FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE: Amazon.ca: George V. Higgins: Books

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George V. Higgins's first novel is like a blast of Atlantic air; the Boston prosecutor virtually reinvents the language of the crime novel with his unique ability to breathe life into the dialogue of the smalltime hoodlum and hustler. Trying to pull off one final score, career crook Eddie Coyle finds himself squeezed out of shape by the people above and below him. The explosive conclusion is inevitable yet fascinating. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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The classic novel from "America's best crime novelist" (Time), with a new introduction by Elmore LeonardEddie Coyle works for Jimmy Scalisi, supplying him with guns for a couple of bank jobs. But a cop named Foley is on to Eddie and he's leaning on him to finger Scalisi, a gang leader with a lot to hide. And then there's Dillon-a full-time bartender and part-time contract killer--pretending to be Eddie's friend. Wheeling, dealing, chasing, and stealing--that's Eddie, and he's got lots of friends. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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First Sentence
JACKIE BROWN at twenty-six, with no expression on his face, said that he could get some guns. Read the first page

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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover

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Customer Reviews

9 Reviews

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4.1 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Dated Groundbreaker, Aug 8 2002

By	A. Ross (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Friends of Eddie Coyle: A Novel (Paperback)

A seminal book in the world of crime fiction, Higgins' 1970 debut placed maximum emphasis on creating realistic dialogue for the criminals and police and letting that carry a fairly slender plot along. The story concerns a smalltime hood named Eddie Coyle and a loose ring of associates. He's sweating because he's facing a two year stretch, and he can't handle any time at his age (45). The question is, who's he going to throw to the cops in order to duck that time? The story and its resolution are very much in keeping with the dark tone of the early '70s when the nation was realizing Vietnam was unwinnable and hard drugs were getting more and more prevalent, think of films like The French Connection, Badlands, or High Plains Drifter. (I've not seen the 1973 film version of the book, starring Roger Mitchum as Eddie Coyle.)

The book has been greatly lauded for its simplicity, dialogue, and realistic characters. However, my own reading was that everyone in the book (men, women, law, criminals) spoke more or less the same clipped wise guy talk as everyone else, and not only that, but other than talking about the "Broons" (Boston's pro hockey team, the Bruins), there's little that differentiates the speech from that of countless New York and Brooklyn gangsters. So much so that one occasionally has a hard time keeping track of who is who. So, maybe it was revolutionary to reveal the inner woes of criminals back in 1970, but read today, the book lacks the punch it must once have held.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 10 Pages of Greatness, Dec 1 2000

By	Paul Epps "Trained Professional - Do Not Attempt" (Irvine, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Friends of Eddie Coyle: A Novel (Paperback)

This book has a great reputation, particularly for the crackling dialogue, and I must say I was in complete agreement for the first 10 pages, which took me through the end of the brilliant first chapter. After that, you start to notice that everybody in this book -- the good guys, the bad guys, their wives, girlfriends -- _everybody_ talks exactly the same, some sort of blue-collar, Cliff-Klaven-meets-Edward-G-Robinson patois. It's lazy writing and the result is that the characters all kind of blur together. Tack on a "so what?" ending and you get a two-star book, plus one extra star for the first chapter, which really is terrific.

If you like crime novels, your best bets are Ray Chandler, Jim Thompson or Joe Wambaugh. You may enjoy Chandler or Wambaugh even if you _don't_ particularly like crime novels. Thompson has probably too much of what Southey would call "the yell of savage rage, the shriek of agony, the groan of death" for the unsuspecting reader.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Good read, great dialog..., Jan 9 2001

By	Erik J. Larsen (st. paul, mn) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Friends of Eddie Coyle: A Novel (Paperback)

I read a list by James Ellroy where he listed Higgins as one of his major influences, so I bought this one. I was pleasantly surprised.

The story is very simple, the dialog is incredibly lifelike and readable. The characters are very real and the story is believable. Its not really a mystery as much as it is a story about some criminals and what they think and feel.

Warning, though. Don't buy this if you like the 'high concept' plots of Grisham and Patterson. This is a very simple story about real people and real criminals. If you're an aspiring writer of crime fiction, definitely check it out especially the dialog.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars streetwise dialogue
Eddie Coyle is a low-level Boston hood, supplying mobsters with handguns. He earned his nickname, "Fingers", after one gun deal went poorly & he had his hand slammed... Read more

Published on Oct 13 2000 by Orrin C. Judd

2.0 out of 5 stars incredibly accurate but uninvolving
The story is told from such a lofty perspective that you never care about what is happening. Even the worst hood has some sense of importance and urgency to their lives. Read more

Published on Sep 13 2000 by S. Clark

5.0 out of 5 stars Dialogue that spits
I first read The Friends of Eddie Coyle 25 years ago and I can still remember the opening lines (Jackie Brown, at twenty-six, with no expression on his face, said that he could... Read more

Published on Jun 24 2000 by Charles Stella

5.0 out of 5 stars the friends of eddie coyle
Possibly the best account of real life crime, gangsters, and cut throats ever written...a rare insight into the real world of low level criminals, proving "There is no honor... Read more

Published on Dec 29 1999 by anonymous