TRAIN by Pete Dexter

Finished Mo 4/30/18

  This is also the day that I had the taxes done- late filed and still owed nothing to the state or the feds. And, the first bike flat of the season. I biked downtown to the county building to place a freeze on my real estate tax (recommended by the tax guy), and I had a blowout in Washington Park. Difficulty in getting the bike mechanic to accept the fact that I really wanted the inserts in both tires. For some reason, he just ignored me, and fixed the flat. I had him do it over. Also picked up a thirty-five dollar bicycle pump. The previous paragraph has nothing whatever to do with 'Books Recently Read'....

The title of this novel refers to one of the character's name- Lionel Walk, Jr., hence, "Train".

Set in Los Angeles of the early 1950's and concerns Train's experiences as a golf caddie and his relationship to Miller Packard. Packard is a corrupt and violent detective who notices Train's
remarkable golfing abilities and uses him in high stakes golf gambling.

Norah is married to a much older, very rich man, Alec. They are hijacked on their boat by Sweet and Arthur, two black employees at Train's golf course. Miller Packard brings the two murderers back to the boat and executes them in front of Norah. He's sexually attracted to Norah and they marry and move in together at her mansion. The neighbors are enraged at their sexual hijinks and odd comings and goings.

Miller later hires Train and Plural, an old, crazy fighter who works on the course and is going blind, to work at the house. They later move into the guest house.

Because the police knew that the killers worked at the golf course, all the caddies are fired. Train has left home after killing his step-father, Mayflower. This man had stolen his money and tried to give some of it back when he learned that Train was leaving. Train knew that it was his money because he colored in the eyes of the presidents on the bills. He hits Mayflower with a table leg and Train's mother probably never reported the killing and somehow got rid of the body.

Train and Packard travel the country shaking down golfing gamblers. Packard shares the winnings with Train, but just a cut.

Norah becomes pregnant and feels abandoned by Packard. In the end of the novel she blows Packard away with a shotgun because "he just wouldn't pay any attention".

A strange and violent novel and I really loved it.

The beginning chapter describes a beating in Philadelphia that happens to a young Packard. He had just gotten out of the navy after WWII. This is a similar beating that happened to the author in The Devil's Pocket area of Philadelphia.

I bought THE PAPERBOY at the same time from Amazon, and I'm really looking forward to reading it. I loved PARIS TROUT and DEADWOOD. They're all great novels- like nothing else!