"Copyright (c.)1955 by Lionel White. THE KILLING was originally published under the title CLEAN BREAK." The book, THE KILLING (c. 1988) by Lionel White, is a tightly written 155 page 'caper' novel that combined several personal stories together leading to a slightly anti-climatic ending, all into eleven short chapters.
The author, Lionel White, must be credited for originating the non-linear story telling technique he used for the interplay of several disparate characters cooperating succesfully for a two million dollar robbery of a racetrack, during a major sweepstakes race, in broad daylight.
Surprisingly well written and containing an articulate but streetwise writing-style, THE KILLING is the story of thirty-six year old career criminal Johnny Clay, who conjured-up in his mind a race track robbery during his four year stint in prison for larceny, and while out on parole, placed his theory into practice. Recruiting five key 'inside' figures to pull off his heist, Johnny Clay then sub-contracted three professional hoods, outside of his amateur entourage, to perform necessary and unique diversions.
Johnny Clay's inner circle included: George Peatty, a track cashier; Big Mike, race club bartender; Marvin Unger, a court stenographer with important connections; and Randy Kennan, city police officer and life-long friend of Johnny.
The out-of-sequence, anti-structure idea of THE KILLING began in chapter eight, as Johnny Clay recruited Nikki, a hit man, who would shoot the lead race horse, 'Black Lightening', from a parking lot in his MG, using a 30.06 scoped rifle with silencer, and after the lot attendent brought him a program, the bit of suspense would end as Nikki drove off the lot, unharmed, mission accomplished. Then again it dropped back in time as Johnny Clay hired Tex, a thug of a boxer, who then created a diversion at the bar, drawing away several Pinkertons from the 'Private Door' Johnny must enter, by slapping the bartender, Big Mike, in the face before the shooting and then getting clubbed into submission after creating a minor disturbance. Then another retrograde instance as Johnny Clay recruited a youth named Maurice Cohen, a skinny ex-con and ex-running back, to divert the police, and whoever else would follow Johnny out the Private Door once Johnny himself completed the two million dollar cash stick-up; so Johnny could do a quick change en route and melt into a hysterical crowd caused by the horse shooting.
The logical plan went like clockwork as each key inside figure played out their role: Big Mike placed a flower box containing a .45 cal Thompson Submachine gun, 'the chopper', into a locker then nonchalantly goes back to work at the bar. George Peatty also nonchalantly unlocked the Private Door from the inside, then simply went back to his ticket window, his small but important part completed. Then Johnny entered the opened Private Door unnoticed during Tex's barroom brawl, ran upstairs to the employees locker room, took the flower box out and into a toilet stall, assembled and loaded the tommy gun, then put on gloves and tied a handkerchief around his face, ran upstairs to the money office, pointed the 'chopper' at several armed guards, clerks, and secretaries; had them stuff two million dollars of the track's winnings into a green duffel bag he provided. Johnny then backed out and locked the door, dropping the tommy gun on the floor and throwing the duffel bag out the window without hesitating an instant, then bolted down the stairs and out the Private Door disappearing into the mayhem he had created. Police officer Randy Kennan, in uniform, waiting outside the office building, then picked up the discarded duffel bag and tossed it into his police car, then quietly drove away. A well drawn map of the entire race track indicating each position of the participants is conveniently included on page forty-six of THE KILLING.
The author further included some simple subplots in THE KILLING as the motivations for each amateur participant in the robbery are revealed, most notably George Peatty. Mr. Peatty's shrew wife, Sherry, instigated her own plots and schemes when her lovelorn husband bragged to her about the upcoming robbery. She then engaged her ruthless gangster boyfriend, Val, into a plot to hijack their booty after the robbery.
Things go wrong as Sherry had a sexual affair with police officer Randy Kennan enticing her husband's jealousy; then her boyfriend Val beats her half to death to extract the location of the meeting place for after the robbery. Getting this information, Val and his hoods burst into the apartment where all the inside gang are waiting for the return of Johnny Clay with the money. The lights go off as gunfire breaks out and several members are shot, including George Peatty, who escaped mortally wounded out a window, down a fire escape, with a revolver in his pocket.
The ending of this interesting story on page 155 took place in LaGuardia Airport as the wounded and dazed George saw Johnny Clay with two suitcases full of money thinks he is cutting out and mistook Johnny's girlfriend, Fay, for his own wife, shot Johnny Clay several times in the stomach, in a fit of rage and jealousy.
The book THE KILLING by Lionel White, was well written and easy to read in a single evening. It contained the unique "axis of time" non-linear story telling technique which took a simple & straightforward robbery plot,turning it into an interesting drama, with its "anti-structure" idea also transformed the work into a fascinating and compelling crime novel. It was no wonder that director Stanley Kubrick chose the work of Lionel White to base his 1956 movie 'THE KILLNG' .