They Don't Dance Much by James Ross

First published in 1940; published by MysteriousPress.com/Open Road on April 16, 2013

They Don't Dance Much was first published in 1940, a time when noir was flourishing and when (unlike most modern thrillers) stories were believable. Writers mined the drama of daily existence and filled their novels with flawed, downtrodden characters rather than superheroic studs.

Jackson McDonald owes back taxes on a farm that's worth less than his mortgage. He also owes the funeral home for his mother's burial. With a sick mule and little chance of bringing in a decent crop, Jackson is happy to take a job working for his friend Smut Milligan, who plans to add a roadhouse and dance hall onto his gas station. The plans put Smut in debt, creating a risk that a business rival will take over the roadhouse if Smut can't pay the bank.

Jackson keeps hearing that Bert Ford buried a large amount of cash somewhere on his farm, a story that also holds great interest for Smut. The rumor leads to a predictable (but nicely executed) series of events. The novel's real drama, however, concerns the tension that develops between Smut and Jackson after Ford is out of the picture. A related plot thread follows Smut's continuing interest in his old girlfriend Lola, who is less than happily married to Henry Fisher, the richest man in Corinth (a tiny town in North Carolina).

The first person narrative is written in a deceptively folksy style. The rural atmosphere reeks of authenticity and the characters (for the most part, a mixture of white trash and subjugated blacks) are so real you can practically smell them (although you probably wouldn't want to). The story is a study in the dark side of human nature -- no significant character behaves virtuously -- yet James Ross manages to make the reader care about them (or, at the very least, understand them). They know only hardship. They endure but they don't dance much. Some are broken by life and others fight to keep their dignity. The rich get richer and the poor get screwed. Life isn't fair but it's life, and that's the beauty of Ross' novel.

Following a path laid by writers like Horace McCoy, Ross doesn't give readers a contrived, feel-good ending. Readers who like happy, sunshiny stories in which everything works out well for their favorite characters should stay away from They Don't Dance Much. The story is bleak, reflecting the spirit of the times. It's also dramatic, realistic, and brutally honest.  It isn't quite Horace McCoy, but it's awfully good.

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