Nightfall

Jim Vanning lives a life of constant paranoia and flight in New York City, changing apartments frequently and looking over his shoulder. A man with a mysterious past, he works as a commercial artist while trying to stay hidden from both the police and three dangerous figures who are hunting him. Detective Fraser of the NYPD pursues Vanning in connection with a murder case and $300,000 in missing cash, but begins to suspect there may be more to the story. The arrival of Marie Gardner, a young woman who forms an unexpected connection with Vanning, further complicates the web of pursuit and evasion. As the hunters close in and pressure mounts, Vanning must navigate through the dark streets of 1940s New York while grappling with questions of identity, truth, and redemption. The story moves between present action and memories of a violent incident in Denver that set everything in motion. The novel explores themes of guilt, innocence, and the thin line between victim and perpetrator in the noir tradition. Through its atmosphere of paranoia and pursuit, Nightfall examines how past actions can trap a person in an endless cycle of consequence.

Readers describe this noir crime novel as dark, gritty, and psychologically intense. Many reviews point to Goodis's stark writing style and the oppressive, paranoid atmosphere throughout. Likes: - Raw, visceral descriptions of Philadelphia's underbelly - Complex character study of the protagonist's mental state - Fast-paced chase sequences - Realistic portrayal of criminal life Dislikes: - Some found the plot meandering and unfocused - Several readers noted excessive internal monologues - A few reviews criticized the abrupt ending - Multiple mentions of dated gender dynamics Ratings: Goodreads: 3.9/5 (438 ratings) Amazon: 4.1/5 (31 ratings) Notable reader comments: "Like being punched in the gut repeatedly" - Goodreads reviewer "The bleakest noir I've ever read" - LibraryThing review "Captures the desperation of a man on the run" - Amazon reviewer "Too much time spent in the protagonist's head" - Goodreads critic

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🌙 David Goodis wrote Nightfall in just six weeks while working as a screenwriter in Hollywood. 📚 The novel was immediately adapted into a film noir in 1957, directed by Jacques Tourneur and starring Aldo Ray and Anne Bancroft. 🖋️ Goodis was known as the "poet of the losers" for his ability to write compelling stories about doomed characters and hopeless situations. 🏙️ The book's vivid descriptions of New York City were drawn from Goodis's own experiences living there as a struggling writer in the 1930s. 🎬 Despite being a successful novelist, Goodis spent much of his career writing scripts for radio shows like "House of Mystery" and "Superman," which influenced the tight pacing of Nightfall.