Point Blank discussion

I haven't listened to this one yet. What's it like?

Is the Puss Walgreen award no longer a thing? Or was it just irrelevant for a book with a lead character named as he is?

We do it when we feel like it, but yeah with a main character named, Dix Steele, we didn’t feel a need to include it.

The follow-up podcast to In A Lonely Place is excellent...yes the ending in Place is a touch clipped but I think it's realistic....some books draw out the action/ending such as the first Travis McGee The Deep Blue Goodby where (working off of memory here...been awhile) there's a boat chase, a swim in wild water, kill the bad guy, save the girl & fortune, etc., etc...yes adventurous but not noir or realistic. -Speaking of Travis McGee, from your review of Green I think I'll avoid it. The last McGee I read was Cinnamon Skin long ago, it was just OK...Thanks for the tip on the Lou Reed short stories, I'm a big Lou Reed fan...most gravitate toward VU, I like his solo stuff better...Coney Island Baby, Street Hassle, & New York are all classics...

Excellent discussion about one of my favorite noir novels. The first time I read it I thought the ending too abrupt, like Hughes didn't know how to finish it. With other readings, I no longer think that. I think Hughes foreshadow the ending earlier. Describing the earlier scene would probably be a spoiler.

I'll be interested in what you think of the film version. It is very different than the book. You have to forget the book and enjoy the film as it is.

In the podcast you mention an earlier Hughes noir, Ride the Pink Horse. I hope you consider it for a later podcast. I don't think it is as smooth as In a Lonely Place but it's worth a read. It is full of existential angst and loss of identity and the reader is practically bludgeoned with symbolism. It is set in Sante Fe, NM, not a usual location for a noir. It has some good stuff in it particularly, for me, the way it brings in Native Americans. It also has a good noir film adaptation that you have to not think of the book as you watch.

I just finished this podcast (I am so far behind). What a great review. In a Lonely Place is on my absolutely must read list. By the way, when is the review of iguana related mysteries?

Lawrence. I’m glad you enjoyed the book and the show. “In a Lonely Place” remains one of my favorite books we’ve looked at and is a shinning example of what I hoped to discover doing this show. I kind of guess that most listeners are behind in the episodes. I think it’s just that kind of show, but it’s cool to hear someone comment on this episode which is kind of out in the past. Thanks for listening!