James Sallis

Drive James Sallis Unabridged edition

''Much later, as he sat with his back against an inside wall of a Motel 6 just north of Phoenix, watching the pool of blood lap toward him, Driver would wonder whether he had made a terrible mistake. Later still, of course, there'd be no doubt. But for now Driver is, as they say, in the moment. And the moment includes this blood lapping toward him, the pressure of dawn's late light at windows and door, traffic sounds from the interstate nearby, the sound of someone weeping in the next room . . . ''

Thus begins Drive, the story of a man who works as a stunt driver by day and a getaway driver by night. He drives, that's all -- until he's double-crossed. Powerful and stylistically brilliant, Drive has been hailed by critics as the ''perfect piece of noir fiction'' (New York Times Book Review) and an instant classic . . . and now a major motion picture starring Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, and Bryan Cranston. The film won the Award for Best Director at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.