- Hardcover
- Publisher: Random House; First Edition edition (1958)
- ASIN: B002GDRJ9Y
- Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Paperback
In his business life Murray Kirk has made good by taking his mentor's advice and 'sticking to the facts'. That is what his clientele want and expect from his successful New York detective agency. This is not Sam Spade; it is a professional business that has left Kirk reasonably wealthy and an eligible batchelor in his mid Thirties.
His cynical, no-nonsense outlook is confirmed when a Grand Jury begins an extensive graft and police corruption inquiry. Yet this cynicism is put aside at the sight of the 'pretty ankle' of Ruth Vincent the fiancee of a beleagured vice cop. As the plot develops into a 'guilty or not?' story it is central that his own staff, lawyers, friends and even the criminals, find it impossible to accept that Kirk's only motivation is to enjoy carnal relations with Ruth.
The novel felt derivative. I kept having flashes of differing films noir as scenes developed. Kirk is an unappealing character who mixes business savvy with lust and 'a smug assurance' that he is 'on the side of the angels'. This is then compounded by a laboured plot twist which seemed out of character.
Mr Ellin has a nice sarcasm about the contemporary obsession with the movies, TV and celebrity including the chief villain whose life revolves around screenings of 'The 64,000 Dollar Question'. The sexual elements are so strait-laced as to be humourous; when you get to the shower scene this will become apparent!
It is well written with plenty of plot to get your teeth into but it just felt routine. That is not to say this is a poor novel. More a case of been there, seen it, got the T-Shirt. It's OK.
His cynical, no-nonsense outlook is confirmed when a Grand Jury begins an extensive graft and police corruption inquiry. Yet this cynicism is put aside at the sight of the 'pretty ankle' of Ruth Vincent the fiancee of a beleagured vice cop. As the plot develops into a 'guilty or not?' story it is central that his own staff, lawyers, friends and even the criminals, find it impossible to accept that Kirk's only motivation is to enjoy carnal relations with Ruth.
The novel felt derivative. I kept having flashes of differing films noir as scenes developed. Kirk is an unappealing character who mixes business savvy with lust and 'a smug assurance' that he is 'on the side of the angels'. This is then compounded by a laboured plot twist which seemed out of character.
Mr Ellin has a nice sarcasm about the contemporary obsession with the movies, TV and celebrity including the chief villain whose life revolves around screenings of 'The 64,000 Dollar Question'. The sexual elements are so strait-laced as to be humourous; when you get to the shower scene this will become apparent!
It is well written with plenty of plot to get your teeth into but it just felt routine. That is not to say this is a poor novel. More a case of been there, seen it, got the T-Shirt. It's OK.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4 reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Beware: masterpiece!
14 Dec 2001
Format:Paperback
Stanley Ellin won the Edgar Award for best novel for this book, and it's well deserved. The only word that comes to my mind to definite this is "perfection". Perfection in writing, plotting, characterization, atmosphere. "The Eighth Circle" is probably one of the best mystery novels ever written, and one of the most deserved Edgar-winners, with Charlotte Jay's "Beat Not The Bones", Chandler's "The Long Goodbye" - to name just two. Don't miss it! Like Nat King Cole would say, it's "unforgettable"...
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
A great private eye novel
20 Aug 2005
Format:Paperback
James Ellroy says somewhere, "the last time a private eye solved a murder was never". Ellin's underrated novel takes it's title from Dante's description of hell: the eighth circle of the inferno is where the lawyers, bribers, and toadies are. The great strength of this book is the real-life description of a detective agency. The author spent months researching the reality of private eyes, so his book does not perpetuate the Chandler-based myth. As a murder mystery THE EIGHTH CIRCLE is only so-so, but the rest is simply wonderful--it really places you in New York in the late 1950's. (The greatest Ellin is probably his short stories: try THE MOMENT OF DECISION.)
Impressive depth and breadth of characterizations
13 Feb 2011
Format:Paperback
I had no idea what to expect of this book. A few page in I thought it was going to be bone dry. But things picked up from there and the job Ellin does of fleshing out the various characters is excellent. Another reviewer says it's only a so-so murder mystery. But it's not a murder mystery at all. It's sort of a slice of life portrait of a real head of a detective agency and as a result of the man's occupation we see certain things. I also see this as a fascinating look at the mores of late 50's america. I could somehow see a lot of these people right alongside the characters in the film The Sweet Smell of Success, though without all the conspicuous drama. I would recommend this book to anyone.
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