High, Low and Wide Open

High, Low and Wide Open, first published in 1935, is an early noir novel of the rough and tumble life in a western mining camp. As the dustjacket states: “Murder and violence are in it, but it is no mere thriller; it will puzzle and keep the reader in suspense, but it is not a mystery-story; it contains profane love and language, yet is not a shocker. Basically, it is a terse, swift, and grim chronicle of how love, hate, lust and greed drive all too human men and women to desperate and devious ways. The descriptions of that colorful and unique town, Perch, the greatest mining camp in the world, of its homes, brothels, saloons, and gambling joints; of its strange ways of justice, all are fascinating. The speech, the customs, the very thoughts of the minor characters, the casually heroic miners who toil in the back depths of the richest hill on earth, are authentic. The author was born in a mining camp, and mucked ore 3,600 feet underground. From the unforgettable opening scene to the exciting and unexpected climax, the story leaps forward with the speed and remorselessness of the spring of a puma.”