“Roaring drunk, filthy, elemental?”

Yes, to all three. And to those, add deadly.
Swede Nelson, after years at sea, runs into Corliss Mason. Hard.

“God almighty. What if I had to kill a man every time I wanted to really arouse her?”

This is a decent story, but it has that ol' plotline that I just never understand - man meets woman, falls madly in love, wants to marry her the next day, and then kills for her. Like literally, in 24 hours, all of that! Then he's shocked when she isn't all that she seemed - the night before! Come on man!
Still, I was entertained. ( )

I've gone on record with my general distaste for noir (as distinct from hardboiled detective stories), but there are exceptions to every rule and a well-written novel is a well-written novel. Day Keene knew his craft, and Home Is the Sailor will hook you even if noir is not your cup of tea. Merchant marine on shore leave, booze, women, gambling, seedy motels: the elements of the plot are unremarkable, but Keene's storytelling ability makes them seem fresh. Occasionally the violence gets really ugly yet never becomes gratuitous, and Swede Nelson--for all his flaws--is not an entirely unsympathetic central character (unlike, say, Kells in Paul Cain's overhyped Fast One).

A great read overall. I know Keene wrote a couple of private eye novels (both featuring an Irish-Hawaiian detective named Johnny Aloha), and I'm anxious to see what his work in that field was like. ( )

Home Is The Sailor is a 1952 book that has more recently been republished by Hard Case Crime. From page one, it is an emotionally powerful book that moves along with breakneck speed. Not all the scenes take place at night, but it sure feels as if the sky was dark and brooding on every page of this book.

Swen Nelson, the "Swede," has been working the merchant marine for three years and saving every penny. He has a $12,000 stake and, when his ship docks at San Pedro, he is tired of hearing every tramp in every port in the world asking, hey sailor, are you lonely. Swede is going to take his stake and return to Hibbing, Minnesota, where he once upon a time lived, but hasn't any family there anymore. He is going to get married and buy a farm and settle down. Of course, this being a 1950's noir crime novel, the reader knows Swede will never make it to Minnesota and never settle down, but it's a nice idea while it lasted. Swede buys his bus ticket and has a few drinks in a bar before getting involved in a craps game. He's accused of cheating and, when someone swings at him, he has to defend himself as he has done in ports all over the world and, a few punches later, a man is nearly dead at his hands.

Swede wakes up in motor court motel somewhere on the California coast and isn't real sure how he got there, but there's the most beautiful little blonde he has ever seen in the room with him. A few more drinks and he wakes up with his stake gone and the blonde nowhere to be found. He's been taken by this hussy and he is going to find her and get his stake back. Although Swede is warned to shove off for his own good, he finds out that the blonde, Corliss, owns the motor court motel, and that she took him out of the bar for his own protection because it sure looked like someone was going to take this sailor out on leave for his roll. His stake is safely in the motel safe. And, he shouldn't have been pawing Corliss either, cause she wasn't just a street tramp, but someone who did him a favor and looked out for him. Thus, begins an incredibly passionate love affair as Corliss does Swede one favor after another and they fall for each other. There are a lot of scenes that are fairly risqué for the times.

Without giving away the story, one can merely say that it's as powerful as anything written in the pulp era and there's no soft slow lead-in. The story starts with Swede recovering from his bender and getting thrown in jail and there is no pause in the action. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys reading Gil Brewer, Charles Willeford, and the ilk. ( )

Awesome. Great noir!! ( )