The Friends of Eddie Coyle
George V. Higgins
 Eddie Coyle is an aging, low-level gunrunner for a crime organization in Boston, Massachusetts. He is awaiting sentencing after being convicted of a driving a hijacked truck in New Hampshire. Eddie had been driving the truck for Dillon, a convicted felon and career criminal who is well connected to the syndicate. Coyle has refused to give Dillon up to the authorities in exchange for leniency. Coyle's last chance to avoid a prison term is a sentencing recommendation from ATF Special Agent Dave Foley, who demands that Coyle become an informer in return. A gang led by Jimmy Scalise and Artie Van has been pulling off a series of daring day-time bank robberies with pistols supplied by Coyle. One of Coyle's sources for the pistols is a young gun runner, Jackie Brown, who is involved in a deal to supply military submachine guns for other clients. When taking the delivery of the pistols, Coyle finds out about the submachine guns and sets up Jackie for Foley. Jackie is apprehended by Foley and his agents and realizes he has been double-crossed by Coyle. Coyle feels he has fulfilled his end of the deal, but Foley puts the squeeze on Eddie, demanding more information for his cooperation. Acting on a tip, Foley and their agents are able to arrest Scalise and Van's gang in the commission of a robbery. A desperate Coyle approaches Foley with the only information of value he has, the identity of the gang pulling off the bank robberies, but it is too late for Eddie as Foley has already made the pinch. Scalise believes that he has been double-crossed by Eddie and the head of the syndicate is angry because one of his relatives was arrested as part of the gang. The syndicate boss wants Coyle killed, and Dillon gets a contract for a hit on Coyle, which he carries out. Dillon, who has had to live with the chance that Coyle might have given him up to the authorities to avoid prison, has been an informer for Foley and it is he, not Coyle, who has fingered Scalise and Van. When Foley asks his informant Dillon for information on Coyle's murder, Dillon demurs.