Brighton Rock

Novel by Graham Greene published in 1938. Seventeen-year-old Pinkie, seeking distinction through crime, commits a squalid murder. He marries Rose, a fellow Roman Catholic, to prevent her giving evidence against him, but he is finally brought to justice through the efforts of Ida, an acquaintance of the murdered man. Although there are detective story elements, the main interest of the novel lies in its early expression of Greene's lifelong struggle with moral and spiritual questions.