About the Author

Don Carpenter (1931-1995) was born in Berkeley, California. In 1947 he moved to Portland, where he finished high school, went to college, married, and became the father of two children. He wrote articles, stories, and screenplays. George Pelecanos, the author of fifteen crime novels set in and around Washington, D.C., lives in Maryland. His novel Right as Rain is currently in film development.

Reviews

The New York Review Books list of resurrected classics motors from strength to strength ... Tarmac-tough dialogue and road-novel deliquent action is customised with a tender intensity about both friendship and sexual passion. Often savage, never cynical, Carpenter brings gold to the grit. -- Boyd Tonkin Independent A passionate novel, devoid of cynicism, about the relationships between disaffected, marginal men and their various institutions, whether imposed (orphanages, prisons) or self created (dive bars, pool halls)... Carpenter slid into obscurity after his suicide in 1995. With luck, this inspired reissue will bring him to a wider audience. Guardian A book of ideas and a scathing look at American morality, values and our so-called justice system. A revelation. The Week