My thanks to Penzler Publishers for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Ride the Pink Horse’ by Dorothy B. Hughes in exchange for an honest review.

This 1946 crime noir novel was released in a new edition in March 2021 as part of the publishers American Mystery Classics series. It is introduced by Sara Paretsky, who provides background on the novel and examines its themes. My apologies for the late feedback.

‘Ride the Pink Horse’ by Dorothy B. Hughes was originally published in 1946 and reissued in March 2021 as part of the publishers’ American Mystery Classics series. It is introduced by Sara Paretsky, who provides background on the novel and examines its themes.

The plot sees three men from Chicago converging on Santa Fe during its annual carnival. The man we only know as Sailor had been Senator Willis Douglass’ protege and confidential secretary/fixer. Douglass is no longer a senator and has left Chicago under a cloud. However, Sailor isn’t happy and has followed ‘the Sen’ to New Mexico determined to extract financial compensation. He finds that Santa Fe is in the midst of Fiesta and there is no accommodation available.

The third man is homicide detective McIntyre (Mac). When Sailor sees him, he assumes that Mac has followed him there but quickly realises that Mac was “after the Sen.”

Hughes portrays the excitement of the Fiesta as the backdrop for a series of encounters between the three men that increase in menace as their complex backstories are revealed.

One of the novel’s themes is racism in the Southwest. This is especially evident in the opening chapters and Sailor’s language is undoubtedly offensive. Then he is offered a place to sleep by the owner of the carousel where the pink horse is located. Sailor calls him Pancho as he thinks that he resembles the outlaw Pancho Villa. His actual name is Don José Patricio Santiago Morales y Cortez and is good natured and highly respected in the local community. He sees more in Sailor than the surface thug.

It is Sailor’s kindness towards Pila, a Native American girl, that convinces Don José that Sailor can be redeemed. He also tries to educate Sailor on the history of race in the southwest. “Before the Gringo soldiers, the English-speaking, come and conquer the Spanish. Now we are all one, the Spanish and the Indian and the Gringo.” His yellow teeth smiled. “… We are all one in the Fiesta.”

This was my first experience of Dorothy B. Hughes’ writing and I was deeply impressed by her plotting and characterisations as well as her willingness during the mid-1940s to discuss racism and white privilege. Some of the novel’s tropes may be pure pulp fiction though I felt that it has a timeless quality that elevates it to classic status.

Sara Paretsky’s thought provoking Introduction has encouraged me to seek out more of Hughes’ novels.

I found the cover art for this edition striking as indeed I have for others in the American Mystery Classics series.

In "Ride the Pink Horse", Hughes transports us to the 1940s Santa Fe, where Chicago gangster "Sailor" has gone to try to track down the man who has wronged him. He arrives by bus with a gun in his right pocket, a wad of money, and hatred in his heart. Unfortunately for Sailor, he arrives right at the beginning of the annual Fiesta celebration, when the city transforms into a large three-day celebration. Unable to find a hotel room, Sailor becomes increasingly disheveled and emotionally exhausted as the Fiesta continues and he single-mindedly monitors his target.

For three days, we see the world through the eyes of Sailor. At times, the narrative becomes erratic, mirroring his thoughts as he rushes in an almost fever-dream through the Fiesta, being overwhelmed by his senses and trying to make sense out of an environment in which he is the outsider.

Belongingness is a major theme in this book. Sailor has worked hard to emerge from poverty and based his self-esteem on being a top dog in his gangster network in Chicago. He brags about his role in the group and feels proud of being the best dressed. Coming into Santa Fe, Sailor no longer belongs. He doesn't understand the culture. He doesn't speak the language. As the Fiesta continues, Sailor loses those aspects of himself that he has come to rely upon. He is no longer important. He becomes disheveled and dirty from sleeping on the ground and not having a place to bathe. His roll of money is diminishing. Part of the way he tries to manage his lack of belonging is by mentally demeaning those around him, using derogatory language and harmful stereotypes. It was hard to read.

Race relations is a complicated issue, which we see playing out in the mind of Sailor. This my be difficult for some to read, especially in Sailor's view of people who are Latinx or Indigenous. He struggles with his rapidly shifting view- sometimes demeaning, but also showing great acts of kindness and learning to appreciate these people who are so different from him. Hughes gives us clues as to the myriad of reasons that Sailor relates the way he does, including his avoidance of reminders of his own troubled childhood.

A third major theme is good versus evil. What forces cause a person to take the dark path, even when it could lead to his own destruction? As Sailor pursues his original plan of revenge and personal gain, he is confronted with several characters who give him opportunities to change.

"Ride the Pink Horse" is a classic noir and will feel familiar to anyone who enjoys this genre. It is beautifully written, told through the eyes of a very flawed and dangerous character. Hughes has a nuanced understanding of human nature and allows us to understand Sailor even while cringing at his racism and lack of judgment.

It was adapted into a movie of the same name in 1947, directed by Robert Montgomery. As of today, I cannot find this film available on any streaming service or for digital purchase, but I am very interested in seeing how it was adapted. A second adaptation, The Hanged Man (1964) , seems like an even looser adaptation and also does not seem to be available at this time.

Thank you to the publisher at NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this magnificent novel.

It’s a fish-out-of-water tale when a Chicago mobster named Sailor visits New Mexico in 1946. He is looking for revenge from a corrupt Senator. But a Chicago detective is also looking for the Senator in Ride the Pink Horse.

It is amazing what were acceptable words to use to describe people post-WWII. We have come a long way. So if you are triggered by any pejoratives, you may want to miss this book.

However, you will be missing a multi-layered noir tale. The plot is twisty and surprising. The impact of the rural “foreign” town and its inhabitants on the troubled Sailor’s psyche is the best, and most surprising, part of Ride the Pink Horse. Plus don’t forget the atmospheric prose where each word seems to be hand-selected. It truly is a mystery classic. 5 stars and a favorite!

Thanks to American Mystery Classics, Penzler Publishers and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

What a treat to read this reissue of a noir novel originally published in 1946. Sailor is after Willis Douglas, who stiffed him for murdering Douglas' wife, McIntyre, a Chicago homicide cop, is also looking for Douglas, No cell phones, no internet, and still it's gripping. Thanks to netgalley for the DRC. A good read that has stood the test of time.

This is a great book from the 1940's. Sailor was born in Chicago; his father beat him; and he was in reform school Chicago. As a teenager, Senator Willis Douglass (the Sen) took Sailor in and trained him as his confidential secretary. As Douglass became corrupt, Sailor learned to clean things up. Then, the Sen's wife is killed (Douglas was interested in a rich young woman and had a large insurance policy on his wife). Sailor didn't get the payoff he was promised. The Sen has gone to Santa Fe for the Fiesta with the beautiful daughter of a very wealthy man. The story begins with Sailor arriving in Santa Fe, looking for the Sen to get the money he believes he is owed. Also in Santa Fe is another man, Chicago cop Mac, who wants to find the information to arrest the Sen for the murder of his wife.

Mac came from a similar background to Sailor's. He wants to help Sailor get away from the gangster lifestyle and he wants Sailor to give him the information on the Sen he needs to arrest the Sen. Sailor meets the man running the merry go round who allows him to sleep near him and befriends him. Sailor also is very kind to a young 14 year old Indian girl. You can see that Sailor has a good side, but he is very fixated on getting his money from the Sen so he can live better. Hughes clearly delineates the divisions and tensions between the Indians, the Spanish, and the whites, although Sailor is not at all racist. The characters are very well developed, and the story streams through the events of the Fiesta, loaded with suspense.

"What sucked into his pores for that moment was panic although he could not have put a name to it. The panic of loneness...it sucked into his pores and it oozed out again, clammy in the chill of night." This gritty noirish imagery is the main theme throughout the book.

Originally published in 1946, this book is set in New Mexico and is about Sailor, the main character, as he takes a blackmail and revenge trip which happens to coincide with a flamboyant festival. He makes friends with good natured Pancho with whom he spends time while trying to get money out of Sen (a senator). On the way he encounters several other characters and situations including an odd one with Pila. Things don't go as well as he hopes throughout.

Though I am incredibly fond of Golden Era mysteries and thrillers and have read other books by this author, this one was not my wheelhouse. Part of it is due to the racist language (a little too much, even considering the time in which it was written) and part is just the noir style. The story itself was relatively interesting but it kept me wanting. The descriptions are good with literary bits blended in (I'm not a literary fiction fan so that's just me). But I am all for republishing books. I just didn't love this one.

My sincere thank you to Penzler Publishers and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Clearly, this book is getting a reprint of some sort. I requested it thinking it was something more recently written, but it's been out for a while.

This became abundantly clear to me in the fact that the portrayals of POC are not particularly flattering, and racist terminology is used to describe them. This leaves me in a bit of a pickle as a reviewer, because that sort of thing is incredibly unappealing to me when I come across it in literature. However, given that this is an older work, I decided to continue with it and look for the merits of the story itself.

This reads as a classic noir crime with that gritty feel. Hughes's writing style is short and clipped, sentences rattled off like bullets from a machine gun. It's atmospheric, and you can feel yourself walking in Sailor's steps. The main character is a classic noir hero with a clear moral code and a standard for himself and how he chooses to live his life.

On occasion, the pacing was slowed down by particularly scenes and moments being drawn out for longer than they needed to be, but this could have also been a way to show us Sailor's frustration and how the moments were crawling on for him.

A decent example of the genre as a whole.