Uncategorized – Larque Press | The Digest Enthusiast

Uncategorized November 21, 2024

Too Rich to Die by H. Vernor Dixon

Too Rich to Die by H. Vernor Dixon
Black Gat No. 65

A lousy first impression is a difficult smear to unsmirch. T. Howard Carleton makes a doozy in Chapter 1. Born fabulously rich, he’s shallow, callous, rude, and a mysogonist to boot. I got more than enough of him in the first 18 pages and almost had to bail. But Dixon knew what he was doing and spends the remaining 200+ pages churning things around. It isn’t so much that Carleton metamorphasizes into a butterfly; instead he finally figures out who he really is sans the baggage of ostentatious privilege.

The trigger is a nasty tryst Carleton tries to cap, waving a pistol at his latest conquest in hopes of scaring her off once and forever. Trouble is, he’s so drunk he passes out and can’t remember shooting her dead. Faced with an open-and-shut case, even opulence can’t compensate, he goes into hiding, fortuitously landing a cook’s job on a fishing boat that feeds the canneries in Monterey.

Dixon spent his life in California, eventually settling in Monterey, so he knew the territory well and cites numerous geographic points of interest in this and several of his other works.

Richboy/playboy Carleton takes on the alias Tom Howie, but is still plagued with a sort of death wish. His wealth has precluded him from any normal/genuine relationships, so he takes outrageous risks just so he can feel like he’s alive. And despite his reckless antics, his luck never fails. Hence the title: Too Rich to Die.

This is a marvelous character study, wrapped in a fast-moving adventure story. Howie/Carleton gets the most ink, but the skipper, Matt Radovich, the femme fatales, cousins Ginny and Gail Norton, and even the sardine king, Steve Moore, all get three dimensional treatment that get a little shallower by their role’s importance.

Unlike real life, people nearly always change in fiction, sometimes quite easily. Dixon does a good job with his lead, who slowly grows into the realization that most of the world isn’t black and white, but shades of gray. So his change seems more genuine than that born of crisis or epiphany.

This one has it all—crime, adventure, romance, action, suspense, and danger–all set aboard the churning tides of cannery row. Great, great fun.

Uncategorized October 19, 2024

Remembered Anger by Martha Albrand

Black Gat No. 63

A simple yet satisfying espionage/revenge novel about a WWII POW believed to have been executed during internment, who returns to Paris to bring the Nazi sympathizer who ordered his death to justice.

Although there is plenty of action and a reasonably fast pace, this is a character-driven story, introspective and intelligible. Albrand is a master of examined emotion, internal conflict, and torn loyalties. First published in 1946, the hero’s gut-wrenching struggle between his heart and the greater good reminded me at times of Casablanca (1942).

It’s always sobering to find a passage in a novel like this, written decades ago, that so clearly expresses modern day sentiments:

“No, thought Chet. This is no mistake. This all has been well planned. The same old forces working again, the same forces that have always led to war. And, as always, they are using the same methods of murder, lies and the defamation of those who try to fight them, accusing their opponents of the very same crimes they were committing.”

Uncategorized October 3, 2024

Hunter at Large by Thomas B. Dewey

Black Gat No.62: Hunter at Large by Thomas B. Dewey

This novel is prime for an action movie. Mickey Phillips, detective second grade, is home for the evening, a rare occasion due to a combination of workload and short-staffing at the bureau. His beautiful wife, Kathy, has prepared his favorite meal and they’re grateful for the romantic evening ahead. But their martial bliss quickly turns to horror when two home invaders arrive. The murder of Kathy is particularly brutal and Mickey receives his own brand of torture. He is shot to ensure there are no witnesses, but somehow he survives.

After months of rehab, he finally regains his memory of that night and his physical stamina. Now he wants only to find out who did this—and why? His Captain can’t condone Mickey’s vigilante mentality, he wants to track the killers through normal channels and see the men are brought to justice. Mickey wants only one case and one objective. In short order, Mickey resigns his position and begins the hunt.

There is a relentless aspect of Mickey’s determination and his pursuit of clues as to the identity of the killers, but time is also relentless and Mickey is forced to live a life in the same reality of his hunt. Along the way, he meets two women. Very different, but each unique and affecting to Mickey and readers. These subplots add unexpected constraints to the hunt, and force Mickey to confront himself and his mission.

Hunter at Large is a first rate manhunt thrill-ride with plenty of action, great characters, and several unexpected revelations.

First published in 1961 in hardcover by Simon and Schuster, its latest edition is from Stark House Press’ Black Gat Books, No. 62 in the series. This edition includes Dewey’s bibliography and a short bio.

Reviews October 14, 2022

The Collected Adventures of The Drifter Detective Vol. 2

The first volume of this captivating series introduced Jack Laramie, who travels the great western byways in search of cash-flush clients in need of a private detection. His mobile office is a horse trailer hauled behind a worn, but still running DeSoto classic.

Volume One left me a with a waity case of Laramie fever, with the only known cure being Volume Two. Well, round two did not disappoint, meeting and exceeding every unreasonable expectation I brought to its pages.

Featuring four engaging novellas by Laramie’s crack scribes—every one a gem—this extra thick volume collects the balance of Jack Laramie’s case files. Over 300 pages of pure PI pleasure with a western/noir twang. Could be a long wait for the next one, but if I live long enough to see it, save me a place at the front of the queue.

Uncategorized August 9, 2022

Grimhaven

A sobering account of the author’s time in San Quentin in the 1920s. Much of Tasker’s prison life was closely controlled and passed almost entirely in the company of other inmates. Tasker’s memoir delves into the effects of such a punishing existence, where boredom and forced participation are monotonously thrust upon the entire population. How does one remain civil—or sane—under such conditions?

Tasker’s rare outlet became writing, which he pursued along with a small group of fellow convicts. It eventually led to this brutal, insightful account, and upon his early release to a modest career as a screenwriter in Hollywood.

For fans of true crime stories, Grimhaven provides a riveting, inside account of what happened to criminals after conviction in 1920s America. Plus, the paperback volume includes a fascinating bio of Robert Joyce Tasker by Woody Haut.

Out of print for decades, the Stark House imprint Staccato Crime brings Grimhaven back into print this September. Available for pre-order now.

Uncategorized July 24, 2022

Blood Alley by A.S. Fleischman

A prolific author, Albert Sidney Fleischman wrote novels as A.S. Feischman and Sid Fleischman. Blood Alley was his eighth novel and draws from the cultural and geographic sides of his experiences in the Far East during WWII. Later in his career, Fleischman wrote primarily children’s stories. Blood Alley is unique in that he wrote both the novel and the screenplay for the Batjac film production starring John Wayne and Lauren Bacall.

American Merchant Mariner, Tom Wilder, is taken prisoner by Chinese Communists after they seize his ship. He is sprung from prison through a carefully planned escape bought and paid for by the town of Chiku Shan, whose residents need a ship’s captain familiar with the waters off the coast to aid their to Hong Kong. The only ship they have access to is a wood-burning, stern wheeler, capable of a top speed of about eight knots.

The story is rich with intrigue, dangerous scrapes with discovery throughout Communist territory, and steeped in local customs and topographic detail. Although the part of the movie Tom Wilder was originally cast with Robert Mitchum, Wayne eventually got the part; and reading the book, it’s far easier to imagine Wayne as the nearly one-dimensional, macho-man Captain Wilder than Mitchum.

Stark House does fans of Gold Medal’s 1950s PBOs a real service by bringing this one back to print. It’s a thrill-packed adventure with a terrific introduction by David Lawrence Wilson, who knew the author prior to Fleischman’s death in 2010 at age 90.

Stark House provided the novel for review. Publication release: August 2022

Reviews April 24, 2022

How to Commit a Murder

First published about 1930, How to Commit a Murder provides Danny Ahearn’s (1901–1960) first-hand account of a slew of criminal activities, divided into chapters on jewelry stores, fur joints, straight stickups, car theft, politicking, protection, rackets, crap games, defending yourself after a pinch—and the crowning jewel of the title: murder—and how to get away with it. A fascinating account of the author’s life as a hardcore criminal.

Ahearn didn’t exactly write this baby, he narrated it. His editor, John S. Clapp—who wrote the original introduction for the first edition (which is reprinted here)—actually recorded Ahearn’s sometimes rambling account of this “how to” textbook and then painstakingly transcribed the whole thing. What you get is Ahearn’s authentic voice, oozing in big city street-savvy vernacular, and informed by his in-depth knowledge of that which he speaks. You can tell in short order, he knows exactly what he’s talking about. It’s captivating, immersive, and richly embellished. The only minor annoyance is Ahearn’s penchant to ramble. He doesn’t always connect the dots in his stream-of-consciousness revelations and sometimes jumps from one thought to another—all relevant to the chapter at hand—but not always sewn up tight with no loose ends.

That said, if you’re a fan of true crime exposés, this book’s hefty convictions far outweigh any petty offenses. Staccato Crime series co-editor Jeff Vorzimmer provides a short Preface to Gary Lovisi’s engaging 21st Century introduction to this Stark House Press jazz-age nonfiction gem.

Advance Review Copy provided by Stark House Press.
Release Date: June 2022. Available for pre-order from Stark House and amazon.

News March 5, 2022

Bare•Bones No.9

bare•bones [#9 Winter 2022] ed. Peter Enfantino, John Scoleri (Cimarron Street Books, $9.95, 114pp, digest)
1 • Contents Page
2 • Dueling Editorials • John Scoleri, Peter Enfantino • ed
3 • The Beagle has Landed [The Evolution and Possible Offspring of A.E. van Vogt’s “Black Destroyer”] • Matthew R. Bradley • ar; illustrations by Allen Koszowski
14 • James Bond’s Illegitimate Cousins [“Eurospy” films of the sixties] • William Schoell • ar
25 • The Private Eye Procedural [Joe Gores’ DKA File Series] • J. Charles Burwell • ar
38 • It’s Still Not About Anything [But Hickey & Boggs means everything if you’re obsessed with Los Angeles in the early ’70s] • Duane Swierczynski • ar
46 • Universal Opens the Door to a Fantastic 1974 [Boxoffice Review: March 11, 1974] • John Scoleri • ar
53 • Digging Into Crime Digests: These are the Damned [The Guide to Sure-Fire Detective Stories] • Peter Enfantino • cl
85 • S. Craig Zahler on . . . Horror Manga • ar
89 • Sleazy Alley • Peter Enfantino • rc
_89 • Carnal Cantina, John Dexter, Late-Hour Library, 1967 • br
_91 • Carnal Captive, Tony Calvano (Thomas P. Ramirez), Nightstand, 1965 • br
_91 • Lust Kill, John Dexter, Ember, 1964 • br
_93 • Swap It to Me!, Alan Marshall, Companion, 1969 • br
_93 • Sextories, Charles Miron, Kozy Books, 1960 • br
95 • R&D: The Man With Six Names [John Wyndham] • David J. Schow • cl
102 • Movies Illustrated Bonus: The Day of the Triffids! • John Scoleri • pi
108 • A Good Cast is Worth Repeating • bg

Cimarron Street Books website

Contents formatted for inclusion in Phil Stephensen-Payne’s Galatic Central reference website.
FictionMags Index Family Item Types & Other Abbreviations key.

News March 4, 2022

Staccato Crime SC-003: Criss-Cross

Johnny Thompson is all in over femme fetale Anna Krebak, whose main interest in a man is the size of his bankroll. Johnny’s desire to win Anna’s love lures him into bad business with Slim Parsons, a hood with big ideas. Slim cooks up the perfect scheme to knock over an armored car full of payroll cash with Johnny behind the wheel.

With a title like Criss-Cross, you know they’ll be plenty of overlapping double-crosses, and you won’t be disappointed. A tour de force of noir magic. Filmed in 1949 with Burt Lancaster and Yvonne De Carlo, with direction by Robert Siodmak.

One caution: both Round Trip and Criss-Cross include the original jazz-age era racial slurs.

Round Trip/Criss-Cross is Staccato Crime SC-003 coming soon from Stark House Press.

News February 24, 2022

Round Trip by Don Tracy

Kudos to the Stark House Press imprint Staccato Crime, Greg Shepard, Jeff Vorzimmer, and David Rachels for bringing back the novel Round Trip by Don Tracy, first published in 1934. Eddie Magruder is a borderline criminal with a rough, suspicious demeanor. His path could have easily pulled a hefty term in prison, but he meets a reporter at the newspaper where he works as a photographer, and is shown a better life, a better version of himself.

The plot dances close to the edge of crime, but the story is all about its characters. Tracy’s prose is simple, but loaded with nuance and detail. It captivates and pulls you along like an action-packed thriller, only the action here is more subtle—at times almost mundane. But somehow it’s magic and impossible to put down, because you want to know what’s next in this unpredictable, first person narrative about the lives of a cast of characters as real as vivid imagination gets.

David Rachels’ well-researched introduction provides a welcome glimpse into Tracy’s life, success, and renown.

Next up: Criss-Cross, the second half of this two-fer.

Round Trip/Criss-Cross is Staccato Crime SC-003 coming soon from Stark House Press.