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The Big Caper
The Big Caper
Book Excerpt
until he came to the last window on the north side of the room. The gold lettering on the sign said, "Miss Simpson."
Miss Simpson was the chief teller. Forty-six years old, thin to the point of emaciation, with a leathery, bony face hiding behind gold-rimmed glasses, Miss Simpson was an exceptionally competent person.
But for the accident of the Second World War, Mary Lou Simpson would probably never have been anything but a stenographer, or possibly a saleslady. But the war came along and the Ranchers and Fruit Growers Trust, like banks all over the country, suddenly became aware of an acute manpower shortage.
Miss Simpson had been hired and from the very first had proved to have an amazing adeptness for the work. Now, after a dozen years, she was an institution within an institution, and there was even talk of putting her on the board of directors someday.
It was only the second time that Frank had approached her window, but she remembered him at once. She greeted him with a thin
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Another great L.White\'s book.
The author is a really notable storyteller.
The characters are specially good, some portraits are unique, masterfully created, the author knows how to make you want to follow them.
The plot is mostly the unexpected actions of these personages seemingly dominated by a powerful mobster.
The story isn\'t of a most popular kind, the usual ending is just the opposite, and you know that it isn\'t going the usual way, but I couldn\'t put the book down.
It\'s artfully plotted and the author is great putting his personages in risky circunstances.
Suspense and magnificent style, very visual, harsh and sardonic.
The author is a really notable storyteller.
The characters are specially good, some portraits are unique, masterfully created, the author knows how to make you want to follow them.
The plot is mostly the unexpected actions of these personages seemingly dominated by a powerful mobster.
The story isn\'t of a most popular kind, the usual ending is just the opposite, and you know that it isn\'t going the usual way, but I couldn\'t put the book down.
It\'s artfully plotted and the author is great putting his personages in risky circunstances.
Suspense and magnificent style, very visual, harsh and sardonic.
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Another great L.White's book.
The author is a really notable storyteller.
The characters are specially good, some portraits are unique, masterfully created, the author knows how to make you want to follow them.
The plot is mostly the unexpected actions of these personages seemingly dominated by a powerful mobster.
The story isn't of a most popular kind, the usual ending is just the opposite, and you know that it isn't going the usual way, but I couldn't put the book down.
It's artfully plotted and the author is great putting his personages in risky circunstances.
Suspense and magnificent style, very visual, harsh and sardonic.
The author is a really notable storyteller.
The characters are specially good, some portraits are unique, masterfully created, the author knows how to make you want to follow them.
The plot is mostly the unexpected actions of these personages seemingly dominated by a powerful mobster.
The story isn't of a most popular kind, the usual ending is just the opposite, and you know that it isn't going the usual way, but I couldn't put the book down.
It's artfully plotted and the author is great putting his personages in risky circunstances.
Suspense and magnificent style, very visual, harsh and sardonic.
06/15/2015
Taut, engrossing tale of a career criminal who pulls together a disparate array of neer-do-wells for a major crime. As other reviewers have noted, this is a great character study, but the action is also good and, because it was written in 1957, the sexual discussions are a bit more frank than they were in pulp fiction several years earlier. A terrific read.
03/13/2012
A great read. More of a character study than a crime caper. The story flows together seamlessly.
05/16/2011
White is one of the lesser-known noirists whose books were filmed by Kubrick and Godard ('Pierrot le Fou' was 'based on' 'Obsession') and were an influence on Tarantino. Despite the title, this is more of a character study, with a chilling portrayal of a cold-hearted manipulator called Flood and the men and women, good and bad, who follow his orders, however reluctantly. The attitudes to women are very much of its time (mid-fifties), i.e. three categories: good, bad, and married. There's humour, and violence, and a general sense of unease. Memorable pulp noir, a forgotten classic.
11/29/2008
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