He wrote a novel that became a Humphrey Bogart film and won a Hollywood contract, then abandoned it all to prowl Philadelphia dive bars while hiding a secret marriage. This deep dive explores the fractured double life of noir novelist David Goodis, a valedictorian who became the literary voice of the marginalized.

Born in Philadelphia in 1917, Goodis churned out up to 10,000 words a day in the pulp magazines before his novel Dark Passage brought Hollywood success. He later returned home to care for his schizophrenic brother, and his lawsuit against ABC's The Fugitive produced a landmark copyright ruling after his death.

• How losing his brother Jerome shaped his household and his empathy for outsiders
• The marriage to Elaine Astor he hid from lawyers, friends, and biographers
• Why French New Wave directors like Truffa ...