A review by sam_vimes_75
The Friends of Eddie Coyle by George V. Higgins

5.0

Both Elmore Leonard and Dennis Lehane called this book one of their greatest influences--it's easy to see why. Coyle's story is told mostly in delightful and colorful conversations featuring a variety of antiheroes. It has surprisingly little violence in spite of the violent world the characters live in. What little exposition there is demands that the reader keep up with the who's/who and movement of the plot. Higgins wastes no time and instead drops the reader into a new conversation each chapter. Jarring as it can sometimes be for the reader, it also creates a thrilling pace that makes the book feel more like a short story than a novel. Despite the quick jumps, Higgins still manages to create a coherent and satisfying tale. It's a story that will stick with you long after you finish it.

It's easy to see how the quick dialogues appealed to Leonard's own grinning and fast-paced style. Likewise, the antiheroes make for a gritty realism that we see later reflected in Lehane's own neo-noir works. Readers of noir will love it.