In a Lonely Place by Dorothy B. Hughes

In a Lonely Place (1947) by Dorothy B. Hughes is crime novel set in Los Angeles following World War II. The story centers on a serial rapist and murderer named Dix Steele. Dix was a fighter pilot in the war, and after his wartime successes, he finds his return to his regular life lacking. He lives in a friend’s apartment and depends on checks sent to him by his rich uncle. He has no interest in finding work. Dix spends his days sleeping and his nights riding buses with routes along isolated, foggy beaches looking for women to prey on and ideal places to get away with his crimes.

One night, Dix contacts his old Air Force friend Brub Nicolai, and he visits him and his wife Sylvia. Dix is stunned to learn that Brub is now working as a cop and trying to catch the strangler that’s been raping and murdering woman around the city. Brub tells Dix about the crimes, which have been occurring roughly once a month. At first, Dix is nervous that Brub and Sylvia will be suspicious of him, but then he grows audacious. Dix is convinced that he can outsmart Brub and the other cops by getting inside information from his old friend.

Here's an example of Dix's boldness in a conversation with Brub:



Dix is an evil and twisted individual, a man who feels overly confident and entitled. He’s a misogynist who believes women have wronged him and that they deserve to be punished and humiliated. At the same time, he craves the company of a woman and begins dating Laurel Grey. She’s a complex woman, and Dix is convinced that they’re alike and meant to be together.

The reader sees the characters through Dix’s eyes, colored by his paranoia and rage as "the red knots tightened in his brain." Will those around Dix catch on that he’s the killer, or will he continue to get away with his crimes? In a Lonely Place is a fascinating and disturbing look into the mind of a murderer. It's noir at its finest.

Related Reviews:
The Scarlet Imperial by Dorothy B. Hughes

External Link:
I loved this wonderful essay on In a Lonely Place called "The Gimlet Eye of Dorothy B. Hughes" by Megan Abbott at Women Crime Writers of the 1940s and 50s. Abbott also wrote an outstanding afterword to the novel for the NYRB Classics reprinting of the book.

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Heceta Head Trails

Here are a few photos taken near the Heceta Head Lighthouse trails on the Oregon coast.







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Brave and Bold

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Grow your own way

I'm amazed at the directions these trees grew in. These photos were taken last month at the Tryon Creek State Natural Area.

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Find me in

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French Leave by Anna Gavalda

French Leave (2009) by Anna Gavalda is a novel about four siblings who reunite after ditching a family wedding. It was originally published in French as L'Échappée Belle (The Beautiful Escape). I read the English translation of the novel by Alison Anderson published by Europa Editions.

The story begins when Simon and his wife Carine pick up Simon’s younger sister Garance to take her to a family wedding. Carine and Garance do not get along, and they spend much of the drive provoking one another. For instance, Garance waxes her legs in the back seat, much to Carine’s dismay (mine too). During the drive, Garance notices that Simon and Carine have had a fight and that her brother is upset.

Simon receives a call from his sister Lola who has decided at the last minute to attend the wedding. She recently got divorced and wasn’t sure if she was up to seeing her family. Lola asks Simon to pick her up too, which further displeases Carine. Once the group reaches the wedding, Simon, Garance, and Lola are disappointed to learn that their brother Vincent will not be there.

The siblings end up escaping the wedding, leaving Carine and their mother behind, to visit Vincent at the chateau he works at. Together, they share old memories, buoy one another up, and bond with a feeling of joyous freedom, before returning to their regular lives the next day. It’s a mainly light, happy read about the bonds between brothers and sisters.

The story was narrated by Garance, and I think I would have enjoyed the novel more if one of the other siblings had been the narrator. Garance was sometimes thoughtful and humorous, but she was also immature and unlikable. She complains that members of Carine’s family insult Arabs, but later calls Nono, Vincent’s co-worker "Way Retarded." She was as judgmental as those she criticized. Moreover, Garance brought a sari to wear to the wedding, but she didn’t seem to know how to properly put it on. She had no reason to dress in one, so it all seemed like an effort to draw attention to herself.

I don’t think the reader was meant to sympathize with Carine at all, but I did at times. It was clear that she was struggling to fit in with her husband’s “cool” siblings, and Simon was aware of her issue. While Simon enjoyed his escape, Carine was trapped alone at a wedding with her husband’s extended family, and Simon had abandoned her. Of all the siblings, I liked Vincent the most, probably because he just seemed to be living his own life happily.

Overall, it was a fun story with a unique idea. I haven’t read many books about adult siblings.

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