
Raven is an ugly man dedicated to ugly deeds. His cold-blooded killing of a European Minister of War is an act of violence with chilling repercussions, not just for Raven himself but for the nation as a whole. The money he receives in payment for the murder is made up of stolen notes and when the first of these is traced, Raven becomes a man on the run. As he tracks down the agent who has been double-crossing him and attempts to elude the police, he becomes both hunter and hunted: an unwitting weapon of a strange kind of social justice. In doing so, he sets the stage for Greene’s next novel, Brighton Rock. This Penguin Classics edition features an introduction by Samuel Hynes.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
After assassinating a European Minister of War, a professional killer named Raven finds himself betrayed by his employer and pursued by the authorities. Raven must navigate a landscape of political corruption and personal vengeance while attempting to track down the man who double-crossed him. The narrative follows his desperate flight across a nation teetering on the brink of conflict, utilizing a third-person perspective that shifts between the hunter and the hunted. His objective is survival and retribution, though he remains an isolated figure operating within a world defined by moral ambiguity and social decay.
Discussion often centers on the author's ability to humanize a cold-blooded killer through the lens of social injustice and personal trauma. Readers frequently highlight the lean, efficient prose style that characterizes this early thriller as a precursor to the author's more complex later works. Critics often note the effective use of suspense and the bleak, cynical atmosphere that permeates the narrative from start to finish. The balance between the protagonist's internal isolation and the external political machinations remains a focal point for those analyzing the development of the noir genre. Many readers appreciate how the story avoids simple moral binaries, opting instead to present a world where justice is elusive and often compromised.
Page Count:
192
Publication Date:
1982-01-01
Publisher:
Viking Penguin
ISBN-10:
0140018964
ISBN-13:
9780140018967
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