Detour

By: Martin M. Goldsmith

Narrated by: Mike Dennis

Length: 4 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's Summary

1938. Alexander Roth is hitchhiking from New York to Los Angeles, hoping to reconnect with his self-absorbed, cutesy-poo girlfriend. A car stops to pick him up and he is soon plunged into a nightmare from which there may be no escape.

This is a forgotten noir masterpiece that has languished for decades in the swamps of neglected crime fiction. Movie director Edgar G Ulmer cranked out the movie version in less than a month on a microscopic budget for one of the "poverty row" studios in Hollywood, and it is now widely recognized as one of the greatest in the film noir genre. The novel is its equal in every way.

©2014 Open Water Publishing (P)2014 Open Water Publishing

Classic

Loved it. Narration was great. Language used is a throw back to days of old. Good stuff indeed.

Classic Noir Film arrives to Audio Art

Where does Detour rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of my top 5 go-to audiobooks.

What other book might you compare Detour to and why?

James M Cain's The Postman Always Rings Twice or Double Indemnity certainly influenced Goldsmith's lean prose, fatalism and use of an unreliable narrator.

What about Mike Dennis’s performance did you like?

The narration is pitch perfect in tone and intonation.An understated yet nuanced performance. MR. Dennis has created the third medium for this story to be a classic - the art of "Audio Noir". His voice and articulation invokes words to the chiaroscuro of film noir.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

The book is already a cult classic film noir.

Any additional comments?

Can't stress enough how the narration effortlessly tells this dark tale. If you've seen the film, there are enough variances to make the novel a must-read or better, a listen.

You like the movie? You will love the book

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes I would my group of friends is usually fans of Film Noir or old Pulp Crime novels. And this book covers both grounds. If anyone is a fan of Noir Films knows the film Detour and this book covers that story and so much more.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Alex Roth he plays the everyman story down on his luck and finds women dangerous.

What does Mike Dennis bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His voice presentation is spot on taking you back to the times when the story takes place well worth the listen even if you already read the book.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I liked how the book gave us the different view points of the character. Like how it gives us the story of what his girlfriend is doing while he is tracking a crossed the US to surprise her

Any additional comments?

The book fills in way more of the story that the film did not capture anyone a fan of the film needs to read the book

Pulp Fiction To Film Noir

I came to this story with the 1945 noir classic "Detour", directed by Edgar G Ulmer, firmly in mind. A film I have watched and enjoyed many a time and which truely gives meaning to the "Film Noir" motif, " A dame with a past and a man with no future". However, I found this source novel from 1938 by Martin M Goldsmith equally enjoyable. Whilst the film naturally concentrates on the three main characters,the novel developse the story of Sue, who is the cause of Alex's journey across America.The book also includes themes such as drugs, which could not pass the Hollywood Hays Code of the time. Narration by Mike Dennis is excellent and helps to ease the listener into the fatalistic world of "Detour".