This book is the second volume in the Library of America set on American crime noir. I enjoyed the first volume so much that I decided to read the second one during Christmas break. Once again, the LOA has done a nice job of collecting a fine series of stories. These stories were written during the 1950's and 1960's. The book is nice to look at too; it's covered in red cloth with a cloth bookmark.

The first story is from the demented mind of Jim Thompson. This story, called The Killer Inside Me, is much better than The Grifters, a book by Thompson that I read some time ago. The Grifters seemed to be pretty one-dimensional with respect to its characters. This story is the exact opposite. A deputy sheriff in a Texas city has a terrible secret. He plays dumb on the outside, but inside he is a cunning sociopath. A long simmering resentment leads to a terrible revenge. Bodies quickly stack up as a result. This seems to be the story that Thompson is best known for and it's no surprise why. This is a dark, twisted tale with a grim ending.

Patricia Highsmith wrote a whole series of stories concerning Tom Ripley. The one included here is The Talented Mr. Ripley, probably better known due to the recent film with Matt Damon. This tale isn't as noir as I would have liked, but it still has enough twists and turns to keep anybody in suspense. Ripley is a low class conniver who ingratiates himself into a wealthy family who wants him to go to Italy and bring back their son. Ripley sees the potential for bucks and meets up with the kid and his lady friend. Of course, things take a turn for the worse and the bodies start stacking up. This story was probably my least favorite out of the entire collection.

The next story, Pick-Up, by Charles Willeford, is a depressing tale about two alcoholics who go bump in the night. The story follows the adventures of this alcoholic couple as they attempt suicide, check themselves into a mental hospital, and drink themselves into a stupor. After the female half of the couple dies in another suicide pact, the story switches to a prison tale. The end is somewhat of a twist, but really doesn't impact the story that much, in my opinion. Again, not really noir as noir can be, but still a fine story that can stand by itself.

Down There, by David Goodis, is a wild ride of a tale. Full of suspense and death, this is a great story that deserves to be included here. A family of ne'er-do-wells drags their talented piano-playing brother into their personal problems. The background information on Eddie, the piano player, is phenomenal. The tragedy that has struck him once is bound to repeat itself again. This story has great bit characters that really liven up the background.

The final story, by Chester Himes, is The Real Cool Killers. This is noir on acid: pornographic violence, massive doses of grim reality, and characters you're glad to see get killed. The story is set in Harlem and involves two tough cops named Grave Digger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson. Someone kills a white guy in Harlem and the cops try and track them down. This story contains one of the funniest descriptions of a person falling off a balcony that I've ever read (and I've read a few, disturbingly enough). The writing has enough similes and metaphors to give Raymond Chandler an apoplectic fit. A cool story that certainly deserves a place in this book.

If you like noir, read these two LOA novels. They are long (together they're almost 2000 pages) but it is definitely worth the effort. These kinds of stories are just a great way to while away some free time and relieve stress.

I gave it 5 stars based on the collection as a whole, rather than each story individually. I enjoyed all of the stories, in that they were a good representation of the genre as a whole, yet they were all stylistically different.

Individually, I would rate the stories in pretty much the order they appear in the book. "The Killer Inside Me" is the most powerful, in my opinion, and is a great indroduction to Jim Thompson if you haven't read his work previously. "The Talented Mr. Ripley" is also excellent, and is a must read for any fan of crime fiction. What I found more interesting was the contrast between the protagonists in the first two novels. Both are cold-hearted killers, but you couldn't find two more different voices. Its a tribute to both Mr. Thompson and Ms. Highsmith that you actually root for these people to get away with their crimes.

The other three novels are good, but they pale in comparison to the first two. "Pick-up" is a good study in a relationship between two alcoholics who know they are alcoholics and are okay with it. It takes awhile for the crime to be committed, but its an interesting journey. I didn't care for the twist ending, but that's just me. "Down There" was interesting to read, if only because it was the basis for a great movie. "The Real Cool Killers" was the only story of the five that I had trouble getting through. I think that was because I didn't really care (or even really believe) that A) a group of street punks would dress in the manner they were described in, or that B) a pair of street detectives would be as violent, feared, and given such free reign as the ones in this novel.

All in all, a good book to add to your collection, if only for the one-two punch of Thompson and Highsmith (by the way, that would be a great name for a law firm).

I usually don't like genre fiction, but this book is a great collection of "Noir" novels. Film buffs will be particularly interested in reading the novel on which "Shoot the Piano Player" was based, as well as the first "Mr. Ripley" novel (much nastier and darker than the recent film). Most highly recommended.

Why is this book out of print? Why it's so hard to find in America the complete work of one of her finest writters? My copy of Patricia Highsmith's The Animals-lover's book of beastly murders is dated 1975, and it was a british edition. I bought it in Paris in the eighties and instantly devour it; almost twenty years later, this tales still hunt me. The Animal's lovers of beastly murder its a collection of tales of revenge of the animals against the human beings who explotes them: Rats, pigs, dogs, cats; take their turn getting even with human race. Its not only for animal's lovers, it works well with animal's haters too. I hate rats and the tale of a rat's revenge of a Venice'family , with complete work out guide for rats included, still gives me goosebumps. You might need a streak of black humor to love this book, because Patricia Highsmith doesn't write your typical horror story. But if you have read and loved her work before, you will find a manly crime that this book is out of print.

She's baaack! A second anthology of Patricia Highsmith's short fiction, this time featuring stories that have not been published until now.

Unlike the first collection of her short fiction (where many of the stories struck me as mere character sketches) the contents of "Nothing That Meets the Eye" are all fully developed short stories. One of my favorites features the subtle yet obvious menace of a stranger with candy, a very, to paraphrase the story's title, "Nice Sort of Man." The one story that fails to impress in the collection is "The Born Failure." It features a downtrodden, Job-like little man who lurches from one disappointment to the next. The story ends in an oddly sappy upbeat "It's a Wonderful Life" way, as if Highsmith suddenly got bored with cataloguing this character's misfortunes and wanted him off her hands. Interestingly enough, she didn't kill off the Failure. Possibly because for such a loser death might have seemed a kindness.

An added bonus is Paul Ingendaay's biographical essay, which follows the collected short stories. It gives a greater insight into Highsmith's literary process, touches on her lesbianism, and its probable influences on her body of work. (I'd always thought it odd that, in a wild divergence from her more mainstream suspense fiction, Highsmith had written the lesbian-themed novel, The Price of Salt, under the name of Claire Morgan.) Even more intriguing is the fact that Highsmith, apparently a meticulous literary craftsman, left behind a treasure trove of workbooks, notebooks, journals, as well as typescripts of drafts of published and unpublished works. Hopefully one day these literary artifacts will also find their way into print.

Con su magistral habilidad para crear ambientes claustrofóbicos, personajes oscuros y peligrosos, Highsmith construye en estos relatos once mundos llenos de sorpresas, tensión y suspense. Al estilo de su admirado Graham Greene, estos relatos muestran una profundísima percepción de la psicológía humana y un gran dominio del tiempo narrativo. La tensión, la maldad que se respiran en "La heroïna" o el absurdo y previsiblemente catastrófico "El observador de los caracoles" son simplemente dos ejemplos de la maestría narrativa de Higsmith. Un libro apasionante que se devora en un santiamén.

Much of Patricia Highsmith's writing proceeds from one simple idea: that with intense effort and single-minded determination, even the most unremarkable people can manage to ruin not only their own lives, but the lives of everyone around them as well. One need look no further than this slim collection of short fables to make the point. Whether it's "Oona the Jolly Cave Woman," hapless Elaine in "The Breeder," or a truly malevolent creature like Thea in "The Perfect Little Lady," all of the main characters in these short stories display an insatiable appetite for destruction.

Although the title suggests that this book is misogynistic, the men in this collection aren't necessarily any better than the women. Highsmith's deep misanthropy can (and does) get monotonous, but with such gemlike stories as "The Hand" and "The Prude" in this collection, the book gives little cause for complaint.

Un pequeño libro lleno de historias tremendas, historias de hombres maltratados y de personas con problemas. Es un libro divertido. Quizás refleje en el fondo la personalidad de la autora o quizás solo lo usa Como artificio literario para atraer lectores, pues bien es sabido que las historias de gente bien y situaciones estables no interesan a nadie, mientras que las historias de vidas y gente torcida atraen las masas. Quizás es para saber que no somos los únicos torcidos o con pequeñas manías en el universo. Ver que la vida de un prójimo real o imaginario es peor que la nuestra nos puede servir de consuelo, tal como sirven de envidia las actrices de novelas que se casan con un príncipe azul. El libro tiene sus meritos de entretención y no hay que quitárselos, es bueno y debe ser disfrutado como tal. Estas historias llevan al lector al universo desconocido de la mentalidad femenina, aunque aun no revela las razones por las cuales las mujeres de estas historias se comportan como lo hacen, nos enseñan patrones que vemos en las mujeres aunque no de manera exagerada hasta el grotesco como en estas historias. La brevedad de las historias y la forma en que están escritas incitan al lector a devorar el libro a no dejarlo escapar, a no dejar de leer la siguiente historia a no soltar el libro hasta su final. estas historias han despertado en mi los viejos hábitos de lectura rápida en la que me veo ensimismado por horas y más horas... Luis Méndez

Un pequeño libro lleno de historias tremendas, historias de hombres maltratados y de personas con problemas. Es un libro divertido. Quizás refleje en el fondo la personalidad de la autora o quizás solo lo usa Como artificio literario para atraer lectores, pues bien es sabido que las historias de gente bien y situaciones estables no interesan a nadie, mientras que las historias de vidas y gente torcida atraen las masas. Quizás es para saber que no somos los únicos torcidos o con pequeñas manías en el universo. Ver que la vida de un prójimo real o imaginario es peor que la nuestra nos puede servir de consuelo, tal como sirven de envidia las actrices de novelas que se casan con un príncipe azul. El libro tiene sus meritos de entretención y no hay que quitárselos, es bueno y debe ser disfrutado como tal. Luis Méndez

I am quite fond of Patricia Highsmith's writing, having, like so many others, been introduced to her through her Ripley series. I am thrilled that Norton decided to republished most of her lesser-known novels and stories, many of which I have read already, the others of which top my reading to-do list. The greatest problem with this edition is the annoying presence of frequent typos and less frequent grammatical errors. I found myself having to go back to figure out the meaning of a sentence to discover one of the words was obviously incorrect. I understand that the publishers were probably rushing to get this edition on the market so that they could capitalize from The Talented Mr. Ripley's box-office sucess; nevertheless, the sloppiness distracts from the enjoyment experienced in reading Highsmith's other works.

With that said, Strangers on a Train lives up to its reputation as a significant first effort by Highsmith. Those familiar with her work will recognize the beginnings of themes she continues to explore throughout her life. Primarily, this work presents a sympathetic murderer-- like Ripley-- a person who, the reader believes has to murder. Like Flannery O'Connor, Highsmith has an uncanny ability to place us in the minds of characters who face circumstances that seemingly force them to do unthinkable things. She follows with guilt-- or lack thereof-- that confronts characters based on the strength of their conscience. It reminds us that often the worst decisions are made at times when the choice seemed rational under the circumstances.

I have yet to view Hitchcock's take on this novel. It is, undoubtedly, immensely difficult to portray a story that takes place mostly inside the characters minds on the big screen. For that reason alone, those who have seen the movie should consider reading this book.

It is so rare to pick up a book expecting mild entertainment yet getting so much more. Strangers on a Train is not just a mystery novel (..made into a Hitchcock film), it is a tautly written analysis of how criminals cope (psychologically) after committing a heinous crime (eg, murder). People who have read Crime and Punishment, and especially those who would like to but "couldn't get into it", will love this book. Patricia Highsmith's little gem couldn't have been written any better.

As an example dialogue in the novel,..

"Of course I don't think he arranged it," Bruno replied. "You don't seem to realize the calibre of the person you're talking about."

"The only calibre ever worth considering is the gun's, Charles."

============

I agree with the previous reviewer's comments about how unfortunate it is for Strangers on a Train to be no longer in print. Maybe with the success of the film The Talented Mr. Ripley other works of Ms. Highsmith, such as this, will be reprinted. For those who can't wait I direct you to www.amazon.co.uk where you will find multiple editions of Strangers on a Train available.

Brilliant. People swap murders on a train and oh you will have to read it but it certainly is an engaging read. Watch out for the way Bruno wrangles himself to get whats his name to murder his wife. Engaging as it Excellent. Long pages is the only criticism but thats English printing

I first became aware of Ms. Highsmith through her wonderful book, "The Talented Mr. Ripley". Although I am not a big fan of short stories, I decided to take a chance on this book, as I so admired the author's talent. I am delighted that I did so, as this book contains a veritable treasure trove of literary gems.

Her stories range from the macabre to the suspenseful. What makes them particularly chilling is that many of them take place in otherwise mundane everyday settings with people who may be either quite ordinary or slightly bizarre, but to whom something extraordinary happens. These are stories that will capture the imagination of the reader. Some even reminded me a little bit of the stories of H. P. Lovecraft, as some of them contain a strong element of horror, crafted, however, in a most delicate, sublime fashion.

These eleven compelling short stories will keep the reader turning the pages of this marvelous little book. It is a book well worth having in one's personal collection. Bravo!

Patricia Highsmith has enjoyed a higher profile recently almost entirely due to the film adaptation of her novel "The Talented Mr Ripley".

This collection of 11 short stories show why she is considered by many to be a mistress of chilling suspense. All of the stories begin innocently enough, but an air of expectation is always just around the corner. Often the payoff comes in the last few lines, but what a payoff indeed! The outstanding story has to be "When The Fleet Was In At Mobile" with it's horrific revelations. Do not read these late at night, as your dreams will become nightmares.

A couple of so-so stories in this collection, but most are extraordinary. "The Snail Watcher" is her most well-known story, and it is truly bizarre, but the best stories are more quietly unsettling, such as "Another Bridge to Cross" (which has an almost Hemingway feel to the writing), "When the Fleet Was In at Mobile," "The Herione," "Mrs Afton, among Thy Green Braes."

My two favorite stories are "Cries of Love," and "The Empty Birdhouse."

I've read a couple of critics and several readers who have suggested she was not as good a writer of stories as novels, but from this collection, at least, I would have to disagree. Now I prefer her novels, but these stories were as good as any writer's. A few times the reader is given the character's past in a lump dose that hurts the strength of the story, such as "The Heroine," and "The Empty Birdhouse," but that is an inherent obstacle of the short story format. I still had a good feel for those characters, and I still felt the overall impact of the story. Some truly great stories.

Unlike the other reviewers here, I found the prose very turgid and disappointing (couldn't help but feel that Highsmith's version would have been a far more entertaining read!). Personal style tastes aside, this book surprisingly mentions names and people that were omitted from Andrew Wilson's comprehensive biography of Highsmith. It was very intriguing to read, particularly from an "insider's" point of view, so to speak, from someone who was intimate with Highsmith at one point in her life. Reading between the lines, it was also deeply saddening. I could not quite grasp why the relationship deteriorated the way it did, nor understand Meaker's hostility towards Highsmith at the end, because surely a drunken bigot given to ranting and raving was probably only made that way from years of suffering and disappointment? Perhaps my qualm with this book is that it seems to lack compassion. I ended up feeling most sorry for poor Pat Highsmith.

Although this is a bittersweet love story, it is told with a sense of wit and high grade storytelling. Of course there are the serious aspects of the intensely passionate relationship between Meaker and Highsmith. Meaker paints a vivid picture of a specific society in New York (and of city mice living in rural Pennsylvania) in the 1950's. Meaker is a talented raconteur and wonderful writer! I recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about Patricia Highsmith, life in the 1950's (lesbian or otherwise), Marijane Meaker, a talented author in her own right, or a decent read. I also recommend Shockproof Sydney Skate to see how Meaker incorporated her nonfiction life into a fictional book. I read these books around the same time and I felt like I was back in time.

This is one of this year's BEST reads. Not only do you get a revealing look at what makes the writer of Ripley tick, you also have a wonderful history of gay life in the 1950's ... plus the trials of two writers living together. Meaker is funny, honest, and truly moving in her observations then and now about the writer and the woman, Patricia Highsmith. It made me want to read a lot more of Meaker's works as well as rereading Highsmith ...

If you've seen the movie "The Talented Mr. Ripley" with Matt Damon, you know what an interesting story it is. However, the book provides a lot of interesting side notes that the movie left out.

All three books in this "collection" read very quickly, build on each other, and are able to hold your attention for hours. Highsmith has done some fascinating work--even though Ripley is such a horrible person, you find yourself sympathizing with him.

A terrific read... I highly recommend it.

Tom Ripley is probably the most unique...and compelling...murderer in literature today. This is no serial killer like Hannibal Lecter; this is a man who defies description. The most relevant fact about Ripley is he's NOT an evil man. He just has some strange views on the importance of human life. When you read the Ripley novels as a body of work, you realize that he doesn't kill anybody that the reader has much sympathy for. His victims tend to be more self-centered and insensitive than Ripley himself. Ripley also never kills for pleasure; he kills when someone backs him into a corner. In "The Talented Mr. Ripley", Tom is a confused young man trying to find an identity, no matter whose he has to steal. By the second book, "Ripley Under Ground", he has his own life, a home, an income, and a beautiful wife. And he is more than willing to kill to keep all this safe. "Ripley's Game" shows what Tom can do when angered, and what he does when he feels he's gone too far. "The Boy Who Followed Ripley" has him taking a protege, and the final novel, "Ripley Under Water", pits Tom against someone even stranger than he is. In all of this, we find ourselves, against our better judgment, actually pulling for Tom. These novels are must-reads for any devotee of suspense, but fair warning: they are not for the weak of heart or the impressionable of mind.

I was a bit disappointed that everybody obviously watched the new remake of "The talented Mr.Ripley" with Matt Damon(which I didn`t find that good), but nobody mentioned the original movie from the early sixties with Alain Delon called "Plein soleil" which is available on amazon.com.
I read the first 4 Ripley sequels in the early eighties and liked "Ripley`s Game", "Ripley under Ground" and "The Boy who followed Ripley" the most of all 5 sequels. But the first one is necessary to read to understand the other volumes. But I never liked the first book as much as the others. Her style of writing matured in the seventies a lot and her books gave me lots of inspirations and tips where to go on vacation and what kind of classical music I could hear etcetera.
If you enjoyed the Matt Damon version with Tom Ripley, try "Plein soleil", you`ll like it even better! The actors, location and score/soundtrack are just divine!

I was introduced to Therese and Carol, the two protaganists in Highsmith's lesbian romance The Price of Salt, my Sophomore year of college in a Gay and Lesbian Lit. Class. The professor told the class she had picked the book becuase it was well written and it presented an interesting twist to a gay love story, no one dies or goes straight at the end(imagine that). This alone is not neccesarily compelling enough to get someone to read Salt, after all, today's gay and lesbian love stories often end in positive and fulfilled ways. But for Highsmith's Salt, written in the 1950s, this was a stretch. The reader will enjoy the subtleness of the prose and the indepth look at the confusion and chaos that can occur when two women come together and realize their mutual attraction and then love for each other. In addition, the novel is a dynamic look at 1950s America as the characters adventure out of New York and off into the Great American Wide Open. I encourage gay and straight readers to venture forth with Therese and Carol. Salt allows a beautiful look into the world of finding one's soul mate and falling in love. Becuase, above all, Highsmith has written a love story, not just a lesbian work of fiction.

I picked up the British edition of The Price of Salt (it's titled 'Carol' over here) purely on the strength of Patricia Highsmith's reputation; I hadn't bothered to read the back cover to see that was a (gasp!) story of lesbians. Having purchased the book I decided to read it despite my ambivalence to the subject matter. Well, I feel delighted to have read such a compact, moving story of human emotion. The Price of Salt, while greatly different from her other works, is perhaps Patricia Highsmith's best achievement. It certainly is her most personal and emotional.

The Price of Salt is a story of a young woman, Therese, who is captivated at first sight by Carol, an older married woman. Not having realised any lesbian feelings before, Therese is completely stunned by this sudden rush of emotion. Happily, both women do 'connect' and develop a relationship. Unhappily, Carol exacts a very heavy personal price (..no spoilers here) for pursuing this lesbian relationship. While the unhappy (ie, due to homophobia) element of The Price of Salt is perhaps somewhat unlikely to happen today (the book was written in the early 1950s), one can only feel compassion for Carol and Therese.

Highsmith stresses the emotional elements of the relationship, not the sexual elements. So if filmed The Price of Salt would be rated PG. This should make the book appealing to a wider (straight and/or male) audience. It could serve as an excellent primer on homosexual relationships for parents/friends of gays who "don't quite get it". However young gays, especially lesbians, might find the lack of sexual references to be off-putting. That is, it might make the book seem watered-down or unrealistic (remember the film 'Philidelphia' where we only see gay men kissing?). But one must remember if Highsmith had chosen to make The Price of Salt a bit racier the book would not have been published.

Bottom line: kudos to Ms. Highsmith. And gentlemen, give this book a chance .. ok?

Although this book was first published in the early 1950's the majority of issues that both Therese and Carol confront are still applicable today. Sure, times have changed and we all want to believe that within the past five decades we, as a society, have become more enlightened about homosexuality but unfortunately there is still more room for improvement.

"The Price of Salt" is a moving story about the developing love between Therese and Carol that heightens during a road trip through America. What I was impressed with most was how the author paid little attention to the love scenes and rather focused on the emotions and desires that they shared with each other. Let's face it, most lesbian love scenes in books are less than fulfilling or satisfying and frequently are better left off the manuscript entirely. Also, there was no mention of the word "lesbian" throughout the entire book which is probably accountable to the time period it was written but nonetheless notable and admirable.

Overall, this book is a good read and I would recommend it to others.