George V. Higgins Books

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George V. Higgins was an American author and attorney that wrote crime fiction. Born in 1939 in Brockton, Massachusetts, Higgins spent his childhood in a small town called Rockland.

Later on, he joined Boston College, contributing his skills to the institution’s literary magazine (Stylus) as an editor. He spent a few years pursuing an MA degree at Stanford University before returning to Boston College to study law.

In the years that followed, the author wrote for several publications, including The Boston Globe, The Wall Street Journal, and the Associated Press. His resume also mentions stints in government departments that fought organized crime.

Many contemporary fans of the author have remained largely unaware of the numerous careers he pursued before making his mark in publishing. Higgins was a district attorney, federal prosecutor, defense attorney, and even a social historian.

Though, by the time he died in 1999, Higgins was primarily celebrated for his contribution to crime fiction. People credit him for creating the Boston noir genre that inspired the works of many writers and filmmakers in the 21st Century.

Higgins loved John O’Hara’s works. Critics have compared their styles on many occasions, noting that both authors emphasize realistic dialog because it defines the characters, which, in turn, fleshes out the story.

Higgins was well aware of his proficiency where the dialog was concerned. He was proud of his ability to bring characters to life through their distinct speaking patterns. From what the author saw, decent dialogue did not provide a blow-by-blow transcript of a conversation between characters.

Good dialog took interesting conversations and presented them in a compressed but entertaining format. Even though the world classified him as a crime writer, the author refused to embrace the description.

Critics based their assessment of the author on his penchant for writing stories with criminal elements. But Higgins disagreed. As far as he was concerned, his novels were not mysteries. Rather, he wrote stories in which some characters landed on the wrong side of the law.

The author obsessed over violent and unpredictable characters because they were far more interesting than well-behaved citizens. But the criminal components at the heart of his books were not enough to justify the crime fiction classification, or so he argued.

This was not the only contradiction in Higgins’ life. The former attorney and journalist worked at Boston University as a creative writing professor. And yet, he argued on more than one occasion that writing couldn’t be taught.
You had to master the craft on your own. This philosophy did not prevent the author from passing his extensive knowledge on to the next generation of writers.

George V. Higgins Books into Movies

‘Cogan’s Trade’ became a 2012 movie titled ‘Killing Them Softly,’ starring Brad Pitt. ‘The Friends of Eddie Coyle’ became a 1973 movie of the same name.

Best George V. Higgins Books

The author was called George Vincent Higgins II at birth. But he eliminated the numeric component later on in life. He was married twice, first to Elizabeth Mulkerin Higgins and then to Loretta Cubberley Higgins. Higgins’ best books include:

The Friends of Eddie Coyle: Eddie Coyle is a Boston criminal with a problem. He doesn’t have friends, not in the traditional sense. The people in his life serve a purpose, including the guys from whom he buys guns and the bank robbers to whom he sells the firearms.

Eddie is relatively decent at what he does. But it isn’t enough to keep him out of the crosshairs of the law. He was caught with stolen alcohol. The prosecutor’s office is determined to put him away for a long time.

Eddie cannot survive behind bars. For that reason, he wants to make a deal. If he gives the authorities a bigger fish, they may let him off the hook. But who should he betray? And what if they find out?

Cogan’s Trade: Johnny Amato had a plan. He wanted to rip off a poker game. The game was protected by the mob, but Amato did not care. He could trust Frankie and Russel to keep cool heads during the heist. And once the job was done, he had a fall guy in place, ready to take the heat for his crimes.

But Amato did not account for Jackie Cogan, a mob enforcer with a ruthless streak that wouldn’t stop until the right people paid.

When Does The Next George V. Higgins book come out?

George V. Higgins doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is Cogan's Trade and was released on November, 1st 2011.

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