Doug is only seventeen when he hits town. He’s been on the run for awhile, and thinks he’s got it all figured out. But when he’s caught robbing a store, he finds that nothing has prepared him for the felony tank. Lying about his age, he is jailed with the adults, and here he meets Carl, the aging lifer with a steady supply of candy bars; Armando, who cuts first and talks later; Pesco, the big wheel from California; and Billy and his friend Agnes, two small-time hoods with big plans for escape… "A masterfully written novel... an ace work of noir fiction."-Brian Greene, CriminalElement.com "Braly writes like an angel."-Newsweek "Braly...exposes most of the toughly 'realistic' writers as naïve romantics... he thinks honestly about people, and writes about them with an unstressed absolute realism." -Anthony Boucher, New York Times FELONY TANK You re just a youngster. What re you doing in here? I m old enough. Old enough for what? Old enough to take care of myself Kid, no one s that old. Doug is only seventeen when he hits town. He s been on the run for awhile, and thinks he s got it all figured out. But when he s caught robbing a store, he finds that nothing has prepared him for the felony tank. Lying about his age, he is jailed with the adults, and here he meets Carl, the aging lifer with a steady supply of candy bars; Armando, who cuts first and talks later; Pesco, the big wheel from California; and Billy and his friend Agnes, two small-time hoods with big plans for escape Malcolm Braly was born in Portland, Oregon in 1925. Abandoned by his parents at an early age, he began a life of theft. He was first sent to the Preston School of Industry near Redding, California, eventually spending the first 40 years of his life in and out of prisons, including Nevada State Prison, Folsom State Prison and San Quentin, where he wrote his first three novels. Knox Burger of Gold Medal Books immediately offered him a contract and inspired Braly to take control of his life. After his final release Braly married and settled in Roxbury, New York. After 15 years of freedom, he died in a car accident in 1980.