Original sentence: As he tries to dig up the murderer, he fences with a motley list of strange characters and hustlers, everyone from the astonishingly cruel man who took over his father's night club, to his father's ex-wife, who's more than willing to seduce Johnny to keep him off the subject of his father.His father was a leading factor in the corruption of the town and an important person, but the police seem more than happy to let his murder remain 'unsolved', as does everyone Johnny encounters.It was generally considered Macdonald's first truly hardboiled novel, a start along the road that was going to lead to many comparisons to Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett.The entire book is set over a very short period of time, creating a frantic pace to the novel
Edited sentence: As he tries to dig up the murderer, he fences with a motley list of strange characters and hustlers, everyone from the astonishly cruel man who took over his father's night club, to his father's ex-wife, who's more than willing to seduce Johnny to keep him off the subject of his father.His father was a leading factor in the corruption of the town and a big wheel, but the police seem more than happy to let his murder remain 'unsolved', as does everyone Johnny encounters.It was generally considered Macdonald's first truly hard-boiled novel, a start along the road that was going to lead to many comparisons to Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett.The entire book is set over a very short period of time, creating a beautifully frantic pace to the novel