Hardboiled American Crime and Worldwide Noir Fiction discussion

For our June 2021 group read, we are planning to enjoy the classic Rendezvous in Black by Cornell Woolrich together. This is an exciting author to add to your quiver if you (like me) have never read anything by him before. This great mid-twentieth century author is not widely spoken of today, but definitely should be.

Please, come join us and post your comments about the book here at this topic as we read it in June.

Just finished Renezvous in Black. Wow, not really sure what to say about it. It's inventive, unique, and parts of it are really brilliant. That said, the people who republished this pulp version did him no favors. it was full of typos. To be sure, I never read anything like it, but it introduced me to Cornell Woolrich, so there's a rabbit hole I need to go down. Thanks for recommending it. BTW here's the Wikipedia entry for Woolrich https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornell...

Wow! I just discovered this author a few weeks ago on Amazon, and I intended to try him out. So now I get to read something by him. Hope that I find myself a new favorite author. 😎

Zain

I finished Rendezvous in Black! And that’s all I’m saying. You’ll have to read my review. 😎

Zain

Ten percent in. Wow! The writing is superb and the situation really interesting. I hope Woolrich can sustain this!

Halfway through now. It is not at all what I expected.

1) It's not hardboiled. At least, I can't see how it is.
2) These chapters are reading more like a collection of short stories to me than a novel. Really weird.

It is super well written and very page-turning, compelling reading. These characters and their situations are amazing! Unlike other material we've read in this group this book feels like it transcends time and locale, like it can be read and enjoyed a hundred years from now. I love how the author is showing and not narrating. It's very cinematic.