 |
 Ace Books 1959 edition | |
| Author | James Curtis |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Publication date | 1938 |
| Pages | 256 |
| ISBN | 978-0-9551851-4-4 |
| Preceded by | There Ain't No Justice |
| Followed by | What Immortal Hand |
They Drive By Night is the second novel by British author James Curtis published in 1938. [1] It is a crime thriller set in 1930s London and the North of England dealing with working-class themes in a Social realism style. [2] [3]
The protagonist of the novel is Shorty Mathews, a petty criminal just released from Pentonville Prison. Now free he goes to visit his girlfriend in Camden only to discover her dead having been strangled. Realising he will be the prime suspect he flees the scene and attempts to evade the law by travelling with lorry drivers across the UK. The title, They Drive By Night, is a reference to the long distance logistical community who work, predominantly, at night. The antagonist Hoover is the real killer. He goes by the alter-ego of Lone-Wolf as he trawls the West End of London for more destitute female victims. His motivation to kill is part social cleansing, part mental degeneration.
Alongside both accounts is the police investigation into the murders. Their enquiries proceed, with varying degrees of success, punctuated by corruption and brutality. Needing to wrap up the case there is little choice but to set a trap. Whoever is caught will face the hangman.
The novel is notable for its use of colloquial language and cockney picked up by the author's first hand experience. [4] It was referenced as a source in Eric Partridge's A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English (1937). [5] [6]
The novel was originally published in 1938, the same year as its film adaptation. [7]
In 2008 London Books republished it as part of their London Classics imprint. The reissue features an introduction by Jonathan Meades, author and cultural commentator. [2]
The novel was filmed in 1938 by Arthur Woods, They Drive By Night, with James Curtis himself supplying the screenplay. [8] Due to the themes of sex and prostitution certain aspects of the book were toned down for the screen version but the core murder remains unchanged. [9] On release it was both commercially and critically successful and is still considered a classic British film noir. [10]
Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, often a murder. It is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as historical fiction or science fiction, but the boundaries are indistinct. Crime fiction has several subgenres, including detective fiction, courtroom drama, hard-boiled fiction, and legal thrillers. Most crime drama focuses on crime investigation and does not feature the courtroom. Suspense and mystery are key elements that are nearly ubiquitous to the genre.
Eric Honeywood Partridge was a New Zealand–British lexicographer of the English language, particularly of its slang. His writing career was interrupted only by his service in the Army Education Corps and the RAF correspondence department during World War II.
Lee Earle "James" Ellroy is an American crime fiction writer and essayist. Ellroy has become known for a telegrammatic prose style in his most recent work, wherein he frequently omits connecting words and uses only short, staccato sentences, and in particular for the novels The Black Dahlia (1987) and L.A. Confidential (1990).
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Cyril Alexander Garland Luckham was an English film, television and theatre actor. He was the husband of stage and screen actress Violet Lamb.
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Basil Dearden was an English film director.
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James Curtis was a British writer who was best known for his novels, They Drive By Night and There Ain't No Justice, both of which were made into feature films.
They Drive by Night is a 1938 British black-and-white crime thriller film directed by Arthur B. Woods and starring Emlyn Williams as Shorty, an ex-con, and Ernest Thesiger as Walter Hoover, an ex-schoolmaster. It was produced by Warner Bros. - First National Productions and based on the 1938 novel They Drive by Night by James Curtis.
Good-Time Girl is a 1948 British film noir-crime drama film directed by David MacDonald and starring Jean Kent, Dennis Price and Herbert Lom. A homeless girl is asked to explain her bad behaviour in the juvenile court, and says she’s run away from home because she’s unhappy there. They explain in detail what happened to the last girl who thought she could cope on her own, and this becomes the main plot.
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There Ain't No Justice is a 1939 British sports drama film directed by Pen Tennyson and starring Jimmy Hanley, Edward Chapman and Edward Rigby. The film is based on the 1937 novel of the same name by James Curtis.
The Gilt Kid is the debut novel by British author James Curtis published in 1936. It is a crime thriller set in 1930s London but also deals with working-class themes in a Social realism style.
Corridor of Mirrors is a 1948 British drama film directed by Terence Young and starring Eric Portman, Edana Romney and Barbara Mullen. It was based on a novel of the same title by Chris Massie and marked the film debut of both Terence Young and Christopher Lee. Stylistically it is a Gothic mystery. It was shot at the Studios Radio Cinema in Paris. The film's sets were designed by the art directors Terence Verity and Serge Piménoff. An independent production by Apollo Film, it was released by Rank's General Film Distributors.