Lean n mean ( )

Ugh. I thought I’ve give hardboiled/noir a try again, but nope, I still don’t like it. Too grim for my tastes. ( )

I pick this up on a whim at the bookstore because it was only a dollar and change. I didn’t know anything about the book before reading it but I had heard the title before. I was shocked at the beginning because of how It just jumped right into things. But the storyline itself was very entertaining and it was a quick read. Although the ending was somewhat predictable I really enjoyed the overall story and characters and I would really like to read more from this author. ( )

Frank Chambers and Cora, one drifter that decided to take a permanent (as possible) post in a Greek restaurant and the other young, bored women that wants more in life but has to come to terms with life with her husband. One called nitro and the other called glycerin. On their own they are bearable, together - they are total mayhem.

In a manner of natural borne killers these two will fall in love, wildly, wildly passionate love that wont bring out the best in them but only the worse. Reason is very simple - they just do not know anything better, they are like adolescents, not thinking, just living on impulse, kicking everything around and only stopping to think when damage is already done.

So it is not strange that their passion gives birth to something dark and terrible, something that will ultimately destroy them both.

Short read but very interesting one. Quite a page turner.

Highly recommended to all fans of crime and noir novels. ( )

Maybe good plot (guess it was as supposedly used as the basis for "The Stranger" which is also a drag). Without seemingly any morals, a drifter falls in love with the wife of a Greek restaurant owner who took him in. Frank and Cora plan to kill the husband and take off but the planned murder goes bad. Husband is clueless. They try again and succeed. When they are arrested, the prosecution and defense get into this weird back and forth situation. Cora confesses, then she doesn't; he is free; then he's not. Eventually they are both freed only to have a terrible car accident which kills Cora and he is convicted. There are cats, lots of rambling dialogue, and maybe sort of interesting in places. ( )