“IN this dark and compelling mystery, a relentless detective’s pursuit of a nightclub hostess’s killer reveals a knot of extortion, broken dreams, and sordid connections inside the crumbling Marne Hotel in St. Louis, Missouri, where desperation blurs the line between victim and suspect, and every character has something to hide.
First published in 1949 by Harper & Brothers and reissued the following year by Bantam Books, William Krasner’s debut stands as a notable early entry in the homicide procedural sub-genre.
The novel earned an Edgar Award nomination for Best First Novel and was later adapted for television in the acclaimed US anthology series Studio One. Born in 1917 in St. Louis, Krasner served in the Second World War before earning a psychology degree from Columbia University. His literary career began with Walk the Dark Streets, which drew praise from crime writer Raymond Chandler who called Krasner’s work ‘above and beyond a whole host of writers’ better known at the time.
In 1955, Krasner received an award from the National Institute of Arts and Letters. Reprinted for the first time in forty years, this taut detective story opens with the discovery of hostess Janice Morel’s body in her shabby room at the decaying Marne Hotel, its mottled grey and grimy façade reflecting the worn-down lives inside.
The case lands with Detective Captain Sam Birge whose caution stems from a past mistake that led to a wrongful execution. Birge’s methodical, compassionate style stands in sharp contrast to the cynicism around him. Early in the investigation, Birge encounters Mrs Fahey, a self-righteous neighbour quick to assert that Morel had ‘a different man in there almost every night,’ a refrain that captures the suspicion and judgement surrounding the Marne.”
My review of William Krasner’s powerful procedural Walk the Dark Streets was published in Book-marked, the blog of book critic Pam Norfolk, on February 22, 2026. Archived online access to the review as it originally appeared can be found at this weblink: