Book description
"Flawless ... beyond perfection." — New York Magazine
"An astonishingly well-written literary novel that just happened to be about (or roundabout) a crime." — Barry Gifford
"Black Wings Has My Angel is an indisputable noir classic … Elliott Chaze was a fine prose stylist, witty, insightful, nostalgic, and irreverent, and…
Why read it?
2 authors picked Black Wings Has My Angel as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
In a tough prostitute named Virginia, escaped convict Timothy Sunblade finds the perfect partner to help execute the perfect crime. The extraordinary relationship between these two makes the book memorable. Sunblade is clear-eyed, thoughtful, disillusioned, sensitive, brutish, self-assured at times, and wavering at others. Virginia is wise, world-weary, sure of herself and what she wants, sometimes crazed like a caged animal, but always strong.
Chaze's atmospheric detail adds depth and presence to the story. The characters' arc is one of darkening fate and inevitable tragedy. Watching their slow descent is like watching a train wreck in slow motion. The characters…
From Andrew's list on the golden age of American crime and noir.
First published as a Gold Medal Book in 1953, this gritty noir is an insatiable read about greed, gluttony, and lust. Tim Sunblade is a WWII vet who served in the Pacific and carries a piece of metal lodged in his skull. Chaze fears nothing when it comes to characters on the run from a past they’d much rather see burn into oblivion. This post-war story is full of rebellion against mundane lifestyles and all the responsibilities that go with making the self-made man. Along his voyage, Sunblade gets wrapped up with a succulent, money obsessed femme fatale who loves…
From Anthony's list on the terrors of nihilism.
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