Detour is a 1939 novel by Martin M. Goldsmith

Martin Goldsmith

Martin Goldsmith wrote several classic B-movies including Detour , Blind Spot and The Narrow Margin in 1952 for which he was Oscar-nominated....

. The author adapted his novel into the noted film noir

Film noir

Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...

 cult film

Cult film

A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...

 of the same name

Detour (1945 film)

Detour is a film noir thriller that stars Tom Neal, Ann Savage, Claudia Drake and Edmund MacDonald. The movie was adapted by Martin Goldsmith and Martin Mooney from Goldsmith's novel of the same name and was directed by Edgar G. Ulmer...

.

The book, subtitled "An Extraordinary Tale," was published by the Macaulay Company. Its plot is similar to the movie to which it was later adopted, except that the main character's name was changed from "Alexander Roth" to "Al Roberts," and erotic passages were removed.

The novel ends with much the same fatalistic line used in the movie: "God or Fate or some mysterious force can put the finger on you or on me for no good reason at all." In the film version of the novel, the reference to God is removed.

The movie "Detour" has achieved considerable acclaim, despite its low budget, as a defining movie of the film noir era. However, the novel, long out of print, did not have the same fate.

It was reprinted by O'Bryan House Publishers LLC on October 1, 2005; by blackmask.com (October 1, 2006).