The Getaway by Jim Thompson

Details: First published 1958; cover shown is the Black Lizard (USA) 1984 softcover edition. Cover art by Nancy MacGregor. 183p.

Bought for $2.00 at Book Now secondhand bookstore.

Blurb: (Filmed by Sam Peckinpah with Steve McQueen and Ali McGraw). "The bank robbery was child's play. The escape was not. They grappled with ghosts from the past, murderous accomplices and the police. Their destination was Hell."

Verdict: You can't go past Jim Thompson for unapologetic murder and mayhem. His lead characters look at killing as a normal solution to most problems, and The Getaway is no different, with bodies dropping left, right and centre by various bloody methods as Doc McCoy and his wife Carol work their way across the States to freedom. Strangely enough, this could actually be described as a love story; one in which Doc and Carol love each other to bits - literally. As for the final chapter... it's worth reading this book for those strangely satisfying paragraphs alone.