So, Drive, by James Sallis.

Pretty good short and sharp bit of modern noir, I thought. Has its problems - the non-linear structure has some shakes (notably the first time the POV switches to someone other than Driver) - and the first half really feels like a set of loosely connected vignettes rather than a novel, but in the end it all pulls together very well. Definitely a worthy successor to the likes of James M Cain and his ilk.

Also, I never thought I'd see anybody really do car stunts well in a prose novel, but here's the gold standard set for the future...

I gather the movie Drive is based on this, so I'm more keen to check that out now...