Joel Townsley Rogers - The Red Right Hand

This is classic piece of crime fiction which may be overlooked today. It is a haunting psychological thriller that delivers an unsettling and surreal experience, reminiscent of a David Lynch film. With its intricate plot twists, shifting identities, and a sense of creeping dread, it leaves readers questioning everything they think they know.

The novel follows a complex web of characters, with a central focus on a soon to be husband and wife who are travelling to get married but are stopped by a hobo who kills her lover and leaves with the car. But like in best crime novels, things are not what they seem, and what starts as as a straightforward mystery quickly morphs into a deeper exploration of the human psyche. The narrative is filled with unexpected turns, particularly as the husband of the victim is revealed as the killer. The pacing of the book is deliberately slow, building tension with every page, as the characters and their motives come into focus. While the surreal elements can sometimes leave readers confused, it’s clear that this disorientation is intentional, immersing the reader in a world where nothing is quite as it seems. The final pages are particularly complex, leaving more questions than answers and adding to the book's Lynchian atmosphere. At its core, Red Right Hand is a study of human nature and identity, exploring the lengths to which people will go to hide their darkest secrets. Its mix of noir, suspense, and psychological complexity makes it a captivating read for fans of crime fiction, though it’s not for the faint of heart. The story’s ambiguity and eerie tone stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page. Foreword by Joe R Landsdale in the preface suggest to be read in one go, as its stream of counciousness by central character, Dr. Ridller is continuosly pushing the story with no brakes in chapters. This novel won french police novel award in 1951. Story blends atmosphere of 1920's era of mystery fiction, hard boiled noir, psychological thriller and horror fiction. Anthony Boucher says that it has tension of Woolrich, fertule plot imagination of Keeler, techical ingenuity of Christie and stern deductions of Carr. In his introduction Landsdale says that it's far more stylistically adventurous than most clue on clue novels, and as a mystery that transcends it genre, operating on a stream of conciousness in the vein of William Faulkner, and presaging the work of Jack Kerouack. Thanks to Otto Penzler, this hidden gem is now again available.