to her neck. "If they can patch up your lying voice."
I stepped over her.
I had work to do.
Bad Boy ... Bad Boy ... What You Gonna Do?
He's pissed off and he's coming for you!
It's not like we haven't been warned by the title. This guy doesn't fool around with the sipping of tea while he makes clever deductions about who stole Aunt Agatha's diamond necklace.
This guy shoots first and asks questions later. If there's anyone left alive to ask questions to.
It all starts with a bank robbery gone wrong and it goes downhill from there. A nightmare roadtrip from Phoenix, Arizona to Hudson, Florida with a hop across the border in El Paso. You can follow the route by the trail of bodies left behind by the Man Without a Name. And in Florida things really start to heat up.
Our narrator has a name (it's probably Drake since this is what the Dan Marlowe series is called in some editions). He just chooses not to share it with us. He's got got a bunch of aliases and fake identity papers and fake car plates. He needs them all because he's at war with the world, in particular with coppers.
On the day they sentenced Oily Barnes to fifteen years, I quit the human race. I never went back to my job and I've never done a legitimate day's work since. I bought a gun in a hockshop and was surprised to learn how easy it is to knock off gas stations.
The roadtrip from Arizona to Florida is doubled by a trip down memory lane as 'Drake' takes us back to the key moments in his criminal career. He starts early, in primary school, and some readers might find attenuating circumstances in the way the world treats him (bullies at school, inflexible father, police incompetence doubled by more bullying). Drake's way of dealing with these circumstances puts him in a class of his own though,
The only time I was ever in the pen, the boss headshrinker gave me up as a bad job.
"You're amoral," the prison psychiatrist told me. "You have no respect for authority. Your values are not civilized values."
No they're not. And what's so great about civilization anyway? It's just a con game to keep the rich guys up and the poor guys down. Drake sets out to do a little wealth redistribution, from the vaults of the banks to his own pockets. He's not only ruthless, he's clever and patient, spending long months planning his heists, and more importantly his escape routes. It's usually his partners who let him down. When the one partner that he could rely on goes missing in Florida, Drake is more interested in revenge than in getting back to considerable stash from the last hit.
>><<>><<>><<
This was my first novel by Dan J Marlowe, and it was brutally good. There's no compromise, no soft spot, no ray of sunshine in the storytelling. Drake is a killer, he loves his guns more than he loves his women (and there's a couple of beauties in this story since death and sex walk hand in hand in most noir tales). He pays back tenfold every perceived slight civilization throws at him. He has no friends, because he will let nothing stand in the way of his line of fire. He would rather die than bend his neck in submission. As a human being he is despicable. As a literary construction he is one of the most formidable criminals in the pulp canon. I have read the whole book in one sitting, turning the pages faster and faster as the final act came closer. I will probably check out the sequels, but I am a bit wary of recommending Marlowe to other readers. It's a ride with the Devil ('Drake') and any enjoyment in the pacing and in the presentation style is tinged with this queasiness about the graphic depiction of violence and about the questionable moral choices of the driver.
I stepped over her.
I had work to do.
Bad Boy ... Bad Boy ... What You Gonna Do?
He's pissed off and he's coming for you!
It's not like we haven't been warned by the title. This guy doesn't fool around with the sipping of tea while he makes clever deductions about who stole Aunt Agatha's diamond necklace.
This guy shoots first and asks questions later. If there's anyone left alive to ask questions to.
It all starts with a bank robbery gone wrong and it goes downhill from there. A nightmare roadtrip from Phoenix, Arizona to Hudson, Florida with a hop across the border in El Paso. You can follow the route by the trail of bodies left behind by the Man Without a Name. And in Florida things really start to heat up.
Our narrator has a name (it's probably Drake since this is what the Dan Marlowe series is called in some editions). He just chooses not to share it with us. He's got got a bunch of aliases and fake identity papers and fake car plates. He needs them all because he's at war with the world, in particular with coppers.
On the day they sentenced Oily Barnes to fifteen years, I quit the human race. I never went back to my job and I've never done a legitimate day's work since. I bought a gun in a hockshop and was surprised to learn how easy it is to knock off gas stations.
The roadtrip from Arizona to Florida is doubled by a trip down memory lane as 'Drake' takes us back to the key moments in his criminal career. He starts early, in primary school, and some readers might find attenuating circumstances in the way the world treats him (bullies at school, inflexible father, police incompetence doubled by more bullying). Drake's way of dealing with these circumstances puts him in a class of his own though,
The only time I was ever in the pen, the boss headshrinker gave me up as a bad job.
"You're amoral," the prison psychiatrist told me. "You have no respect for authority. Your values are not civilized values."
No they're not. And what's so great about civilization anyway? It's just a con game to keep the rich guys up and the poor guys down. Drake sets out to do a little wealth redistribution, from the vaults of the banks to his own pockets. He's not only ruthless, he's clever and patient, spending long months planning his heists, and more importantly his escape routes. It's usually his partners who let him down. When the one partner that he could rely on goes missing in Florida, Drake is more interested in revenge than in getting back to considerable stash from the last hit.
>><<>><<>><<
This was my first novel by Dan J Marlowe, and it was brutally good. There's no compromise, no soft spot, no ray of sunshine in the storytelling. Drake is a killer, he loves his guns more than he loves his women (and there's a couple of beauties in this story since death and sex walk hand in hand in most noir tales). He pays back tenfold every perceived slight civilization throws at him. He has no friends, because he will let nothing stand in the way of his line of fire. He would rather die than bend his neck in submission. As a human being he is despicable. As a literary construction he is one of the most formidable criminals in the pulp canon. I have read the whole book in one sitting, turning the pages faster and faster as the final act came closer. I will probably check out the sequels, but I am a bit wary of recommending Marlowe to other readers. It's a ride with the Devil ('Drake') and any enjoyment in the pacing and in the presentation style is tinged with this queasiness about the graphic depiction of violence and about the questionable moral choices of the driver.
July 6, 2016
Here's the 1973 Fawcett Gold Medal mass-market I have. Can you get more '70s than that? Love it.
June 24, 2013
His name might be Roy Martin; it might be Earl Drake; it might be Chet Arnold, or it might be something else altogether. In the end, we never know and it doesn't really matter. What counts is the fact that he's a classic pulp fiction criminal--a bank robber in this particular case--in a book that's one of the best examples of the genre.
Martin/Drake/Arnold is the creation of Dan J. Marlowe, a writer who began his career relatively late in life and whose career ended all too soon in 1977, when he contracted a mysterious case of amnesia and was no longer able to write. For a brief span, though, from the late 1950s through the mid-1970s, he produced a number of pulp novels, some of which he wrote alone and others which he wrote with a co-author.
The Name of the Game Is Death is generally considered to be his best book, and it's a terrific read--a lean story, stripped to the bone that pulls you in from the opening page and races through to the startling conclusion. It starts with a bank robbery in Phoenix that goes bad, although "Martin" and one of his partners manage to escape with $178,000--a pretty good haul in 1962.
But three people are dead, including the third robber and a couple of bank guards. Worse, from Martin's perspective, is the fact that he's been shot in the arm and can't travel. With their plans shot all to hell, Martin will lay low and attempt to heal while his remaining partner, Bunny, takes the loot to a small town in Florida. Martin will catch up when he can and in the meantime, Bunny will occasionally send him money to live on care of General Delivery.
Briefly, things go as planned, but then one day, there's no envelope at General Delivery on the scheduled day, and none appears thereafter. Martin trusts his partner implicitly, which means that something has gone badly wrong in Florida.
Once recovered from his wound, Martin makes his way cross country to Florida where he becomes Chet Arnold, a tree surgeon. Having established himself in the community, he begins searching for Bunny and the missing loot. Inevitably in a book of this sort, he will have to contend with brutal, crooked cops; sexy, treacherous dames and a host of other obstacles. But what sets this book apart from so many others of its day and genre is the skill that Marlowe brings to the effort. The plot is compelling; there's plenty of action; the characters are fully realized, and you once you start the book, you can't put the damned thing down until you reach the climax.
It's very unfortunate that Marlowe's career was cut so tragically short, and because his career was relatively brief, he's largely faded from view. But crime fiction fans owe a huge debt of gratitude to Charles Kelly who has done a great deal to resurrect Marlowe's reputation.
Kelly has recently written an excellent biography of Marlowe, Gunshots in Another Room: The Forgotten Life of Dan J. Marlowe, and he has provided an introduction to a new edition of The Name of the Game Is Death which has just been re-released by Stark House in a double volume alone with another Marlowe classic, One Endless Hour. As a result of Kelly's efforts Dan J. Marlowe is enjoying another moment in the sun, and those who love classic hard-boiled pulp fiction will certainly want to find the new Stark House edition of these books.
Martin/Drake/Arnold is the creation of Dan J. Marlowe, a writer who began his career relatively late in life and whose career ended all too soon in 1977, when he contracted a mysterious case of amnesia and was no longer able to write. For a brief span, though, from the late 1950s through the mid-1970s, he produced a number of pulp novels, some of which he wrote alone and others which he wrote with a co-author.
The Name of the Game Is Death is generally considered to be his best book, and it's a terrific read--a lean story, stripped to the bone that pulls you in from the opening page and races through to the startling conclusion. It starts with a bank robbery in Phoenix that goes bad, although "Martin" and one of his partners manage to escape with $178,000--a pretty good haul in 1962.
But three people are dead, including the third robber and a couple of bank guards. Worse, from Martin's perspective, is the fact that he's been shot in the arm and can't travel. With their plans shot all to hell, Martin will lay low and attempt to heal while his remaining partner, Bunny, takes the loot to a small town in Florida. Martin will catch up when he can and in the meantime, Bunny will occasionally send him money to live on care of General Delivery.
Briefly, things go as planned, but then one day, there's no envelope at General Delivery on the scheduled day, and none appears thereafter. Martin trusts his partner implicitly, which means that something has gone badly wrong in Florida.
Once recovered from his wound, Martin makes his way cross country to Florida where he becomes Chet Arnold, a tree surgeon. Having established himself in the community, he begins searching for Bunny and the missing loot. Inevitably in a book of this sort, he will have to contend with brutal, crooked cops; sexy, treacherous dames and a host of other obstacles. But what sets this book apart from so many others of its day and genre is the skill that Marlowe brings to the effort. The plot is compelling; there's plenty of action; the characters are fully realized, and you once you start the book, you can't put the damned thing down until you reach the climax.
It's very unfortunate that Marlowe's career was cut so tragically short, and because his career was relatively brief, he's largely faded from view. But crime fiction fans owe a huge debt of gratitude to Charles Kelly who has done a great deal to resurrect Marlowe's reputation.
Kelly has recently written an excellent biography of Marlowe, Gunshots in Another Room: The Forgotten Life of Dan J. Marlowe, and he has provided an introduction to a new edition of The Name of the Game Is Death which has just been re-released by Stark House in a double volume alone with another Marlowe classic, One Endless Hour. As a result of Kelly's efforts Dan J. Marlowe is enjoying another moment in the sun, and those who love classic hard-boiled pulp fiction will certainly want to find the new Stark House edition of these books.
December 14, 2020
Dan Marlowe packs more action and intensity into the first five or six pages of this novel than most writers pack into a lifetime of work. It is the story of a bank robbery gone bad. But, what a robbery! "Two guys with guts and go-to-hell-with-you-Jack regard for consequences have about three chances in ten of pulling off a well-planned smash-and- grab. If one of them can shoot like me and the other one is Bunny, the odds are a damn sight better." Bunny is six foot four or more. They walk in and slam a solid chunk of Smith and Wesson into the guard's neck. A few well placed shots later and a huge canvas bag of dough walks out with them and all the bank's employees and customers are in shock.
The principals are forced to split up. The narrator (Drake/ Roy Martin) who goes by several aliases is wounded and sends his giant friend ahead to Florida with instructions to send him $1000 at a time general delivery. But when the money stops coming and it appears that Bunny got into some kind of trouble, then what follows a cross-country adventure, seductive women, untrustworthy allies, and the like. This short novel is one of Marlowe's best and it is full-tilt pulpy writing through and through.
Though, in some ways similar in feel and temperament to Westlake's Parker character, the narrator here is rougher, more prone to violence, less worried about leaving a trail of bodies, and more determined to avenge any wrong.
The narrator, at some points, offers some background as to his upbringing and his cold, ruthless soul. Especially of note is how he deals with the fat kid at school who wronged him and how he deals with the police force in his small town.
This character created by Marlowe is nasty and hardboiled. This is a book filled with pure fun for the hardboiled enthusiast. Marlowe eventually continues on with the Drake character through a number of other novels.
The principals are forced to split up. The narrator (Drake/ Roy Martin) who goes by several aliases is wounded and sends his giant friend ahead to Florida with instructions to send him $1000 at a time general delivery. But when the money stops coming and it appears that Bunny got into some kind of trouble, then what follows a cross-country adventure, seductive women, untrustworthy allies, and the like. This short novel is one of Marlowe's best and it is full-tilt pulpy writing through and through.
Though, in some ways similar in feel and temperament to Westlake's Parker character, the narrator here is rougher, more prone to violence, less worried about leaving a trail of bodies, and more determined to avenge any wrong.
The narrator, at some points, offers some background as to his upbringing and his cold, ruthless soul. Especially of note is how he deals with the fat kid at school who wronged him and how he deals with the police force in his small town.
This character created by Marlowe is nasty and hardboiled. This is a book filled with pure fun for the hardboiled enthusiast. Marlowe eventually continues on with the Drake character through a number of other novels.
July 15, 2016
Marlowe's shrewd antihero is one of the most determined, bullheaded characters I've ever come across. He is, without doubt, one stubborn sonofabitch.
So, when he needs to make a cross country trip to get back the money that he rightfully stole, you'd better believe nothing and no one is going to stand in his way . . . except maybe a dog.
If you're looking for a quick read with plenty of action and a high body count, check out this taut crime thriller from 1962.
So, when he needs to make a cross country trip to get back the money that he rightfully stole, you'd better believe nothing and no one is going to stand in his way . . . except maybe a dog.
If you're looking for a quick read with plenty of action and a high body count, check out this taut crime thriller from 1962.
July 28, 2016
I can't believe I liked this book so much since I didn't like the main character at all. I guess he's a psychopath. He can read people very well, but has absolutely no real feelings for most of them. His back story explains that to some extent, but he's incredibly cold & divorced from society. He does like animals, though. This one redeeming feature along with the horrible people he runs into explains why this was even readable, but it went beyond that for me. It was a fascinating journey told from his perspective as he tries to retrieve what is his - well, he stole it, so he believes it is his.
I definitely want to read more of both this series & any other books by this author. Very well written with great characters.
I definitely want to read more of both this series & any other books by this author. Very well written with great characters.
January 22, 2024
06/2019
From 1962
I loved the beginning, how it started right in the middle of the action (of a bank robbery). It was great how the protagonist likes animals more than people. This lead character also doesn't have a name, just his false identities. I liked the scene in prison where the old con gives him advice about taking up a trade for cover if he is going to be a career bank robber. Thus he becomes a tree surgeon.
From 1962
I loved the beginning, how it started right in the middle of the action (of a bank robbery). It was great how the protagonist likes animals more than people. This lead character also doesn't have a name, just his false identities. I liked the scene in prison where the old con gives him advice about taking up a trade for cover if he is going to be a career bank robber. Thus he becomes a tree surgeon.
April 18, 2013
As I stated elsewhere -the copy I read was the Stark House Press edition published in March of 2013 which includes a 2nd novel (ONE ENDLESS HOUR) with an introduction by Charles Kelly.
This novel was originally published by Fawcett/Gold Medal in 1962.
This was a terrific read.
Lots of action with great early-60's slang and tough-guy dialogue.
"He calls himself Earl Drake. That's not his real name, but it'll do. Hell, he's changed his identity so many times, it hardly matters anymore. Right now he's calling himself Chet Arnold. After the last bank robbery, after they made their escape and Bunny ended up taking most of the money with him to Florida, he figured it was time to collect. But something's happened to Bunny. So here he is in Hudson, Florida, trying to find Bunny and the money. First he finds Hazel, six-feet tall, red hair, all woman. Then me meets Lucille, the local man-hungry postmaster. Finally he meets Blaze Franklin, a cop who's just about ready to kill somebody. It's one helluva situation. And that's the kind that Drake likes best."
The blurb isn't quite accurate. I wouldn't call "Lucille the postmaster" man-hungry. She works in okay as the novel's femme fatale but the more interesting female character in the novel is "Hazel". And I wouldn't exactly call "Hazel" man-hungry either - she just makes for a great character.
What really made this novel work for me was the biographical information "Earl Drake/Chet Arnold" supplies for himself in the first-person narrative. His view of the things that made him the character as he is "today" is a completely fascinating depiction of how a violent sociopath views himself.
I would compare this novel favorably to the 1st 16 entries in Richard (Donald Westlake) Stark's "Parker" series.
If you're a fan of action-packed heist novels and/or tales of sociopaths running at "maximum" on the scale of vengeance I can safely recommend this novel to you.
This novel was originally published by Fawcett/Gold Medal in 1962.
This was a terrific read.
Lots of action with great early-60's slang and tough-guy dialogue.
"He calls himself Earl Drake. That's not his real name, but it'll do. Hell, he's changed his identity so many times, it hardly matters anymore. Right now he's calling himself Chet Arnold. After the last bank robbery, after they made their escape and Bunny ended up taking most of the money with him to Florida, he figured it was time to collect. But something's happened to Bunny. So here he is in Hudson, Florida, trying to find Bunny and the money. First he finds Hazel, six-feet tall, red hair, all woman. Then me meets Lucille, the local man-hungry postmaster. Finally he meets Blaze Franklin, a cop who's just about ready to kill somebody. It's one helluva situation. And that's the kind that Drake likes best."
The blurb isn't quite accurate. I wouldn't call "Lucille the postmaster" man-hungry. She works in okay as the novel's femme fatale but the more interesting female character in the novel is "Hazel". And I wouldn't exactly call "Hazel" man-hungry either - she just makes for a great character.
What really made this novel work for me was the biographical information "Earl Drake/Chet Arnold" supplies for himself in the first-person narrative. His view of the things that made him the character as he is "today" is a completely fascinating depiction of how a violent sociopath views himself.
I would compare this novel favorably to the 1st 16 entries in Richard (Donald Westlake) Stark's "Parker" series.
If you're a fan of action-packed heist novels and/or tales of sociopaths running at "maximum" on the scale of vengeance I can safely recommend this novel to you.
January 19, 2018
רוי מרטין ושותפו באני שודדים בנק. השוד מסתבך, כשהנהג תופס רגלים קרות ונהרג. רוי ובאני מתפצלים. באני יוצא לפלורידה עם השלל וההסדר הוא שישלח לרוי את חלקו בתשלומים לבית הדואר המוסכם. ואכן לתקופה מסויימת הסדר זה עובד אבל אז התשלומים מפסיקים להגיע ורוי יוצא לעיירה בפלורידה, למצוא את שותפו לפשע ואת מי שחמס את חלקו בכספי השוד.
הספר רווי באלימות ברוטלית. ככלל אני לא משתגעת על אלימות בוטה כל כך, גם כשמאחוריה יש מטרה ולכאורה בחלקים שלה היא מוצדקת. במהלכו של הספר, הקוראים לומדים על עברו של רוי ועל העוולות שנגרמו לו וגרמו לו להיות סוציופת שרוצח בלי למצמצץ.
באופן מפתיע בדמות של רוי ישנם גם קווי אופי מוסריים ונאמנות עיוורת לחבריו /שותפיו ולבעלי חיים.
החלק האחרון של הספר, בו נפתרת התעלומה להיכן נעלם באני ומי גוזל מרוי את כספי חלקו בשוד, הוא קיצבי ומסחרר. החלק הזה הקנה לספר מבחינתי את הניקוד שלו. אהבתי גם את סיפור ילדותו של הגיבור, סיפור של ילד שנפגע פעם אחר פעם מעוולות שנגרמות לו ולומד לנקום בשקט וביסודיות במי שפגע בו.
לא אהבתי חלקים מהעלילה המתרחשים בעיירה שכוחת האל וגם לא הבנתי את המטרה של חלקם. ברור לי שבעולם הפשע עיקרון ההישרדות גובר על הכל: או שאתה טורף או שאתה נטרף.
יחד עם זאת, הפרקים האחרונים והסחרור של העלילה בהם, היו יותר מפיצוי ראוי על החלקים שבעיניי קירטעו ועל האלימות בספר.
הספר רווי באלימות ברוטלית. ככלל אני לא משתגעת על אלימות בוטה כל כך, גם כשמאחוריה יש מטרה ולכאורה בחלקים שלה היא מוצדקת. במהלכו של הספר, הקוראים לומדים על עברו של רוי ועל העוולות שנגרמו לו וגרמו לו להיות סוציופת שרוצח בלי למצמצץ.
באופן מפתיע בדמות של רוי ישנם גם קווי אופי מוסריים ונאמנות עיוורת לחבריו /שותפיו ולבעלי חיים.
החלק האחרון של הספר, בו נפתרת התעלומה להיכן נעלם באני ומי גוזל מרוי את כספי חלקו בשוד, הוא קיצבי ומסחרר. החלק הזה הקנה לספר מבחינתי את הניקוד שלו. אהבתי גם את סיפור ילדותו של הגיבור, סיפור של ילד שנפגע פעם אחר פעם מעוולות שנגרמות לו ולומד לנקום בשקט וביסודיות במי שפגע בו.
לא אהבתי חלקים מהעלילה המתרחשים בעיירה שכוחת האל וגם לא הבנתי את המטרה של חלקם. ברור לי שבעולם הפשע עיקרון ההישרדות גובר על הכל: או שאתה טורף או שאתה נטרף.
יחד עם זאת, הפרקים האחרונים והסחרור של העלילה בהם, היו יותר מפיצוי ראוי על החלקים שבעיניי קירטעו ועל האלימות בספר.
August 2, 2017
Very tight noir about holdup man (and crack shot), Earl Drake. Some have mentioned that Drake reminds them of a first person version of Parker (Richard Stark's bad boy). I can see the parallels, but they're two different cats. Both are tough and smart, though Drake shows some surprising vulnerabilities that in the end make him a more believable character. Interestingly, Marlowe supplies us with a few chapters on Drake's growing up. It doesn't explain why he does the things he does, but his show him as being, well, different. But that's OK. Drake's a big boy, and he'd be the first one to tell you he was born that way.
The novel opens with a big bank robbery and shootout that has Drake, and his fellow robber, Bunny, on the run. They get the loot, but they leave bodies behind, and Drake himself is wounded. They agree to split up, with Bunny taking the loot to a small town in Florida. Drake heals while Bunny ships him installments of cash. And then the cash stops coming. Drake has a good nose for talent, and he knows Bunny wouldn't do him wrong. Drake decides to hit the road in order to sort things out. Drake is the kind of guy that does sort things out, no matter the odds. Drake, as amoral as he is, can be loyal and make friends. In this case he takes a lover who he sincerely likes, which kind of sets him apart from other hardasses I've encountered in the American Night. And he even loves animals. Just don't cross him. I was really impressed with how Marlowe closed this one up. With about ten pages to go, I was thinking the author had backed himself into a corner, and would have to race to finish it. Wrong. Jim Thompson would have loved the wrap up. If you like them mean and lean, there isn't a wasted sentence in this one.
Note: This one is available in a cheap Kindle version. It's a good value.
The novel opens with a big bank robbery and shootout that has Drake, and his fellow robber, Bunny, on the run. They get the loot, but they leave bodies behind, and Drake himself is wounded. They agree to split up, with Bunny taking the loot to a small town in Florida. Drake heals while Bunny ships him installments of cash. And then the cash stops coming. Drake has a good nose for talent, and he knows Bunny wouldn't do him wrong. Drake decides to hit the road in order to sort things out. Drake is the kind of guy that does sort things out, no matter the odds. Drake, as amoral as he is, can be loyal and make friends. In this case he takes a lover who he sincerely likes, which kind of sets him apart from other hardasses I've encountered in the American Night. And he even loves animals. Just don't cross him. I was really impressed with how Marlowe closed this one up. With about ten pages to go, I was thinking the author had backed himself into a corner, and would have to race to finish it. Wrong. Jim Thompson would have loved the wrap up. If you like them mean and lean, there isn't a wasted sentence in this one.
Note: This one is available in a cheap Kindle version. It's a good value.
August 12, 2019
Excellent hardboiled crime pulp, with the ruthless bank robber protagonist (who's real name stays a mystery) reminiscent of Donald Westlake/Richard Stark's Parker, the thieving brute from his renowned Parker series. In very short order Marlowe manages to paint quite a deep picture of his protagonist, with some excellent backstory, and tell a taut story of a bank robber on the lamb looking to recover his take from a partner that's mysteriously gone missing. As much as I enjoyed Parker, I think Marlowe does an even better job giving some real depth and soul to his characters.
September 28, 2024
If Mike Hammer had become a bank robber instead of a private eye, this book could have been about him.
I absolutely love pulpy books with mean, violent protagonists and this is one of the meanest and most violent main characters that I've ever seen.
I absolutely love pulpy books with mean, violent protagonists and this is one of the meanest and most violent main characters that I've ever seen.
June 28, 2013
Begins with a bank robbery in Phoenix and ends in a small Florida town on the gulf coast. Tight novel that introduces Drake in what would become a series of novels for Marlowe in the 70s. I upped it a star from 4 to 5 because it was better than I remembered it. I only intended to give it a quick review (after reading it many years ago) for a book club and sure enough, got sucked right into the lean prose all over again.
November 11, 2024
Not at all what I was expecting, but I loved it! Will definitely be continuing this series.
August 13, 2021
I first started reading Gold Medal and other crime-noir paperbacks in junior high and back then this novel was one of my favorites. Marlowe pulls off the rare feat of creating a sociopath that you want to root for. The book begins in the middle of a bank heist in Arizona and our first person narrator is wounded and goes to ground. His robbery partner heads to Florida with the money. They have a plan to meet up. After a few weeks a telegram from his partner arrives and after reading it our protagonist realizes that his partner didn't send it and that someone else must have the loot. He begins driving cross country and in the course of this five-day journey from Arizona to Florida we see him not only in lethal action, but he also conveys incidents from his past that show how he became the criminal he is. Strangely enough, it humanizes the sociopath. In Florida he establishes himself as a tree surgeon in a small town, which is his cover story while he tries to find out what happened to his partner and the money. So we see him in normal human activity, but we also see the calculated way that he operates and know him for what he is: a cold blooded killer. Just a fascinating narrative perspective. As the novel progresses there are twists and turns, with an especially neat side-plot that has other criminals following our guy while he tracks down the ones who took out his partner. Marlowe delivers some neat cat and mouse scenes before the final explosive ending. One of the best in the genre and a must-read for fans of these Gold Medal paperbacks.
May 8, 2019
“A mi edad, ningún leopardo cambia las manchas.”
Roy Martin es un criminal. Roba bancos. Es cruel y despiadado. No le tiembla el pulso para apretar el gatillo. Planea el robo a un banco junto a su compañero de delito, Bunny y les sale bien. O casi.
De todos modos, se alzan con un botín de 178.000 dólares.
Se escapan, lo hieren y deben separarse. Acuerdan con Bunny que éste se lleve el dinero del botín y le haga envíos parciales hasta que estos se detienen misteriosamente.
Roy cambia su nombre por el de Chet Arnold. Comienza a viajar cientos de kilómetros por todo el país para llegar a al pueblito de Hudson a averiguar qué fue de Bunny.
Indefectiblemente, se involucrará con las personas que viven allí, especialmente las mujeres, una portentosa bartender llamada Hazel y una rubia altísima, Lucille.
Roy no culminará aquí su actividad criminal. Después de todo está en sus genes.
Con verdadero aplomo, el autor, Dan J. Marlowe nos narra con crudeza a través de Roy la manera en que se transformó en un criminal. Desde niño. Sin tapujos, Roy cuenta todas sus salvajadas y cómo llega a convertirse en ladrón de bancos.
El resto de la novela corresponde a la situaciones que se dan en ese pueblito, mientras intenta adivinar qué fue lo que pasó con Bunny.
Marlowe no se guarda nada. Utilizando frases cortas, narra todo con frialdad, como si él mismo fuera Roy.
Leyendo sobre su vida, me entero que le fascinaba la vida del ladrón de bancos más famoso de Estados Unidos que se llamó Al Nussbaum. Lo visitó tantas veces en la cárcel para saber de su vida y volcar estas experiencias, que el FBI llegó a investigarlo para tratar de establecer alguna conexión.
Dicha conexión se da en la novela. El personaje de Roy (o Chet) está muy bien logrado y el ritmo que Marlowe le imprime a los acontecimientos nunca cesa y mantiene la historia viva.
“El nombre del juego es muerte” es una muy buena novela y vuelve a demostrarme que existieron muchísimos autores que nos dejaron excelentes cuentos y novelas.
Esto es lo que se propuso la editorial “La bestia equilátera”. Desenterrar estas joyas para descubrir y redescubrir apasionantes libros que no deberían haber desaparecido.
En la tapa leo una frase de Stephen King, en la que afirma que “El nombre del juego es muerte” es lo más negro de la novela negra.
Si el maestro lo dice, no creo que se equivoque ni un ápice...
Roy Martin es un criminal. Roba bancos. Es cruel y despiadado. No le tiembla el pulso para apretar el gatillo. Planea el robo a un banco junto a su compañero de delito, Bunny y les sale bien. O casi.
De todos modos, se alzan con un botín de 178.000 dólares.
Se escapan, lo hieren y deben separarse. Acuerdan con Bunny que éste se lleve el dinero del botín y le haga envíos parciales hasta que estos se detienen misteriosamente.
Roy cambia su nombre por el de Chet Arnold. Comienza a viajar cientos de kilómetros por todo el país para llegar a al pueblito de Hudson a averiguar qué fue de Bunny.
Indefectiblemente, se involucrará con las personas que viven allí, especialmente las mujeres, una portentosa bartender llamada Hazel y una rubia altísima, Lucille.
Roy no culminará aquí su actividad criminal. Después de todo está en sus genes.
Con verdadero aplomo, el autor, Dan J. Marlowe nos narra con crudeza a través de Roy la manera en que se transformó en un criminal. Desde niño. Sin tapujos, Roy cuenta todas sus salvajadas y cómo llega a convertirse en ladrón de bancos.
El resto de la novela corresponde a la situaciones que se dan en ese pueblito, mientras intenta adivinar qué fue lo que pasó con Bunny.
Marlowe no se guarda nada. Utilizando frases cortas, narra todo con frialdad, como si él mismo fuera Roy.
Leyendo sobre su vida, me entero que le fascinaba la vida del ladrón de bancos más famoso de Estados Unidos que se llamó Al Nussbaum. Lo visitó tantas veces en la cárcel para saber de su vida y volcar estas experiencias, que el FBI llegó a investigarlo para tratar de establecer alguna conexión.
Dicha conexión se da en la novela. El personaje de Roy (o Chet) está muy bien logrado y el ritmo que Marlowe le imprime a los acontecimientos nunca cesa y mantiene la historia viva.
“El nombre del juego es muerte” es una muy buena novela y vuelve a demostrarme que existieron muchísimos autores que nos dejaron excelentes cuentos y novelas.
Esto es lo que se propuso la editorial “La bestia equilátera”. Desenterrar estas joyas para descubrir y redescubrir apasionantes libros que no deberían haber desaparecido.
En la tapa leo una frase de Stephen King, en la que afirma que “El nombre del juego es muerte” es lo más negro de la novela negra.
Si el maestro lo dice, no creo que se equivoque ni un ápice...
December 20, 2017
לא ציפיתי מהספר הזה להיות כל כך טוב, אבל ישבתי וקראתי אותו בישיבה אחת בלי לעצור.
הספר הזכיר לי מאד סדרות וסרטי פשע כמו "פארגו" ו"ספרות זולה", שבהם לאורך כל הדרך רק יורים באנשים, מחסלים את כולם, מחליפים מכוניות וזהויות ונמלטים מהחוק, כשהגיבורים הם הרעים כמובן.
אם אתם בעניין, זה הספר בשבילכם. פשוט תענוג צרוף.
הספר הזכיר לי מאד סדרות וסרטי פשע כמו "פארגו" ו"ספרות זולה", שבהם לאורך כל הדרך רק יורים באנשים, מחסלים את כולם, מחליפים מכוניות וזהויות ונמלטים מהחוק, כשהגיבורים הם הרעים כמובן.
אם אתם בעניין, זה הספר בשבילכם. פשוט תענוג צרוף.
January 26, 2021
THIS is what hard-boiled fun is!
With enough blood spilled to fill the quota of a donation-camp, and with enough cracks (wise or otherwise) this novel lit a fire under me. It compelled to rush through a sleepy afternoon, begging for more.
Marlowe is truly the big man in this business. Why is he so not-talked-about?
Need to remedy the situation ASAP. In the meanwhile, read this book.
It's awesome!
With enough blood spilled to fill the quota of a donation-camp, and with enough cracks (wise or otherwise) this novel lit a fire under me. It compelled to rush through a sleepy afternoon, begging for more.
Marlowe is truly the big man in this business. Why is he so not-talked-about?
Need to remedy the situation ASAP. In the meanwhile, read this book.
It's awesome!
June 20, 2016
Roy Martin roba un banco en Arizona junto a su secuaz Bunny. Logran hacerse con el dinero pero no todo sale como lo planearon; Roy es herido y debe buscar un médico que lo atienda mientras Bunny huye con el botín a un pueblo de Florida. Las instrucciones son claras: debe enviar mil dólares semanales por correo hasta que puedan reunirse nuevamente. Al principio todo va según lo estipulado pero en un momento el dinero deja de llegar. Entonces Roy decide viajar hasta el pueblo para saber que pasó con su compañero.
Marlowe nos da un libro perfectamente escrito, donde no sobra una palabra y la narración es tan dura como los personajes. Lo mejor es su protagonista, Roy Martin a.k.a. Chet Arnold, un tipo que no tiene ningún problema en usar la violencia para resolver cada problema que se le presenta. Recomendable para los que gustan de la novela negra.
Marlowe nos da un libro perfectamente escrito, donde no sobra una palabra y la narración es tan dura como los personajes. Lo mejor es su protagonista, Roy Martin a.k.a. Chet Arnold, un tipo que no tiene ningún problema en usar la violencia para resolver cada problema que se le presenta. Recomendable para los que gustan de la novela negra.
September 25, 2018
A power packed novel that does in 159 pages that most authors can't do in 10 novels: A thorough story with much depth. The writing is top notch, though the plotting is clunky.
This book follows a bad guy from Arizona to a small city along the west coast of Florida, "Hudson". More about that below. What makes this book so well done is that it is very hard to imagine where the story goes while reading the early part of the book. The complications and characters encountered are excellent.
The clunkiness comes as the writer moves the character across the country. Marlowe would have been best to have truncated that part as it seems he hasn't actually driven that area before and it showed in his writing.
The Florida part: Hudson does exist in just the area he mentions. However his description better fits Spring Hill above Hudson. I believe he swapped one for the othe. He nails Spring Hill nearly exactly as it was when he wrote the book.
Bottom line: I recommend the book. 8 out of 10 points.
This book follows a bad guy from Arizona to a small city along the west coast of Florida, "Hudson". More about that below. What makes this book so well done is that it is very hard to imagine where the story goes while reading the early part of the book. The complications and characters encountered are excellent.
The clunkiness comes as the writer moves the character across the country. Marlowe would have been best to have truncated that part as it seems he hasn't actually driven that area before and it showed in his writing.
The Florida part: Hudson does exist in just the area he mentions. However his description better fits Spring Hill above Hudson. I believe he swapped one for the othe. He nails Spring Hill nearly exactly as it was when he wrote the book.
Bottom line: I recommend the book. 8 out of 10 points.
July 29, 2020
Oh this ruled. Starts off with a brute force Arizona bank robbery like something out of Hell or High Water and doesn't let up as the story rolls east to the swamps of Florida. Longer review here. Recommended.
March 15, 2015
What a masterpiece! If you're looking for great literature, you won't find anything like that here. But if you want a fast-paced pulp/noir/hard-boiled crime novel, with a really tough and violent narrator, great plot and much adrenaline, well, don't search anywhere else, just grab it and read it! You don't trust me? Stephen King says that is "hardest of the hardboiled". 'Nuff said! Also, i don't understand why the hell this novel never became a best seller or a movie.
Ελληνικά:
"Το όνομα του παιχνιδιού είναι θάνατος", εκδόσεις Άγκυρα.
Δεν ξέρω πως ν'αρχίσω την κριτική μου για το "παραλογοτεχνικό" αυτό αριστούργημα. Το βιβλίο το πέτυχα τυχαία στο goodreads και ύστερα στο google σε λίστες με άγνωστα διαμάντια, σκληρά νουάρ μυθιστορήματα και ούτω καθεξής (μάλιστα κυκλοφόρησε την ίδια χρονιά με το παρόμοιου είδους και γνωστότερο The Hunter του Richard Stark, πρώτο βιβλίο της σειράς Parker).
Και έψαξα και βρήκα ότι τόσο αυτό όσο και πολλά άλλα βιβλία του συγγραφέα έχουν μεταφραστεί στα ελληνικά από τις εκδόσεις Άγκυρα την δεκαετία του '70. Και έψαχνα για αρκετό καιρό και βρήκα σχεδόν όλα του τα βιβλία πλην των δυο πρώτων της σειράς Ερλ Ντρέικ και όσο περνούσε ο καιρός χωρίς να τα βρίσκω τόσο πιο πολύ αγχωνόμουν κατά κάποιο τρόπο. Μέχρι τα βρήκα και τα δυο μαζί με τέσσερα ευρώ!
Λοιπόν, αυτό είναι το πρώτο βιβλίο της σειράς όπου γνωρίζουμε τον απόλυτο αντιήρωα που δεν χρησιμοποιεί ακόμα το όνομα με το οποίο θα γίνει γνωστός στην συνέχεια, αλλά ψευδώνυμα όπως Ρόι Μάρτιν, Τσετ Άρνολντ κλπ. Ο πρωταγωνιστής και αφηγητής της ιστορίας μας είναι ληστής τραπεζών. Είναι ένας σκληρός τύπος που δεν το 'χει σε τίποτα να στην μπουμπουνίσει αν τυχόν του σταθείς εμπόδιο ή τον πειράξεις. Γενικά με τους ανθρώπους δεν τα έχει πολύ καλά, σε αντίθεση με τα ζώα που τα λατρεύει.
Η ιστορία αρχίζει κλασικά με μια ληστεία τράπεζας που δεν πάει και τόσο καλά. Η προσωρινή συμμορία του αποτελείται από τον ίδιο, έναν πιτσιρικά για την οδήγηση και έναν άλλο τύπο, τον Μπάνι, απόλυτης εμπιστοσύνης. Η ληστεία θα καταλήξει σε αιματοκύλισμα, με δυο νεκρούς φύλακες, κάποιους τραυματίες πολίτες, νεκρό τον οδηγό του και τον ίδιο τραυματισμένο στον ώμο. Οι δυο τους θα ξεφύγουν και τελικά θα χωριστούν, με τον ίδιο να παραμένει στην πόλη μέχρι να γίνει καλά και τον συνεργάτη του να φεύγει με τα λεφτά προς την Φλόριντα, σε κάποια μικρή πόλη. Οι δυο τους συνεννοούνται μέσω τηλεγραφημάτων και ο Μπάνι κάθε τόσο στέλνει κάποια λίγα λεφτά στον "Ρόι Μάρτιν", μέχρι να πάει και ο ίδιος στην πόλη που διάλεξε ο Μπάνι. Όμως τα τηλεγραφήματα ξαφνικά θα σταματήσουν, με το τελευταίο να είναι πραγματικά παράξενο για τον "Ρόι Μάρτιν". Τελικά θα ταξιδέψει μέχρι την πόλη της Φλόριντα και θα μάθει τι έγιναν τόσο ο συνεργάτης του όσο και τα 178.000 δολάρια...
Η αφήγηση της ιστορίας είναι πραγματικά τρομερή, με σκληρούς διαλόγους και περιγραφές δίχως περιττές λέξεις. Η δράση είναι μπόλικη, με πολλές σκηνές βίας και η ατμόσφαιρα είναι σαφώς σκοτεινή, νουάρ, θυμίζει έντονα ιστορίες του Τζιμ Τόμσον.
Οι χαρακτήρες πλάκα-πλάκα δεν ήταν και άσχημα σκιαγραφημένοι για παλπ μυθιστόρημα 160 σελίδων και τα διάφορα φλας μπακ στην παιδική και νεανική ηλικία του αφηγητή πραγματικά ενδιαφέροντα, έδιναν βάθος στον χαρακτήρα του και ήταν χρήσιμα για να καταλάβουμε πως κατέληξε έτσι. Και το τέλος πραγματικός δυναμίτης και αφήνει πολλά ερωτηματικά για την συνέχεια.
Το βιβλίο προτείνεται αποκλειστικά και μόνο στους φαν των σκληρών παλπ αστυνομικών ιστοριών...
Ελληνικά:
"Το όνομα του παιχνιδιού είναι θάνατος", εκδόσεις Άγκυρα.
Δεν ξέρω πως ν'αρχίσω την κριτική μου για το "παραλογοτεχνικό" αυτό αριστούργημα. Το βιβλίο το πέτυχα τυχαία στο goodreads και ύστερα στο google σε λίστες με άγνωστα διαμάντια, σκληρά νουάρ μυθιστορήματα και ούτω καθεξής (μάλιστα κυκλοφόρησε την ίδια χρονιά με το παρόμοιου είδους και γνωστότερο The Hunter του Richard Stark, πρώτο βιβλίο της σειράς Parker).
Και έψαξα και βρήκα ότι τόσο αυτό όσο και πολλά άλλα βιβλία του συγγραφέα έχουν μεταφραστεί στα ελληνικά από τις εκδόσεις Άγκυρα την δεκαετία του '70. Και έψαχνα για αρκετό καιρό και βρήκα σχεδόν όλα του τα βιβλία πλην των δυο πρώτων της σειράς Ερλ Ντρέικ και όσο περνούσε ο καιρός χωρίς να τα βρίσκω τόσο πιο πολύ αγχωνόμουν κατά κάποιο τρόπο. Μέχρι τα βρήκα και τα δυο μαζί με τέσσερα ευρώ!
Λοιπόν, αυτό είναι το πρώτο βιβλίο της σειράς όπου γνωρίζουμε τον απόλυτο αντιήρωα που δεν χρησιμοποιεί ακόμα το όνομα με το οποίο θα γίνει γνωστός στην συνέχεια, αλλά ψευδώνυμα όπως Ρόι Μάρτιν, Τσετ Άρνολντ κλπ. Ο πρωταγωνιστής και αφηγητής της ιστορίας μας είναι ληστής τραπεζών. Είναι ένας σκληρός τύπος που δεν το 'χει σε τίποτα να στην μπουμπουνίσει αν τυχόν του σταθείς εμπόδιο ή τον πειράξεις. Γενικά με τους ανθρώπους δεν τα έχει πολύ καλά, σε αντίθεση με τα ζώα που τα λατρεύει.
Η ιστορία αρχίζει κλασικά με μια ληστεία τράπεζας που δεν πάει και τόσο καλά. Η προσωρινή συμμορία του αποτελείται από τον ίδιο, έναν πιτσιρικά για την οδήγηση και έναν άλλο τύπο, τον Μπάνι, απόλυτης εμπιστοσύνης. Η ληστεία θα καταλήξει σε αιματοκύλισμα, με δυο νεκρούς φύλακες, κάποιους τραυματίες πολίτες, νεκρό τον οδηγό του και τον ίδιο τραυματισμένο στον ώμο. Οι δυο τους θα ξεφύγουν και τελικά θα χωριστούν, με τον ίδιο να παραμένει στην πόλη μέχρι να γίνει καλά και τον συνεργάτη του να φεύγει με τα λεφτά προς την Φλόριντα, σε κάποια μικρή πόλη. Οι δυο τους συνεννοούνται μέσω τηλεγραφημάτων και ο Μπάνι κάθε τόσο στέλνει κάποια λίγα λεφτά στον "Ρόι Μάρτιν", μέχρι να πάει και ο ίδιος στην πόλη που διάλεξε ο Μπάνι. Όμως τα τηλεγραφήματα ξαφνικά θα σταματήσουν, με το τελευταίο να είναι πραγματικά παράξενο για τον "Ρόι Μάρτιν". Τελικά θα ταξιδέψει μέχρι την πόλη της Φλόριντα και θα μάθει τι έγιναν τόσο ο συνεργάτης του όσο και τα 178.000 δολάρια...
Η αφήγηση της ιστορίας είναι πραγματικά τρομερή, με σκληρούς διαλόγους και περιγραφές δίχως περιττές λέξεις. Η δράση είναι μπόλικη, με πολλές σκηνές βίας και η ατμόσφαιρα είναι σαφώς σκοτεινή, νουάρ, θυμίζει έντονα ιστορίες του Τζιμ Τόμσον.
Οι χαρακτήρες πλάκα-πλάκα δεν ήταν και άσχημα σκιαγραφημένοι για παλπ μυθιστόρημα 160 σελίδων και τα διάφορα φλας μπακ στην παιδική και νεανική ηλικία του αφηγητή πραγματικά ενδιαφέροντα, έδιναν βάθος στον χαρακτήρα του και ήταν χρήσιμα για να καταλάβουμε πως κατέληξε έτσι. Και το τέλος πραγματικός δυναμίτης και αφήνει πολλά ερωτηματικά για την συνέχεια.
Το βιβλίο προτείνεται αποκλειστικά και μόνο στους φαν των σκληρών παλπ αστυνομικών ιστοριών...
May 18, 2012
The Name of the Game is Death is essential.
The story: a career criminal calling himself Roy Martin (more on his name later) holes up after a botched bank robbery, while his partner sends him monthly allotments of their take. But when the money stops coming, Martin suspects the worst and sets off to find out what happened. The small town he finds turns out to be a cesspool of corruption and hypocrisy that makes even Martin’s twisted morality seem sane and rational by comparison.
In the hands of most writers, this rather simple plot wouldn’t be particularly noteworthy, but Marlowe paints a vivid picture of Martin, not just through his actions but also in a set of chilling flashbacks to Martins’ youth and young manhood, where all the signs of a sociopathic personality begin to emerge. And the steps Martin takes to find out what happened to his partner and to retrieve his money reinforce him as a deeply disturbed man.
Quite simply, he enjoys killing and hurting people; in one memorable scene, he’s unable to become sexually aroused for intercourse, and admits to himself that the only thing that really turns him on is bloodshed-- in a later scene, he brutalizes a woman who attempted to set him up, and he’s able to “perform” without a hitch.
So all in all, Roy Martin is a seriously messed-up sociopath, with barely a redeeming feature-- aside from a fondness for animals. Why do we find ourselves almost rooting for him? Because almost everyone else he encounters is a hollow, lying hypocrite. Martin is the only character who is actually true to himself… much to the horror of everyone else.
The climax to The Name of the Game is Death is stunningly violent, very dark, and totally chilling-- not the sort of ending that would cause you to expect a sequel. And yet Marlowe did indeed bring the character back a few years later for a book that was almost-but-not-quite as good as the first, One Endless Hour. In that one we discover that Martin’s name is actually Drake (which is how he’s often referred to when discussing The Name of the Game is Death).
More books about “The Man with Nobody’s Face” would follow, each one a bit softer than the one before, until almost all signs of the near-psychopathic Martin were gone, replaced by a repentant crook who now worked for the government.
But lovers of dark, violent tales will always remember him as the blood-thirsty killer calling himself Roy Martin.
The story: a career criminal calling himself Roy Martin (more on his name later) holes up after a botched bank robbery, while his partner sends him monthly allotments of their take. But when the money stops coming, Martin suspects the worst and sets off to find out what happened. The small town he finds turns out to be a cesspool of corruption and hypocrisy that makes even Martin’s twisted morality seem sane and rational by comparison.
In the hands of most writers, this rather simple plot wouldn’t be particularly noteworthy, but Marlowe paints a vivid picture of Martin, not just through his actions but also in a set of chilling flashbacks to Martins’ youth and young manhood, where all the signs of a sociopathic personality begin to emerge. And the steps Martin takes to find out what happened to his partner and to retrieve his money reinforce him as a deeply disturbed man.
Quite simply, he enjoys killing and hurting people; in one memorable scene, he’s unable to become sexually aroused for intercourse, and admits to himself that the only thing that really turns him on is bloodshed-- in a later scene, he brutalizes a woman who attempted to set him up, and he’s able to “perform” without a hitch.
So all in all, Roy Martin is a seriously messed-up sociopath, with barely a redeeming feature-- aside from a fondness for animals. Why do we find ourselves almost rooting for him? Because almost everyone else he encounters is a hollow, lying hypocrite. Martin is the only character who is actually true to himself… much to the horror of everyone else.
The climax to The Name of the Game is Death is stunningly violent, very dark, and totally chilling-- not the sort of ending that would cause you to expect a sequel. And yet Marlowe did indeed bring the character back a few years later for a book that was almost-but-not-quite as good as the first, One Endless Hour. In that one we discover that Martin’s name is actually Drake (which is how he’s often referred to when discussing The Name of the Game is Death).
More books about “The Man with Nobody’s Face” would follow, each one a bit softer than the one before, until almost all signs of the near-psychopathic Martin were gone, replaced by a repentant crook who now worked for the government.
But lovers of dark, violent tales will always remember him as the blood-thirsty killer calling himself Roy Martin.
![Profile Image for Ed [Redacted].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1429513592i%2F3968676.jpg&w=128&q=75)
July 25, 2012
In the great pantheon of crime books I have read in the last two weeks, I solidly place The man who refers to himself as Roy Martin between the one who calls himself Parker (the pinnacle) and the one who calls himself Nolan (the ordinary).
This was a very sharp, tightly written, very hardboiled, mean, nasty brutish and short book. I really had a good time reading it and I suspect any fans of Parker will feel the same. Roy Martin is one seriously high toned son of a bitch. A mean bastard and colder than a dry ice enema. Roy is a hell of a protagonist and I'm glad to have read his story...even more glad never to have met him. I will definitely be reading more of his books though I have been led to believe the books get less and less as they go on. Roy Martin is not a guy I would want to underestimate though.
This was a very sharp, tightly written, very hardboiled, mean, nasty brutish and short book. I really had a good time reading it and I suspect any fans of Parker will feel the same. Roy Martin is one seriously high toned son of a bitch. A mean bastard and colder than a dry ice enema. Roy is a hell of a protagonist and I'm glad to have read his story...even more glad never to have met him. I will definitely be reading more of his books though I have been led to believe the books get less and less as they go on. Roy Martin is not a guy I would want to underestimate though.
July 5, 2016
Un noir brutal que se convierte, a mi gusto, en lo mejor de la colección de género que está editando La Bestia Equilátera.
Si bien tiene un final "suave" para lo que es el género negro-negro, no decepciona y sigue dejando un gusto agridulce en la boca.
Imprescindible para los fanáticos del género. Una joya.
Si bien tiene un final "suave" para lo que es el género negro-negro, no decepciona y sigue dejando un gusto agridulce en la boca.
Imprescindible para los fanáticos del género. Una joya.
December 28, 2021
Ought to be more widely read. Dan Marlowe’s Earl Drake series * is the lesser known hard-boiled cousin of the popular Parker series ** from Richard Stark. As I was starting Stark’s The Hunter, I stumbled upon a mention of Marlowe’s own debut novel, The Name of the Game is Death. Interestingly, both books were published in 1962, both featured cynical, hardened professional criminals as the lead, who undergo plastic surgery in the next books to assume new identities. In these initial offerings, the parallels were compelling enough to read them successively, to assuage a curiosity on how they would compare.
Both engaging reads, but Marlowe’s Drake is the better man by a long shot. Better, in the sense of a more developed protagonist against his brother-in-arms, Stark’s Parker, based on these first books. Indubitably, I will be continuing with both series but early impressions give the first round to Drake for more depth and complexity, for eliciting more reaction from so little sentimentality. First person perspectives tend to draw readers more fully into the character’s raw inner sanctum. It is with this, for me, that Drake has the upper hand as a more convincing monster over Parker’s purposeful thug in third person. Through flashbacks interspersed with present time, we see Drake’s past defining moments that often governed violent, brutal actions. His is a warped, cold justice, yet taken so personally. Don’t hurt what he loves, don’t take what is his, don’t betray trust, don’t be in the way.
Plot-wise, prose-wise, The Name of the Game is Death is tense, clipped, with ratcheting urgency. The story starts off with a bank heist gone awry and a wounded Drake on the run. He isn’t known as Drake in this first book, but as another name that would soon be discarded for the next identity, with the next getaway car, or the next dead body. Our man arrives at a small Floridian town in search of his missing partner - and the missing loot - to find menace awaiting, but not before he rescues the injured, has mind-blowing sex, forms a plan or three, and oils well-used guns.
The Name of the Game is Death ends on a fitting note. A sequel, The Endless Hour, was written several years later, which was satisfactory but not necessary. Those interested in starting the series should begin properly with the first book. If it may help to convince fans of this genre of a genuine article, below is a dedication from Stephen King, best-selling author and fan of hardboiled fiction:
“With admiration, for Dan J. Marlowe, author of The Name of the Game is Death: Hardest of the hardboiled”.
[ * Drake series - The Man With Nobody's Face (12 works) https://www.goodreads.com/series/43125
The Name of the Game Is Death (#1): 5 stars
One Endless Hour (#2): 4 stars
** Parker Series (29 works) https://www.goodreads.com/series/54157
The Hunter (#1): 3 and ½ stars]
Both engaging reads, but Marlowe’s Drake is the better man by a long shot. Better, in the sense of a more developed protagonist against his brother-in-arms, Stark’s Parker, based on these first books. Indubitably, I will be continuing with both series but early impressions give the first round to Drake for more depth and complexity, for eliciting more reaction from so little sentimentality. First person perspectives tend to draw readers more fully into the character’s raw inner sanctum. It is with this, for me, that Drake has the upper hand as a more convincing monster over Parker’s purposeful thug in third person. Through flashbacks interspersed with present time, we see Drake’s past defining moments that often governed violent, brutal actions. His is a warped, cold justice, yet taken so personally. Don’t hurt what he loves, don’t take what is his, don’t betray trust, don’t be in the way.
Plot-wise, prose-wise, The Name of the Game is Death is tense, clipped, with ratcheting urgency. The story starts off with a bank heist gone awry and a wounded Drake on the run. He isn’t known as Drake in this first book, but as another name that would soon be discarded for the next identity, with the next getaway car, or the next dead body. Our man arrives at a small Floridian town in search of his missing partner - and the missing loot - to find menace awaiting, but not before he rescues the injured, has mind-blowing sex, forms a plan or three, and oils well-used guns.
The Name of the Game is Death ends on a fitting note. A sequel, The Endless Hour, was written several years later, which was satisfactory but not necessary. Those interested in starting the series should begin properly with the first book. If it may help to convince fans of this genre of a genuine article, below is a dedication from Stephen King, best-selling author and fan of hardboiled fiction:
“With admiration, for Dan J. Marlowe, author of The Name of the Game is Death: Hardest of the hardboiled”.
[ * Drake series - The Man With Nobody's Face (12 works) https://www.goodreads.com/series/43125
The Name of the Game Is Death (#1): 5 stars
One Endless Hour (#2): 4 stars
** Parker Series (29 works) https://www.goodreads.com/series/54157
The Hunter (#1): 3 and ½ stars]
August 22, 2017
Published the same year as The Hunter, this is a great bad guy. As a character he's ruthless, blood thirsty and just plain nasty. He's like the honey badger of crime noir. I'm reading number 2, but I don't think I want to see him shifted into a secret agent. Marlowe seriously rocked this little book.
March 8, 2014
Thanks to my Goodreads friend George for first reading this book and giving it high praise. It was a gem of a book. Short, fast paced pulp fiction. The main character, a bank robber, is savvy and ruthless. After robbing a bank and shooting a guard, along with his partner, they split agreeing to meet in Florida. The story takes the main character across the US. While doing this he reflects about his past. Upon his arrival in Florida the action starts while trying to locate his partner and the money. The writing is not great but the story is fascinating and dark. The character of the female bar owner and her relationship with the bank robber is a classic. If you are into pulp fiction take a day and read this story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 149 reviews