Into the Night

What makes a good noir story? Is it the setting, the characters, a murder? All these things, but also none of them. I have read many ‘classic’ noir stories about a grizzled PI investigating a femme fatale set some time in the 40/50s, but I have also read them set in alternative universes where superheroes exist, or in the modern day. Noir is not about the tropes, but a style, or the sense of style. Two masters of the genre are Cornell Woolrich and Lawrence Block, and with Into the Night they have produced some of the most noir moments I have ever read. 

Madeline finds herself alone in a small flat with nothing for company but the gun that her dead father left her. Thoughts of suicide run through her head, only for fate to interfere. Madeline finds herself still alive, but across the road another young woman is killed. The guilt eats into Madeline so much that she decides to investigate who this dead girl was. The investigation will see Madeline exploring Starr Bartlett’s old haunts and Madeline will uncover more than she could have imagined. 

Woolrich and Block are two names to conjure with in the world of crime and this is reflected in the quality of the prose found in Night. The opening scene alone is worth reading for a noir fan, a wonderfully dark and descriptive exploration of one woman’s desperation, but this first act is just an introduction into the story proper. The book itself is almost piecemealed into smaller tales as Madeline's investigation moves on. 

As a book started by Woolrich and then finished by Block, I am unsure if Woolrich had completed full sections and the final act is by Block, or whether Block touched the tale throughout. Either way it works. Not only do the styles gel, but the chopped nature of the tale means different sections could have been written later.  

I enjoyed some sections more than others; Madeline meeting Starr’s mother and the section when she finagles herself into the life of a lounge singer. These are slices of pure noir, of messed up characters living their broken lives in a broken world. I loved the way that Madeline subtly evolves as the story progresses, her experiences change her, and she takes on some of the characteristics of the characters she meets. The downtrodden and innocent Madeline of the start only pretends to be pure by book’s end. 

The concluding section is both the most disjointed and the most noir thing I have read in a long time. Madeline goes on the hunt for the man in Starr’s life. This section feels darker and unsettling, reminding me in some way of Block’s own Borderline, one of the darkest novels I have ever read. However, Madeline and the reader will make it through to one of the most enjoyable and heightened finales. As with the introduction to the book, the conclusion is dynamite for any noir fan, absolute classic moments.  

Night is necessary for any fan of noir but is also a delightful book for any reader. It has all the trappings of the genre. All great noir needs is great writing and Woolrich and Block provide this. The book may go awry in places, but there are moments of pure noir excellence that stand out.