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So Nude, So Dead
He’d been a promising piano prodigy, once. Now he was just an addict, scraping to get by, letting his hunger for drugs consume him. But a man’s life can always get worse - as Ray Stone discovers when he wakes up beside a beautiful nightclub singer only to find her dead... and 16 ounces of pure heroin missing. On the run from the law, desperate to prove his innocence and find a killer, Ray also faces another foe, merciless and unforgiving: his growing craving for a fix...
223 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1952
About the author
Evan Hunter
163 books101 followersBetter known by his pseudonym Ed McBain.
Born Salvatore Albert Lombino, he legally adopted the name Evan Hunter in 1952. While successful and well known as Evan Hunter, he was even better known as Ed McBain, a name he used for most of his crime fiction, beginning in 1956.
Born Salvatore Albert Lombino, he legally adopted the name Evan Hunter in 1952. While successful and well known as Evan Hunter, he was even better known as Ed McBain, a name he used for most of his crime fiction, beginning in 1956.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
February 26, 2022
This pulp novel from the early 1950s is of interest mainly because it was the first crime novel ever published by Ed McBain, who would go on to become one of the masters of crime fiction, best known for his 87th Precinct series. This book first appeared in 1952 as The Evil Sleep!, under the name Evan Hunter. (In 1952, either just before or just after this book was published, the author legally changed his name from Salvatore Lombino to Evan Hunter after writing some short stories as "Evan Hunter.") The book was then reissued in 1956 as So Nude, So Dead, by "Richard Marsten." It was then revived in 2015 by Hard Case Crime with the authorship finally credited to Ed McBain.
As the book opens, a hophead named Ray Stone wakes up next to a nightclub singer who is lying next to him in bed, nude and dead, having been shot sometime during the night. That's a fairly lousy way for a guy to start his day, but even worse, at least as far as Stone is concerned, is the fact that sixteen ounces of pure heroine, which had been in the apartment earlier, is now missing and Stone is in desperate need of his next fix.
The story follows Stone as he orders his priorities and sets about his day. First he needs to score some H, and then he somehow needs to get out from under the murder rap that is hanging over his head. Neither will be easy. The cops have tagged him as the killer and his face is on the front page of every paper in the city. The dealers are avoiding him like the plague and he's running out of places to hide, let alone score.
This is a fairly typical pulp novel from this era, and it's really not all that special, save for the fact that it was McBain's first effort. As such, it will appeal principally to McBain's fans who would like to see how he got started. For that reason, I'm glad I read it, but if you're looking for a good pulp novel from the Fifties, there are better books out there, and McBain would go on to write a lot of them.
As the book opens, a hophead named Ray Stone wakes up next to a nightclub singer who is lying next to him in bed, nude and dead, having been shot sometime during the night. That's a fairly lousy way for a guy to start his day, but even worse, at least as far as Stone is concerned, is the fact that sixteen ounces of pure heroine, which had been in the apartment earlier, is now missing and Stone is in desperate need of his next fix.
The story follows Stone as he orders his priorities and sets about his day. First he needs to score some H, and then he somehow needs to get out from under the murder rap that is hanging over his head. Neither will be easy. The cops have tagged him as the killer and his face is on the front page of every paper in the city. The dealers are avoiding him like the plague and he's running out of places to hide, let alone score.
This is a fairly typical pulp novel from this era, and it's really not all that special, save for the fact that it was McBain's first effort. As such, it will appeal principally to McBain's fans who would like to see how he got started. For that reason, I'm glad I read it, but if you're looking for a good pulp novel from the Fifties, there are better books out there, and McBain would go on to write a lot of them.
August 1, 2015
So Nude, So Dead was the first crime novel by the writer most famously known as Ed McBain, and was originally published in 1952 as The Evil Sleep! (under the name of Evan Hunter), and again in 1956 as So Nude, So Dead under the pen name of Richard Marsten. Thanks to those wonderful people at Hard Case Crime, the book* has been re-published over 50 years later, to mark the tenth anniversary of McBain’s passing.
As a lifelong fan of McBain, the re-emergence of a ‘lost’ book by him has been an absolute treat, and if, like me, you love your American crime with an enhanced sense of ‘pulp’ this will be as much of a treat for you. With his central protagonist, the mercurial dope fiend Ray Stone, on the hunt for those that would frame him for murder and larceny, supported by a cast of increasingly unlikeable and grasping characters, this is vintage McBain. As Stone traverses the seedy underbelly of New York nightclubs avoiding the police and the bad guys, McBain steadily sets up each possible culprit, male and female, for Stone to interrogate using a number of guises, but all underpinned by Stone’s increasing tension caused by his need for one more fix to see him through his quest. His desperation for dope is succinctly and colourfully portrayed, and we get a real sense of how such a promising individual has found his life gone to the dogs by his addiction, and the effects of his addiction on those closest to him. We feel every moment of confusion, every wrenching stomach pain, and cold sweat, as he tries to balance his body’s cry for a fix with his search for a killer. McBain also trains a cool eye on the depths of deviousness Stone has employed to fund this addiction, which makes for some harsh reading, and carefully manipulates our feelings towards Stone even as his reliance on his habit waxes and wanes as the book progresses. McBain’s supporting cast is terrific too, as he builds up a picture of Eileen Chalmers’ life as a nightclub singer, and the host of unsavoury connections she has made behind the surface glitz and glamour of her chosen profession. As Stone encounters each exploitative impressario, slimy musician or jealous female acquaintance of Chalmers’ you could put your money on any of them stitching him up….
Shooting straight from the hip the dialogue is razor sharp and as Chalmers’ teasingly refers to her and Stone’s repartee on their first encounter, “Sparkling dialogue. Refuges from a Grade-B stinkeroo”. The dialogue is spare, frank and uncompromising, and delivered in a style that by which what is unsaid lingers in the air like plumes of exhaled tobacco smoke. See he’s got me at it now. As I’ve said before, it was this style of book that got me hooked on crime fiction, with the deceit and failings of some of the most despicable members of society unflinchingly portrayed through the pared down rhythmic simplicity of manner and speech. It’s mesmerising, darkly witty and brutally truthful, and that is why I have always adored Ed McBain. So Nude, So Dead only compounds my adoration, and it was a joy to discover anew a fledgling work by this most missed of crime authors.
As a lifelong fan of McBain, the re-emergence of a ‘lost’ book by him has been an absolute treat, and if, like me, you love your American crime with an enhanced sense of ‘pulp’ this will be as much of a treat for you. With his central protagonist, the mercurial dope fiend Ray Stone, on the hunt for those that would frame him for murder and larceny, supported by a cast of increasingly unlikeable and grasping characters, this is vintage McBain. As Stone traverses the seedy underbelly of New York nightclubs avoiding the police and the bad guys, McBain steadily sets up each possible culprit, male and female, for Stone to interrogate using a number of guises, but all underpinned by Stone’s increasing tension caused by his need for one more fix to see him through his quest. His desperation for dope is succinctly and colourfully portrayed, and we get a real sense of how such a promising individual has found his life gone to the dogs by his addiction, and the effects of his addiction on those closest to him. We feel every moment of confusion, every wrenching stomach pain, and cold sweat, as he tries to balance his body’s cry for a fix with his search for a killer. McBain also trains a cool eye on the depths of deviousness Stone has employed to fund this addiction, which makes for some harsh reading, and carefully manipulates our feelings towards Stone even as his reliance on his habit waxes and wanes as the book progresses. McBain’s supporting cast is terrific too, as he builds up a picture of Eileen Chalmers’ life as a nightclub singer, and the host of unsavoury connections she has made behind the surface glitz and glamour of her chosen profession. As Stone encounters each exploitative impressario, slimy musician or jealous female acquaintance of Chalmers’ you could put your money on any of them stitching him up….
Shooting straight from the hip the dialogue is razor sharp and as Chalmers’ teasingly refers to her and Stone’s repartee on their first encounter, “Sparkling dialogue. Refuges from a Grade-B stinkeroo”. The dialogue is spare, frank and uncompromising, and delivered in a style that by which what is unsaid lingers in the air like plumes of exhaled tobacco smoke. See he’s got me at it now. As I’ve said before, it was this style of book that got me hooked on crime fiction, with the deceit and failings of some of the most despicable members of society unflinchingly portrayed through the pared down rhythmic simplicity of manner and speech. It’s mesmerising, darkly witty and brutally truthful, and that is why I have always adored Ed McBain. So Nude, So Dead only compounds my adoration, and it was a joy to discover anew a fledgling work by this most missed of crime authors.
February 1, 2022
This is the first crime novel ever written by Ed McBain (aka Evan Hunter, aka Richard Marsten). From Wikipedia: Evan Hunter (October 15, 1926 – July 6, 2005) was an American author and screenwriter who also wrote under a number of pen names, most notably Ed McBain, used for most of his crime fiction. Born Salvatore Albert Lombino, he legally adopted the name Evan Hunter in 1952; he also used the pen names John Abbott, Curt Cannon, Hunt Collins, Ezra Hannon, and Richard Marsten, amongst others. His 87th Precinct novels have become staples of the police procedural genre. SO NUDE, SO DEAD was originally published in 1952 as THE EVIL SLEEP! by Evan Hunter. It was reprinted in 1956 as "So Nude, So Dead" under the name Richard Marsten.
The novel delves into the sordid world of a heroin addict. The protagonist, Ray Stone, wakes up craving his next fix but finds that the beautiful woman next to him had been killed by gunshots to her stomach. The woman had provided the H to him from a large supply of 16 ounces she had in a candy tin. But the H is missing, Ray is hurting and needing a shot, and the girl is dead. So who killed her and why? The cops think Ray did it and his picture is plastered on the front of the newspapers with the caption "Killer Addict". So Ray must try to find out who really did it. But can he survive without a fix and will he be able to find the killer?
This was a good early effort by McBain. I'm a fan of his 87th Precinct novels and consider him one of the best in the crime genre. The book was however quite dated and included some terms that are somewhat politically incorrect today like "junkie" and "hophead". But McBain is a master storyteller and his descriptions of the drug scene during the fifties appears pretty accurate.
This reprint also contains a short story called "Die Hard" featuring PI Matt Cordell which also dealt with heroin addiction and its prices. Cordell was also featured in another Hard Case Crime novel called THE GUTTER AND THE GRAVE. I think I have a copy of it that I'll have to read soon.
The novel delves into the sordid world of a heroin addict. The protagonist, Ray Stone, wakes up craving his next fix but finds that the beautiful woman next to him had been killed by gunshots to her stomach. The woman had provided the H to him from a large supply of 16 ounces she had in a candy tin. But the H is missing, Ray is hurting and needing a shot, and the girl is dead. So who killed her and why? The cops think Ray did it and his picture is plastered on the front of the newspapers with the caption "Killer Addict". So Ray must try to find out who really did it. But can he survive without a fix and will he be able to find the killer?
This was a good early effort by McBain. I'm a fan of his 87th Precinct novels and consider him one of the best in the crime genre. The book was however quite dated and included some terms that are somewhat politically incorrect today like "junkie" and "hophead". But McBain is a master storyteller and his descriptions of the drug scene during the fifties appears pretty accurate.
This reprint also contains a short story called "Die Hard" featuring PI Matt Cordell which also dealt with heroin addiction and its prices. Cordell was also featured in another Hard Case Crime novel called THE GUTTER AND THE GRAVE. I think I have a copy of it that I'll have to read soon.
March 2, 2016
Evan Hunter, writing under the pseudonym of Ed McBain, penned this book 60 years ago. It was his first of many, and he shows some surprisingly mature chops as a young writer in this one.
Former pianist Ray Stone is a heroin addict in the midst of severe withdrawal, and on the run as the primary suspect in the murder of a jazz club singer. Pretty standard pulpish noir fare, and a plot that is very common in this genre.
McBain does pretty well at maintain the breakneck pace from the get-go, in which Stone wakes up from a drug-induced stupor so deep he didn't even hear the girl get shot in bed next to him sometime during the night. Over the course of the first few chapters, he decides, in his heroin-addled mind, to kind the real killer, avoid the police and arrest, and find his next hit of the Big H.
Not a bad read overall. The book, like many books of this time, is very dated. Even still, it's an interesting read, especially considering how well the author grew with his 87th Precinct series later on.
Former pianist Ray Stone is a heroin addict in the midst of severe withdrawal, and on the run as the primary suspect in the murder of a jazz club singer. Pretty standard pulpish noir fare, and a plot that is very common in this genre.
McBain does pretty well at maintain the breakneck pace from the get-go, in which Stone wakes up from a drug-induced stupor so deep he didn't even hear the girl get shot in bed next to him sometime during the night. Over the course of the first few chapters, he decides, in his heroin-addled mind, to kind the real killer, avoid the police and arrest, and find his next hit of the Big H.
Not a bad read overall. The book, like many books of this time, is very dated. Even still, it's an interesting read, especially considering how well the author grew with his 87th Precinct series later on.
November 6, 2015
Ed McBain's debut novel is a fun, quasi PI read.
Ray Stone is an addict. A former pianist who has succumbed to his vice. It's while indulging in this deadly habit that he finds himself chief suspect in the murder of young nightclub singer Eileen; the naked blonde who was dead his dead with two bullet holes in her belly.
In order to clear his name, Ray conducts his own drug addled investigation to prove his innocence and find the murderer. As his dependency for his drug of choice dissipates his clarity increases. The pieces of the puzzle form to display a portrait of an unsuspecting murderer.
I really liked this book. The different take on the PI theme is refreshing (despite being originally published well over 50yrs ago) and Ray is a likable protagonist despite his addiction. The pacing is quick and straight to the point and the characters leap off the page.
http://justaguythatlikes2read.blogspo...
Ray Stone is an addict. A former pianist who has succumbed to his vice. It's while indulging in this deadly habit that he finds himself chief suspect in the murder of young nightclub singer Eileen; the naked blonde who was dead his dead with two bullet holes in her belly.
In order to clear his name, Ray conducts his own drug addled investigation to prove his innocence and find the murderer. As his dependency for his drug of choice dissipates his clarity increases. The pieces of the puzzle form to display a portrait of an unsuspecting murderer.
I really liked this book. The different take on the PI theme is refreshing (despite being originally published well over 50yrs ago) and Ray is a likable protagonist despite his addiction. The pacing is quick and straight to the point and the characters leap off the page.
http://justaguythatlikes2read.blogspo...
May 28, 2015
Originally published in 1952 under the title THE EVIL SLEEP! by his, at the time, Evan Hunter pseudonym, it was released in 1956 under this title as by Richard Marsten, another pen name. It hasn't been available in more than fifty years. Hard Case Crime is bringing this edition in July.
It was his first crime novel, the story of a man looking for the murderer everyone believed him to be. The hook is that Ray Stone is a heroin addict, waking next to the shot up corpse of the young singer. There's also sixteen ounces of pure heroin missing.
An addict looking for a fix, the cops after him, not mention to the owners of the missing heroin. And Stone desperate to clear his name and find that elusive fix.
Not a bad novel early in the career of a master.
It was his first crime novel, the story of a man looking for the murderer everyone believed him to be. The hook is that Ray Stone is a heroin addict, waking next to the shot up corpse of the young singer. There's also sixteen ounces of pure heroin missing.
An addict looking for a fix, the cops after him, not mention to the owners of the missing heroin. And Stone desperate to clear his name and find that elusive fix.
Not a bad novel early in the career of a master.
September 21, 2021
An addict wakes up next to a beautiful lounge singer he’d met the night before, only to discover two bullet holes in her stomach and the 16 ounces of heroin she showed him missing. Chased by the police, Ray Stone must find the killer and attempt to clear his name while fighting off the effects of withdrawal.
This book is a fast-paced tour of the underbelly of the city, bouncing back and forth from seedy hotels, bars, disreputable clubs, and the apartments of various temptresses. The prose is fast and the action tense throughout, but it sags a bit in the middle when Stone makes second visits to people he already visited during the course of his ad hoc investigation.
Overall this is a solid crime story with a driving plot, but the characters felt pretty stock. A decent read, but perhaps not worth going to great lengths to seek out.
This book is a fast-paced tour of the underbelly of the city, bouncing back and forth from seedy hotels, bars, disreputable clubs, and the apartments of various temptresses. The prose is fast and the action tense throughout, but it sags a bit in the middle when Stone makes second visits to people he already visited during the course of his ad hoc investigation.
Overall this is a solid crime story with a driving plot, but the characters felt pretty stock. A decent read, but perhaps not worth going to great lengths to seek out.
May 6, 2024
Banger.
August 7, 2024
Written in 1952, this is the first crime novel by Ed McBain.
November 26, 2015
What’s in a name? A lot if you decide to call your book ‘‘So Nude, So Dead’’. This is a title to conjure with, what on Earth is it about? As this is a ‘‘Hard Case’’ title it is likely to be hardboiled and not adverse to a little violence and titillation. However, consider that the book was once call ‘‘The Evil Sleep!’’ and has since been renamed; is this more a case of the title selling the book rather than accurately portraying its content?
When Ray Stone wakes up he has two major problems; where is he going to get his next hit of heroin and who is to blame for the women’s dead body next to him? Stone may be a junkie, but he is no killer, but that does not stop the cops from chasing the once talented Jazz singer around the city. Can he find out who really killed the nightclub singer and get himself a fix as well? It’s a hard life …
Crime as a genre often has an addict at its centre, usually this is for alcohol and is more of a character trait that main plot element. Kudos must go then to one of the masters of the genre, Ed McBain, because he puts Stone’s addiction front and centre in this book and uses it as a driving force for the story. You would think that a title like ‘‘So Nude, So Dead’’ would have sex or violence at its core, but in fact these are peripheral elements to Stone’s constant craving. Written back in 1956, this book has one of the keenest portrayals of addiction that I have read as it plagues Stone’s every thought.
With addiction playing such a major role in the book the crime noir elements could have been lost, but McBain was not known as a talented writer for nothing. The lust for drugs just adds flavour to an otherwise classic feeling noir. There are plenty of twists and Femme Fatales for our ‘hero’ to meet along the way and the bumbling style of Stone’s investigation works well as he is only trying to find the killer so that he can get off and return back to his life of debauchery. Most fans of the genre will be able to work out what is happening before the end, but you will have fun along the way.
One element that does sit a little uneasily is the 50s attitude towards drug addicts. Stone himself is treated quite sympathetically by McBain and his internal monologues hint at a man who knows that he is falling and cannot stop. What is coarse is how the other characters react to Stone – the cops are happy to shoot on sight at any hophead. This is of the era and is in keeping with the context of the day, but readers should be aware.
‘‘So Nude, So Dead’’ is an excellent piece of exploitation fiction of the 50s, let down slightly by the crass title. This is not a book about nudity or death, but about one man’s addiction and the attempt to clear his name. The portrayal of Stone and his drug abuse is one of the best that I have read and the story was originally penned 60 years ago. This an impressive feat and makes for an impressive book. Original review on bookbag.co.uk
When Ray Stone wakes up he has two major problems; where is he going to get his next hit of heroin and who is to blame for the women’s dead body next to him? Stone may be a junkie, but he is no killer, but that does not stop the cops from chasing the once talented Jazz singer around the city. Can he find out who really killed the nightclub singer and get himself a fix as well? It’s a hard life …
Crime as a genre often has an addict at its centre, usually this is for alcohol and is more of a character trait that main plot element. Kudos must go then to one of the masters of the genre, Ed McBain, because he puts Stone’s addiction front and centre in this book and uses it as a driving force for the story. You would think that a title like ‘‘So Nude, So Dead’’ would have sex or violence at its core, but in fact these are peripheral elements to Stone’s constant craving. Written back in 1956, this book has one of the keenest portrayals of addiction that I have read as it plagues Stone’s every thought.
With addiction playing such a major role in the book the crime noir elements could have been lost, but McBain was not known as a talented writer for nothing. The lust for drugs just adds flavour to an otherwise classic feeling noir. There are plenty of twists and Femme Fatales for our ‘hero’ to meet along the way and the bumbling style of Stone’s investigation works well as he is only trying to find the killer so that he can get off and return back to his life of debauchery. Most fans of the genre will be able to work out what is happening before the end, but you will have fun along the way.
One element that does sit a little uneasily is the 50s attitude towards drug addicts. Stone himself is treated quite sympathetically by McBain and his internal monologues hint at a man who knows that he is falling and cannot stop. What is coarse is how the other characters react to Stone – the cops are happy to shoot on sight at any hophead. This is of the era and is in keeping with the context of the day, but readers should be aware.
‘‘So Nude, So Dead’’ is an excellent piece of exploitation fiction of the 50s, let down slightly by the crass title. This is not a book about nudity or death, but about one man’s addiction and the attempt to clear his name. The portrayal of Stone and his drug abuse is one of the best that I have read and the story was originally penned 60 years ago. This an impressive feat and makes for an impressive book. Original review on bookbag.co.uk
March 1, 2018
This is a great book that stacks the deck so high against one person that despite Ray Stone's history of addiction to heroin and all the heartbreak he caused the people in his life, you cheer for him to not only clear his name but to also beat his addiction. Awesome book.
January 2, 2018
"So Nude, So Dead" and "Unavailable for over 50 Years" screams the cover. How can you NOT read this early Ed McBain novel, and what's with the pseudonym anyway? Good grief, at about the same time, James Baldwin published "Giovanni's Room" under his own name and it was a far more controversial novel (but Giovanni wasn't naked on the cover). Darn these double standards!
June 17, 2016
Plot is okay and it's development becomes quite enjoyable once you stop paying too much attention to the story holes (like where are the cops?!?), loose ends and coincidences. The final whodunit is decent although far from shocking. All in all, it's a good, honest and unpretentious writing without moralizing or preaching on a difficult subject of drug addiction. I imagine it was pretty ground-breaking 60 years ago.
More here (review includes spoilers!):
http://a60books.blogspot.ie/2015/08/s...
More here (review includes spoilers!):
http://a60books.blogspot.ie/2015/08/s...
August 12, 2015
McBain's first. It Shows. He got much better as he wrote in later times.
January 12, 2017
Let me just say Mr. McBain got better. Much better.
March 31, 2017
I picked this up in a bookstore the other day because I liked the lurid, 1950s pulp style of the cover, and the opening chapter was good. I hadn't read Ed McBain before, and I was surprised to read a first novel in which the plotting, dialog, and characters are solid throughout.
The main character, Ray Stone, is an addict who finds himself framed for a murder and has to prove his innocence. Some elements of the book are dated, such as the descriptions of fight scenes, which play out exactly as they did in the movies of the forties and fifties--a little slow, with guys in suits kicking each other in the shins and trying to wrestle pistols from each other's hands. Some of the dated elements of the book, however, actually make it interesting. This book was first copyrighted in 1952, and slang of jazz musicians in this novel didn't seem to appear in film until a few years later.
McBain was somewhat ahead of his time in choosing an addict for his main character, and actually portraying him as a sympathetic, fully fleshed out human being. The author accurately describes the trail of destruction and broken relationships a junkie leaves in his wake. When Ray's girlfriend, Jeannie, decides to end their relationship, she gives a dead-on description of what it's like to be close to a junkie. That kind of knowledge can only come from first-hand experience. It makes me wonder what McBain's life was like at that time, and who he was hanging around with.
Many of the people who have reviewed this book say his later books are better. I'll pick some up and see if that's true. This one was pretty solid.
The main character, Ray Stone, is an addict who finds himself framed for a murder and has to prove his innocence. Some elements of the book are dated, such as the descriptions of fight scenes, which play out exactly as they did in the movies of the forties and fifties--a little slow, with guys in suits kicking each other in the shins and trying to wrestle pistols from each other's hands. Some of the dated elements of the book, however, actually make it interesting. This book was first copyrighted in 1952, and slang of jazz musicians in this novel didn't seem to appear in film until a few years later.
McBain was somewhat ahead of his time in choosing an addict for his main character, and actually portraying him as a sympathetic, fully fleshed out human being. The author accurately describes the trail of destruction and broken relationships a junkie leaves in his wake. When Ray's girlfriend, Jeannie, decides to end their relationship, she gives a dead-on description of what it's like to be close to a junkie. That kind of knowledge can only come from first-hand experience. It makes me wonder what McBain's life was like at that time, and who he was hanging around with.
Many of the people who have reviewed this book say his later books are better. I'll pick some up and see if that's true. This one was pretty solid.
June 15, 2022
4.5 stars. I loves me some Ed McBain.
July 1, 2017
So Nude, So Dead was first published in 1952 with the title The Evil Sleep! under the name Evan Hunter (two years before he found success with The Blackboard Jungle), then reprinted four years later with its current title under the pseudonym Richard Marsten, and finally re-issued in 2015 by Hard Case Crime with the name Ed McBain. So Nude, So Dead is McBain's first crime novel, and first book for adults. The protagonist, Ray Stone is a former piano prodigy who becomes a heroin addict. He meets a nightclub singer named Eileen who shares his habit and spends a night with her in a hotel. She shows him her stash of 16 ounces of heroin before they nod off. When Ray wakes up, he discovers Eileen has been murdered, her heroin stash stolen, and himself left behind as a fall guy. Ray, now a fugitive from the law, sick from dope withdrawal (but remarkably physically robust for a junkie), investigates who might have wanted Eileen dead. The suspects include her estranged husband, her rich playboy former boyfriend, and the leader of the band she sings with. The Hard Case Crime edition also includes a bonus short story "Die Hard," featuring Matt Cordell (the private eye from the Gutter and the Grave), which concerns the murder of a heroin addict's father.
February 13, 2019
I got about 40% into the story and finally gave up although I am a big fan of his later 87th Precinct stories. The writing isn't very good with exaggerated and not very accurate descriptions of drug addiction. Of course I realize that an addict feels really horrible and will do almost anything to get a fix but the descriptions of Ray's pain and need kept hitting the same single note without producing any empathy in the reader, or at least not this reader.
When I was younger I spent a lot of time around the fringes of the drug world while engaging in some of the minor forms of drugs like weed and popping a few pills. I worked with a heroin addict who I was fairly friendly with who use to shoot up in the men's room at work. The writing seemed choppy and relied too much on exaggerated language to try to imply tone and emotion.
But since it was McBain's first attempt at adult crime fiction I had to give it a try. Fortunately McBain/Hunter/Marsten got much better by the time he wrote "The Blackboard Jungle" two years later.
When I was younger I spent a lot of time around the fringes of the drug world while engaging in some of the minor forms of drugs like weed and popping a few pills. I worked with a heroin addict who I was fairly friendly with who use to shoot up in the men's room at work. The writing seemed choppy and relied too much on exaggerated language to try to imply tone and emotion.
But since it was McBain's first attempt at adult crime fiction I had to give it a try. Fortunately McBain/Hunter/Marsten got much better by the time he wrote "The Blackboard Jungle" two years later.
December 11, 2017
Another Hard Case Crime book, another four stars. This one was the first crime book by "Ed McBain" and the hook is genius...A junkie "hophead" in 1950s New York must solve a murder he's the prime suspect in...while fighting off his own withdrawals!
Compellingly readable, dependably violent and cool as ice, So Nude So Dead was a top draw read for me, my only slight regret is McBain doesn't murder the momentum a little in that final chapter and shine a light as to what happens to Ray next. As far as I am aware he never reappeared in any future stories and I am loathe to assume he was stuck in a literary cycle of substance abuse forever like Matt Cordell.
Speaking of Matt Cordell, the supporting feature here is a short story ("Die Hard"!) also by McBain, also about junkies in New York and starring everyone's favourite homeless alcoholic detective, Matt Cordell, from the classic The Gutter and the Grave.
Compellingly readable, dependably violent and cool as ice, So Nude So Dead was a top draw read for me, my only slight regret is McBain doesn't murder the momentum a little in that final chapter and shine a light as to what happens to Ray next. As far as I am aware he never reappeared in any future stories and I am loathe to assume he was stuck in a literary cycle of substance abuse forever like Matt Cordell.
Speaking of Matt Cordell, the supporting feature here is a short story ("Die Hard"!) also by McBain, also about junkies in New York and starring everyone's favourite homeless alcoholic detective, Matt Cordell, from the classic The Gutter and the Grave.
August 14, 2017
The author of So Nude, So Dead is listed as Richard Marsten on Goodreads but is really Ed McBain of 87th Precinct fame. So Nude, So Dead (McBain obviously belonged to the Bill Davis school of book titling) was a first novel, but it is still entertaining over five decades later. It is also very reminiscent of James Ellroy, who has stated more than once that this type of story was a big influence on him. Violent and visceral like any good pulp thriller, too-and there is a bonus short story ("Die Hard" and no this does not feature John McClane rather it predates that character by many moons) that is also a lot of noir amusement. This is good stuff if the Cornell Woolrich school of literature appeals to you.
September 22, 2018
So Nude, So Dead, So Dull. There is a reason why this has not been reprinted in 50 years. While McBain went on to produce much better books, this one is boring. Read about 70 pages and quit. Might read last chapter, but probably not. Very little mystery, but way too much about drug addiction. I am a big fan of Noir and mysteries in general. Have read every book published by Hard Case Crime and only found 2 or 3 that were not good.
December 20, 2018
UNAVAILABLE FOR OVER FIFTY YEARS
Screams the front cover. Well, this book could have stayed hidden for another fifty years as far as I’m concerned. With the unlikeliest of protagonists, a junky in withdrawal, we hunt NY City for a motive, a killer, and oh yes, a fix. With the cops on his tail and those nasty mobsters even closer, how will this all end?
This novel gives pulp a bad name. I couldn’t put it down. Enjoy.
Screams the front cover. Well, this book could have stayed hidden for another fifty years as far as I’m concerned. With the unlikeliest of protagonists, a junky in withdrawal, we hunt NY City for a motive, a killer, and oh yes, a fix. With the cops on his tail and those nasty mobsters even closer, how will this all end?
This novel gives pulp a bad name. I couldn’t put it down. Enjoy.
July 5, 2018
Great story! This is a real page turner. Not only is Ray a dope fiend with a monkey on his back, but he wakes up next to a dead girl with 16 oz of pure heroin missing. Right from the start, I was hooked and had a hard time putting it down at all. I'd highly recommend it!
August 12, 2015
A wild ride down a dark street.
June 21, 2017
A great crime novel about a heroin addict framed for murder and on the run unable to get a fix. The mystery was great and the action was gripping. I didn't want to stop reading. Loved it.
July 3, 2017
Good early read from Ed McBain. I love how his character changes as the book progresses.
the first few paragraphs of Chapter Eleven are worth the time in itself, Pure McBain.
the first few paragraphs of Chapter Eleven are worth the time in itself, Pure McBain.
February 6, 2018
I enjoyed this pulp novel about an is one framed for murder, who struggles against his addiction while trying to find the real murderer.
August 15, 2023
I am a fan of Ed McBain's 87th Precinct series & his Matthew Hope series though I haven't read any of them for quite a long time. But this book popped up on my TBR list & is named as his first crime novel though it doesn't show up on any of his publication lists. It is typical of the crime novels of the time--tough, gritty, straight shooting, kind of noir-ish--but interesting. Ray Stone learned piano as a kid & grew up to be a musician, playing in bars & night clubs on road trips. He is started on drugs by some of the older fellows in the band, first the light stuff like marijuana, but then moving on to heroin. One night as he is at a club listening to the house band, having given up performing himself being no longer able to play, he strikes up a conversation with the singer. She's quite attractive & when she reveals she's also an addict, he goes to her hotel room with her where she shows him a candy tin filled with 16 oz. of pure heroin. They indulge their habit & pass out. When Ray wakes in the morning, his first thought is another fix & he begins searching for the tin. When he can't find it, he tries to wake Eileen to see where she put it. Instead, he finds that, sometime during the night, Eileen has been shot twice in the abdomen & is dead. In shock that she's been murdered & he heard nothing, he begins tearing the room apart to find the heroin because now he is desperate for a fix to calm him down. It doesn't take long to figure out that whoever shot Eileen also took the heroin. He is scared he will be blamed, he has no money, & he is craving his fix. In a panic, he calls his dad, hoping to get some cash even though his dad hates his habit. They agree to meet, but Ray's dad has also called the police in hopes they will get him the help he needs to be cured. Ray escapes, but now he's on his own & has been identified as the probable murderer--he's a wanted man. What can he do? Thus begins a tense & dangerous journey under the worst of circumstances as Ray tries to prove his innocence by finding Eileen's killer while avoiding getting caught. It's a pretty fast-paced story full of shady characters, any one of them a potential murderer, as Ray tries to unravel what happened while suffering through withdrawal symptoms. It was pretty good & kept me guessing until the end.
September 7, 2020
My dad used to borrow Ed McBain books from the library, the Steve Carella/87th precinct series which as far as I know was his main output, yellow-covered Gollancz Crime editions. They were quite fun, a bit like Kojak, lots of back story about the detectives. So when I was looking for something in the crime/detective vein to help me eke out the Chandlers for another year or two and I saw this, with its lurid retro-pulp cover and title, I thought I'd give it a go.
Apparently it was his first published book (and in contrast to Chandler, he wrote about a million), so it wouldn't be fair to judge it too severely. The basic setup is risible: a junkie has to solve a crime he risks being framed for, all the while undergoing involuntary cold turkey over three days. There is a pure-hearted girl on his mind, sleazy broads aplenty in his investigation, jazz bands, playboys, hoods, extended fight sequences - not to mention a couple of structural booboos so obvious that even I, one of the least plot-sensitive readers ever, noticed. None of the characters are more than ciphers - what difference does it make which rival torch singer, small-time dealer or jealous lover slew poor Eileen, when each is as cardboard as the others?
Consequently, the reader has to be entertained by the passing narrative colour, because s/he sure doesn't care whodunnit, and the final revelation is as uninteresting as in an Agatha Christie (albeit McBain does at least write a little better than her). It's a bit like one of those tedious '60s movies where the audience was expected to be thrilled by the mere sight of louche dive bars and sinister baddies.
Of course, if you're one of the many who do love trying to work out the denouement before it's spelled out for you, you may find it riveting, and good luck to you.
I have a bit of a soft spot for McBain because of my ancient history with him, so I might try a much later one from his heyday and see how that holds up; but I wouldn't really recommend this.
Apparently it was his first published book (and in contrast to Chandler, he wrote about a million), so it wouldn't be fair to judge it too severely. The basic setup is risible: a junkie has to solve a crime he risks being framed for, all the while undergoing involuntary cold turkey over three days. There is a pure-hearted girl on his mind, sleazy broads aplenty in his investigation, jazz bands, playboys, hoods, extended fight sequences - not to mention a couple of structural booboos so obvious that even I, one of the least plot-sensitive readers ever, noticed. None of the characters are more than ciphers - what difference does it make which rival torch singer, small-time dealer or jealous lover slew poor Eileen, when each is as cardboard as the others?
Consequently, the reader has to be entertained by the passing narrative colour, because s/he sure doesn't care whodunnit, and the final revelation is as uninteresting as in an Agatha Christie (albeit McBain does at least write a little better than her). It's a bit like one of those tedious '60s movies where the audience was expected to be thrilled by the mere sight of louche dive bars and sinister baddies.
Of course, if you're one of the many who do love trying to work out the denouement before it's spelled out for you, you may find it riveting, and good luck to you.
I have a bit of a soft spot for McBain because of my ancient history with him, so I might try a much later one from his heyday and see how that holds up; but I wouldn't really recommend this.
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