I have a hard time with noir thrillers: they're always populated by tough guys and women who are usually either sexy classy or sexy jailbait. This one isn't an exception but it's written really well: the characters seem real, the setting (early sixties America) is authentic, and the evocation of the tough guy/sexy woman milieu is well executed and I actually understood the plot, which is pretty unusual for a noir thriller too. I found myself riveted in spite of myself.