In A Lonely Place

I have to say I quite enjoyed Dorothy B. Huges' hardboiled crime story, In A Lonely Place (1947). Incidentally, a fine film directed by Nicolas Ray starring Humphrey Bogart and Gloria Grahame was adapted from this source material-however, the story in the film is quite different. Her style is  reminiscent of the greats-Chandler, Hammett, and Cain. It is the story of Dix Steel, a former US pilot who has relocated to Los Angeles after the war-looking for his fortune. He is the attractive man about town with stylish clothes, a trendy address, and a car to boot. He decides to look up his old military buddy Brub Nicolai and finds that he has joined the Los Angles police force as a murder detective and married a beautiful and savvy lady, Sylvia. Not all is as it seems, though, as Brub is obsessed with catching a serial killer who targets attractive young women. Huges' greatest gift as a writer might be seen in the psychological depiction of a psychopathic killer in this novel. It seems that Patricia Highsmith was a fan -and I can see how she was inspired by this story in her her most well-known crime novel, The Talented Mr. Ripley. There's an informative Afterword by Megan Abbott included as well. I think I'll have to explore some of Huges' other titles in the future.