10. No Beast So Fierce by Edward Bunker

I grabbed this on a rare whim at the now-reprieved SW Welch used bookstore.  I can't remember what possessed me because at that point, my on-deck shelf was way too long (and now it is overflowing).  I brought it and several others that I had been stalling on to my emergency medical trip to my parents, since I figured there would be a lot of reading time.  I didn't have as much reading time as I thought, but did get steady reading in.  

I had just finished the Georgette Heyer and was not feeling ready for gritty crime. My heart sank as I started this one, as it not only was gritty crime, but also darkly realistic and self-conscious.  I was not feeling enthusiastic about a contemplative take of a life of poverty and crime.  The book takes place in LA in the early 70s.  The protagonist, Max Denbo, is a career criminal just released from 8 years in prison for check forgery. He got an extra long sentence because of all his previous crimes and has decided to go straight.  The descriptions of poor and criminal LA was quite well done and that kept me going.  After several humiliating and anxiety-inducing punishments by his blindly righteous parole office, and just becoming more and more aware of how impossible it will be for him to go legit, Denbo does an about face and decides to become a complete criminal.  

The book really takes off here. Denbo starts moving up in his crimes, through a mix of solid planning and excellent criminal instincts, from ripping off a corner store to break-ins and finally a big jewelry store.  He gains a couple of allies and a fun divorcee girlfriend (who, though excited by his criminal status, does not yet know the full depths of his nature).  Because the stuff happening is so well-written and the protagonist isn't just being victimized, the editorial sections where he waxes poetic about society and his criminal nature mix much better than at the somewhat heavy opening part.  The trajectory is not surprising, but is done in a dark and meaningful way that really resonated with me.