Ride the Pink Horse

By: Dorothy B. Hughes

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki

During Fiesta, three desperate men converge in a perilous New Mexico town.

It takes four days for Sailor to travel to New Mexico by bus. He arrives broke, sweaty, and ready to get what's his. It's the annual Fiesta, and the locals burn an effigy of Zozobra so that their troubles follow the mythical character into the fire. But for former senator Willis Douglass, trouble is just beginning.

Sailor was Willis' personal secretary when his wife died in an apparent robbery gone wrong. Only Sailor knows it was Willis who ordered her murder, and he's agreed to keep his mouth shut in exchange for little bit of cash. On Sailor's tail is a cop who wants the senator for more than a payoff. As Fiesta rages on, these three men will circle one another in a dance of death, as they chase truth, money, and revenge.

©2014 Dorothy B. Hughes (P)2014 Skyboat Media

The Dark Side of Fiesta

Whilst I was familiar with her name I had not read any books by Dorothy B Hughes. When I saw it was narrated by Stefan Rudnicki it was the perfect opportunity to correct the omission.
As many of you know I have a fascination with the “fork in the road” syndrome as it plays out in books and movies and this is a fine example of that. Three men, Sailor, former senator Willis Douglas and the cop, Mac converge on a New Mexico town during Fiesta. Sailor was Willis’s personal secretary, the senator’s wife was murdered in a robbery gone bad, but Sailor knows it was Willis who ordered her death. He has already been paid $500 to keep his mouth shut, but now wants and needs the thousand he was cheated out of before; and Mac is there to arrest whoever killed the senator’s wife.
I was particularly impressed with the atmosphere Hughes created; the sense of time, place and urgency against the background of the Fiesta. As has been noted by other reviewers, any reasonably well read person has to hear the voices of James M Cain, Patricia Highsmith, Hammett and Chandler in the gathering gloom.
This is a noir novel at its best, AND, with Stefan Rudnicki narrating, as has also been noted, we, the listeners, are provided, hour by hour, the pleasure of subtlety and nuance in the delineation of character, dialogue and prose by one of the best narrators in the industry. Five stars all around. Happy listening.

Ride the pink horse

I really wanted to like this story, but it was confusing and vague. The author carried the mysterious actions too far, to the point of being difficult to understand.

One of my absolute favorites!

I read this book awhile back and loved it then. Listening to it now with the very talented Stefan Rudnicki narrating I love it all over again. Great fiction noir, so well written! ☺️👍🏼

Great reading of a great noir novel

Rudnicki's voice is absolutely perfect for a noir novel like this. The story is told in the third person but from the point of view of a Chicago tough guy trying to take care of some business in Santa Fe, the town where he's out of his element. Because Dorothy Hughes wrote in short, crisp sentences, it is very easy to catch every word and every thought in the Audible version. The book is gripping and builds suspense even though a lot of the time the main character is just sort of hanging around. Highly recommended for fans of such authors as James Cain, Jim Thompson, Patricia Highsmith, Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett.

A Crook at a Crossroads

The entire story takes place in an unnamed southwestern town, a crossroads where our protagonist Sailor is offered an alternative to the plan that brought him there. The tension – and few noir writers were better at creating physical, mental, and even spiritual tension than Dorothy B. Hughes – rises as his moment of choice draws nearer.

Throughout, the writing – from descriptions of landscapes and rooms to inner thoughts – is stunningly vivid and humanely perceptive. Though a familiar story of a crook at a moral crossroads, it is by no means pat or predictable. And Stefan Rudnicki’s performance is just about flawless.

Enjoy this dark story

What really interested me was the very sympathetic depiction of Indians as very smart, sympathetic and patient. The delusional Chicago mug. The study of this guy was fascinating. Even though the end was obvious long before it was reached .