Hostage For A Hood is a top-notch pulp era novel which featured a Ozzie and Harriet type couple accidentally getting mixed up with a crew of armored car robbers. White does a great job of describing everyone involved in the caper which feels like one of the crews from Westlake's Richard Stark novels with each member of the crew playing a vital part. Juxtaposed against the backdrop of this violent professional crew is the newlyweds and their little French poodle who are as straight and innocent as they come. Well-written, succinct, not a wasted paragraph. Precisely what I look for in crime fiction from that era.
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This story features two seemingly unconnected cases that are in fact entwined.

By pure ill luck, Joyce takes her eyes off the road and collides into two criminals that are on their way to play their part in a robbery - a robbery that's been timed to the minute and their partners in crime are waiting for them to turn up in the get-away car. Trouble is, Joyce has written it off, yet her car's okay, meaning the criminals need it and she's now their hostage.

This was first published in 1957 and is well-plotted and features some interesting characters. ( )