The first of the Marlowe stories, and his character hasn’t been fully formed yet. He has great lines still, but not quite as punchy as he would go on The first of the Marlowe stories, and his character hasn’t been fully formed yet. He has great lines still, but not quite as punchy as he would go on to do.
She lowered her lashes until they almost cuddled her cheeks and slowly raised them again, like a theatre curtain. I was to get to know that trick. That was supposed to make me roll over on my back with all four paws in the air.
or
It was about eleven o'clock in the morning, mid October, with the sun not shining and a look of hard wet rain in the clearness of the foothills. I was wearing my powder-blue suit, with dark blue shirt, tie and display handkerchief, black brogues, black wool socks with dark little clocks on them. I was neat, clean, shaved and sober, and I didn't care who knew it. I was everything the well-dressed private detective ought to be. I was calling on four million dollars.
I think I appreciated this less because I’ve gone the wrong way about it, the Bogart Bacall movie first, and a radio drama later.. then the book. The book should have comes first. I also think that Chandler is better appreciated in short stories, or those short novellas he wrote many of. Most of the time he made his money writing for magazines, and serialising a longer piece of writing was less popular, and consequently less in demand. Many of these were serialised for CBS Saturday night radio in the 1940s also, and half an hour in length. They can be heard in various places on the internet. It’s good to bear in mind that these were prime time entertainment for which the typical family was gathered around the radio. ...more
In the last few weeks I’ve been looking at the vast body of work written by Woolrich. There are his novels, and his shorter work, between 40 and 150 pIn the last few weeks I’ve been looking at the vast body of work written by Woolrich. There are his novels, and his shorter work, between 40 and 150 pages, so classified often as short stories or novellas, or long short stories, or short novellas. He wrote a lot of these mainly because they paid the bills more efficiently than a novel. They were usually a commission from a magazine, such as Dime Detective, or Argosy. He also wrote stories for shows like The Twilight Zone, for which the episodes were 30 minutes long. For example, this taken from research by Steve Lewis at MysteryFile..
The Eye of Doom #2. The Episode of the Hungry Knife for Argosy, 1-21-39 The Eye of Doom #3. The Episode of the Voodoo Gun for Argosy, 1-28-39 The Eye of Doom #4. The Episode of the Golden Cats-Paw for Argosy, 2-4-39 Note: Woolrich was paid in the following manner for this novel: #1. 13,005 words $240 on Feb 3, 1938. #2. 11,800 words $265 on June 9, 1938. #3. 13,201 words $265 on Sept 1, 1938. #3. 14,413 words $250 on Dec 1, 1938.
A few have disappeared, but most are to be found somewhere in one of his collections or on the internet. The standard varies, but everything I have read from him, or one of his aliases, has been very entertaining.
This is no exception. Ben Cook is an average guy, law abiding, an upstanding citizen. He is persuaded by his common law wife to take out a life insurance policy, and then fake his own suicide, but his wife gets greedy, and decides she doesn’t want to share the payment.
Westlake (as Richard Stark) writes Parker in a hard-boiled style, as a cold-blooded and violent thief, that due to his uncompromising manner appealed Westlake (as Richard Stark) writes Parker in a hard-boiled style, as a cold-blooded and violent thief, that due to his uncompromising manner appealed to his devoted fans.
This is a heist story, though the raid, on the takings of a college football game, is complete before the novel is halfway through. The plot is mainly concerned with the aftermath, the seven thieves laying low. Parker is looking after the money keen for the split up as he’s short of cash. He leaves his apartment to go for cigarettes and when he returns his girlfriend his been pinned to the bed board with sword, and the money is gone. The heist might have gone without a hitch, but this leaves him with a real headache.
The killer is revealed quite early on also, and the latter pages are of less concern. It’s a short novel, and entertaining enough, but more hard-boiled, more violent, less humour than the pulp crime I enjoy so much from the previous decades.
I think Westlake has intentionally written Parker as having little to endear him to the reader. He’s not quick on the draw with put downs and wisecracks, and consequently the dialogue is less of a feature than pulp predecessors. That the Parker character is such an improbable one is relevant also, especially when there are 24 novels that feature him. As a one off, maybe a couple, I’m fine with, but find him too one dimensional for much more. ...more
Willeford beats me here. He has created a protagonist so dislikeable that it put me right off the story. It begins splendidly..
I had been running aro
Willeford beats me here. He has created a protagonist so dislikeable that it put me right off the story. It begins splendidly..
I had been running around with Jannaire for almost six weeks before I found out that she was married. At ten p.m., Sunday night, when I started to leave my apartment house, planning to buy the early edition of the Monday morning Miami Herald at the 7/Eleven store a block away, I knew that her husband, Mr. Wright, meant to kill me.
Hank, the aforementioned protagonist, is a successful pharmaceutical salesman with a massive ego, especially when it involves women. He finds himself inevitably drawn to Jannaire by ‘her reek of primeval swamp’. But, Jannaire has a big surprise for him.
One of Willeford’s specialties was writing novels that were commentaries on psychopaths in everyday life, anti-heroes who eventually get there comeuppance. Usually they are socially quite acceptable, and even popular in some books, like this one. The problem is that it’s difficult to care for anyone in this novel. But it’s necessary to remind yourself as reader repeatedly through the book just who wrote it.. this is Willeford, to make you feel like that is exactly what he intended....more
Corpses show up with regularity in seedy LA hotel rooms. Most of the action takes place in the dark. And it’s usually raining. Handguns seem to be eveCorpses show up with regularity in seedy LA hotel rooms. Most of the action takes place in the dark. And it’s usually raining. Handguns seem to be everywhere, so shoot-outs are not infrequent. Characters are described with detail. Corruption abounds.
These are regular features of Chandler’s writing, and shared by all the four stories here. The title story is a little different though, in that it takes place in the African American area of LA, and its seedier side plays a key role.
Though there is no Marlowe here, these stories are classic Chandler. ...more
This novella was first published in the Argosy magazine in March 1941 with the title And So to Death, and two years later it was re-printed under the This novella was first published in the Argosy magazine in March 1941 with the title And So to Death, and two years later it was re-printed under the title Nightmare. To confuse matters further it has on occasion appeared under both titles but under the author’s ‘William Irish’ pseudonym.
The story is deceptively simple; a man has a frightening dream in which he kills someone. Then the dream apparently starts to come true.
The story is one of a number of Woolrich creations that his biographer called ‘living nightmare’ stories in which a protagonist awakens from a blackout unsure of what is real and what is not, consumed by guilt but unable to recall exactly what they did. It has twice been adapted for the screen, as Fear in the Night in 1947 starring DeForest Kelley and Paul Kelly in the main roles, and then as Nightmare in 1956 with Kevin McCarthy and Edgard G. Robinson.
As often with Woolrich’s work, it isn’t perfect, as in that it doesn’t stand up to close scrutiny, but set that aside, and enjoy the distinctive plot that etches itself into the memory. Woolrich was extremely prolific, and a master of noir in the this format, 60 to 90 pages, shorter than a novella but ideal for magazines. It may be a reason why so many of his stories have faded into obscurity today, but are nonetheless, very entertaining. ...more
This is some way from being Thompson at his best, and it’s easy to say that’s down to the lack of violence, which is usually a feature of his work. BuThis is some way from being Thompson at his best, and it’s easy to say that’s down to the lack of violence, which is usually a feature of his work. But I think it’s deeper than that, the progression of the plot feels forced at times, there isn’t the smooth quickening pace of the narrative that one is used to with him. It’s unknown for me to look up (or down) at how much of the book is left when reading Thomson, but I did find I was doing it here.
The dialogue is still a strong feature, witty, and at times takes you back, as it can be outrageous. The protagonist, Britt Rainstar, a writer and the last surviving member of a once illustrious family, isn’t easy to warm to, though that’s typical of a lot of pulp fiction. It is set rurally, where Britt is cheating on his wife, and gets found out. Boredom from his life in a tumbledown family mansion has got the better of him. He has been tricked into marrying Connie, and once he has got wise on the situation is denied a divorce by her. She is then crippled by a car accident, with Britt at the wheel, though he is absolved of any fault. He is approached by Manuela Aloe, who runs a shady corporation, to write ecological pamphlets for them, for a large amount of cash, and when she seduces him also, he thinks his luck is in.
A feature of Thompson novels is his creation of women with dubious intent, who turn out to be nasty pieces of work, and this is no exception.
All in all, it’s late Thompson, a convoluted and woolly plot, which lacks the sinister nature of his best work, but is strong on dialogue and in the creation of his key characters. ...more
Bill Sweeney, under suspension from the Chicago Blade newspaper, sobers up from a three week alcohol binge, to join a small crowd of people staring atBill Sweeney, under suspension from the Chicago Blade newspaper, sobers up from a three week alcohol binge, to join a small crowd of people staring at the front door of an apartment a beautiful blonde who has a stab wound in the abdomen and is being guarded by her growling and huge dog. As she stands, her robe drops to the floor revealing all. It’s a powerful opening.
Sweeney, who isn’t an alcoholic in his own words, and just has occasional binges, reclaims his job as he is besotted by this woman and wants the story, and just perhaps, the chance to see her again. The woman, it materialises, is a stripper, and the dog, just performing the act of making her naked, as he does in the show.
The stabbing of the stripper though, is a failed attempt at murder by the ‘ripper’, who has claimed two murders already. This isn’t just a pulp fiction noir, it’s also a whodunnit, with an effective ending which reveals the killer.
It may well be the book that Brown is most famous for, and a good example of his style, which is quite different to his contemporaries; he uses less dialogue, less slang, and though undoubtedly pulp, it is aimed at a more educated audience, with occasional literary references.
Brown wrote science fiction and fantasy also, but it is crime that sold him the most books, though his short stories probably made him more money from the various magazines. His trademarks at his use of humour, and the twist in the ending, as here.
It was filmed in 1970 as The Bird With The Crystal Plummage, with Dario Argeno directing, one of his giallo movies, murder mystery with slasher horror, and usually very bright colours. I’m a fan of course of Argento, but have not seen this yet....more
Listened to on Tony Walker’s new podcast, Classic Detective Stories. (Tony is the host of the Classic Ghost Stories podcast). It’s about 50 minutes lonListened to on Tony Walker’s new podcast, Classic Detective Stories. (Tony is the host of the Classic Ghost Stories podcast). It’s about 50 minutes long, and ideal to listen to when out for a wet walk here in Piediluco, on the St Francis Way. ...more
Brown is a writer I’ve been meaning to get to for a while. He is highly regarded as a pulp author, but also for his flash fiction with a twist, and hiBrown is a writer I’ve been meaning to get to for a while. He is highly regarded as a pulp author, but also for his flash fiction with a twist, and his science fiction. I read a particular recommendation for this by Lawrence Block, so thought I’d begin with it.
The title refers to the city of Chicago, and immediately the reader is immersed in a desperate working-class of the 1940s which puts in mind the noir classic films of the day, such as The Postman Always Rings Twice, Out of the Past and Nightmare Alley.
18 year old Ed’s father is beaten in an alley one night, a seemingly motiveless murder. Not an admirer of his step-mother, Ed goes to his uncle Ambrose, who works in a travelling carnival, a train ride away. Ambrose is immediately suspicious of the motive, and the two team up to get some answers.
There’s so much pulp fiction that it’s hard to get a plot that is ingenious, but Brown has managed that here. But it’s the quality of his writing that hauls the reader in. Parts of the plot maybe a bit difficult to accept, but this is a coming of age story at its heart, and the attraction lies in the first person narration of Ed, and his rapid education in life on the streets at the hands of his uncle. ...more
Three men execute a carefully devised plan. They drive to an upmarket suburban Long Island neighbourhood and break into a jewellery store. Before theyThree men execute a carefully devised plan. They drive to an upmarket suburban Long Island neighbourhood and break into a jewellery store. Before they can get away however, two police cars roll up and a gun battle ensues. Two of the cops and two of the crooks get killed, but the third thief gets away.
While the thieves are working, Gerald Hanna, an ordinary guy with an ordinary job is playing poker. A usually cautious guy, Hanna takes a big chance and winds up winning a sizeable pot. Driving home, as he considers his luck, his car door is suddenly pulled open and the third thief jumps in with a bag full of jewels and a gun.
This all happens in the first few pages, and the reader is given to think that White might have shot his bolt, but he would be wrong.
White was a master of the heist novel, but almost always in his other books, the story builds to the heist. By positioning the heist at the start here, this enables White to concentrate more on his key characters, which I really enjoyed. I understand that for some though, that less action, less violence, less later twists, maybe a disappointment. But the study of Hanna, who remains upbeat and still sees his luck as being in, as his life gets gradually turned upside down, is compelling. ...more
Its difficult to believe this book, and more generally the writing of Lionel White, isn't better known. Tarantino adapted his work into Reservoir DogsIts difficult to believe this book, and more generally the writing of Lionel White, isn't better known. Tarantino adapted his work into Reservoir Dogs.
Its the story of a racecourse heist that goes wrong, and was filmed less than a year after its publication, released in 1956 as The Killing, it stars Sterling Hayden and was directed by Stanley Kubrick from a screenplay by Jim Thompson. The book was originally called Clean Break, but since the film release has been known by this title.
Johnny Clay, recently released from a four year stint in prison, plans to knock off a race track with the help a few regular people who have no criminal ties. It's his hope that this will eliminate any of the pitfalls that occur when criminals work together. Of course, that couldn't be any further from the truth, as slowly but surely the human element invariably gets in the way. Its a straight-forward plot, but that is not the reason for the book's brilliance, which is down to the set of characters involved. Within just a short time, we know so much about them, and they are very different to each other.
Apparently it was the unusual non-linear structure that caught the attention of the producer James B Harris and celebrated director, Stanley Kubrick, this being his first film for studio distribution. Jim Thompson was brought in to write the script, though Kubrick unfairly kept the main writing credit for himself. I'm off to watch the film again.. a seminal example of classic 1950s film noir....more
Despite it being an inaccurate translation, the title is a very appropriate description of a book about a man trapped in an elevator, when was trying Despite it being an inaccurate translation, the title is a very appropriate description of a book about a man trapped in an elevator, when was trying to cover up a murder, while outside his whole world is falling apart, and events are set in motion to blame him for another murder which he did not commit.
This is the most savage of noirs, populated by a despicable set of characters who care only for themselves and whose blatant disregard for anything or anyone else will lead to their downfall.
Julien Courtois is a man pushed to the financial brink, living well outside his means and has long since exhausted the generosity of his friends and family. His most immediately problem however is that he has borrowed a huge sum from a moneylender, and the repayment is overdue. With no prospect of making the payment, he hatches a plan, that if it were to work, would erase the debt and let him start again - to murder the moneylender.
There's plenty to enjoy in this inverted mystery, and not a chance that you will feel the slightest bit of remorse for Courtois, who is the most slimy of toads. If there's a problem, its that the passages involving Courtois are so compelling that rest of the book can't quite match up.
Frantic was originally published in France in 1958 as Ascenseur pour l'échafaud and filmed that same year by Louis Malle. Three years later, in 1961, both the book and the movie were released in the United States under the new title, with the book being released by the king of paperback crime publishers, Fawcett's Gold Medal Books. The movie is better known under the more accurate translation of Elevator to the Gallows or Lift to the Scaffold and is a recognised film noir masterpiece....more
Not one of Hammett’s best I’d suggest, but it was the second in his ‘family slaughter’ saga, so for me, it came next.. I see other reviewers rank it aNot one of Hammett’s best I’d suggest, but it was the second in his ‘family slaughter’ saga, so for me, it came next.. I see other reviewers rank it amongst his weakest works. Rather than the dark gang violence of Red Harvest which rose out of the America of the Depression, Hammett seems to emulate the classic British detectives. His detective, the anti-hero known simply as the ‘Op’ reads like a different person all together here, at times, almost laughably so. Absent are the graphic violence and gritty dialogue that made Harvest such a stand-out in the pulp genre. Oh well.. on with the third, The Maltese Falcon, in due course.. ...more
Bill Balinger, a prolific American author and screen writer, has been credited with being the master of the noir thriller, and one of the foremost expBill Balinger, a prolific American author and screen writer, has been credited with being the master of the noir thriller, and one of the foremost exponents of the dual storyline.
Portrait In Smoke was his first major success, and later (in 1956) filmed as Wicked As They Come. In parallel narratives, it initially concerns Danny April, the new owner of a small debt-collection agency in Chicago, and his obsessive search for Krassy Almauniski, the winner of a local beauty queen contest who has a shady background.
While Danny searches resolutely and single-mindedly, tracing her movements across the city, Krassy is set on achieving the high-life using her looks and a degree of cunning that enables her to get where she seeks to be.
Her unexpected rise to fame and wealth highlights the foolishness and peril of Danny’s desperate and misplaced infatuation. The final scenes are particularly well done, and set it into the very special category.
James Ellroy rates it as one of his six favourite novels in a piece he wrote for Newsweek. Here’s what he says about it..
This is the ultimate evil woman novel. It's set in mid-century Chicago, and charts the comeuppance of an obsessed bill collector and a stunningly provocative psychopath. Ooooooooh, Daddy-O — this one will lash your libido and bite your boogaloo!!!!!
Though a major success for Fisher on its initial publication in 1941, this dark piece of crime fiction has lapsed to be out of print for many years.
QThough a major success for Fisher on its initial publication in 1941, this dark piece of crime fiction has lapsed to be out of print for many years.
Quite inexplicably also that a publisher hasn’t stepped in for a reissue, as it has something of a cult status. It has been called the classic Hollywood novel, based on a corrupt detective that is supposed to be fellow crime novelist, Cornell Woolrich.
It is a Southern California mystery about a film promoter suspected of murdering an upcoming female star. The real skill here is in earning the reader’s sympathy for a protagonist on the run from an obsessed, corrupt and single-minded police detective who is determined to pin the murder on him. Prior to this, Fisher wrote six other mystery novels, under three different names, without any degree of success. But it is clear that he learned from them, as in this he writes sharp, short prose that moves the plot quickly, and a snappy and captivating dialogue that is typical of the best pulp fiction. Evident also, is Fisher’s love for Hollywood. Though he struggled to earn any sort of a living prior to this being published, he was not to look back after its release. Hollywood it seemed, now loved him back.
The novel was adapted for two films noir, a 1941 version directed by H. Bruce Humberstone, starring Victor Mature, Betty Grable, and Laird Cregar, and a 1953 remake entitled 'Vicki’, directed by Harry Horner and starring Elliott Reed and Jeanne Crain.
With its setting in the heart of the Hollywood movie scene, and that it is an actual whodunnit, it is a genuine rarity in the pulp genre....more
A rare example of the film this novel was adapted to, being better than the book; Out of the Past (1947), starred Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, and KirkA rare example of the film this novel was adapted to, being better than the book; Out of the Past (1947), starred Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, and Kirk Douglas, and was one of the best noir crime films ever made. Perhaps it has something to do with the author (Daniel Mainwaring, Homes was his pen name) writing the screenplay also.
Both novel and film are powerful studies of a man’s struggle to maintain hope for some sort of future when his past catches inevitably up with him. ...more
This is a book that shows Cain’s writing prowess, and yet is not enjoyable to read.
Narrator Jess Tyler lives by himself on his small farm in a coal tThis is a book that shows Cain’s writing prowess, and yet is not enjoyable to read.
Narrator Jess Tyler lives by himself on his small farm in a coal town in rural West Virginia whe mining has long since closed down. As Dylan said ‘it’s much cheaper down in the South American towns where the miners work almost for nothing’.
His wife has left him also, when one day he comes home to find a confident nineteen year-old girl sitting on his stoop. Though initially she doesn’t let on, after a while she tells him that she is his daughter, Kady, whom he hasn't seen for many years.
He takes her in without hesitation, though the problem is, she plays Jess sees something different in his grown-up little girl in an entirely new way.
This is Cain in his confessional mode. But his protagonist is going to have to work hard to gain any sympathy from the reader as it seems he is to embark on an incestuous relationship. Cain has twists of course, but Tyler is already tainted. There’s a nasty taste in the mouth after the first few chapters, and the book never really recovers from that. ...more
This was my first Lew Archer novel, the third of the series, and published in 1951. MacDonald writes in the hardboiled tradition, but as with all the This was my first Lew Archer novel, the third of the series, and published in 1951. MacDonald writes in the hardboiled tradition, but as with all the greats, it is with his own trademark, in this case, portraying Archer as more human and with softer edges than your usual pulp P.I..
This is a missing person case. A distraught mother hires Archer to find her daughter, but there turns out to be much more to it than that. The plot soon becomes convoluted and hard to follow. This happens in pulp fiction I find, and usually if you stick with it, it soon all makes sense again. Often, it’s not worth worrying about, the plot is only a small part of the entertainment.
MacDonald’s strength is his descriptive language, of his characters as well as where his scenes are set, particularly interiors of seedy bars, hotels and the like. He also has a ferocious wit which he uses when it is least expected; some occasional levity to the grim nature of Archer’s daily duties.
His one-liners are a feature of his writing, though here I found them a little bit forced, like the few paragraphs before engineered it.
Another criticism of this novel is that the women have much lesser roles. In this case, taken for stupid, evil-minded seducers, or compulsive liars for example. I know this is common in many pulp novels, but the best of them avoid this....more
Night Squad was written towards the end of Goodis’s career, in 1961, the last one published in his lifetime.
It’s a novel of corruption, dirty cops, dNight Squad was written towards the end of Goodis’s career, in 1961, the last one published in his lifetime.
It’s a novel of corruption, dirty cops, double-crossing dames, and a cast of villains who will stop at nothing to get what they want. 34 year old Corey Bradford has been thrown off the Philadephia Police force for taking bribes, and is steadily sliding into a life of alcoholism in the seedy suburb of The Swamp. The local crime boss hires him to find out who is infiltrating his racket, while Philadelphia PD offer him his badge back if he joins the notorious Night Squad, a group of disgraced cops like him who do a lot of the city’s dirty work. Of course, Bradford takes both jobs, playing one off against the other.
This is different to the earlier work of Goodis; here, his protagonist lacks any sort of good intention, his corruption is from within, he’s a nasty piece of work. And so are many of the other main characters in the book. It’s as if Goodis himself has lost faith in villains having any sort of saving grace. That was much more noticeable in his earlier work.
It’s got a decent if rather straight-forward plot, which gives the author license to spend his time delving into Bradford’s character. The reader holds out for some sort of salvation but none arrives, a sign perhaps, of Goodis’s mood towards his last years. ...more
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