George V. Higgins. First edition stated. Dust Jacket: Very Good+ An unclipped jacket in a mylar protective wrapper. Jacket designed by Hal Siegel. The beautiful jacket has some rubbing and chipping along the edges and spine. Hardcover: Near Fine. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1972. Blue cloth with silver design on cover and lettering on spine. No markings or writing in the book, 183 pp.
This was the authors debut novel. Higgins was an American lawyer, newspaper columnist, professor, raconteur, and author of over thirty books. He was a Boston DA with criminal experience. The story is a realistic depiction of the Irish-American underworld, following small-time criminal Eddie Coyle and his "friends"- people he can trade for his own safety, and who can have him killed for theirs.
When asked to name the top ten mysteries, Elmore Leonard said, "My all-time favorite, the one book that has made a lasting impression is The Friends Of Eddie Coyle by George V. Higgins."
Basis for the classic 1973 film adaptation directed by Peter Yates, starring Robert Mitchum as the character, a petty thief, in what many feel was his finest performance.
