In the third installment featuring the nerviest and curviest private eye in the business, Honey West falls victim to a murderous case of mistaken idenIn the third installment featuring the nerviest and curviest private eye in the business, Honey West falls victim to a murderous case of mistaken identity; in the fictional world of Honey W, all busty well built blondes look alike...so it seems.
The opening stanza is the most hardboiled the series has to offer and reads like a scene ripped from a Mike Hammer novel. However, the comparisons with Hammer soon dissipate and Honey resumes doing Honey things...fighting crime with her lips, hips, and...you know...
A staple of the series; the convoluted plot, rears its ugly head yet again. Cartoon dialogue and flimsy storytelling are commonplace (and expected in this series) yet at some point it becomes hard to enjoy the popcorn pulp nature of these books, and that's exactly what happens in the later stages here, when, once again, an unbelievable rationale is thrust in the face of the reader and a culprit out of left field is revealed as a kidnapper...
Whilst the weakest of the first three books, GIRL ON THE LOOSE does have some memorable moments; opening stanza aside, there's a scene of Honey and her reporter friend pulling the wool over a crime boss's eyes at a booze fueled pool party which reads as though it was written for film - butter to what is otherwise a somewhat stale bun. ...more
Private Investigator, Marty Cole is hired by a family lawyer named Hamilton, and newly widowed Helene Mark to track down Helene's wayward step-daughtePrivate Investigator, Marty Cole is hired by a family lawyer named Hamilton, and newly widowed Helene Mark to track down Helene's wayward step-daughter Alice who had taken to performing in seedy strip joints and night clubs along the USA/Mexico border.
With Alice's estranged father having recently passed away from a heart complication, the young and promiscuous performer stood to inherit a handsome sum - if Cole could find her that was.
Strangely Helene didn't have any photographs of Alice so identifying the young woman would come down to a description and a likeness to the deceased father. Not much for Cole to go on. Yet, the pulp published in 1975 opens with Cole having successfully tracked down Alice only for her to die a violent death in a hotel room on the night prior to her appointment with Hamilton and stepmother Helene.
Murder most macabre leads Cole down the proverbial rabbit hole and into a very real deadly game of cat and mouse as he tries to put the pieces of a shattered puzzle together.
Never shying away from the strengths of pulp, there's plenty of sex, wanton women, and hard men brawling, maiming, and killing each other, along with the obligatory twist which turns the story on its head and leaves everyone reeling - reader included.
My rating: 5/5 stars. Alice Dies Twice is a solid read from start to finish; one I think would sit perfectly in the Hard Case Crime line. Cole is an interesting, albeit stock standard PI while Angela, his secretary, is his sexy sidekick with some smarts and get-up-and-go of her own.
I was unable to find anything more about the author nor if there are any more books floating around featuring Marty Cole - I sure hope there is...
"She was a beautiful blonde and she was in trouble. Usually, that's all I need to know. When your name is Mike Hammer, certain things are expected of "She was a beautiful blonde and she was in trouble. Usually, that's all I need to know. When your name is Mike Hammer, certain things are expected of you."
Tricked into meeting a client in the proverbial lions den of mafia land, Mike Hammer's long overdue return to the graphic novel medium sees the perennial private eye come face to face with death - the long one.
Whilst Hammer has been portrayed in comics and newspaper strips previously, the Titan Comics / Hard Case Crime collaboration freshens up the hard man for the modern day audience and the results are largely positive.
In trademark Hammer fashion, the PI falls for a damsel in distress (in this case, Helen Venn), while his secretary with extras, Vera, becomes embedded in the story both as a victim and heroine. The linear nature of the story makes for an easy and entertaining read.
The trade paperback collection also features two short stories entitled Trouble... Come And Get It, and Killer's Turn which, whilst not featuring Mike Hammer, are a nice addition for long time Spillane readers.
My rating: 4/5 stars. Not as hard edged as some of the prose novels yet still captures that tried and true Mike Hammer feel. I hope we see more of the perennial PI in this medium....more
When the police receive a call in the early hours of the morning from a women claiming to have a corpse cooped uA white-collar crime turned blood red.
When the police receive a call in the early hours of the morning from a women claiming to have a corpse cooped up in her apartment, Al Wheeler, the perennial lone wolf detective is assigned the case. None too happy about being woken from his slumber, the detective's mood quickly improves when we lays eyes on the knock-out dame who answers the door, his suspicion among other things aroused when she pleads clueless as to the alleged corpse in her apartment, swearing black and blue of having not called it in.
Despite being the 38th book in the series, the Creative Murders, much like all the Al Wheeler novels is accessible to both long time and new readers alike.
The plot centers around a spate of murders and has the customary twists and turns which coincide with the fluid list of suspects. The linear plot and pulp styling results in character backstories being non-existent.
The dialogue boarders on juvenile at times and is peppered with school-yard-like banter between Wheeler, the Medical Examiner, and his boss; a common theme throughout most books featuring Wheeler (a character who would work better as a PI without the shackles of law enforcement), but it's part of the cheesy allure of the penny dreadful; junk food for the mind.
My rating: 3/5 stars. I really enjoyed the concept; corporate espionage headhunting with murderous ramifications. Not the best of the Carter Brown books but certainty not the worst either. ...more
The creator of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle arrives at PI firm, Woodcock & Sons with one thing on his mind, to expose Harold Houdini for whThe creator of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle arrives at PI firm, Woodcock & Sons with one thing on his mind, to expose Harold Houdini for what he really is - a competitive and vindictive spiritual medium. Sir Doyle firmly believes Houdini has occult powers, after having witnessed him walk through a brick wall during one of his performances.
Sir Doyle is greeted by the firms secretary, Minky, her father, the PI being out of town, and the son, not really into the whole PI gig is elsewhere too. Not wanting to hide in the shadows of her fathers footsteps, Minky Woodcock uses her sexuality and intellect as equally deadly weapons to win Sir Doyle over.
However, the case soon turns sour when Minky learns that Houdini is anything but a 'spiritual medium', rather he's dedicated to debunking spiritualists, mediums and other fakes; A passion project for the popular escape artist after having outed Sir Doyle's favorite medium during an ill fated seance in which the medium claimed to have made a connection with Houdini's deceased mother.
Minky manages to place herself inside Houdini's inner circle as an assistant and sometimes-friend to his wife Bess. It allows her to be close to Houdini but she misses a crucial moment which ultimately leads to the death of Houdini in sinister circumstances.
Who wields the murderous touch? A crew of spiritualists in England? A nurse who weaseled her way into Houdini's entourage? Or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself?
The Girl Who Handcuffed Houdini is a visual treat for fans of pulp art and a good old fashioned murder mystery. Author and artist, Cynthia Von Buhler's slice of noir is evocative and moody; art and writing creating a cohesive narrative across the 4 issues which span this story arc.
My rating: 5/5 stars. PI Minky Woodcock is just what comics and the Hard Case Crime line need; a sexy yet dangerous private investigator complimented by strong dialogue and great art.
Note - I read Minky Woodcock, The Girl Who Handcuffed Houdini is single issue format as they were published and then again when the final installment was published. For me, the flow and overall narrative work better in a single sitting.
Her teeth chattered suddenly: "I know it's out there, Rick. I can feel it!" She closed her eyes tight shut, "You know what it is prowling around out tHer teeth chattered suddenly: "I know it's out there, Rick. I can feel it!" She closed her eyes tight shut, "You know what it is prowling around out there, don't you? It's death!"
The Jade-Eyed Jinx (published 1963, my copy - Horwitz, first edition), features Hollywood studio fixer and private-eye Rick Holman once again on the case to catch a wayward starlet.
Carola, an Italian beauty and big budget star in the making has run off with her leading man, Don Gallant, both hiding out in a secluded cottage-turned love nest, away from the prying eyes of the press insulated from the pressures of the film business.
The problem is; Don's married to another prominent starlet, Carola is involved in a relationship with her agent, and the studio boss has puppy-dog eyes for Carloa. The set-up is pitch perfect drama turned deadly when Don is shot at the cottage with both Carloa, Don's wife Monica, and Monica's closest friend Janie all found on the scene when Rick makes his appearance.
The plot is a pretty straight forward whodunit with Rick steadily undertaking a process of elimination until the suspect confesses in a grande finale standoff commonplace in Carter Brown mysteries.
My rating: 2.5/5 stars. While entertaining and a quick read, The Jade-Eyed Jinx lacks the polish of other books featuring Rick Holman. The linear plot and strange dialogue point towards a rush job, common in pulps of the 1960's such was the speed the authors churned them out.
The Lew Griffin books are character driven stories which put depth and meaning ahead of the criminal element. In Moth, Griffin, less the private detecThe Lew Griffin books are character driven stories which put depth and meaning ahead of the criminal element. In Moth, Griffin, less the private detective, more the acclaimed author and educator is pulled back into the seedy underworld of the lone wolf detective business when his former flame, Verne passes away leaving behind a daughter Lew knew nothing of.
The daughter isn’t Lew’s but it doesn’t stop him searching for her as if she was. Along the way he discovers her drug addiction and deep dive into depravity while also finding answers about himself he didn’t know he was looking for as past and present fuse in an interesting, albeit slowly moving, novel.
Towards the later stages of the novel, Sallis gives Lew a stock standard case which, drug dependencies aside, has little in common with the main plot but it does round out the story well to leave more of that tried and true formulaic P.I novel flavor.
My rating: 3.5/5, not as good as The Long Legged Fly, but a nice addition to the Lew Griffin series. ...more
The Last Stand (2018, Hard Case Crime) features two standalone novellas by Mickey Spillane unrelated to his Mike Hammer series of which he's better knThe Last Stand (2018, Hard Case Crime) features two standalone novellas by Mickey Spillane unrelated to his Mike Hammer series of which he's better known for; A BULLET FOR SATISFACTION and THE LAST STAND.
The fact that these two novellas remained unpublished whilst Spillane was alive, only to be brought to print posthumously thanks to Max Allan Collins, says something about the quality of these stories... (unlike some of the recent Hammer books, these two just don't stack-up)
Firstly, A BULLET FOR SATISFACTION is a hardboiled mess of pulp, private eye, and police procedural. The story features a disgruntled, lone-wolf cop who makes the ladies swoon every time he takes a breath, and kills without compassion; Rod Dexter could easily be a Mike Hammer in poor mans clothing.
The plot centers around a murdered politician with suspicious links to the syndicate. When Dexter looses his badge thanks to this case, he knows the fix is in. The only way he can right the wrong done to him and the murdered politician is by putting bullets in as many bad guys as he can, and bed as many wanton women as he can...
Despite a couple of hardboiled classic Spillane scenes, A BULLET FOR SATISFACTION was bland and underwhelming; I couldn't connect with the story and the plot never felt plausible.
THE LAST STAND is a comedy western of sorts with an equally head scratcher of a plot... why this even got published is a mystery to me.
The plot is pure high school; grown men fighting for the attentions of a women who is happy to go with whichever beats the other to a pulp.
Lurking in the background are FBI agents on the hunt for a source of power which could turn the weapons race on its head, an Indian who lives off the trinkets discarded by others, and a shaman of sorts who can predict the future (at least by way of guessing the victor of brawls).
I couldn't find a single redeeming thing to save this novella.
In summary, the cover art by Laurel Blechman is the best thing about this book. One for the die hard Spillane / Hard Case Crime collectors only. ...more
Commonly refereed to as a form of hardboiled literature, The Big Sleep contains smart plotting, well formed characters and a deep and engrossing storyCommonly refereed to as a form of hardboiled literature, The Big Sleep contains smart plotting, well formed characters and a deep and engrossing story that encompasses many shades of grey - there are a lot of angles to this sharply written detective story but they all work - and they all draw blood.
The Big Sleep introduces the world to Private Eye Phillip Marlowe, hired by a wealthy man nearing his death bed to look into a case of extortion and gambling debts incurred by one of his daughters.
What follows is a complex series of crimes interlocked with the linear plot which shines a light on the darker side of the wealthy man's homestead, notably, the activities his daughters are involved and their ties with the underworld.
Murder is easy in The Big Sleep, I was surprised at the sheer volume of deaths and impressed at how seamlessly they fitted the narrative. None are used for shock value, rather puzzle pieces forming the big picture case Marlowe's to solve.
My rating: 4/5 stars, a book I can see myself rereading.
Mike Hammer runs into trouble when a sanatorium escapee throws herself into harm’s way in the middle of a road. Narrowly avoiding a collision which suMike Hammer runs into trouble when a sanatorium escapee throws herself into harm’s way in the middle of a road. Narrowly avoiding a collision which surely would've left the escapee a blood red smear on the road, Hammer gathers his bearings only to be confronted with the beautiful and curvaceous blond Viking of a woman begging for his help.
Hammer, not one to shy away from a dame in distress, invites her into his car and they set off, only to run into some hardened thugs with a hard-on for murder. Fast forward and Mike’s in the hospital with Velda, secretary and budding PI in her own right, at his side with the crazy dame long dead; so begins a one man war on the mafia.
Kiss Me, Deadly (published in 1952) is a violent book even by today’s more accepting standards in crime fiction. What is said on the page is just as brutal as the implied, particularly regarding the opening stanza when Hammer is left for dead and his recently distressed damsel deceased. Whilst the one man war machine is hard to stomach at times, I mean, Hammer isn't super human but he’s damn near indestructible here, it is an entertaining ride which shines a spotlight on Hammer's inner and outer hatred for the underworld; something which is exemplified more-so when Velda becomes involved.
On the surface, Kiss Me Deadly, is a murder mystery that feels like it tries to do too much; there’s government corruption, murder, drug smuggling, mafia ties, and hired assassins. Had this been a straight mafia murder cover-up, I think the book would've flowed better and bumped up the star rating.
The plot structure is linear so there’s nothing too complex about the book but the various suspects are hard to follow with a number of characters popping up here and there, murdered one at a time until the deadly process of elimination reveals the killer. Hammer reads almost too smart and the braggadocio and chauvinistic ways are cringe worthy but you know you’re bound to get that with these books.
Spillane didn't write high end literature, he wrote tough guy books set in the black of night about beautiful women in ugly situations accompanied by a protagonist with a penchant for murder and revenge without remorse; this pretty much sums up Kiss Me, Deadly.
My rating: 3/5 stars, reads perfectly well as a standalone Hammer book as well as a continuation of the series (this is the sixth installment in the still running Mike Hammer series). ...more
The events surrounding the death of Marilyn Monroe have always intrigued me and the 15th installment in the Nate Heller P.I series delves deep into thThe events surrounding the death of Marilyn Monroe have always intrigued me and the 15th installment in the Nate Heller P.I series delves deep into the conspiracy to form a nice fictional period piece of the events in the lead up to the Hollywood starlet's untimely demise, while adding to Heller's already impressive client list and all round influence in, well, pretty much every pie he slips his finger into; the mob, Hollywood, politics, and the police.
Bye, Bye Baby is told in two distinct stanza; pre and post Marilyn's death. Personally I would've liked to have seen a little more impact and empathy in Heller's character and an overall change in the books tone given the event shifted the books direction but it's a relatively minor gripe given the overall quality of the story. I particularly liked the way Heller's character seamlessly infused himself into the starlets life, it's like Heller was fact, not fiction in this historical crime.
I listened to the audio edition, narrated by Dan Jon Miller, who did a nice job of pulling off Heller and the supporting cast, however his 'Marilyn' took some getting used to.
Despite being book 15 in the series, Bye, Bye, Baby reads perfectly well as a standalone. I've only read a handful of books in this series and none in any real chronological order and didn't ever feel like I was missing out on some key character interaction or series-long sub plot.
With the offer of a cool thousand dollars in exchange for spending one night with a comely young woman at a high class motel while impersonating a marWith the offer of a cool thousand dollars in exchange for spending one night with a comely young woman at a high class motel while impersonating a married man wishing to evade the public spotlight for his adultery, private detectives Cool and Lam can hardly refuse the easy score. However, things get complicated when their detective agency becomes involved in the murder investigation which occurred at the same venue.
Written in 1962, the dialogue and manner by which this case was conducted doesn't stand the test of time. Then again, that’s not really the purpose here; Try Anything Once is a pulp private detective novel which reads, court scene aside, very much like a Carter Brown book full of wanton females, inept cops, and a PI with a knack for closing cases and winning big both personally and professionally – near dime-store pulp all the way.
While entertaining enough, the frenetic ending and surprise suspects came all too quickly as the case closed at rapid speed. The final court scene felt out of place with the rest of book and read more as an easy tool to end the book and break open the murder case as apposed to a cleverly orchestrated conclusion.
Despite being book 23 in the series, Try Anything Once is new reader friendly if you can track down a copy that is. I confess, I only picked this up because of the new Hardcase Crime books. Ok pulp but I’ve read much better. 2.5 / 5. ...more
Pretty straightforward linear private eye mystery, perfectly fitting of the pulp dime store paperback stereotype of old.
Using a character as well knoPretty straightforward linear private eye mystery, perfectly fitting of the pulp dime store paperback stereotype of old.
Using a character as well know as Raymond Chandlers classic private eye was always going to raise eyes for readers well versed in Chandlers purple prose. However, read with no preconceived notions, The Black Eyed Blonde is a pretty fun book; easily readable and engaging.
Holland March is a private eye, hired to track down deceased porn star, Misty Mountains - wait, she's supposed to be dead right? Not according the eldHolland March is a private eye, hired to track down deceased porn star, Misty Mountains - wait, she's supposed to be dead right? Not according the elderly woman who swears she saw her briefly before Misty turned heel and did a runner from her home - the day after flipping her car and officially being declared dead. March is a guy with questionable ethics, and he's sure as hell not about to let an easy payday pass him by. He takes the case but it doesn't turn out at all like he had hoped...
Jackson Healy is the tough guy who was hired by Amelia, a young woman with a striking resemblance to Misty, to put the hard word on a man (March) who had been snooping around her.
The two cases collide in a wave of conspiracy, murder and evil schemes that neither could have predicted.
I read the book before watching the movie and have got to say, the novelization was better - which is to take nothing away from the buddy-cop laugh out loud premise of the movie - they were both very fun to read / watch.
The human is on point, the story rushes along at breakneck speed, jumping from one problem to the next as the 'heroes' bundle their way through the case.
I highly recommend checking out both forms of media.
Ray is a robot detective and assassin, who, along with his computer-based AI handler, Ada, may have played a part of removing their maker from the picRay is a robot detective and assassin, who, along with his computer-based AI handler, Ada, may have played a part of removing their maker from the picture to pursue independence and wealth. Forming the key cogs in the Electromatic Detective Agency, the robot and super computer switched to murder for hire to boost their revenue stream. However, MADE TO KILL doesn’t really touch on this element all that much, rather, the pulp detective noir homage is in full flight with a Spillane-like story full of dames, murder, mystery and a touch of un-Spillane-like sci-fi.
Set in the 1960’s and smack-bang in the middle of Hollywood, Ray finds himself in search of a missing celebrity. Yet there’s something about the case doesn't feel right to the robot. Que a strange celeb cult, memory loss, and a Russian-led scheme involving transferring personalities from one physical body to another and MADE TO KILL hits the right popcorn pulp notes in all its buttery goodness.
My rating: 4/5 stars. This was a re-read (in 2016 I rated the book 2.5 stars) and I really enjoyed it the second time round. The Phillip K Dick-inspired narration complimented the Chandler-like hardboiled tone resulting in an enjoyable genre mash-up. ...more
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