Inspirada en la figura del famoso pistolero de la Depresión, John Dillinger.

High Sierra by W.R. Bennett is a classic crime story about a heist that goes wrong. After being released from prison, notorious, aging criminal Roy Earle is hired by his old boss to help a group of inexperienced criminals plan and carry out the robbery of a California resort that is the playground of the rich and famous. Earle is the last surviving member of the Dillinger gang and had been in prison for some time so this story is both a crime story and a character study of a man who has outlived his time.

It’s hard to divorce this book from the excellent 1941 film that starred Humphrey Bogart. His portrayal of Roy Earle was vivid and certainly colored my view of this book. The heist story was enhanced by a side plot that has Earle meeting and helping a young crippled girl but when he wants more from this girl than mere friendship he is denied. Instead he takes up with Marie, a floozy that his gang members brought along. He also ends up being adopted by a small white dog, Pard, who has a reputation for bringing bad luck to his owner.

High Sierra paints an excellent portrait of a tormented man, showing both his softer side and the harder outer shell that has the world calling him “Mad Dog Earle”. I found this slightly melodramatic noir crime story to be a very entertaining read. ( )

Love this book. Fantastic, classic noir, and also the basis for a great film. ( )

Inspirada en la figura del famoso pistolero de la Depresión, John Dillinger.

grand auteur