Richard Stark writes a harsh and frightening story of criminal warfare and vengeance with economy, understatement and a deadly amoral objectivity-a remarkable addition to the list of the shockers that the French call roman noirs.

Critical sobriety is out of the question so long as this master of terror-in-the-commonplace exerts his spell.

Richard Stark writes a harsh and frightening story of criminal warfare and vengeance with economy, understatement and a deadly amoral objectivity-a remarkable addition to the list of the shockers that the French call roman noirs.

Eliminate the impossible. Then if nothing remains, some part of the 'impossible' was possible.