Shoot the Piano Player

Originally published as “Down There” (still available in some editions under that title) this was adapted for Truffaut`s “Tirez sur le Pianiste”.I hadn't read any of Goodis` books before this one, so how representative it is of his style I'm unable to comment on; he has a very good ear for contemporary dialogue and a good turn of phrase; pretty much all of the narrative is expressed as the thoughts of the central character which takes a little time to acclimatise to, but is effective and different from run-of-the-mill hard-boiled writing.It's a bleak and very dark piece, poignant and quintessentially Noir.I enjoyed it – though it is very much a tragedy; I`ll certainly be looking for more of the author`s work on the strength of this.

Goodis is the noir genre's most underrated progenitor. At his best Goodis is untouchable, his prose can be breathtaking in imagination and delivery. It's easy to get absorbed in his novels because he has the ability to paint descriptive paragraphs that draw you into his books.There's a hardback book in circulation containing 5 of his best stories including the novel that brought him fame "Dark Passage" They are the definitive masterpieces of noir, compelling reading for any fan of the genre.In my opinion Goodis' work started to wane in the 1950s and for whatever reason he was unable to reach the giddy heights of his earlier work. But having said that he still wipes the floor with Hammett and most of his contemporaries even when he's not at his best.There's something in his books that make him unique from other noir superstars. Incomparable is the word best suited to describe his uniqueness.Shoot the piano player, although a commercial success was far from vintage Goodis. Similar in theme to Street of no Return. The running theme of the terminal loser runs through most of Goodis' books and the main protagonists never escape the tragedy in which they are trapped. Goodis was an exceptional talent and all the evidence is there to see in his body of work.