Little Caesar

I was awake till the early hours of this morning reading W.R. Burnett’s novel Little Caesar. I had no idea that the great film of the same name was based on a novel, until Daishin found the book in the library.

I’m baffled that I was so ignorant, because the novel (which is strikingly different from the film) is a masterpiece. First published in 1929, it foreshadows the best work of George V. Higgins (I think it must have been an influence on The Friends of Eddie Coyle, my favorite...