Raven is an assassin, a hired killer, and his brutal murder of the Minister of War raises the spectre of war across Europe.
read full description
reviews
May 30, 2011
Monica
rated it: 
I have mixed feelings about Greene’s book “A Gun For Sale”. It didn’t capture my attention the way I was hoping it would but at the same time Greene’s writing style is amazingly catching and riveting.
"It occurred to Anne that he had brought her here to kill her in the scarred fields behind the housing estate, where the grass had been trampled into clay and the stumps of trees showed where an old wood had been.”
Greene has the talent to create mood and atmosphere in More...
"It occurred to Anne that he had brought her here to kill her in the scarred fields behind the housing estate, where the grass had been trampled into clay and the stumps of trees showed where an old wood had been.”
Greene has the talent to create mood and atmosphere in More...
Dec 02, 2010
Tina
rated it:
I was not impressed with this book. The plot was satisfactory to keep me reading, but not really all that innovative or unique. The characters were bland and there was barely any exposition for them, so their motives were questionable due to lack of rationale, Anne especially (I mean, I was hoping for some good Stockholm Syndrome action, but no dice on that). There was also a good three or four times when I was completely unsure as to what was going on because it didn't seem relevant or interest
More...
Nov 21, 2011
Tfitoby
rated it: 
There's just something incredible about the writing of Graham Greene. I don't hesitate to make the claim that he is quite possibly the greatest writer in the English language during the 20th century.
A Gun For Sale is a deceptively simple story of a double crossed assassin out for revenge but Greene was a skillful analyst of the human condition and so the real meat of the novel comes from the conflicts of his characters; both external and internal cause equal amounts of pain, discomfort More...
A Gun For Sale is a deceptively simple story of a double crossed assassin out for revenge but Greene was a skillful analyst of the human condition and so the real meat of the novel comes from the conflicts of his characters; both external and internal cause equal amounts of pain, discomfort More...
Jun 09, 2009
F.R.
rated it: 
The most interesting character in this 1936 novel from Greene is the hitman Raven. In his introduction (I have a different edition from the one pictured, with an intro by the Greene himself) he says how Raven is an update of Buchan's Richard Hannay character. But rather than a man propelled by right and patriotism, the world had altered so he was now a man fuelled by self interest and grievances.
When Raven is in the frame this books is an excellent character study with a great sense More...
When Raven is in the frame this books is an excellent character study with a great sense More...
Mar 05, 2010
Chrissyreads
rated it:
This book is about a guy named Raven who murders a very important man without knowing how important he was for money. The guy who pays Raven betrays him by giving him stolen money. War is about to break out because of the very important man being dead. That's the general plot and I'm missing details but I figure people can read the summary already provided.
The book was decent. It dealt with a lot of things that I didn't know about, I'm not really keen on politics anyway but the More...
The book was decent. It dealt with a lot of things that I didn't know about, I'm not really keen on politics anyway but the More...
Jan 11, 2011
Alia
rated it:
"He ... thought: It's good to love, to have a center, a certainty, not just to be in love floating around. ... He wanted love stamped and sealed and signed and the license paid for. He was filled with a dumb tenderness he would never be able to express outside marriage."
------------------------
It's better than I'm rating it, probably: Greene's too good at grim gray scenes observed from railway carriages (very English) and so you feel heavy and dull as you read. That More...
------------------------
It's better than I'm rating it, probably: Greene's too good at grim gray scenes observed from railway carriages (very English) and so you feel heavy and dull as you read. That More...
Aug 06, 2010
zespri
rated it:
An assassin with a hare-lip - I do love Graham Greene's nasty characters.
Assassin is double crossed, he is paid with stolen bank notes, so his trail is easy to spot.
Assassin finds an unlikely ally in the girlfriend of his pursuer.
Girlfriend and pursuer find themselves on opposite sides of the fence....
now read the rest for yourself to find out the ending!!!
Assassin is double crossed, he is paid with stolen bank notes, so his trail is easy to spot.
Assassin finds an unlikely ally in the girlfriend of his pursuer.
Girlfriend and pursuer find themselves on opposite sides of the fence....
now read the rest for yourself to find out the ending!!!
Dec 28, 2011
Brian
rated it:
probably the weakest greene book i've read so far. a few intriguing and well developed scenes, but some of the writing is not all that engaging or exciting. the character motivations are unclear in a few moments and some of the secondary characters probably could have been cut out.
Apr 23, 2009
Kathy
rated it:
This seems more like vintage Greene to me: a certain bleakness bordering on despair yet with some redeeming hope filtering through. In a few places the story drags unfavorably, which earned This Gun for Hire three stars rather than four.
Feb 06, 2011
ElSeven
rated it:
Two and a half stars.
Entertaining, sure, but not as tightly written or as impactful as the other Graham Greene 'entertainments' I've read. I'm not sorry I read it, but I don't think I would recommend it to anyone else.
Entertaining, sure, but not as tightly written or as impactful as the other Graham Greene 'entertainments' I've read. I'm not sorry I read it, but I don't think I would recommend it to anyone else.
May 24, 2011
David
rated it:
This is one of Greene's older books (1936) and follows his original style of the "villain" characters like in Brighton Rock. Perhaps the one genre I have a tougher time relating to.
Nov 30, 2011
Tim
rated it:
One of Greene's entertainments, this dark suspense novel is claustrophobic and moves relentlessly towards its bleak and inevitable conclusion.
Jul 10, 2008
Ransom
rated it: 
Another look at how to write a thriller. This early Graham Greene work is a blueprint. Short, tight, and one thing he does extremely well, is to make certain that the story points are always clear. You the motivations of every character, sometimes it's a little repetitious, but that's okay - like checking in on what's going on.
As a thrill-ride, This Gun For Hire is extra cool because it was written before WW2 and is centered on an unlikely character trying to foil an evil military-industri More...
As a thrill-ride, This Gun For Hire is extra cool because it was written before WW2 and is centered on an unlikely character trying to foil an evil military-industri More...
Jul 27, 2011
Thrilling. Now I've got to see the movie (This Gun for Hire, starring Veronica Lake and Alan Ladd...can't wait!)
Aug 31, 2010
astrangerhere
rated it:
I've just recently gotten a complete set of Graham Greene's novels, and this is the first one i plowed into. It was a pleasing read, and I plan to read more.
Jul 02, 2011
BMK
rated it:
Good old fashioned thriller but too many extraneous characters and it rambled on for far too long after the main action was concluded.
Jun 03, 2011
Sergio
rated it:
good story and characters; must be read with historical context to appreciate.
Apr 03, 2009
Bruce
rated it:
fast paced thriller with some comic vignettes interspersed in the proceedings; great characterizations
Mar 30, 2011
A psychological thriller about a hired killer. The plot twists and turns seemed almost too incredible at times but it was so well written that I swallowed all of them. There was also a surreal quality to a story written on the eve of World War II with a political assasination possibly begining the war.
Aug 16, 2011
noushin
rated it:
An exciting thriller...Greene in a brief novel, portrays all it needs to make a perfect story
