At first glance, his noir tale could be considered pulp but I think it goes way beyond that in terms of examining the motivations of the characters. A golden boy - comes from money, good education, with family "connections" - has his life spin out of control because of his obsession with a woman. For the first time, I found myself wanting to go along to see what happens to him, and enjoying the ride.
One of my favorite noir novels of all time. A small town "golden boy" falls head over heals for the wrong woman and the writing is so taut and compelling that you follow him avidly as his life falls to ruin.
