Dark Passage
Cover Artist: Gerald GreggBy: Goodis, David
Publisher: Dell Publishing Co. (221)
Place of Publication:New York, NY
Catalog #: Kelley Box 259: PS3513 .O499 D37 1948
Contributor: E. Griffin, W. Prout
General
Era: 1940sAuthor as on Cover: David Goodis
Publication:1946
Original Date: 1946
Setting: urban; little tension in the story -- it seems almost melodramatic.
Plot Summary
Vincent Parry has been wrongfully convicted of his wife Gert's murder, which he believes was an accidental death. Unwilling to serve a life sentence in San Quentin for a crime he did not commit, Parry escapes. He is helped by Irene Janney, a woman determined to champion him for reasons of her own; George Fellsinger, Parry's only friend, and a shady plastic surgeon willing to alter faces for cash. As Parry tries to make his way to a new identity and a new life in South America, Fellsinger is murdered in circumstances which are similar to Gert's death. The police hunt for Parry intensifies, and Parry realizes that he's been framed for murder a second time by his wife's killer. His predicament is further complicated by the man in the Studebaker following him, and by Irene's relationships with people in his past. Realizing he must catch the killer to save himself, Parry plans a trap of his own.Major Characters
Vincent Parry aka Allen Linnell, adult male, 31 years old, thin, blonde hair, clerk in an investment security house until his convictionArbogast adult male, short, dresses like a farmer, skinny, shabby, petty crook
Madge Rapf adult female, late 20s/early 30s, petite, rather plain, dresses in orange, apparently a housewife
Gert Parry adult female, thin, apparently a housewife
George Fellsinger adult male, balding, slight build, clerk in an investment security house
Irene Janney adult female, blonde, petite, dresses in gray and violet, independently wealthy, artist
Bob Rapf adult male, tall, good-looking, works in an investment security house
Walter Coley adult male, late 50s/early 60s, gray hair, distinguished, plastic surgeon