Day 11 - My Xmas Month Countdown - A Book and a Song

I have some errands to run this morning so let's get right to today's Day 11 (Book and Song #15 on my list of 2019 favorites).

Book 15

Dorothy B. Hughes

Dorothy B. Hughes - In a Lonely Place.

Dorothy B. Hughes was born in Kansan City in 1904 and died in Ashland Oregon in 1993. Over the course of her life she wrote 14 crime and detective novels, mainly in the hard boiled / noir style. She is best noted for In a Lonely Place and Ride the Pink Horse. I only recently finished In a Lonely Place and was impressed with her writing and story - telling. I will search out her other books. My review is below.

"I first heard about In a Lonely Place by Dorothy B. Hughes when I was exploring the site of a publisher, Femmes Fatale. They published books by authors such as Valerie Taylor, Vera Caspari and also another author, Dorothy Hughes. I tried one by Valerie Taylor and I've been looking for others since. I was surprised to discover that In a Lonely Place was also turned into a movie, starring Humphrey Bogart as the main character, Dix Steele. I don't think I've ever seen it before but I do know it shows on TCM once in awhile.

Anyway, to get on to the story. In a Lonely Place is a psychological noir thriller that explores the mind of a serial killer. Dix Steele, a WWII vet, has come to LA to discover himself. He moves around and finally meets up with an old Princeton chum, Mel Teriss, and while Mel heads to Rio, Dix takes over his apartment, clothes, car, etc. Dix is a loner and has a number of quirks, e.g. hates crowds, doesn't like the noise of his electric razor, etc. He survives on a monthly stipend from an uncle back in New York, who agreed that Dix could go out west for a year to write a novel. Dix doesn't sleep a lot and he spends his nights wandering about LA, and seems to stalk girls.

At the same time, the police are looking for an apparent serial killer, the Strangler. One of the cops on this team is Brub (yup, that his name) Nicolai, who meets with Dix one day. It turns out that he and Dix were best friends in the Air Force stationed in England. Dix's routine is thrown for a loop as he begins to take more of a part in Brub's life and meets with Brub's wife, Sylvia. Dix also meets a woman in his apartment complex, Lauren, a red haired fire brand. His life is changed drastically by these events and he falls hard for Lauren. He likes being with Brub, as he gets updates on the status of his investigation.

Dix's life slowly and then more quickly unravels as time goes on. He doesn't trust Lauren, finds people following him. An incident from his past crops up that also unsettles him. Lauren begins asking more and more about where Mel has gone. Everything unsettles Dix and you feel the turmoil in his mind.

It's a fascinating portrayal of Dix and how his mental issues grow and grow. The last half of the story moves along a quick pace and you can feel what Dix is feeling. I'm glad that I found and read this excellent story. Hughes lived from 1904 - 1993 and over the course of her life wrote 14 crime novels. I'll have to check out the others. (4.5 stars)"

Song 15

Hailee Steinfeld

Hailee Steinfeld - Capital Letters.

Only 23 years of age, American actress / singer Hailee Steinfeld is your classic over-achiever. She's been nominated for a Best Supporting Actress in the reboot of True Grit. She's had starring roles in Ender's Game, Romeo and Juliet, Begin Again and also joined the cast for the 2nd Pitch Perfect Movie. She's also an accomplished singer / songwriter, with hits from Flashlight, Love Myself, etc. Capital Letters was released in 2018. Enjoy.

And I'm off in a cloud of dust.. :)