Le Mans 24

Originally written as the script for Steve McQueen's movie, Denne Petitclerc's "Le Mans 24" was born at the 1967 Le Mans, where it was Ferrari versus Ford, old-world craftsmanship versus machine-age efficiency. Petitclerc crafts a novel of action and suspense transporting the reader to the rain-swept Le Mans race course and the battle between man and machine. The story line of the movie and Petitclerc's novel are essentially the same. What Peiticlerc does is flesh out the story, making the main character three-dimensional and perhaps more believable, giving him a life away from the circuit. He also creates a series of interesting characters for the protagonist to interact with. On one level, "Le Mans 24" works as a sort of guide to the movie. On another level, it is a sequel to the movie. Ultimately, "Le Mans 24" is what the movie could have been.