Good suggestion. May I also suggest you look for the original 1930s era novel "Nightmare Alley," by William Lindsay Greshan. The book formed the basis for an amazingly compelling noir movie that starred Tyrone Power as a cheesy sideshow mentalist who hits the big time and then slowly skids back to the bottom of the food chain. Joan Blondell is the co-star. The film and the novel are good illustrations of the adage, "bad things happen to bad people."

Power's character begins in a carnival, where he hones his act to the point of perfection that eventually allows him to become a society hustler. The film was largely responsible for the commonly used term "geek" -- which in carny lingo originally was a really down-and-out character who ate chickens alive to lure the suckers into seedy sideshows.

For those of you who are more visually inclined, try Spain Rodriguez' graphic novel adapted from Greshan's novel . . .Rodriguez was an underground comix artist in the 60s and 70s whose saga "Trashman" followed the misadventures of an anti-hero in a post apocalyptic world full or menace and chiaroscuro. He is, in my view, a perfect choice to ink a graphic version of a noir classic.