Cornell Woolrich was a prolific American novelist and short story writer who is considered by many to be one of the best crime writers of his day along with Dashiell Hammett, Erle Stanley Gardner and Raymond Chandler and was one of the inventors of noir fiction. Many of his novels and short stories were made into movies including Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window, The Bride Wore Black, Black Angel, and many others.
This is the first Woolrich novel I have read. I've had this one along with a few others of his on my shelves for several years. I first heard about Woolrich after reading about some of his collectible novels in the magazine "Firsts" but for some reason hadn't gotten around to reading any of them until now.
BLACK ANGEL was published in 1943 and takes place in New York. It is told in the first person by a female protagonist, Alberta Murray, whose husband has been convicted of the murder of his mistress. Alberta is convinced that her husband is not guilty of the murder and basically the novel deals with her trying to track down the real murderer. To do this she uses a clue that she found at the murder site before the police arrived that indicates the murderer's name starts with the letter 'M'. While she was there, she also took the murdered woman's address book and she uses it to track down the men listed under 'M'. As she does this, she gets involved in the shadier side of the city including down-and-outs on skid row, drug dealers, gangsters, and murderers. But is she able to find the real killer?
This was really an unusual crime novel. Being told from a woman's perspective was definitely different and a little strange for a noir story. Some of what Alberta did in her quest was very bold especially for a woman of the 1940s. Also, I didn't understand why she continued looking for the killer after she discovered who left the clue with the "M" at the murder scene. After that, it seemed like anyone in the address book could have been the killer. There were also some things included in the story that were not fully explained including a blackmail storyline involving one of the suspects. I did enjoy the writing with Woolrich painting a vivid picture of the underside of New York. I can see why he is considered one of the great crime writers of the 40s. This was also made into a movie in 1946 starring Dan Duryea, June Vincent and Peter Lorre but a lot of the story points were changed. Cornell Woolrich disliked the film version and stated after seeing it, "I was so ashamed when I came out of there ... it took me two or three days to get over it. All I could keep thinking of in the dark was: Is that what I wasted my whole life at?" Based on this, I'm not sure if I will try to find and watch it online.
This is the first Woolrich novel I have read. I've had this one along with a few others of his on my shelves for several years. I first heard about Woolrich after reading about some of his collectible novels in the magazine "Firsts" but for some reason hadn't gotten around to reading any of them until now.
BLACK ANGEL was published in 1943 and takes place in New York. It is told in the first person by a female protagonist, Alberta Murray, whose husband has been convicted of the murder of his mistress. Alberta is convinced that her husband is not guilty of the murder and basically the novel deals with her trying to track down the real murderer. To do this she uses a clue that she found at the murder site before the police arrived that indicates the murderer's name starts with the letter 'M'. While she was there, she also took the murdered woman's address book and she uses it to track down the men listed under 'M'. As she does this, she gets involved in the shadier side of the city including down-and-outs on skid row, drug dealers, gangsters, and murderers. But is she able to find the real killer?
This was really an unusual crime novel. Being told from a woman's perspective was definitely different and a little strange for a noir story. Some of what Alberta did in her quest was very bold especially for a woman of the 1940s. Also, I didn't understand why she continued looking for the killer after she discovered who left the clue with the "M" at the murder scene. After that, it seemed like anyone in the address book could have been the killer. There were also some things included in the story that were not fully explained including a blackmail storyline involving one of the suspects. I did enjoy the writing with Woolrich painting a vivid picture of the underside of New York. I can see why he is considered one of the great crime writers of the 40s. This was also made into a movie in 1946 starring Dan Duryea, June Vincent and Peter Lorre but a lot of the story points were changed. Cornell Woolrich disliked the film version and stated after seeing it, "I was so ashamed when I came out of there ... it took me two or three days to get over it. All I could keep thinking of in the dark was: Is that what I wasted my whole life at?" Based on this, I'm not sure if I will try to find and watch it online.
