Violence and drugs have always been a central theme in the noir novels we have read so far, but in this book, the messiness of the situations is born from relying on these things. What was supposed to be an easy job of collecting a debt becomes the catalyst for the unraveling of the lives of all the characters. King David loses everything to the life he claims to only have dabbled in, but this dangerous game eventually seeps deep into every pore of his being until neither can live without the other. This messiness comes out of the mutual reliance on each other for life. Without the bookie or the trigger man, the drugs never sell, and the gun never fires. Even though he is not addicted to these things, David cannot live without them, ultimately bringing about his death. The life lived in these noir novels is itself an addiction. The danger and risks that come with such a life is exhilarating when you win, but when you lose, the consequences can be deadly. This novel does a great job of dismantling this fascinating attraction to the violent life when living on the edge and emphasizing the consequences that come with it. Holding grudges, cleaning up your messes, and trying to clean up your life all come at a cost. Most of the time, these people are unwilling to pay the price, which costs them their lives. Instead of giving his readers an upfront cautionary tale of this kind of life, Goines ventures to subvert their narratives with the bitter end everyone meets. Those we see fall prey to their own vices are the ones who fail to center themselves around a certain set of life rules, other than the sad fact that life is every man for himself. When you make a mistake, it will come for you. It may be a few hours, days or even years, but it will always come. David’s motto for using drugs applies in all aspects of life. One hit is too much, but many is never enough. When the judgment day comes the only thing these people can wish for is to die in the company of their limited acquaintances.