Kiss the Blood Off My Hands (novel)

Kiss the Blood Off My Hands
Cover artwork of the first American hardcover edition by Farrar & Rinehart, 1946.
AuthorGerald Butler
LanguageEnglish
GenreCrime, thriller
Set inLondon
PublisherNicholson and Watson,
Publication date
April 1940 (1940-04)
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
Media typePrint
OCLC1705179

Kiss the Blood Off My Hands is a 1940 crime thriller novel by English writer Gerald Butler.[1] It was his first novel, originally published by Nicholson and Watson in April 1940.[2] It quickly became a best-seller and the author was signed to a multi-book deal with Jarrolds Publishing. By 1945, the novel had sold over 232,000 copies in England alone (all during war-time).[3][4] It received numerous American editions by such publishers as Farrar & Rinehart, Dell Publishing, and Carroll & Graf Publishers.[5][6] The book was also translated into several languages, including French and Swedish. By 1960, it had sold in excess of 750,000 copies.[7]

The narrative established Butler's distinctive hardboiled style, which led to comparisons with American writer James M. Cain.[8][9] Butler's characters were also described by book critics as amoral and tougher than those introduced by Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler a decade earlier.[10][11]

The popularity of the novel led to its screen options getting purchased by numerous film production companies, including Eagle-Lion Films, Charles K. Feldman Group Productions, Norma Productions, Harold Hecht Productions, and Universal-International Pictures. A film was successfully made starring Joan Fontaine, Burt Lancaster, and Robert Newton, and directed by Norman Foster in 1948. A radio adaptation was broadcast in 1949 on the CBS series Lux Radio Theatre.

  1. ^ Hubin p.17
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  8. ^ Barr Mavity, Nancy (1946-04-28). "Butler Is Heralded as British James M. Cain". Oakland Tribune. Retrieved 2024-04-30 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Gerald Butler's Novel of Pursuit - Author of 'Dark Rainbow' Wrestles a Creaking Plot". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 1946-09-08. Retrieved 2024-04-30 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Northrop, Guy (1946-03-03). "Amoral Character Takes Hero's Role". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved 2024-04-30 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Gould, Ray (1946-04-07). "High Tension, Diabolical Suspense Feature This Blistering Melodrama". The Montgomery Advertiser. Retrieved 2024-04-30 – via Newspapers.com.