Review: Strangers in My Bed

Strangers in My Bed by Allen O'Quinn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A good example of rural swamp noir, and a solid coming-of-age story, as kindly brother Willie tries to pick up the pieces when bad brother Elroy comes home from college and creates a unholy mess of everything. Although the title and cover blurbs promise some sleaze the book is not nearly as salacious, consisting of horny hillbillies talking about sex in metaphorical terms with no gratuitous or graphical depictions. The books touches on the discrimination of urban Southerners against the uneducated backwater folks, and some pretty disturbing examples of racism in the Deep South. A talented writer, Mr. O'Quinn wrote three backwoods/swamp novels for Gold Medal and then disappeared.

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Review: Saddle the Storm

Saddle the Storm by Harry Whittington
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An ambitious novel that follows three main narratives, a young couple in a rocky marriage, a bible-thumping rancher who feels that he has been spurned, and a mentally challenged boy who's actions are an enigma. All of the action takes place during one hot Independence Day celebration in a small Texas town where Whittington effectively expands and merges the narratives into a cohesive story of love, obligation, betrayal, hatred and violence. This may have been Whittingtons attempt to write something more substantial than his excellent genre focused Crime and Western books, his Great American Novel perhaps, and although it looks like a traditional Western it is so very much more. Highly recommended.

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Review: In His Blood

In His Blood by Harold R. Daniels
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

One of the earliest and best of the novels that employ the dual narratives of a serial killer and the cop trying to track him down. The novel really excels in how it portrays both of these characters, you feel that you know and understand them, a difficult objective for any writer. The author and novel have been largely forgotten over time, so this terrific novel was a very welcome surprise. Well deserving of it's 1956 Edgar Award nomination and highly recommended.

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Review: I Died Twice

I Died Twice by Bobby Underwood
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This short novel tells the story of a vulnerable young woman, her loss of innocence, and the value of friendships, as the female protagonist finds herself in a series of mysterious circumstances that build to a surprising and satisfying conclusion. The author keeps the plot moving at a fast pace, with smart dialog and light descriptive prose that doesn't bog things down, making this a quick read. Loved the 1940s pop culture references.

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Review: Black Hat Jack

Black Hat Jack by Joe R. Lansdale
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An outstanding novella with breakneck pacing and a linear plot that brims with profane and colorful dialogue, and some thought-provoking ruminations on racism. A very fun and entertaining read from start to finish.

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Review: The Polar Treasure

The Polar Treasure by Kenneth Robeson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Solidly and somewhat insanely plotted classic Pulp story with Doc Savage and his team competing with two rival gangs of thugs to locate a treasure that is lost in the Arctic from a map invisibly tattooed on a blind violinists back. The novel picks up speed in the last third after Doc loses his team and is forced to fend for himself against violent criminals, drugged Eskimos, and barehanded against a polar bear. Great stuff.

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Review: Outrage at Blanco

Outrage at Blanco by Bill Crider
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A paging turning gem masterfully paced and plotted with several memorable characters and dialog that rings true throughout. Loved the unlikely alliance between the victimized woman and the dying old man, a relationship that spoke to the times and events in life that motivate us to do what we feel are the right things, as a matter of justice, or maybe vengeance, or as a last hurrah before heading to that big corral in the sky. A highly satisfying story that grabs you early and never lets go. Highly recommended for crime and/or western readers that don't mind adult themes and violence.

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Review: Nightfall

Nightfall by David Goodis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An exceptional psychological thriller told from the perspectives of an innocent man accused of robbery and murder, and the sympathetic detective obsessed with finding out the truth. More than a typical crime thriller, the novel is essentially a character study of an emotionally damaged man on the run, pursued by both criminals and police, looking for redemption but without a clear path, alone and without hope. Goodis pulls off the dual narratives with great aplomb. His lean prose and colorful dialogue propel the tight plot to a very satisfying conclusion.

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Review: Guild

Guild by Ed Gorman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Gorman is a terrific writer and Guild does not disappoint. This short novel, the first in a four book series telling the tales of hard-boiled bounty hunter Leo Guild, is fast paced and brimming with memorable characters and dialogue. Gorman's descriptive prose resides in that sweet spot between terse and tedious, telling the reader just what you need to know without dragging down the snappy pacing. I am looking forward to reading the other books in this series.

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Review: Everybody's Watching Me

Everybody's Watching Me by Mickey Spillane
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Originally serialized in the first four issues of Manhunt Magazine, this novella by one of the world's most popular writers at the time, gave the fledgling magazine instant credibility and the ability to attract some of the best crime writers of the day. It helps that it's a terrific story that I found more appealing than his "Mike Hammer" novels. Probably the best Spillane that I've read.

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