Hospitalized after a liaison with another man's wife ends in violence, Paul Cole has just one goal: to rebuild his shattered life. But with his memory damaged, the police hounding him, and no way even to get home, Paul's facing steep odds—and a bleak fate if he fails. This final, never-before-published novel by three-time Edgar Award winner Donald E. Westlake is a noir masterpiece, a dark and painful portrait of a man's struggle against merciless forces that threaten to strip him of his very identity.
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"Is identity inherent or a function of your brain's physical health? Actor Paul Cole gets beaten up, and his memory is damaged; most of his past is gone, and he has difficulty retrieving and retaining memories. His character seems different, and he desperately tries to reclaim himself. This long final novel from Donald E. Westlake isn't really a crime novel (unless you count Cole getting beaten up before the novel begins, there's no crime), but it is as bleak and depressing as noir is. It's also a very early book, not published until now, perhaps becasue it is too literary a novel for the paperback original market in the early 1960s. It's a very good book, perhaps somewhat longer than it needs to be, and perhaps scientifically implausible at points (hey, it was written 50 years ago, what do you want?), but remarkably precise and insightful in its construction of the protagonist. One of Westlake's best, even if it sat unpublished for fifty years." — Dominick (4 out of 5 stars)
"Is identity inherent or a function of your brain's physical health? Actor Paul Cole gets beaten up, and his memory is damaged; most of his past is gone, and he has difficulty retrieving and retaining memories. His character seems different, and he desperately tries to reclaim himself. This long final novel from Donald E. Westlake isn't really a crime novel (unless you count Cole getting beaten up before the novel begins, there's no crime), but it is as bleak and depressing as noir is. It's also a very early book, not published until now, perhaps becasue it is too literary a novel for the paperback original market in the early 1960s. It's a very good book, perhaps somewhat longer than it needs to be, and perhaps scientifically implausible at points (hey, it was written 50 years ago, what do you want?), but remarkably precise and insightful in its construction of the protagonist. One of Westlake's best, even if it sat unpublished for fifty years."
“The novel’s deeper meditations will keep you thinking long after you’ve closed the book.”
“Westlake’s fans will note the author’s typically careful use of description and dialogue…But this is no typical Westlake novel; in fact, in many ways it’s one of his most interesting books, simply because it’s so very different.”
“Lovely language and the overall discourse on the consequences of thoughtlessness make this a significant final work from a master.”
“The three-time Edgar winner and Mystery Writers of America Grand Master left a huge body of work as well as a devoted following. Noir fans will be eager to jump on this ‘found’ work even though it’s different from much of his later more comedic work.”
" Really good looking cover. "
" At a fundamental level it's a conservative book. "
" I can't remember the last novel I enjoyed this much. "
" Absolutely. Amazing. "
" Not a typical Westlake or Stark book. Depressing. "
" Noir? Most certainly. Frustrating? At time maddening, with the protagonist's self-destructive stupidity and in some of Westlake's prose that could have used some judicious pruning. Still, it's Westlake and there are few that can spin a yarn the way he could. "
" Could have been great but needs editing, good character study, but no crime. "
" A bit depressing but an interesting read. "
" A fascinating and utterly heartbreaking tale.. it appears to be a mystery (and on some level it is), but it really speaks to larger questions about the Human Condition. Did not warrant 5 stars only due to some clunky pacing and being a tad windy. "
" Deeply disturbing novel about memory and losing the core of one's identity. Years after Donald Westlake's dead, his final work is at last published. I can't recommend this profoundly irritating and humane book highly enough. "
" A tense noir story, written in the 60s, but just published in 2010. No crimes are committed. A man's memory turns into a sieve and he almost loses himself trying to get it back, but then learns a basic truth. "
" This is an awesome, awesome book. Hard Case Crime series, but still not my usual fare. A wonderful, bleak, dry, snap-crackle style that allows the characters to breathe and live. Awesome. "
Donald E. Westlake (1933–2008) wrote dozens of novels under his own name and numerous pseudonyms, including Richard Stark and Alan Marshall. Many of his books have been adapted for film, most notably The Hunter, which became the 1967 noir Point Blank and the 1999 smash hit Payback.
Stephen R. Thorne, winner of multiple AudioFile Earphones Awards for narration, is a professional actor and member of the resident acting company at Providence’s esteemed Trinity Repertory Company, where he has played Hamlet, Henry V, and Tom Joad.
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