Vintage Hardboiled Reads

She's Nothing But Trouble by Glenn Canary

2008-07-03T08:27:00.000-07:00

She's Nothing But Trouble by Glenn Canary
Short Story in Manhunt, August 1960.

Another excellent crime story that was published in Manhunt magazine. It take place in a seedy bar, and puts the characters in an indifferent situation where afterwards the reader will wonder... "what would I have done?"

"The girl was crying and swaying woodenly. She tried to cover herself with her hands."
"What do we do with her now?"
"That's a dumb question."

Hap Carter tries to take a stand to protect a tramp from five men who enter a bar. He's unsuccessful at first, but he gets a second chance. Does he take it? This short story is wonderfully written and captures the dark atmosphere of city bars in those days. But it's the outstanding ending, when Hap and the bartender are alone, that slams this story in your gut.

More on Glenn Canary

In a posting I wrote months ago, I commented on an exceptional novel I read by Glenn Canary, called "The Prefect Plot." Recently, his daughter Jessica Canary, informed me that her father passed away on May 7, 2008. Mr. Canary was an excellent writer of crime/suspense fiction, which included stories in Manhunt and AHMM. His 1963 Manhunt short story "Interference," was one of the best stories the magazine published in the early 60s. As an author, he left a very favorable impression on me. I will always hold high esteem for Glenn Canary's printed material; all you have to do is read "The Prefect Plot"and stories like "She's Nothing But Trouble" or "Interference." to fully appreciate the quality of his work.

Jessica mentioned to me how much her father truly loved writing and story telling. Corresponding with Jessica, I discovered the family is looking for copies of his work. (Glenn Canary's past work has become difficult to find) I happily sent her my copy of "The Prefect Plot" and volunteered to mention in this post that the family would be pleased if anyone else has pieces of his published works to contact Jessica. (Payment will be sent if anyone wishes)

You can contact Jessica Canary at jessica33176@gmail.com (she's a very nice person)

To all fellow readers: Below is an incomplete list of Glenn Canary's published material. (Novels and Short Stories) I would love to expand the listing of his fine work and get a complete documented list on the web for all to have knowledge of. Please send me titles of any other writings that are known to have been published. My hope is to finalize the list in the near future.

Thank you, August........

The Novels:
The Sadist -Monarch 280 (1962)
The Trailer Park Girls - Monarch 248 (1962)
The Damned and the Innocent -Monarch 486 (1964)
The Prefect Plot -Pinnacle (1974) as Glen Canary
A Walk in the Jungle -Pinnacle (1975)

Short Stories:
A Winter's Tale - Dude (Sept 1960)
She's Nothing But Trouble - Manhunt (Aug 1960)
unknown title - Manhunt (April 1961)
The Guilty Flee -Rogue (Feb 1962)
unknown title - Manhunt (April 1962)
Madison Avenue I Left You - Mr. (Mar 1963) article
No Escape - Manhunt (June 1963)
Interference - Manhunt (Oct 1963)

Numerous stories written for AHMM, only found one (title unknown) in the book collection called: Alfred Hitchcock - Killers At Large, edited by Alfred Hitchcock, Dell 1978.

Also believe that a story of Glenn Canary's was adapted for a teleplay during the first season of Alfred Hitchcock Presents - Available on DVD.

Strike Force 7 by Ian MacAlister

2008-06-30T16:25:00.000-07:00

Strike Force 7 by Ian MacAlister
Fawcett Gold Medal M2971,
Copyright 1974

"There were only a few passes through the cliffs this high up. By morning there were going to be troops, ambushing every one of them. Tomorrow was going to be hell."

In a three year period in the 70s, Marvin Albert using the pseud. Ian MacAlister, wrote four top shelf adventure novels. They all take place in dangerous locations, they are full of intrigue, and the plots involve extreme risks. The main character is usually a mercenary or ex-commando with a shady past that accepts to lead a mission with a handful of other professionals, some of which you wouldn't invite to your home for dinner.

My favorite is "Strike Force 7", which takes place in Morocco and its vast surrounding desert locations. Canadian gunrunner Earl Jarrell is completing his prison term in a Marseilles hell-hole and needs cash for the future, he's not getting any younger. He gets offered a job, "his last mission", to lead a team of his choosing to rescue an American millionaire's wife and daughter from a violent Arab political revolutionary group. He assembles an experienced team of professional killers, calculates a forceful plan of action, and Jarrell leads them out. There is a short timeline for the rescue, so the action is fast and explosive. Albert creates a prodigious atmosphere in the novel, and the reader can feel the sand in his nostrils and sweat running down his back. All characters are strongly portrayed, along with their psychological and physical features. There is a well developed relationship between Jarrell and A.P. reporter Nora Devlin, who gets involved with the mission. The reader expects this relationship to evolve into a romantic one, instead Marvin Albert leads us to one of appreciation, respect and understanding. And it works perfectly....

Nora Devlin shrugged. "You sell arms and yourself to any side that pays. In Katanga, they said you'd sell yourself to both sides at the same time, if you could."
Jarrell laughed softly. "That's true enough, So?"

Many authors were spitting out adventure thrillers in the 70s. Marvin Albert packed a high quality four punch during that time. "Strike Force 7" is my personal favorite, but all four are superb. The last chapter is truly touching and wonderfully written, It really reveals to the reader what a fine author Marvin Albert was.

Equally as good is "Driscoll's Diamonds." Another adventure thriller involving a mercenary (Driscoll), stolen diamonds, and a man called Royan who taught Driscoll everything he knows. The wicked Royan character is remarkable, as is the Middle East setting.

The four under Ian MacAlister are:

Skylark Mission (1973)
Driscoll's Diamonds (1973)
Strike Force 7 (1974)
Valley of the Assassins (1976)

One Lonely Night by Mickey Spillane

2008-06-26T17:34:00.000-07:00

One Lonely Night by Mickey Spillane
Signet 888, Copyright 1951

Talk about classics....

"This time I wasn't dealing in murder, I was dealing in war!"

It's nice to be enlightened by a couple of guys who know more about pulp fiction than I. This was the only Mike Hammer novel that I haven't read in the past, and it turns out to be Spillane's best.

Ridiculed and judged, Mike bounces back with the understanding that the world needs men like him. Men who have to do what is needed and right, no matter what the wishes of society dictate. Great stuff by the great man-Commies, murder, broads and vengeance. This may be Mike Hammer at his most vicious and you go on the hunt with him all-the-way. From the haunting beginning; when he walks the bridge, tormented and chastised on that raining night. To the violent ending; when he understands who he is, what he has become, and why the world needs him. "I killed because I had to and I killed things that needed killing." It's a hell of a ride...

This is a fascinating dark, noir novel (not just another Mike Hammer story) and Mickey Spillane best work!!! I haven't read the Mike Hammer novels in many years, after finishing this one I plan to read again the first "classic six." (1947-1952)

"I laughed and laughed while I put the second clip in the gun. I went around the room and kicked them over on their backs, and if they had faces left I made sure they didn't."

Will Penny by Tom Gries

2008-03-08T09:09:00.000-08:00

Will Penny by Tom Gries (and Bob Thomas)
Ballantine U5134, Copyright 1968

"What do I know about love?"-Will Penny

There are times when someone will mention a western movie to me and I’d answer, “Oh, that one is on my top-ten list of favorite westerns.” But in reality I’ll say that to well over ten or even twenty movies, so lately I am careful about say things like “that’s my favorite this-and-that….” Which brings me to Will Penny and I’ll leave how high this western film is rated to others. But there was a novelization written for the film and now I have a new respect for books written after movies are filmed.

I usually don’t read film novelizations, but when I found this one I had to give it a go. The story of an old cowpoke that finds love while trying to protect a mother and her young boy is just as strong in words as it is on film. Lonely Will Penny battles with this new discovery of love and family, something he has never known or felt. There is the heartwarming friendship between the cowhands; Penny, Dutchy and Blue. The pages capture the freedom they share and the way of life they love. We can smell the fresh, cold mountain air and snuggle in the warmth of the mountain cabin. Thrown in the story are some crazy inbreed villains that provide some good western action; and I can’t help but enjoy reliving the story through the pages of the novel.

But of course the strength of the story is Will Penny finding something he never had or felt. Love. The love he found with Catherine and family bond discovered with Button. And yet he has to let it go, because to Will Penny love cannot survive in his world. He realizes that a time for a woman’s love and family has past for him. He has limitations now because of his age, and life would be harder and more uncertain. Will Penny don’t risk the chance, and walks away.

"A man can't change, not when he's lived one way most of fifty years. I came closer with you than I ever done, I wish it woulda happened long ago. It's too late for me."

All that was wonderful in the movie is captured in the novel. I may have enjoyed it so much because the movie was exceptional, I’ll never know since I saw the film first. But I do picture Charlton Heston as Will Penny and Joan Hackett as Catherine when I read it, and why not they were terrific. I certainly enjoyed this enough, to take a chance and read more novelizations of films. As for Tom Gries, the writer and director of the movie, he created a magnificent western film and a memorable western character in Will Penny.

There is even a statue of the Will Penny character in the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma.

Death Stalk in Spain by Don Smith

2008-03-05T18:20:00.000-08:00

Death Stalk in Spain by Don Smith
Award Books AN1040, Copyright 1972

Here one that's a bit different. Take a PI that works for a special department of the CIA and send him around the world performing investigations for the USA. The "Secret Mission" series by Don Smith are a blend of adventure, intrigue and decent PI story. Phil Sherman is our world traveler PI, a pretty sharp guy that isn't afraid to bend the rules at times.

In "Death Stalk in Spain," Sherman is asked to help the U.S. Navy in locating a missing rescue submarine and it's rogue captain, Lt. Kelly. Kelly has obtained information on the location of ten tons of gold that was sunk by a German U-boat during WWII. He needs the U.S. sub to retrieve the gold from the depths and has the ex-captain of the U-Boat that sunk it as his partner. Sherman starts piecing it together and then a beautiful Spanish woman is thrown in the mix, playing both sides of the fence. After a couple of close encounters with death, he stays on the trail and pursues the surviving conspirator in a suspenseful climactic chase at the end.

"I heard the gunshot as I hit the water and stayed under as long as I could. I came up and gulped down a lungful of air, and a rifle cracked at the same instant as the bullet snapped overhead. I went under again and changed direction. The rifle did worry me. It had the range."

Not a bad mystery story, with a good amount of exciting action that is the norm for these series books. Phil Sherman doesn't have special Hi-Tech weapons or other spy tools; in fact he doesn't even carry a gun. What he does is follow the leads and perform some nice detective work. As in all of these, there is plenty of heated activity at the end to wrap it up. Sherman isn't afraid of the ladies and can be a charmer, throwing a joke or two. The dames always seem to be involved with the caper, but he'll show compassion for them and lets them off in the end. What works well is that Sherman comes off like an average PI. Not a super spy, just a “dick on a case” whose turf just happens to be locations throughout the world.

Don Smith creates an entertaining novel. As these adventure novels go, the "Secret Mission" series is one of the better ones out there. Smith even gives us a geography lesson; in this one we get a full understanding of the coast of western Spain. I liked that and it definitely helps the story. Overall a very intriguing novel that kept me glued to the story all the way through. This is the only book of the series that I own, but it was good enough for me to hunt down another. As for Don Smith, I don't know much about him but I may have read a book of his in the past about the mafia. I vaguely remember it followed the success of Puzo’s "The Godfather"-but I could be wrong, it was a while ago.

Prognosis Negative by Floyd Mahannah

2008-03-03T16:35:00.000-08:00

Prognosis Negative by Floyd Mahannah
Short Story in Manhunt March 1953

I always enjoy the PI stories that Manhunt published and this one is excellent. It's a story of a "two-bit dick" who finally shows some guts before he "punches out."

Jim Makin is a California PI, who was just informed that he has an inaccessible tumor in his brain and has about a year to live. He's in a middle of a case in which his client, a female illegal immigrant, has taken $60,000 from the racket boss-Ernie Fidako. The big guy wants the dough back, and knows Makin is hiding her. Makin is a bit scared of Ernie and his boys, but after his negative prognosis he musters up some courage and a "what the hell" attitude. He goes after Ernie. Eventually, Makin stubbles, and Ernie nabs him and the tamale. Ernie roughs both up, before Jim Makin makes his move and violently takes on the four of them.

"I'd crossed Ernie Fidako, and in this town that was poison. He left it lying there-the alternative-the slug in the back, the concrete coffin, the long sleep under the Bay."

I love these Manhunt short stories and this one is definitely hardboiled. Hell, Ernie Fidako even sets the girl's hair on fire to make her talk. A top-notch story, with an ending that is rough, violent and the bullets are flying. Jim Makin is an interesting PI character and too bad he only had a year left-would of loved to see him in a whole novel. The transition from a guy who yesterday would of been running scared, to the nothing-to-lose attitude Makin has now, is ingeniously handled by the author. A fine little noir short story.

As for Floyd Mahannah, a fine writer that wrote some excellent novels for Signet in the 50s. Bill Crider wrote a fine review for The Broken Body. (Signet 957)

As for this issue of Manhunt, check who else is inside:
Mickey Spillane (Part III of "Everybody's Watching Me")
Richard Prather (Scott Shell story)
Leslie Charteris (A Saint story)
Craig Rice (John J. Malone story)
Bruno Fischer
Frank Kane (Johnny Liddell story)
William Lindsay Gresham
Harold Masur (Scott Jordan story)
Evan Hunter (Matt Cordell story)
Robert Patrick Wilmot
Richard Marsten

The Erection Set by Mickey Spillane

2008-02-29T19:40:00.000-08:00

The Erection Set by Mickey Spillane
Signet 5120, Copyright 1972

When I was in the U.S. Navy in the mid-70s, it seemed that wherever you went on the ship this paperback was laying around. Sailors being what they are, most of them were attracted to the paperback for the cover, the title, or both. Even though I read a few Mike Hammer and Tiger Mann novels prior, I was taken back at seeing Spillane’s name on “The Erection Set.” Well, somewhere probably in the Mediterranean Sea, I crawled in my rack and started it, and of course I’m glad I did. It’s was a true awakening.

Mickey Spillane brought this one up a big notch. He throws all into it and leaves little out. The main character, Dogeron Kelly, is possibly the toughest SOB in print. In fact he’s a bastard, but a "good guy" bastard. I have yet to find another character that comes close. It’s a violent story of a man with a secret past, out to make things right. Like the cab driver said looking at Kelly as they leave Kennedy Airport, “Shit, man, you’re loaded for bear.” Kelly has been away from New York City for a while, and returns to blow the town wide open. Bad guys beware! Strictly for the men of course. Was it controversial?-probably, I had no idea what the critics or Spillane fans thought of it at the time. And of course I didn’t care.

Almost like a magnet, I pick up this paperback every few years. Sometimes I read just a few choice pages and other times I’ll read it all. And I always thought it was just to bring back memories from a time when I was younger, careless, or remembering lonely days at sea. But of course I know that is not why, I read it because of one thing-the main character, Dogeron “Dog” Kelly. And thanks to the Mick, we have the original, ultimate, son-of-a-bitch, .45 packer, who do anything for the sake of justice….

“So I broke every finger on Bridey’s hands, too, then stitched him up the side of each cheek, so he’d never be invisible in a crowd again. I opened his belt, pulled his pants and shorts down, and waited the two minutes until he started to wake up, holding the point of the pick right over the two goodie sacs, and just as a groan wheezed through his lips and his eyes opened and rolled toward mine I drove the ice pick through those lumps of tissue into the rubber-tiled floor and the frenzied yell of horror he started never got past the sharp hiss of his sucked-in breath before he fainted.
The next person to go in that bathroom would do more than relieve his bladder or bowels.”

Of course later I had to read Mickey Spillane’s second “dirty little book” published a year later, “The Last Cop Out.” This I thought had the slightly better plot, with a similar type character in ex-cop Gillian “Gill” Burke. In this one Burke is asked to go up against a Mafia family alone. Violent and downright gross at times, but damn good. But Dog Kelly came first and left the impression that is forever etched upstairs.

Could these two novels be Mickey Spillane’s best pieces of work?
I believe so…

Never Say No To A Killer by Jonathan Gant

2008-02-27T18:40:00.000-08:00

Never Say No To A Killer by Jonathan Gant
ACE D-157, Copyright 1956

Here I go again, singing the praises of Clifton Adams crime stories. In this gem published under the pseudo. Jonathan Gant, Adams gives us a story of a psychotic killer who sees opportunities and uses violence to reap the gains.

“ That was when I brought the rock up with all the strength I had in my two arms. It cracked the point of Gorgan’s chin and I heard his jawbone snap under the impact.”

The novel starts fast and violent, with con Roy Surratt escaping from a prison work detail. Dorris Venci, the widow of his ex-cell mate, aids in his escape and takes him to her hometown, Lake City. To pay her back, she wants Surratt to kill an ex-governor. Surratt knows what makes women tick and quickly discovers Dorris is a sexual masochist. He uses this to his gain. He agrees to kill the corrupt ex-governor and in return he wants the blackmail information her late husband collected on other influential people. After the killing, he falls for the ex-governors mistress Patricia Kelso. Money quickly starts to come in because of his blackmail schemes and Dorris starts to be in his way for future plans with Patricia Kelso. Surratt ends his relationship with Dorris. Dorris tragically devises a way to get even with Surratt. Her plan starts him on a rapid decline from his dreams and his freedom.

“Why, you simian sonofabitch, I thought, you make one move in my direction, just one single move, and you’ll be till sundown gathering your teeth off the sidewalk.”

Again, Clifton Adams excels in creating an excellent hardboiled noir novel. This is a story of a dangerous criminal who is both smart and evil, with a studied knowledge of philosophy. Surratt leaves a trail of corpses throughout the story, as he calculates his moves to achieve financial wealth. A triangle of deception is created between the three characters, Surratt and the two dames. Surratt uses his egotistical knowledge of philosophy to manipulate one and in the attempted manipulation of the other. Later at the end, he realizes that he outsmart himself. All this turns out tragic for everyone involved, as we realize there are no respectable people in this story. They are all dark and narcissistic, caring only about money and revenge. Excellent last paragraph as Surratt talks to the reader giving his personal thoughts on his empty feelings.

In the 50s ACE had many hit-and-miss paperbacks, some were downright poor, this is not one of them. You'll fly through the 148 pages. And a big bonus with this flip double novel edition- it's a secret agent Paul Knox novel call "Stab in the Dark" by Louis Trimble.

Satan Takes the Helm by Calvin Clements

2008-02-25T15:37:00.000-08:00

Satan Takes the Helm by Calvin Clements
Gold Medal 252, Copyright 1952

Ah, the life of a merchant marine looking for a ship. Everyone is scratching for a buck, along with some other action.

"Groups of jobless seamen were loitering along the foot of the piers, looking up at the freighters and tankers, studying the rat guards. Like at a wake, just standing around and looking..."

Mrs. Joyce Sloan is looking for a chief officer for her husband's ship, the Eastern Trader. Martin Lewandowski is offered the job and he jumps on it. One problem, Mr. Sloane likes to have his beautiful wife aboard when we sails. Mrs. Joyce Sloan quickly takes up with Lewandowski. She plants ideas in his head that, with her husband out of the way, he could have her and a ship of his own. Lewandowski realizes that when Mrs. Sloan hires a mate, it's for more than looking after a ship.

If you like a salty, dark adventure mystery, just hop on board this ship. Not many good people sail in this story. Mrs. Sloan is your femme fatale, Lewandowski is full of culpable behavior, and together they weave a devious scheme. Throw in the dark ship, exotic ports and the emotional games between the two characters, and we have a fine crime noir story.

"Her robe was open. I caught the neck of her pajamas and ripped down. Her hands dropped to cover herself and I slapped her again. I couldn't stop. I wanted to kill her."

On this voyage of deceit, dreams, contempt and murder.... you will feel the rust of the ship, smell the stink of the ports and sweat in your bunk. This is the first of the three Calvin Clements paperbacks published by Gold Medal. All take place in dirty ports and at sea; with a scrappy skipper, vicious crewmen, and seductive women. They are also very good!

The Big Kiss-Off by Day Keene

2008-02-23T15:10:00.000-08:00

The Big Kiss-Off By Day Keene
Graphic 75, Copyright 1954

Day Keene was an author that made you sweat when reading. His books are usually set during the hot days in the South, with an average guy who just wants to be left alone. 'The Big Kiss-Off" is a noir-ish adventure that stands on it own sea legs.

Cade Cain spent two years in a POW camp in Korea. During that time his wife divorced him and now he just wants to stay on his boat in the Gulf and let life go by. That's not going to happen. One day he finds six bodies in the muddy tide and later the local sheriff is found dead on his boat. Someone is framing him and he doesn't know why. With no alibi, he sets out to find some answers. An illegal immigrant called Mimi turns up and is caught in the frame-up. The trail leads to New Orleans and to Cain's ex-wife. His rage grows as he starts to unwind the mystery, along with his interest in Mimi.

" The bastard, thought Cade. The big Irish bastard. Sweat started to trickle down his sides. Cade felt the butt of the gun in his pocket, as he walked out on the pier."

Day Keene was a real pro and I find all his books very enjoyable. He spun a good story here, with a character that you can’t help but side with. There’s always something about the veteran who comes back from war, looking to get back to a normal life and trouble finds him. This theme was used throughout the 50s in paperbacks and Day Keene was one of the best in creating a good novel with it. Published by Gold Medal, Lion, Pyramid, ACE, Signet, Graphic, Zenith-he never seemed to have to look for work. Keene wrote many short shorts and these should not be overlooked. And being a guy who loves a good western, he wrote a damn good one in 1967, "Guns Along the Brazos."

Guns of the Timberlands by Louis L'Amour

2008-02-21T17:05:00.000-08:00

Guns of the Timberlands by Louis L'Amour
Bantam 1390, Copyright 1955

Continuing with some recent discussions on Louis L'Amour, (Steve Lewis has an excellent post on Mystery*File) I recently finished this early work by the author. "Guns of the Timberland" has your good guy vs. bad guy theme, with a subtle view on the impact of over foresting thrown in.

The novel is a battle between "good guy" Clay Bell, rancher who enjoys his land and free life; and wealthy Jud Devitt, who is a man who gets what he wants. Devitt is after the timber on Bell's land, he plans to make a large profit selling needed lumber to the railroads and no one is going to stop him. Devitt brings in gun-hands and lumberjacks to insure the stripping of the forest. Bell has his ranch hands, who are fairly seasoned and tough.

Louis L'Amour was a good writer and could tell a story, but you always knew the outcome. I usually don't mind that; but after reading many of the novels, I found I was just reading to finish them. "Guns of the Timberlands" is one of his finest westerns and he paints an excellent picture of the western landscape. In this one he has some good ol' barroom fights and good ol' cowboy killin' -one fight is pretty brutal involving a lumberjack smashing the face of one of Bell's men with his calks. But we know there will be a final one-on-one battle between Bell and Devitt, and we will know who will win, and we will know who gets the girl......

Note: I will always have a strong heart for Hondo, which is my personal favorite by Louis L'Amour. (and a damn good John Wayne movie)

Copp For Hire by Don Pendleton

2008-02-19T18:30:00.000-08:00

Copp For Hire by Don Pendleton
Copyright 1987

From the man who created and wrote the first 38 "Executioner" series adventure books, comes a hard case, hard ass, L.A. PI living on the hard side. And that's how Pendleton wants us to see him as. Joe Copp is an ex-cop who wants to pick-and-chose his own cases, which is why he went "private."

In the first of the six novel series, Copp sets out to find why his stripper client, who just hired him, is killed as she is leaving his office. Quickly the case takes him to strip clubs, meeting sleazy cops, and finding murder, murder, and more murders. Joe Copp is tough, mouthy, and quick with the gun. He chases after a sex-psycho politician and his masochistic nephew, from LA to Hawaii. The Honolulu police give him plenty of rope to settle the score, and Joe doesn't let them down.

"I rip his gun loose and hear several fingers crunch in the release. I decide to leave him with his head intact. I merely bang it on the floor until he quits struggling."

This one is bang, bang action-hardboiled and a bit hardcore. Not for the ladies, Pendleton wrote this for his target audience-men who like fast aggressive action. Copp sees all, acts fast, and will stop and preach a little to us. We're not talking Pulitzer here; just fast, exciting, hard PI fun.

Dolores Hitchens and PI Jim Sader

2008-02-17T12:30:00.000-08:00

Sleep With Strangers by Dolores Hitchens.
Perma M3040, Copyright 1955

Sleep With Slander by Dolores Hitchens
Perma M4243, Copyright 1960

Continuing with these wonderful discussions on female authors writing excellent noir novels in the days when men dominated the field; Ed Gorman makes an excellent point that these should not be overlooked and deserved to be read. And having read many, I wished there were more. Although I have a very strong affection for Leigh Brackett's noir works, I was more impressed with the Jim Sader novels written by Dolores Hitchens.

The majority of Hitchen's work are tame mysteries, but along the way she gave us two excellent hardboiled Jim Sader PI novels. Sader a loner, with his own problems, takes on missing person cases for the two-man agency he has with his partner Dan Scarborough. In "Sleep With Strangers," Sader gets involved with a wealthy blonde, along with her family and her acquaintances. The gorgeous woman hires Sader to locate her missing mother. The story get into the filth of her society and Sader gets dragged downward into it. "Sleep With Slander" has Sader hunting down a kidnapped child. This one grabs you from the start with a moving two page prelude. People are not who they make out to be and Sader discovers that there are plenty of false truths throughout the case. "Slander" is the better of the two books, which may be because Sader's partner is not involved in the story and we witness a strong emotional involvement in Sader on this case. But the first novel should not be dismissed.

"There was a sudden taste of exhaustion, as sharp as that of blood, in his mouth, and he was aware that he had taken a beating, that he hadn't had any dinner, that he was so tired that he could have dropped where he stood to sleep. He felt that he was alone in a room full of ghosts."

These female writers provided more than hardboiled PI stories, they had the ability to capture true development of their characters; which I find a large number of male authored PI novels leave out. For some reason the female authors from that era, get it and make it the strength in their stories. I guess that was the point I was trying to convey in my previous post on 'The Blank Wall."

As for Kevin Burton Smith and his upcoming study on female hardboiled/pulp-era authors, it's long overdue and he should be applauded for taking on the task.

The Blank Wall by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding

2008-02-16T08:36:00.000-08:00

The Blank Wall by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding
Pocket Book 662, Copyright 1947

I have aways heard fine things about this story and after passing it over may times to read something else, I finally got around to it. It's a strong psychological thriller, with a fine dose of mystery. The story of upper-class Lucia Holley obsessively protecting her family from scandal during WWII.

"And all that had happen to her would be, must be, pushed down, out of sight; the details of daily living would come like falling leaves to cover it."

While her husband is away at war, Lucia Holley is left with the responsibility of caring for her teenage children and her husband's father. These are the days of rationing coupons, shortages and lonely letters to loved ones in war. She is approached by a blackmailer that has some scandalous letters written by her daughter to an older man. Lucia, unable to pay the amount, starts a lonely struggle to do anything to protect her family. There is a killing and later a murder, which is related to the blackmail attempt. Lucia is spiraling with worry and panic as her involvement deepens.

The story is fast paced and reads almost like a play. The strength of the novel is Holding's ability to create magnificent characters. She is able to bring out Lucia's relationships with these characters and these grab you. Lucia has dramatic interactions with her daughter, the colored cook Sibyl, the policeman Levy and especially with the mysterious blackmailer Martin Donnelly. Not a hardboiled novel, but a strong suspenseful mystery like many written in the 40s.

Usually the female authors I read have male characters as protagonists in their crime stories. I was always stuck on Leigh Brackett, Dorothy Hughes, the Jim Sader novels by Dolores Hitchens. I was presently surprised with the characters in "The Blank Wall," especially Lucia Holley and Martin Donnelly, and I be looking forward to reading more from Elisabeth Sanxay Holding.

Note: Two movies based on this novel. "The Reckless Moment" (1949) and "The Deep End." (2001)

Cain's Woman by O. G. Benson

2008-02-13T17:45:00.000-08:00

Cain's Woman by O. G. Benson
Dell FE A200, Copyright 1960

In 1960, O. G. Benson may have given us one of the most creative PI novels ever written, with a pragmatic Chicago private investigator that works out of his own office.

"The last time I cried had been at night on the lumpy mattress of a cell in a lockup in San Francisco while somewhere outside, in the darkness of the city, the woman I loved had waited to divorce me and marry another man."

The beautiful, young Mrs. Naomi Cain is being blackmailed; someone has pornographic pictures of her from her past. She is married to the wealthy and elderly Jedediah Cain, and needs to get this resolved before her husband finds out. Naomi hires Chicago PI Max Raven, still getting over his divorce, to get them back. Raven gets off to a bad start and botches the case at the start. But he gets back on track and starts making progress. The story takes us from Chicago, to an investigation in NYC, then back to Chicago. Raven eventually falls hard for Mrs. Cain, which ties him emotionally to the case. Secrets get revealed and her past starts to unwind. Raven pieces it all together, which at the end falls apart in his hands.

"My fist hit him and the scream died as a gurgle in his throat. I hit him again and felt the jar wrench my shoulder. He slid down the wall like a punctured bag of sand and I kicked him in the face."

This is an excellent PI novel in every way, with many surprises and a terrific ending. The relationship and interaction between Raven and Naomi Cain, as a client and lover, is brilliantly woven. Max Raven has real emotions, good and bad, which interferes with his ability to solve the case. He’s a troubled PI, believable and realistic. You get the impression that this is how a PI, operating on his own, goes at it. Raven goes up against some slimy people and gets knocked around some, but he is a tough character and stays with it. A slick, hardboiled novel that contains my favorite opening and closing paragraphs in any PI story. In some circles this has been called a "cult classic" and I can see why. To bad Mr. Benson didn't write more PI novels, with Max Raven in them.

O.G. Benson's real name is Ben Benson (not to be confused with the Ben Benson who wrote the Wade Paris and Ralph Lindsey novels in the 1950s) and “Cain’s Wife” was his first novel. I know of no other book that he has authored, but I assume there must be a couple more. He was a fairly accomplished painter and his work is on display at the Richard Gray Gallery in Chicago. He died of cancer at the age of 74 in 2002.

This paperback finally got enough recognition and was published again in 1985 by Perennial Library. It was retitled as "Cain's Wife" and they gave it a horrible cover, but at least they threw it out there.

Tears Are For Angels by Paul Connolly

2008-02-11T16:25:00.000-08:00

Tears Are For Angles by Paul Connolly
Gold Medal 224, Copyright 1952

Gold Medal published three novels by Paul Connolly. Two are average at best, but one shines above both of those. "Tears Are For Angels" is an excellent story that contains many twists and surprises.

The story revolves around Harry London. He catches his wife in bed with local man Dick Stewart. London has a gun and plans to kill the guy, but a fight occurs, the gun goes off and he finds his wife shot dead. Stewart is gone and London knows he is looking at a murder rap. He sets it up to look like a murder/suicide gone wrong. He shoots himself in the arm to strengthen his story that his wife was going to kill him first, then herself. London not only loses his wife, but also his arm is amputated. This spirals him into a deep depression, which he blames on the man that was with his wife. Feeling like half-a-man, he drinks away his problems until he decides to kill Stewart, who has ruined his life.

"We were digging his grave, all right. And we were digging a deep, hollow, clammy one for ourselves, right beside it."

London takes up with county girl Jean in a backwoods shack. She agrees to help him kill Stewart and they both plan to get some money out of it. But Jean actually helps him gain his self-respect. She shows him a different side of his wife, which he failed to understand before. Later London, Jean and Stewart are all drawn together and there is an excellent ending that takes place at a damned lake. There we learn all that took place on that night when London's wife was killed.

A remarkable novel that is more than a crime/murder story . It shows how a man can fall so much until he has a reason to build himself up again. The reason could be a woman or even vengeance. A story of betrayal and self justice, where a man's soul must be found among the ruins that he has made himself.

The two other Gold Medal books by Paul Connolly are "Get Out of Town" (GM#188) and "So Fair, So Evil." (GM#500)

John Eagle-Expeditor #13 - Operation Weatherkill

2008-02-08T17:02:00.000-08:00

John Eagle-Expeditor #13-Operation Weatherkill by Paul Edwards.
Pyramid V3874, Copyright 1975

With all the elite, adventure, hero types the paperback publishers were spitting out in the 70s, it’s amazing they weren’t bumping into each other around the world. “Operation Weatherkill” is number 13 in the 14 book Expeditor series. A little heard of series, that turns out to be surprisingly enjoyable.

John Eagle is the first and only agent for the Expeditor Project. It’s a program run and financed by a special U.S. government group to insure the survival of the free world. Eagle, who came from an Apache upbringing, has been trained and equipped to take on any threat from evil forces.

A secret organization has developed a technical way to control the weather in any location they choose. They can produce rainstorms for days, which create floods, disease, and crop destruction. This in turn causes an economic disaster for the countries targeted. Nations are blackmailed to pay up in gold or the disasters will continue. After a couple of strikes in America, the leader of the Expeditor Project gives John Eagle the mission to locate and destroy the threat. Eagle traces the location to a Slavic island called Sveti Hvar, and quick discovers that a Turkish millionaire named Ferit Sunay is the leader of Operation Weatherkill and his goal is to bring back the great Turkish Empire. On the island Eagle bumps into a beautiful, blond, nymphomaniac, Soviet agent, who is on a similar mission for Russia. They agree to team up to destroy Sunay and Operation Weatherkill. They make an effective team, slowly eliminating some of Sunay’s men and also in some vigorous lovemaking. Finally the duo sets out to destroy the operation’s headquarters, which is an old castle on the island. Later Eagle discovers that the cold-blooded, female KGB agent wants a few of the secrets for her government and risks both their lives to kidnap the lead scientist. At the end, the two of them enter the castle headquarters to complete the mission and only one comes out.

“Eagle squeezed the soundless trigger. The steel-vaned dart entered the man’s skull with a sound like an arrow sinking into a melon. He dropped in his tracks.”

I guess I am drawn to these paperbacks because I get nostalgic for these old Cold War stories, where the KGB and CIA are playing cat and mouse. Eagle is a fairly well-oiled machine. He has been well trained and has some neat gadgets that he uses on missions. He has a high-powered pistol that fires deadly darts, a specially designed suit that allows him to blend into any background, and even a one-man nuclear submarine. As in most of these numbered series books; there is a lacking of character depth and realistic plot development. But these paperbacks weren’t about that; these were about action entertainment for men, which is how they should be read. This may not be for everyone and there is nothing new here, but I still enjoyed reading the paperback. Not to be taken too seriously, just to sit back and have some fun.

Paul Edwards is actually Lyle Kenyon Engel (1915-1986) who used many pseudos. He is credited as the author of “The Baroness” series, “The Chopper Cop” series, and others using the name Paul Kenyon. But he did not actually author these books; instead he commissioned others to write them. I guess you would call him a “paperback production manager.”

Expeditor - Paul Edwards

Needles of Death
The Brain Scavengers
The Laughing Death
The Fist of Fatima
Valley of Vultures
The Glyphs of Gold
The Ice Goddess
The Death Devils
The Deadly Cyborgs
The Holocaust Auction
Poppies of Death
The Green Goddess
Operation Weatherkill
Silverskull

Secret of the Second Door by Robert Colby

2008-02-06T15:25:00.000-08:00

Secret of the Second Door by Robert Colby
Gold Medal 855, Copyright 1959

Robert Colby gives us the excellent story involving good guy Neil Shepard and the search for missing cash. This paperback is 128 pages long and not one written paragraph is wasted.

“She’s a spoiled bitch!” he said. “She’s selfish to her toenails. Intellectually, I know it and yet emotionally I cling to her or something she represents, like an alcoholic to his last bottle.”

Neil Shepard gets word that his ex-lover’s husband has been killed in a car crash. Five years ago beautiful Corrine dumped him hard and she has always obsessed him. Compelled to see her, Shepard leaves Florida and heads to New York. Glad that he came, Corrine apologizes about being a bitch to him in the past and she uses her sex to rekindle the relationship. She tells Shepard that before her husband died he was in possession of two hundred thousand dollars, which he said was won in a poker game. The money can’t be located and Shepard agrees to play detective and see if he can help find the cash. Shepard doesn’t buy the poker story, but she agrees to give him $50,000 if he finds it and his desire for Corrine is strong. He sets out and along the way we are introduced to four ruthless professional thieves who will do anything to get the cash. Shepard along the way witnesses betrayal, unfaithfulness by Corrine, torture and murder.

“Don’t try it,” he said. “This gun has no friends.”

It’s a fantastic novel, which starting from page one just continues to build and build. We come to understand about the obsession of Shepard for Corrine and even what compels Corrine to want more men. The violence of the four thieves is fairly graphic for a novel from 50s. These guys are real bad dudes and the author doesn’t hold back. Very intense ending. Shepard, after witnessing the evil of these four men, resorts to his own violence. He then practically breaks down, which concludes into a powerful emotional ending.

As you may tell, Robert Colby has been a favorite of mine. He never wrote a sub-par book or short story. All of his Gold Medal books are excellent. “The Captain Must Die” is one of the finest published by Gold Medal and is reaching "classic" status. His four books published by ACE are also terrific. My favorite being “The Quaking Widow.”

For more on Robert Colby see Peter Enfantino's 2006 Tribute that is posted on the excellent Mystery*File site - editor is Steve Lewis.

Rio Bravo (DVD) director: Howard Hawks

2008-02-04T16:11:00.000-08:00

Rio Bravo (DVD) director: Howard Hawks (1959)

After seeing this wonderful film many times, I viewed the DVD last night for the first time and it's magnificent. The DVD lets us see how beautifully filmed this movie really was. From the brilliant, subdued lighting on the sets to the enhanced sound; this DVD brings a totally new experience for the viewer seeing this film.

The story, if anyone doesn't know, is about Sheriff John T. Chance taking a stand with a few misfits while surround by hired gunmen in his own town. Chance is holding a cattle baron's brother in the jail for murder. Directed by the great Howard Hawks, this has become one of the best westerns made by Hollywood.

Almost flawless, except in my opinion, for a little overacting by a young Angie Dickinson and some underacting by Ricky Nelson. But the trio of John Wayne, Dean Martin and scene-stealer Walter Brennan more than make up for them. In fact this may be Dean Martin's and Walter Brennan's finest performances on film.

Leigh Brackett contributes to the screenplay and it seems that everything she brings to Hollywood is always gold. The story is from a short work by B. H. McCampbell whom I never heard of. I would love to know more about the original story, so if anyone knows more please drop me a comment or E-Mail.

It's a whole new experience viewing this masterpiece on the Two-Disc DVD Special Edition. Warner Bros. is definitely doing something right here. Fabulously entertaining, almost perfect in every way, it's on my top shelf to stay for Western DVDs. Truly wonderful!

My Rifle, My Pony and Me - Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson (a small treat in the movie)

Edge of the Law by Richard Deming

2008-02-02T09:00:00.000-08:00

Edge of the Law by Richard Deming
Berkley G450, Copyright 1960

Richard Deming had a long career that ran from the 40s to the 80s. He wrote many short stories, novels and film/television adaptations. Highly admired, he created characters such as Manville Moon, Matt Rudd and took over the Tim Corrigan series under pseud. Ellery Queen. In "Edge of the Law", Deming introduces us to Jud Sands-who likes to work for mobsters, but doesn’t want to be owned by them.

“They say you’re a bullhead. Loyal, obey orders, but only to a point. There’s some things you won’t do for money.”

Jud Sands is on the run from his old boss, who runs the Miami syndicate. He wants Sands dead and sends hit men out to eliminate him. Sands arrives in the city of Ridgeford, which is wide open and is run by a racketeer named Renzo Amatti. Before you know it Sands is working for Amatti, as a muscle man. His first job is to lean on a bar owner to play along. When Sands finds out that the bar owner is married to his old girlfriend, he tells Amatti where to stick the job. Later the bar owner is killed by a hand grenade and Sands is fingered as the murderer. He makes an escape from the courtroom during his grand jury indictment, and with the help of a beautiful redhead, he goes into hiding. Later he sets out to clear his name from the murder rap and to get the Miami hoods that are out to kill him. Of course, he succeeds on both.

A good story but flawed. Sands comes off a bit to high and mighty. He has an answer for everything and always comes out ahead over everyone else. Jud Sands makes a lot of assumptions throughout the story. These I am sure were used to move the story along, but in reality things wouldn’t work that way. One example is when the cops only stakeout the front of a house waiting for Sands. Sands tells us that he knows they wouldn’t stakeout the back. Why not! Or during his escape in the court room, he knows they wouldn't guard the window. There are too many of these assumptions throughout the novel. The two girls in the story (his ex-girlfriend and the redhead) have an interesting relationship with Sands and that does work well. But it was easy to figure out who committed the murder and once you knew that, there wasn’t much left to the story.

I was looking forward reading "Edge of the Law" because I have always admired Richard Deming’s work. I may have set my expectations too high on this one. It is still is a good read, I would call it average, but not the best that Deming has authored.

Besides the numerous novels Deming wrote, he did pen some excellent short stories that were featured in many magazines for men. One of his best was “Hit and Run,” that was in the Dec. 1954 issue of Manhunt. It featured PI Barney Calhoun and the femme fatal in this one kept her murdered husband in a bathtub filled with ice. It was exceptional and one of my favorite stories from Manhunt. Later, Deming lengthened the story and published a novel version with PI Barney Calhoun in 1960. (same title:“Hit and Run” Pocket Book 1271) I have never been able to locate a copy of this novel, but will keep hunting.

Slay-Ground by Richard Stark

2008-01-30T17:30:00.000-08:00

Slay-Ground by Richard Stark
Berkley, Copyright 1971

The widely popular Parker books are the real deal. I have yet to find one that is not excellent and it's easy to see why this series has a worldwide following. Great writing, great character and well-written plots; this one has it all.

Parker of course is the anti-hero/thief created by Donald Westlake using the pseudo name of Richard Stark.

“Tommy was out of the building by now, and spreading the alarm. But that hardly mattered. It was a new ball game. Parker had a gun.”

Just finished "Slay-Ground" and though it is very good, when compared to others in the series it may be my least favorite. Starts off fast and violent like all the books; with Parker, Grofield and Lauffman pulling of an armored car robbery. There is a chase, they crash and Parker takes the cash and gets out fast. He ends up hiding out in an amusement park which is closed for the winter and that's were the rest of the story takes place. The local mob discovers he is hiding there and seals the place off, trapping him inside. The mob with the help of two corrupt cops, plan to kill Parker and take the loot. He is left to figure a way to outsmart them and escape with the cash.

The strength of the series is the Parker character and the violence he gets involved with in the novels. This one provides plenty of that. But being trapped in the amusement park for the whole novel, took him away from what I liked best about the character. Which is Parker interfacing with others, especially his crime partners. He seemed out of his element and that made the story a little awkward. The idea of being caged and alone was good, but not for the whole novel. Excellent in other ways though. Nice fast start and Parker figures some neat ways to eliminate his opponents one-by-one. He uses the tools on hand with the results always violent. Also, fairly good ending involving his escape. It is still a very enjoyable Parker novel as all of them are, but I found this one a bit off track when compared to the other Parker books.

But still one of the best crime series ever authored.

For more on the man see the website: www.violentworldofparker.com

Death's Sweet Song by Clifton Adams

2008-01-28T16:20:00.000-08:00

Death's Sweet Song by Clifton Adams
Gold Medal 483, Copyright 1955

Talk about a guy who gets caught up in it.

One the the best to come out of Gold Medal in the 50s. Clifton Adams wrote mostly western novels, but he authored a classic crime fiction story here.

Joe Hooper owns a fled-bag motel in Oklahoma and is about to go under. Along pulls up Karl Sheldon, with his beautiful young wife Paula. Hooper is desperate for extra cash and Shelden, with sexy Paula's help, wheels him into a payroll robbery. Things go wrong, deadly wrong....

This may be the best crime fiction novel that Gold Medal published in the 50s. It's a story of how things can spiral out of control once you take that step-and you can't go back. Joe Hooper is a character the reader cares for, even as he goes bad. You feel the weight and burden he carries, which slowly drags him deeper and deeper until the end; where he decides his own fate. Adams builds on the relationship between Hopper and his father in the story. Hooper struggles knowing he is disappointing his father through his actions and this compounds his inner torment. Hooper sweats it out throughout the novel and we are right there with him.

Strong characters, nicely paced and well told. Definitely noir-fiction. Robbery-Cheating-Murder-This one slams into you.

"The one word that kept hitting me was 'murder.' To me it didn't have the usual meaning. It was like thinking of cancer or TB. You get yourself branded with it and it kills you, only with murder you die in the electric chair instead of in the bed."

I read many Clifton Adams westerns from the 50s-70s, which I categorize as average. A couple were very good. (Gold Medal's "Desperado" and "A Noose for Desperado") But, the crime fiction was excellent and it's a shame he didn't write more. Another fine novel is Gold Medal's "Whom Gods Destroy" (1953)-the only other crime novel he wrote as Clifton Adams. He wrote "The Very Wicked"(1960) using the name Nick Hudson, and a couple of noir books as Jonathan Gant.
I guess he just loved the westerns.