When small-time gunrunner Eddie Coyle is convicted on a felony, he's looking at three years in the pen - that is, unless he sells out one of his big-fish clients to the DA. But which of the many hoods, gunmen and executioners he calls his friends should he send up river? Set on the mean streets of Boston and told almost entirely in crackling dialogue by a vivid cast of cops and lowlifes, The Friends of Eddie Coyle set a standard for authentically gritty crime fiction that has never been bettered. Read by Mark Hammer. ...
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When small-time gunrunner Eddie Coyle is convicted on a felony, he's looking at three years in the pen - that is, unless he sells out one of his big-fish clients to the DA. But which of the many hoods, gunmen and executioners he calls his friends should he send up river? Set on the mean streets of Boston and told almost entirely in crackling dialogue by a vivid cast of cops and lowlifes, The Friends of Eddie Coyle set a standard for authentically gritty crime fiction that has never been bettered. Read by Mark Hammer. Narrator Mark Hammer came to Audiogooks with a long and distinguished career in the theater. He was a drama professor at Catholic University and a beloved acting coach at New York's Stella Adler Studio. He has appeared in major regional theaters and Broadway productions as well as on television and radio. Listeners and audio critics agree that the characters and regional dialects they hear in Mark Hammer's narrations are astounding. AudioFile touts this narrator as "one of the finest interpreters of our day." (p) 2012 Recorded Books
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Add this copy of The Friends of Eddie Coyle to cart. $19.03, poor condition, Sold by Hay-on-Wye Booksellers rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hereford, UNITED KINGDOM, published 1972 by Martin Secker & Warburg Ltd.
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Seller's Description:
Poor. 1972 reprint. Bumps/scuffs/fading to cover edges. Scratches/tanning/foxing to dustjacket, scuffs/tears to edges & spine faded. Foxing/staining to textblock edges/endpapers. Light foxing & some marks/staining to pages. Text readable. 192 p.
Add this copy of The Friends of Eddie Coyle to cart. $41.10, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1972 by Secker & Warburg (1972).
I had occasion 15 or so years ago to refer to this novel at a publishing conference when I was in that business, and was criticized for it, mostly by people who AI am certain hadn't read it. This was my first rereading since that time, and I satisfyingly stand by my admiration for it. Great characters, intricately plotted, and, as many commentators wiser than I have commented over the years (including the estimable Dennis Lehane, who wrote the intro), Higgins had a singularly brilliant ear for human speech of a particular type, making this a landmark in mid-20th century noir fiction. Still a great read.
colorado
Jun 11, 2009
George V Higgins
This novel was the first one that I had read by G V Higgins and it will be the first of many. His way of expressing the local dialect is by far the best that I have ever read. I would strongly recommend this book.
MaggieOBoyle
Jun 4, 2009
Like real people only better
Everyone who talks about this book talks about the dialog. Higgins has distilled the mundane talk of petty criminals and ordinary people into an essence of wit and insight. The plot isn't bad--enough red herrings, coincidence and crossed paths to be entertaining; not so many as to feel forced or contrived.
Cyberactor
Apr 2, 2007
Brilliant book
I was turned on to George V. Higgins through a friend. He found out that I like crime fiction and was astonished that I hadn't read "Friends of Eddie Coyle." He lent me the book and...I was hooked. Higgins is a brilliant storyteller and gives his characters a long, long leash to spin their various tales. "Eddie Coyle" has stories within stories and I have rarely read a book where the characters voices are so clear and distinctive. Think Elmore Leonard with a gift of gab. I am a HUGE fan of this book. You will be, too.
