Irish William. Deadline at Dawn

J. B. Lippincott Company. 1944. — 166 p.The story follows “Bricky”, a hardened ten-cents-a-dance-girl who is disillusioned with life in New York City but is too scared to admit failure and return to her small-town home in Iowa. One night she meets Quinn, a troubled young patron who Bricky lets walk her home. They discover that they both come from the same town and the two quickly bond. He then admits he also secretly longs to return, but can’t until his conscience is clear from some money he stole from the safe of a former client. They make a pact to leave together on the dawn bus after they have returned the money. However, on re-entering the man’s home, they discover he has been murdered. They have until dawn to track down the killer before the police are called and Quinn will be blamed for the crime.Cornell George Hopley-Woolrich (4 April 1903 — 25 September 1968) was an American novelist and short story writer who wrote under the names Cornell Woolrich, George Hopley and William Irish. His biographer Francis Nevins Jr. rated him the 4th best crime writer of his day behind Dashiell Hammett, Eric Stanley Gardner and Raymond Chandler. Like Chandler, little is known about his personal life. Woolrich was born in New York City and his parents separated when he was young. He lived for a time in Mexico with his father before returning to New York to live with his mother. Attending Columbia University, he dropped out his senior year when his first novel “Cover Charge” was published. He continued writing and living with his mother. After she died, he socialized on occasion in Manhattan bars with Mystery Writers of America colleagues and younger fans, but alcoholism, diabetes, and an amputated leg left him a recluse.