This 1957 novel from John D. MacDonald has the grandmaster hitting his prime. He had been writing novels since 1950 and would not start his Travis McGee series until 1964. Hugh McReedy is one of JDM's competent protagonists. A construction worker advancing in the field, he is reminded of an immature act in his past when he reads that an ex-girlfriend's brother is about to be executed. He visits her and rekindles his feelings while promising to look into her brother's guilt in the 9 days before his execution. A most unlikely prospect unless being undertaken by JDM's man of brain and brawn. The plot is secondary to the description of the sociology of this Midwestern town and its sordid underbelly. Well worth reading.Hugh, a construction worker back from 2 years in Spain, reads that an ex-girlfriend's younger brother is about to be executed for murder. He is drawn back in hope of helping his ex-girlfriend, Vicky, through the trauma - and to ease his own troubled conscience. Hugh gets tangled up in detective work. He soon discovers that this small Midwestern town has a seedy underbelly. It also has a violent deputy and a politically-minded sheriff, neither of whom encourage Hugh's amateur investigations. Hugh's efforts lead him into the depressing swamp of small-town juvenile delinquency and the frighteningly rigid adult system that created it. With his outsider's point of view, Hugh can see that the town is built on lies, desperately painting over the corruption to preserve the status quo.
