The first book by acclaimed novelist and poet David Wagoner, back in print for the first time in 70 years, was hailed by the Los Angeles Times as ”a breathtaking novel filled with terror and pathos.”
Middle-aged Charlie Bell, a crippled watchman at a railroad crossing, sees a woman leap out of a passing train. He takes the injured woman, and the briefcase she was clutching, back to his apartment. She’s a reporter, and the briefcase contains papers that could destroy a corrupt Senator. But before Charlie can get her help, thugs kill her and he barely escapes. Now he is relentlessly pursued through the Chicago underworld by cops who think he’s a murderer…and killers intent on silencing him.
“A remarkable first novel by a powerful new writer. Compassion, sustained excitement, and acute observation of the Chicago locale make for a moving story.” New York Times
“It has everything a mystery should have, but it goes one step further.” Pittsburgh Press
“Wagoner’s story is just as relentless as the forces groping and clutching for the doomed man.” Richmond Times-Dispatch
Genre: Mystery
Middle-aged Charlie Bell, a crippled watchman at a railroad crossing, sees a woman leap out of a passing train. He takes the injured woman, and the briefcase she was clutching, back to his apartment. She’s a reporter, and the briefcase contains papers that could destroy a corrupt Senator. But before Charlie can get her help, thugs kill her and he barely escapes. Now he is relentlessly pursued through the Chicago underworld by cops who think he’s a murderer…and killers intent on silencing him.
“A remarkable first novel by a powerful new writer. Compassion, sustained excitement, and acute observation of the Chicago locale make for a moving story.” New York Times
“It has everything a mystery should have, but it goes one step further.” Pittsburgh Press
“Wagoner’s story is just as relentless as the forces groping and clutching for the doomed man.” Richmond Times-Dispatch
Genre: Mystery
Used availability for David Wagoner's The Man in the Middle