Ride the Pink Horse (Book) 1946 was written by American author Dorothy B. Hughes (1904—1993) This Ride the Pink Horse 1946 Book review is for the audiobook. This is one of fourteen novels written by Hughes. Three of her novels were made into films; The Fallen Sparrow (1943), Ride the Pink Horse (1947), and In a Lonely Place (1950). All of the films were solid Film-Noirs and featured the biggest stars of the time, such as John Garfield, Gloria Grahame, and Humphrey Bogart. Hughes’ was also an uncredited screenplay and dialogue writer on The Corpse Came C.O.D. (1947).
Hughes’ writing is hardboiled, no-nonsense, crime dialogue. The major character of the story is Sailor. Sailor is an angry racist, and some of his phrasings will be shocking to modern ears. To say he is a product of his time would not be an excuse for this character because he is over the top even for the mid-twentieth century.
The story begins as Sailor arrives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, looking for the Sen. He has arrived during the annual fiesta, and the town is packed with revelers. His search causes him to interact with a mysterious Indian girl named Pila, a gregarious merry-go-round operator he calls Pancho, and a Chicago detective that wants to find a killer.
Hughes’ does a great job setting the scenes and it is easy to feel the heat and alienist of the land as Sailor, a Chicago native struggles to find his way. The internal battles are well placed as the hardened Sailor is forced to examine himself through the eyes of an Indian girl, a Hispanic laborer, and a Chicago detective. This introspection does not interrupt the story but is woven skillfully within it.
The book is available in a number of formats, but I chose to listen to an Audible Audiobook. The Audiobook was released in 2014, and the run time is seven and one-half hours.
The book narrator, Stefan Rudnicki, does a great job recording the book. His voice is perfect for the angry internal dialogue of Sailor. But, he believably switches to the tender Pila, and back to Pancho, or the Sen with ease.
I feel that any fan of Film-Noir or of crime fiction will thoroughly enjoy this reading. It is exciting and very well-paced. Again, some of the racial attitudes are jarring. So don’t expect to find yourself routing for Sailor without some self-doubt.
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