So, I picked up the first pair of Hard Case Crime novels (this and Block's Grifter's Game), expecting a good read. Let me tell you, brothers and sisters, I more than got it.This is a fast read, a white knuckle story of gangsters, hoods and a femme fatale who all suck the loner/outsider protagonist into a tough underworld. It is a trip to hell.One of the main strengths of the novel is its author's voice, who brings something of a modern sensibility to material that could otherwise be dated. Still, the book has a vintage feel to it. The piece works and works well. If you like James Ellroy's Bop Quartet, you'll probably dig this.