First published by Doubleday in 1932 in the depth of the Great Depression, an era whose seamy side it depicts, and only recently rediscovered, F...
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reviews
Jan 27, 2012
Thomas
rated it: 
A deserving classic of the hard-boiled crime genre, Cain's spare prose is riveting with its minimalism. A character in a few strokes and exclamations. Gerry Kells, a hard-nosed crook who skipped to the city of Angels to gamble, goes to collect his winnings and walks into a politically staged murder. From that moment on he plays every operator against each other with ruthless efficiency and a cunning double-cross nature, daring with a level of violence his foes cannot conceive of attempting. Alon
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Aug 30, 2011
Lil' Grogan
rated it: 
Story was pretty standard (looking back) - lots going on, questionable females, shady world of politics/crime, "hero" with his own brand of standards, big cast. The narrative style was the most interesting thing. I thought I had read sparse writing before, but this threw me. Read almost like a beginning readers' book with dialogue. Odd obsession with details like the exact time and naming every damn street he's on. Dialogue read well to me - laden with slang and also humour (a nice sur
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Jan 03, 2009
Mark
rated it:
Perhaps the purest example of its genre, Paul Cain's FAST ONE (the only novel he ever wrote) is so hard-boiled it almost crunches. Fast-moving, brutal, and possessing an unforgettable ending. The Black Lizard edition has a nice little introduction about the author (a.k.a. Paul Ruric, a.k.a. George Carrol Sims) whose life was so strange and shadowy he'd be a great subject for another novel.
Apr 13, 2011
Kit
rated it:
The first generation hard-boiled writer who comes closest to the density and grit of James Ellroy. This tale of cutthroat gangsters and shifting alliances is something like Hammett's Red Harvest and better than James M. Cain's Love's Lovely Counterfeit.
Oct 03, 2010
Alfred
rated it:
Really good in a brutal sort of way. Don't buy this edition, though, it's full of typos which annoyed the hell out of me.
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