David Dodge (1) (1910–1974)

To Catch a Thief author David Dodge had such an easy narrative style that his well-plotted mysteries set in colorful locations almost read themselves, and feel much less dated than other writers of his era. Somerset Maugham once commented that the reader should be unaware of the writer in a good story, as if everything was simply happening by happy coincidence. David Dodge was one of the best at this. Despite the first-person narration of his Al Colby novels — sadly there are only three show more — the reader is swept along as though a writer doesn’t exist, because they are living as Al Colby during the adventure, this one titled The Long Escape.

In the first of the three books, which do not need to be read in order, Al is hired to discover if a man who left his wife is dead, so that his unpleasant ex-wife can get hold of his properties in Los Angeles. From Mexico to Chile and Spanish spots between, Al Colby’s search is imbued with a spicy flavor the reader can almost taste. It moves so quickly, however, there isn’t much time to soak it in before you’re off for answers somewhere else. Once Al is told the man is actually dead, he begins to feel it might have been murder, or perhaps something even more involved.

There’s a lovely girl named Ann “Idaho” Farrell who helps him out, and with whom Al has a romantic involvement as he attempts to sort out what happened. The crux of the mystery centers on the surviving family of the deceased in Chile, a powerful family which doesn’t want the body exhumed to confirm who is in the grave. One of them is the stunningly beautiful Teresa (Terry), who may not be as warm as Idaho but has a higher voltage. She may be protecting more than her impulsive brother Frito. Soon, the secrets being hidden lead to someone taking a shot at Al. An old murder, and a cunning deception is finally uncovered by Colby, but realizing to expose it will literally end a life, and damage others, Colby must wrestle with his next step.

The Long Escape, released in 1948, seems startlingly fresh when read today, in spite of its age. Dodge was terrific at atmosphere, using a modicum of words to describe the colorful surroundings during the goings on, placing the reader there in Al Colby’s shoes. The conversational narrative style can almost be coined as breezy, and before you know it, you’ve read half the book. A blending of adventure story and detective mystery, this will appeal to anyone who loves either.

Dodge is most famous for To Catch a Thief because of the Hitchcock film starring Cary Grant and the lovely Grace Kelly, but he wrote other novels, and I’ve always found the Al Colby series some of his best work. Two of the three Colby stories are now available on Kindle, and I'm hopeful the third will be at some point, as interest in Dodge's work is renewed. My highest recommendation. show less

David Dodge’s writing style often reminds me of Montgomery Clift’s acting style; five minutes into the film or the narrative, you forget either exist. Clift’s fine performances were sometimes overlooked, because he became the character he was portraying so completely, that Clift no longer existed. In a David Dodge novel, the writer no longer exists, just the character and the story. In this case the character is John Robie, or Le Chat, the retired thief. As Somerset Maugham noted, the show more reader should never realize the writer exists if a story is told properly. Everything should happen as if by some magic happenstance where we are privy to a great story. That style isn’t showy, it doesn’t call attention to itself, but when it’s done to perfection, as Dodge so often did, it’s a heck of a read.

I love the film based on the book, but since it has been many years since I’ve viewed it, I’ll only state that a few differences certainly exist. Francie here is a blue-eyed brunette, for example, and the romance more intellectual. Robie, in fact — or Jack Burns throughout much of this book — doesn’t even realize romantic feelings toward him exist inside Francie. He believes — for good reason — that she in fact dislikes him. Only Robie’s friend Bellini is emotionally aware enough to realize Francie’s reason for living.

In many ways To Catch a Thief is the quintessential thief story. The colorful locations along the French Riviera make it all sparkle with glamor and elegance. Yet there is something more going on here, as Dodge subtly explores Robie’s own nature, and the world of the classic high-end thief. Beneath a fast-flowing and entertaining narrative are insights into Robie’s psyche, which encapsulates all those to whom he is loyal, and who are loyal to him. In Robie’s world, there is indeed honor among thieves, most of whom served beside him in a kind of Resistance during the war, called the Maquis. Once the war was over, the Sûreté looked the other way in regard to their prior crimes, and the great Le Chat — The Cat — simply ceased to exist. But someone has made it seem as though he has returned, their acrobatic feats as they plunder priceless jewels across the Riviera pointing to one man — Le Chat. If the American Robie is to remain a free man in France, rather than leave all he loves behind, and flee, he must gather his old loyal confederates and try to capture the imposter himself.

What follows is fun and exciting, as Robie changes identities, sets up surveillances, and hires an escort in Danielle, who it turns out mirrors the dead wife of his loyal friend Paul. It is Robie’s loyalty, however, which causes him problems, making him reluctant to reveal his predicament, and explain why he’s pretending to be Jack Burns. In Paul’s case, he doesn’t want to involve him on the chance that something will go wrong. But in Francie’s case, it is because she is not a thief, therefor she cannot be trusted. It is an interesting psychological insight, and is fully explored in a swiftly-moving narrative full of color and elegance. Francie does at first appear to warrant Robie’s reticence to allow her in, because she appears to be a very strange girl only out for kicks. Robie is chained to her by blackmail, because she’s guessed who he is, even wants him to steal her mother’s jewels.

A big party, an exciting and dangerous chase across rooftops — which is also how the book begins — and the startling discovery of who has been mimicking Le Chat, brings about a truly unconventional solution that once again, plays into the loyalty and psychology of thieves.

Is the ending of the book as romantic as the film? Does Robie finally realize what his pal Bellini has known all along? You’ll have to read it to find out. There is no existential, stream-of-consciousness, experimental nonsense here. This is simply an elegantly atmospheric narrative of crime and romance, wonderfully told by a writer who understood that the best way to tell a great story, was just to tell it. It makes for a smooth, enjoyable ride along the French Riviera. show less

Two-fisted treasure hunt holds plenty of plot twists and turns with murder, blackmail and lost Inca gold. Dodge delivers a breezy style that keeps the action moving fast and the characters interesting, even when the book suddenly shifts into a little too much romantic melodrama for its final act. The book is rich with plenty of detail of 1940s Peru as well as some interesting backstory of the treasure. The sections on the ship where Al Colby is still trying to figure out who his friends and show more enemies are and later his forced team-up with Jeff are the best sections of the book. The plot is pretty well played out, but the final ten pages seems anticlimactic. I have to admit, its hard not to like a book that encourages you to read The Conquest of Peru by William Hickling Prescott. show less

Just shy of the 70th anniversary of its release, David Dodge’s To Catch a Thief remains as clever and suspenseful as ever. How grateful I am to Poisoned Pen Press for reissuing this heart-stopping thriller!

American-born cat burglar John Robie has been retired from jewel robbery for years now, leaving in obscurity in Vence in southeastern France, near the French Riviera. The local commissaire, Oriol, realizes that Robie was Le Chat, an acrobatic cat burglar who was an international show more sensation before being arrested. Robie’s unofficially pardoned for his part in the French Resistance during World War II and looks the other way.

Robie’s placid existence ends when a copy-cat cat burglar begins stealing jewels during the high season in the French Riviera. Their styles are so similar that Robie flees and, through his Resistance pals (nearly all of them still a bit crooked) masquerades as an American insurance agent newly arrived from New York City. The gang decides that the only way to clear Robie is to nab the cat burglar because “To catch a thief, it takes a thief.”

No less than Alfred Hitchcock turned this Golden Age gem into a 1955 film starring Carey Grant and Grace Kelly. I can assure you that — as usual — you’ll love the book more than the movie. Highly, highly recommended.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press in exchange for an honest review. show less