ONE FOR HELL is the story of Willa Ree, a tough, down-on-his-luck drifter who drops off a freight train in the West Texas oil town of Breton. Determined to make a big score for himself, Ree is single-minded in pursuit of that goal, almost to the point of being a force of nature as much as a character. He’s a ruthless sociopath, and when he gets involved with the crooked politicians who run things in Breton, they see him as a perfect instrument for strengthening their hold on the town. What they don’t know is that Ree has plans of his own that may wind up bringing down all of them.
The plot snakes back and forth relentlessly, involving murder, robbery, lust, and long, tense scenes of brutal violence and suspense. Although Davis concentrates on Willa Ree for the most part, there are also vivid portraits of other desperate characters in the small town. The book never specifies that it takes place in West Texas, but I’m convinced that it does. I’ve been around enough oil towns to recognize the setting, which Davis recreates with gritty accuracy. The pace is fast, and the writing, which approaches a stream of consciousness style at times, is raw and crude and very powerful. Oddly enough, although Willa Ree is an irredeemably evil character, at times the reader almost roots for him to succeed, because nobody else in ONE FOR HELL is very sympathetic, either, and Ree is almost admirable in his single-mindedness. Almost, but not quite.
After reading this book, I really don’t understand why it hasn’t been continuously in print and compared to the best work of James M. Cain. It certainly belongs in the same tier as the best of the Gold Medal writers such as Harry Whittington, Charles Williams, Gil Brewer, and John D. MacDonald. Maybe it’s because Davis wasn’t prolific, publishing only one other novel that I’m aware of, THE OUTRAGED SECT, which came out from Avon in 1956. If he had written more, maybe ONE FOR HELL would be better remembered.
Thankfully, it hasn’t been completely forgotten. Stark House is about to reprint it, and they deserve a lot of credit for doing so. You want a “lost classic” that’s the real thing? ONE FOR HELL is it. It’s also one of the best novels I’ve read so far this year, and if you’re a fan of hardboiled fiction, I can’t recommend it highly enough.
9 comments:
This sounds like a good one to look for.
I agree James. ONE FOR HELL is simply awesome. It caught me by surprise, because it was so good, when I read it and it has stayed with me since. A great book that is more evidence that Stark House is one of the best small print publishers going.
I got the surprise also when I read ONE FOR HELL. Had it for years and never picked it up, thought it was a romance novel. (REAL SEAL seemed to have more in the Romance line than Crime) It took a recommendation by a friend of mine for me to dig it out.
It's a great novel.
Oh yeah, this one sounds sweet in a dark way. The plot you described reminded me of Charles Williams, and the writing style maybe Rabe's. The 11th Commandment given on the cover is a great teaser. This is the first time that I've heard of the Red Seal line. Thanks for the great review and comments.
Ed Lynskey
I love STARK HOUSE. Their reprints bring these fascinating works to a new audience of readers.
Great review, and I think you are dead-on in your assessment as to why the book has all but fallen off the radar. If Davis had written more, and sustained the quality of writing of ONE FOR HELL, I imagine readers would be talking about him still.
I plan on reading it again when the SH book comes out.
Thanks for the great review. Adding this to my "to buy" list. There really are some gems in the Fawcett lineup from one or two-time authors.
Yikes. Sounds great, and I've never heard of book OR author.
Sounds terrific -- thanks for another great Forgotten Book rec, James...you haven't steered me wrong yet.
~ Ron C.
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