Dig My Grave Deep — Peter Rabe

Dig My Grave Deep, first published in 1956 is a noir thriller by master novelist Peter Rabe. The story centers on Daniel Port, a smart gangster who wants to get out of the criminal life while he still can, but to do so, his boss orders him to complete one last job â€" eliminating his chief rival for control of the city. The city, by the way, is replete with corruption at all levels of politics, government bureaucracies, and big business; no one is to be trusted. Rabe (1921-1990) was the author of over 30 books, mostly crime fiction, and published between 1955 and 1975. Dig My Grave Deep is the first book in the Daniel Port series.

Peter Rabe's Dig My Grave Deep is a hard-hitting story of political corruption. Gangsters, businessmen and politicians are indistinguishable from one another, and law and order are just signs that corruption is going smoothly. And the closest thing to a hero is a disillusioned mobster whose chief â€" and perhaps only remaining â€" virtues are that he doesn't lie and that he can see the whole crooked charade for what it really is. But in a deceitful world of double-crossers, profiteers, and opportunists, an honest criminal is a rare friend, indeed. One worth killing, and maybe dying, for.

Daniel Port is a gangster who wants to get out of the rackets while he's still alive. Max Stoker, his boss and slumlord politico, isn't happy with the decision. Neither is Stoker's political rival â€" Bellamy â€" who will do anything to get Port on his side to help crush Stoker and gain control of the territory. But Port isn't one to sell out his friends so easily, so he decides to do Stoker one last favor and take care of Bellamy and his goons. Just one last job, and he's out â€" if he can survive.