Drive

Moody, dark, and atmospheric, "Drive" is the perfect refresh of the pulp crime masterpieces of McBain, Westlake, and Block; a raw and rugged little novel of a guy we know only as Driver, Hollywood stunt driver by day and getaway man for criminals by night. A simple tale - Driver gets set up on a robbery gone bad and plots his revenge on the mobsters who, as it turns out, have badly underestimated their mark. But here the story takes a back seat to form. For as a writer, James Sallis has serious chops. Seedy characters and shady deals twisted around lean and mean prose lurching from halting street talk to phases that turn so slick you'd think Cormac McCarthy was reinvented. And throw into this mix a nonlinear story line that hooks and jabs and keeps you off balance while building the mystique of this surrealistic little gem. Charlie Huston, Dean Swierczynski, and Victor Gischler - new masters all of contemporary noir. Add James Sallis to the head of that class. Unsettling, disturbing, brilliant - read it.

Here's a man who can write, this James Sallis. Why he isn't perennially on the best-seller list is a mystery in itself. Maybe not. This novel is short, intense, laconic and spare with language. It features a man who you might not want living next door. He epitomizes the anti-hero in our modern society. DRIVE is a kind of anti-novel. The man's name is, well they call him Driver. Not THE driver, just, Driver. That's what he does for a living. He drives stunt cars in Hollywood. It's not a full-time occupation, so he also drives for people who rob banks and other establishments where there are frequently large amounts of cash to be scooped up. The book is set in Arizona and California, of course. And it features a classical noir protagonist who never really had a chance, given his background and the people he falls in with. Driver has a conscience and he has a certain ethical creed. When he drives for a heist, that's it. He acquires the vehicle, plans escape routes, delivers the bad guys and takes them away after the job. But he doesn't participate in the planning and he doesn't know who is being robbed. He's a tightly focused very bright and very experienced specialist who is constantly learning, mostly from others' mistakes. The story begins with a rush and doesn't let up. Ever. Sallis grabs you on page one and never lets you go. Chapter One, first sentence. "Much later, as he sat with his back against an inside wall of a Motel 6 just north of Phoenix, watching the pool of blood lap toward him, Driver would wonder whether he had made a terrible mistake." Take a ride with a wonderful writer. You won't be disappointed. Congratulations to Poisoned Pen Press for its willingness to go against the currents and publish fine literature that doesn't quite fit the mold.

A few paragraphs in and you can smell the musty 40s. Gooseneck lamps, gently rounded cars, double-breasted suits. Everyone smoked. Everyone drank. Everyone ate steak. But it's the modern day in LA. Driver leaves his foster home at 16. Makes it to L.A. Becomes a stunt driver. Along the way he develops a sideline of driving getaway cars. A robbery goes wrong. Driver escapes with the loot and a woman robber. Someone tries to kill Driver: doesn't succeed, but takes out the woman. Driver is a gentle soul. I drive, that's all is his ethic. But someone wants more and Driver doesn't like anyone on his trail. Sallis is a master of noir. In 158 pages, he bangs out a complete morality play in which there is no good, no bad: just is, just what is there. Driver doesn't have a past or a future. Just a moment that demands certain things be done. Rootless, but not souless, Sallis paints his portrait in subtle strokes, all the more telling for that. Sallis dedicates this work to Ed McBain, Donald Westlake and Larry Block, three great American writers. Sallis is, in my opinion, matched only by Block. McBain was great, but Sallis is better at noir. "Drive" is a pleasant escape into a different reality, a true gem. Jerry

When I first opened the pages of Drive, I really didn't know what to expect? When you read about the plot, it comes off rather dull, about a person who drives, that's all they do. But in the end, I came away a winner. The character of Driver is intriguing, mysterious, and gratifying in a philosophical sort of way. You can't help but like him, for his simple thoughts and observations about the experiences he goes through. This is a highly recommended read and if you like this check out: The Man in My Basement by Walter Mosley.

Los Angeles based Drive lives up to his name day and night. During the day he works in films as an action drive while at night he drives the getaway car in criminal activities. His current evening job has Drive working a heist just north of Phoenix. As he sits in the vehicle waiting for his teammates, The New Guy who cooked up the job and hired Drive, Dave Strong who aptly provides muscle, and Blanche, who offers the sexy distraction, he notices another car sitting in the nearby alley, mirroring what Drive is doing. Shots are fired; Blanche races into Drive's car with the money; urging him to take off. Drive leaves with the other vehicle on his back; he gets rid of the tail by cleverly using the police to stop the other car. However that night at the motel, the thugs from the other car arrive shooting at Drive and Blanche leaving her and the two adversaries dead; Drive has a ton of money, but first must clean up the double cross if he is to use it without someone trying to murder him. DRIVE is a throwback tale to the Noirs of the late 1940s and 1950s starring a tough individual who steps over the legal line, but only so far until the double-cross and attempts on his life turn him into a retaliatory machine. The story line is action-packed with a strong support cast that provides a look at the support Hollywood role of a driver as well as a first class criminal tale. Fans will want to hitch a ride with James Sallis as he provides an excellent hardboiled crime thriller. Harriet Klausner