Lou Berney: November Road, Harper Collins, 9780008309336, paperback, April publication

German edition: Destination Dallas, Harper Collins

Lou Berney’s “November Road” was nominated as one of the best books of 2018 by the media, among them the Washington Post and Newsweek. I really loved this gripping, atmospheric 1960ties story, set right after JFK’s assassination with a cast of very likable, shady and intriguing characters.   Lou Berney is a new discovery for me; I will definitely check out other novels by this Edgar Award winning author. He is a terrific writer reminding me in parts of Chandler but he has his own distinct voice with short, clipped sentences.  

Frank Guidry works for the mob in New Orleans and is one of the most trusted, smartest men in the employ of big boss Carlos Marcello.  Frank’s luck runs dry when Kennedy is killed in Dallas and he realizes everyone connected to Carlos and Dallas turns up dead within hours. Frank knows too much himself and decides to hit the road heading for Vegas before ending up a corpse himself.  

Charlotte, smart and witty, made a bad choice by marrying too early leaving all her ambitions behind. Ending up with an alcoholic as a husband, two young girls and a dog, she is bored stiff as a housewife pretending contentment in small town Oklahoma. After a disastrous Thanksgiving dinner she packs up the car while her husband is sleeping off yet another hangover, taking her girls and the dog hoping her courage will not desert her.  As she drives off, California comes to her mind.  

Barone, the hit man sent out to kill Frank, is sniffing out Frank’s well covered tracks second guessing where he might be heading. Eventually luck sends him into the right direction.

These three characters and story lines give the novel their color, voice and tempo. When Charlotte gets stranded after an accident, her and Frank’s paths cross, as destined by fate. The suspense becomes even more gripping when the unthinkable happens, they fall in love.   

I will not reveal any more as it would spoil a major part of the book  but I rushed back to this Tarrantino like plot as fast as I could, loved every page of it. 

The title of the German edition is terribly misleading , Dallas only triggers Frank's escape and is never a destination.