Peter McCurtin was born in Ireland in 1929 and immigrated to the US in his youth. He died in 1997. He also wrote under the names Bruno Rossi and Frank Carpetta. His first published book was a sleaze novel published by Midwood called Anything Goes. He was hired on as an editor at Belmont Tower and Leisure. He had many series and contributed to other long running series under their house name and sometimes other authors would use his name as a house name so it’s questionable as to who exactly wrote what but here is a list of some of the titles he had a hand in one or another.
He is responsible for the Western series Carmody.
Peter McCurtin’s Mafia and Crime Chronicles.
The Assassin series.
The Sharpshooter series under the very manly and Italian sounding pseudonym Bruno Rossi.
The Marksman. First two as Peter McCurtin and then continuing on as street tough turned author Frank Scarpetta. (I just added the “street tough” part for flavor)
Soldier of Fortune which is a series about a mercenary.
The Western series, Sundance
(Video review at bottom of this post)
The basic premise: Some mafia hoods show up in a small town in Maine. The local acting in-chief of police isn’t pleased but is very curious as to why they are there. Some corrupt shenanigans seem to be at play. Will this former NYC dirty cop join the payroll?
A large black custom-built Cadillac rolls into Chapmans Corners Maine. Disgraced former New York City detective, Greeley spots it for what it is, a mob car. They pull right up to him on the street and ask where to find the chief. He informs them the chief has had a stroke and is in the hospital and he is the acting chief. He then proceeds to tell them to hit the road.
This book starts with a great opener. It’s simple and lean and pulls you right in. Greeley is a tough talking and thinking embittered anti-hero. He took a bribe back in New York and got caught. Now he’s in the sticks trying to turn things around.
The writing is extremely hard boiled and sarcastic with plenty of self-deprecating remarks. It is also vulgar and crass. I’d say it’s a product of its time but there is literally a scene where Greeley keeps calling a gay character the other F word and then to my surprise justifies why he is saying that and not homosexual, because it “sounds too textbook.”
How about some more raunch on your 70s crime salad?
“…she smelled of Kahula and candy and perfume. I don’t know where she picked up on Kahula- they don’t sell it in the state liquor stores- but she drinks it like a father fucker, and no doubt she stocks up in Boston when she goes there shopping for fresh cock and other things.”
On the crime side, the action is a little slow but not boring. Here is where it also resembles more of a hard-boiled PI novel instead of a balls out crime book. The mob is trying to ease their way into this small town in Maine to reach a northern connection in Montreal. They aren’t doing it with muscle but with money. They have corrupted some of the town and Greeley spends most of the book uncovering the conspiracy. There is lots of manly posturing, some fisticuffs, backroom deals, sleight of hand plot twists and at one point Greely has to bang a hot lady for information. It’s a tough and pulpy working-class escapist fantasy and I loved it.
It also has lots of wintery snow atmosphere. This is all going down in the dead of winter in Maine. It’s a fun alternative setting for a mob story and McCurtin spent some time living in Maine so he knows the location well.
The climax is unfortunately the weakest part of the novel but it doesn’t soil the enjoyment of getting there.
There wasn’t much about Bernard online but I did find an interesting article on the Paperback Film Projector Blog from 2012 about the movie Hangup aka Super Dude which was based on this novel The Face of Night. Except they changed the race of all of the characters and turned it into a blacksploitation film.
He wrote a book called The Golden Children about an interracial couple fighting the bigotry of the 60s. He wrote a football book called Six Days to Sunday and a book called Uranium!
(video review at bottom of this post)
The basic premise: Straight shooter Southside Chicago detective Fred Ramsey takes on crooked cops, drug dealers and his inner demons.
This book contains a glossary of words and expressions used by narcotics addicts at the back of the book.
We start in the South Side of Chicago, 1967. It’s snowing and we’re in the ghetto. Another woman has died from an overdose. Someone gave her a hot shot because she’s an informant. There are two detectives investigating. One is a complete racist asshole. The other is thoughtful and compassionate, and he is our hero, Fred Ramsey.
Ramsey is worried about his other informant Kitty. Not only is Kitty one of his pigeons but she was also his high school crush. He is still smitten but she’s deep in the skag. It breaks his heart to see her like this but at the same time he needs intel on these dealers so he gets her to help him make a bust. He is, after all, saving her life from the stoolie slayer.
Also on Ramsey’s fight card for the book is the exoneration of the lone black detective on his squad, Tillman. There is a crooked cop named Heffner who sets Tillman up to take a fall for something he did. Tillman is arrested. Ramsey knows better and is on it.
Right off, this book gives off the mood of a mix between L.A. Confidential and The Untouchables. Obviously, Ramsey is going to be the one straight cop who is going to plow through this world of corruption and degradation to set things right. Right?
Yes and no. Here is where this book gets complex.
At a dinner at the Tillman’s apartment in the hood, Ramsey is having some issues as he pulls into the neighborhood. Some racism is creeping into his inner monologue. He argues with himself. And then at dinner when Tillman’s wife mixes up the glasses after a refill and Ramsey politely corrects her. The look on Tillman’s wife’s face says, “typical”. It seems some of that racism is creeping out. But he would say the same thing if they were white, right?
Now he’s in a bad mood so he visits Kitty whom he earlier had threatened to charge with possession if she didn’t give up her dealer. He’s going to lean on her but is surprised when he gets there and sees Kitty is trying to kick and now, she is ready to name names.
Ramsey goes undercover. All he wants is to bust this dealer of Kitty’s whom he is blaming her entire addiction on. Plus, he knows she had sex with him for drugs. And he’s black. No wait, that last part doesn’t matter, it’s just about him being a drug dealer. In his desperation, Ramsey breaks the rules to make the case.
More shade is thrown upon our hero’s integrity. It’s like Ramsey is walking through the field hitting every moral landmine possible. Everything he thought he was and stood for is crumbling.
Tillman becomes his partner and gives him the yes’m treatment. Ramsey is frustrated but he knows these are all misunderstandings and he isn’t racist. And then in a court room scene he tells a defense lawyer who happens to be Jewish to go back to Jerusalem.
Kitty is now clean and he starts dating her. But in Ramsey’s eye she’s still a junkie and he is disgusted by it. And himself. But he loves her. Or does he love the high school idea of her?
Each snippet of drama and action sinks Ramsey further into the pit but he feels like he’s on the right path and morally perfect. The world keeps telling him otherwise.
This isn’t just a run-of-the-mill sleazy 70s crime novel with a clear and concise plot. This is the complete and utter psychological destruction of the main character. I can’t help but wonder what the author was trying to say here. He obviously was opposed to racism as his next book was the Golden Children about an interracial couple fighting to stay together in a bigot filled world but it’s almost as if this book is saying, no matter what you do or how you act, there is a demon inside of you that will come out. Like, is this how the author felt about himself? Are these his inner demons? Is this book saying that racism will always exist? I wish I had read this one with someone else, because I am at a loss.
That being said it was still completely enjoyable. You become so engrossed in where the plot is going and why. There are plenty of moments of crime, hookers, drug dealers, violence tough talk, bitterness, despair, junkies, redemption, hell there is even a court room scene. This is one cop novel that is unlike any other I’ve ever read.
Carson Bingham is actually Bruce Bingham Cassiday. He was born in Los Angeles in 1920 and died in 2005. He went under multiple pseudonyms including Mary Anne Drew, Robert Faraday, Annie Laurie McAllister, Annie Laurie McMurdie and Con Steffanson. He wrote YA books in the 60s and some Flash Gordon in the 70s. He wrote the novelization to the movie Gorgo in 1960. And it looks like he wrote a bunch of crime and mystery and some how-to guides.
Basic premise: Val and her drunken mother have recently moved from Ohio to Brooklyn. After her shift at the diner one night Val is jumped by six girls from the gang The Panther Debs. She is saved by a handsome young lad named Troy who she later finds out is leader of the whole Panther gang. She fights her way in and joins the gang. Sex, drugs, violence and crime are what await Val, and she must decide if this is indeed the life she wants.
Like other juvenile delinquent books of the time, this thing is coarse and raw with the absolute hopeless realities of characters who don’t have much to live for. In fact, this might be the hardest of the juvenile delinquent genre that I’ve ever read.
Let’s start with Val’s mom. She used to be a healthy run of the mill Ohio housewife. But then her husband cheats on her and leaves. She starts drinking heavily and banging every man in town. Eventually she brings her 17-year-old daughter Val to Brooklyn for a fresh start. And that fresh start is becoming a prostitute. She is constantly obliterated. And true to alcoholic form goes from confessing her undying love for Val to telling her how much she hates her in the same sentence. She is covered in bruises from Johns beating her but also has no problem swinging on her own daughter. The book refers to her as a “blowzy whore.”
Val is the archetypical poor good-girl. She works her piddly job at the diner to help pay for her and her mother’s apartment. But she’s been in New York City for a year now and doesn’t even have one friend. She’s completely miserable and has lost all hope. She gets jumped by six gang girls after work who only stop when young stud Troy comes upon them and tells the girls to beat it. Val is smitten.
The gang girls don’t appreciate the way their last altercation ended so they come back another day to finish the job. But now with Troy in Val’s thoughts, she has something to live for and fights back. The gang girls are impressed with her spunk and invite her to try out for the Panther Debs.
The author did a great job of setting up the Val character as an innocent young lass with not much to lose so when the streets offered her something to be a part of, she took it. Probably pretty accurate of how most desperate youth lose their way.
But enough about character motive, accuracy and backstory, how about some sleazy grime?
To join the gang Val must knife fight, Ada, the leader of the Panther Debs. After she survives that she must strip naked for a gauntlet spanking of metal belts. Then of course, she must make it with whoever the leader of the Panthers, Troy, says. (He of course picks himself)
Unfortunately, Ada was Troy’s current old lady so Val must deal with her constantly coming after her and threatening to “stab her in her pretty boobs.” Their words.
Val is worried so she confides in Troy who romantically replies, “You’re my gash and nobody says not!”
Speaking of fun vocabulary, check out this slang,
“The gloomed Maria,” Peanuts snorted. “What a dumb ginch. If only she lammed. She sat there like a statue begging the fuzz to take her.”
The 1950s gang vernacular is actually kind of poetic and flows like this throughout the entire book.
This book is a trash filled dumpster of depravity. Troy goes from being loving to a completely abusive prick in a matter of hours. Val is in love though, so she turns a blind black eye. Ada and Val constantly fight over him. At one point Val smokes some weed, gets ridiculously high and feels invincible. She tells the girls to go get Ada. They throw down and Val literally bashes Ada’s head over and over into the concrete. Serious character arc here. Val has now found herself head of the Panther Debs.
It’s not all relationship drama though. The gang heists cars. Robs local businesses. Rumbles with another juvenile delinquent street gang named the Yellow Dogs. On a side note, why would you name your gang “yellow” anything? There are power plays and double crosses. Lots of drinking and drugs. Orgies. Knife fights. Hazing. Tough talking. Bitterness. Rape, murder, it’s just a shot away.
There is a social worker named Gurley trying to salvage some of these kids’ lives. He obviously picks Val as worthy of saving. He comes off more like a cop than a social worker but a cop who cares. Val will go from hating him to trying to throw herself at him. Likewise, Gurley will go from complete soft sympathy to ice cold indifference. Gurley even gets in on the violent action with a fist fight with gang members.
This book moves so fast and is not only incredibly entertaining but articulate and touching. I was taken by complete surprise how beautiful this book actually was. I usually steer clear of books with real human emotion and substance, but this knocked it out of the park.
There is a reissued version which is set for release in Jan/Feb of 2025 and you can pre-order it now from fathompress.com.
The original art was done by Tom Hallman
The reprint will have a new cover done by Stephen Andrade who has already done some fabulous covers for previous Fathom Press re-issues.
Here is the review in video form plus it has a showcase of some of my other winter horror novels. Keep scrolling for the written Cold Front review!
The basic premise: Three oil riggers in Canada are drunk and broke one night. While trying to acquire more drinkin’ money some dire mistakes are made. They venture out to the wilds for a bit. They get stranded in the middle of nowhere. Come upon a cabin with a lone creepy girl. Horror ensues.
Before we even get started, I had a difficult time trying to put my finger on how to describe the writing in this. There was something familiar about it. In my notes I wrote, it’s almost literary with sparse quick prose. But that wasn’t exactly it. And then I read Barry Hammond’s afterward, and he mentions one of his influences for this book was Charles Bukowski. He says, “I aspired to art that could be low-brow and high-brow at the same time…” And then it all made sense. It is oddly poetic and very crude but it’s also clever.
It starts with the setting; snowstorms, a shitty car and three hardened oil riggers from different ethnic backgrounds. One is native. One is French. One is Ukrainian. All three love to drink and are out of money. They ask for an advance from their asshole of a boss. He insults them and they kick the shit out of him. While unconscious the boys ransack the room and find a huge stack of cash and a bunch of liquor. They figure, well, we might as well kill him and keep all of it. They throw him in the trunk and head out to the sticks to dump the body figuring the snow will keep him covered until spring and they’ll be long gone.
One by one they pass out. The next morning, they look around and don’t know where they are. And the car is dead. And the body is missing from the trunk. They have no choice but to start walking. Eventually they come upon a lone cabin. It seems abandoned until they find an extremely attractive, very white, barely clothed woman.
One of the best aspects of this book is the suspense. Where it is going is obvious but why it’s going there is the mystery. And you feel right there with them as the weird unfolds. They are seemingly not in immediate danger at first. But they are trapped and unable to run or know when to run. It’s like when you’re sick but it’s not knocking you on your ass. It could be serious, maybe I should go now? But it could be nothing and I’m making myself worry for nothing.
Our three main characters aren’t even anti-heroes, they’re totally despicable people. Except for maybe Jimmy the native guy. I mean, he’s all in for the debauchery but he has a humorous apathetic view on everything that is happening that makes him completely endearing. John is a huge brute, who hates women, specifically his lesbian ex-wife (his words) and his child and the world in general. Ken is the Frenchman. He has the most sense about him but it doesn’t stop him from doing what needs to be done. He is also completely enamored with the strange woman.
The woman in the cabin is beyond creepy. Completely unsettling. She stares off into space and answers in short sentences. The fellas think she is mentally disabled. She also has a little smirk on her face like she knows something you don’t. She’s so white she’s practically translucent and often she runs around outside with no clothes on.
Up until the final leg of the story the book reminded me of Denis Johnson’s Jesus’ Son in that each chapter is a little short story itself. Not to mention, every character in this is a total shitty human being. What they talk about is crude and crass. The way that they talk to each other is working class tough. They have thick skin and drink hard liquor constantly. There was absolutely zero filler in this which is what I was saying about it being literary. All fat has been trimmed.
The end is a fever dream nightmare worthy of a David Lynch movie. What even is reality anymore?
I cannot believe how much I loved this. I know you’re thinking, yeah right Nick, we know Fathom Press sent this to you to review so your playing it up. I’m not. This is one of the best horror books I’ve ever read. The atmosphere, the violence, the lore, the language, was perfect. I’m telling you this was written for me. It was everything I love and the way it was written is exactly how I hope a book will read. The only way I could be more of the target demographic for this book would be if I was Canadian.
I had a great time this year doing this here book blog thing. I started the Youtube channel on Oct 20th 2023 so like 14 months ago. I made quite a lot of friends which is something I didn’t expect; fellow channels, people in the comments who at first I thought didn’t like me but then ended up sending me books and being my pal- thanks Stiv. I got invited by Jake at Pulp Mortem to be a collaborator/cohost along with Tim at Secret Fire Books, on his book show, The Elusive Exclusive Book Society. Our last guest of the year was Eric from the Paperback Warrior which is crazy to me because their podcast was the reason I started this blog/ YouTube channel. So that was kind of surreal and then also in the past year I got mentioned in the Paperback Fanatic. It’s crazy. I don’t know anything. I’m not an expert. Hell, I barely graduated high school (because I was a JD, not because I was dumb.) I can’t believe people actually want to hear me stumble and bumble my way through these videos and watch as I learn this seemingly endless world of exploitive, explosive, sleazy and most of all fun vintage genre fiction.
I also wanted to give a shout to Bob from Menspulpmags.com and Justin from Fathompress.com for sending me their releases to review. I appreciate it immensely.
I made some shirts, by the way. I have a screen printing business so I printed these myself. The art was done by my good friend Bryan Brady. They are available on my business website streetlightprinting.com
If you don't feel like reading, I did make a video for this one:
For the list we’re not including new releases as this is primarily a vintage genre fiction blog. Though we will give a shout out to Terrance Layhew and his book One Man’s Treasure- it was incredibly enjoyable. We’re also not including art books, or magazines but we’ll mention them all here because I love them and everyone should support them by buying a copy; Paperback Parade, Paperback Fanatic and the MAQ. We will, however, be including the Men’s Adventure Library series collections as they are entirely reprinted fiction from the past.
We read 68 books:
17 horror
16 crime/mystery
9 sci-fi
8 spy
8 men’s adventure
5 westerns
4 S&s/fantasy
1 gothic
68. Deathworld 2- first book we read for EEBS. It was less a plot and more a vehicle for HH to speak at us about how religious people are horrible. I’m not religious in the slightest but this was totally unfair and the worst crime of all is it was boring. It was repetitive, lazy, pretentious and insulting. It’s one of the worst books I’ve ever read.
67. Vortex- this is a book about a huge tornado ripping through a town and the people fighting to survive! Just kidding. It’s a book about some dusty old politician visiting his dying side chick in a rural town where a tornado should be coming any minute now. Lots of dry reminiscing. Lots of republican/democrat BS. A very luke warm murder mystery side plot and two pages of tornado action at the end.
66. Stallion- if this was a cover art list this thing would be in the top five. Unfortunately, the book isn’t anywhere near as good. A horse-riding farm in the sticks in the UK. A giant horse next door. A sort of possessed horny teenage girl. Nervous breakdown mom. Hints of the supernatural but no follow through. Honestly, not much horror at all.
65. Rogue Agent no 1- started off kind of cool with an undercover spy which then leads to sneaking into West Germany to grab this defector scientist and then on the way out it all falls apart and it looks like the spy guy has been set up. Great premise but then he just kind of hangs out for most of the rest of the book. He goes to the beach. Visits some friends. It gets a little more spy toward the end but it has zero climax.
64. Ghostbusters- imagine the script of the movie and now take out all of the jokes and actors charm.
63. Aftershock- underground mutant monster comes to the surface to eat human brains after an earthquake. The monster is depressed and spends most of the book sulking. The humans up top spend most of the time talking biology and medicine. Not nearly enough brain eating. The kills were splendid though. Heads ripped off with attached spines.
62. The Last Rangers- Post apocalypse Texas ranger takes on all manner of bad doers in the pretty much lawless wasteland that is Texas. I remember this having a really solid middle. Like it was a short story and they tacked on an awkward beginning and ending.
61. 13 Horrors of Halloween- This is a case of wanting one thing and getting another. I wanted a spooky book to read during Halloween. What I got was a genre mash up of stories that happened to take place on Halloween but have zero spook factor.
60. Blue Sunshine- one of my favorite B movies. It’s about some bad acid that people took in the 60s that is making them psycho killers in the 80s. And lose all of their hair. This suffers the same fate as Ghostbusters. Pretty much the script and missing the actor’s performances.
59. Foxx no 1- This is an adult western about a Railroad detective who is a manly man named Foxx who goes after some guys that tried to blow up a train. This had lots of detail descriptions of the old west setting. It was impressive but dragged it down and made it feel very dry. The dialogue was basic, the writing was at a 5th grade level. Pretty bland all around.
58. Sliders- one of my favorite tv shows. This one was pretty enjoyable. Unfortunately, I was under the assumption that it was a new story but it was just a novelization of the pilot episode. So, for that it lands towards the bottom. Unlike Blue Sunshine and Ghostbusters though, it was written way better with lots of extra panache added.
57. Caviar- a collection of short stories by Theodore Sturgeon originally published in the pulps. I had high hopes for this when I picked it up because I really enjoyed his story in another collection coming up much later in this list. These were pretty disappointing though. Some a little too cheeky. Some flat out boring. Out of the 8 I really only liked 1.
56. Deathworld 3- the final installment in the Deathworld trilogy. Coming right after the trudge through the second one, this one didn’t stand much of a chance. The crew end up on a brutish Conan type world and instead of just giving us some hack and slash release after the preaching of the second one we instead do lots of sneaking around and undercover work. If this was a standalone it might have been rated better but I just couldn’t shake number 2.
55. Bumsider- another EEBS books. A lackluster noirish mystery lightly sprinkled with some sci-fi stuff. This books main issue was that the main character didn’t want to be there and it made you feel like you didn’t want to be there either. I was into it at first. The world was very Soylent Greenish. It unfortunately meandered too much.
54. Operation Atlantis- French author writes a French spy book where the actual hero is a US spy. This had moments of 60s schlocky spy fun, but I really wanted it to be more about the French hero.
53. Badman- the cover states, “he was an outlaw out for revenge.” This had some great shoot outs and action scenes as the main character is on the run from the law after getting set up for a train robbery gone wrong. It read like parables as he travels from place to place getting into morally grey encounters. He spends a lot of time reevaluating his life and it was smart and insightful but a little too deep for what I was hoping for.
52. Dead Man Dead- beautiful Robert Maguire cover. I love the Exotica theme of Calypso and voodoo and mix it with crime and a murder mystery, and I’ll be buying that book in a second. This was just average. Nothing mind blowing. The fact that it had almost zero calypso or voodoo as the cover suggests drops it a little further down the list.
51. Hunger- a group of killer biologically enhanced mako sharks escape their government testing pin and head out to the open ocean to eat people. This was pretty enjoyable but had too much padding. Too much filler not enough killer…sharks.
50. Cherry Delight no 14 In a Pinch- Cherry is a super sexy agent of NYMPHO- New York mafia Prosecution and Harassment Organization. In this one she helps a fellow busty lady take out some mafia button men who were responsible for killing the girl’s brother. As far as Cherry’s go, this one was pretty meh. The sleaze wasn’t that sleazy and the plot got a bit repetitive.
49. Drowning Pool- an entry in the Lew Archer PI series. He investigates a wealthy family because the wife is being black mailed for cheating and they have dirty pictures. This was a pretty good read. It reminded me of Chinatown a lot. Nothing really stuck out as mind blowing but nothing stuck out as bad either.
48. Deathworld- a psychic gambler gets hired to figure out why a planet is trying to kill it’s people. When this first started I loved it. It made me excited to read more sci-fi. But then it just comes off the rails. Plot points are thrown to the side. The reasoning behind the conflict was meh. It did have lots of action though and the world was fun, brutal and interesting.
47. Nine Princes in Amber- one of the princes of the real world of Amber tries to take the throne from his brother. I had no idea this was such a well-loved series when we covered it on an episode of EEBS and if I had I probably wouldn’t have been so harsh on it. Ultimately though, what can I say, I still feel the same. It was a bit too dreamy and loose for me and I just felt like the ho hum motivation of the characters infected me as a reader. Not to say that there weren’t great parts in this; I loved the tarot card idea, the accessible other worlds, one of the coolest fight scenes ever where two armies fight through a single file line…but yeah I don’t know, I am going to try out the second in the series. It really bothers me that so many people who I usually agree with loved it so I’m going in for another round. I hated Lost Highway when I first watched it and now it’s one of my favorite movies. Now THAT’S a nonsensical plot.
46. Devil World- a star trek book featuring the original characters. Kirk and co go to a Forbidden Planet- quite literally it’s just like the movie Forbidden Planet to help a young looker find her dad. This was fun and essentially feels like a lost episode from the original run.
45. Hawk no 1 The Deadly Crusader- Reporter playboy Michael Hawk’s humble beginnings. This is before he inherits his fortune and is just a working reporter. I was surprised by how different this was than the later entries. It’s written really well. Like functionally well. The plot is wishy washy though and it just didn’t have that 80s action b-movie feel that the other Hawk books have.
44. The Golden Stag- I was in the mood for some treasure hunting which is what this was selling but instead it turned out to be a run of the mill men’s adventure which would have been great if they would have thrown in the treasure hunting as mentioned but it was like five pages of the entire book and that’s what I was there for.
43. Ninja Master no 1- we went over this in EEBS so just briefly, I read a later entry in the ninja master series and loved it so I wanted to see how it all began. It began with a whimper. Not enough fighting, not enough ninja. It did however nail the low budget vigilante movie in tone and for that I enjoyed it.
42. The Executioner no 2- the series that started off the one-man-versus-the-mob genre. I had never read one before and wanted to start at the beginning, but I found number 2 for $1 so we started there. Lots of action. Gun fights. Action. Military talkin. Killin. Guns. Action. Bombs. Missiles. Buddy comrade. Guns and action. No plot. No tension. Just shootin.
41. Cosa Nostra- Small town Maine sheriff takes on the mob as they try and infiltrate his small town. Sleazy and kind of ridiculous plot about the mob wanting to set up a spot close to the border of Canada so they can connect with gangsters in Montreal. It’s more like a PI story as you follow the main cop character in trying to figure out what the mob is even doing there. It’s really tough talking. Politically incorrect. Violent and gritty. It was a little slow though and kinda meh plot wise.
40. Hawk no 12 Virgin Stealers- later era style Mike Hawk that we’re used to and love. This one was mid-teir Hawk only because it had all this snuff stuff in it and I just hate that shit. I hate the idea of it. I hate torture. If you took the snuff out it would have gotten much higher.
39. Angel Eyes- E Howard Hunt’s hardboiled CPA character Steve Bentley got the number one spot last year with the Calypso Caper. In Angel Eyes Bentley is back in DC and it just didn’t stand out as much as Calypso Caper. I think this is the case of loving the last one so much that the bar was raised high. This was still enjoyable but I wanted another home run.
38. Hook no 5 Corpses in the Celler- Insurance investigator and former boxer, The Hook, kicks ass, beds ladies and denies you your insurance claim on the fire at your nightclub. This was ridiculous. Which made it fun. It had some decent fist fights and a decent little mystery.
37. Gun Code- A young man returns to the town is father was murdered in 15 years after him and his mother were chased out. He wants the land that is still in their name and half of his fathers business but the other half is owned by the man everyone says killed his father. So what actually happened? A pretty decent cold case murder mystery that pulls you back and forth between the two possible killers.
36. The Walking Dead- sequel to the Sinking Pit. A supernatural pit in the woods that hypnotizes people into killing their loved ones. I mean...
35. The Book of Skulls- four college bros traveling from NY to Arizona to find a cult who one of the lads believes will make you live forever. The only problem is, they will only accept groups of four and one of them must die. What an incredibly original novel. When they get to the cult it was eerie and filled with tension. I NEEDED to know what was going to happen!! So why wasn’t it higher? Most of the book is a road trip of college bros doing college bro things. I get that the end doesn’t work if we don’t know the guys well but man, it was a little too much. Still. What a memorable book.
34. Brood of the Witch Queen- A serialized novel originally published in the pulps. Black magic. Ancient Egypt. 1930s occult out the yin yang. This was in three parts. The first was a little better than good. The middle was outstanding. The third was forgettable. Which places it right in the middle of the list.
33. Black Canaan- REH’s horror stories. This is a short story collection also originally published in the pulps. The Black Canaan story was the main standout. Completely memorable. It takes place in the swamps. There are voodoo zombies and atmosphere galore. The rest of the stories were just ok. Fun horror pulp stories but nowhere near as good as Howards action and adventure stuff. I think this is another case of the bar set high.
32. None of Maigret’s Business- Maigret’s are my comfort read. If I’m feeling stressed, overwhelmed or depressed I read one of these and it never fails to completely take me in. I love this series. LOVE IT. If you don’t know, Jules Maigret is a chief inspector in Paris France. He solves puzzling mysteries. I always say he is the bridge between Sherlock Holmes and those early hard-boiled novels. This one was different. Basically, Maigret takes a vacation and solves the mystery by reading the articles of the murder in the newspaper.
31. Texas Israeli War 1999- We read this one on EEBS and Jake picked it because he thought it was going to be a hilarious shit fire. Turns out it was actually pretty great. A mix of post apocalypse, alternative future history, and a war novel. After the world has been nuked, everything is in disarray. Texas succeeds. They kidnap the US president. Israeli mercenaries are brought in to rescue him.
30. The Face of Night- This was an odd one. It comes out of the gate as an ultra grimy 70s urban crime novel. Lots of heroin and pimps and crooked cops etc. As it goes on it becomes less about an exact crime or plotline and more about the psychological destruction of the main character. This guy starts off as the shining knight and by the end just an absolutely hateful piece of shit.
29. Crown no 1 The Sweet and Sour Kill- Ridiculously fun kung fu cop exploitation novel about a detective in Hong Kong getting revenge for the murder of his grandparents. Look. It’s dumb. I know. I have it above REH. That’s just not right but the thing is I was loving it. I looked forward to it every night.
28. Overkill- I read a book by Dorothy Daniels and while doing research for the review I saw that her husband was also an author and I happened to own one of his books. This is a great spy book that takes place in Albania and involves Russians and Chinese and big surprise a nuclear bomb. Classic Cold War era espionage.
27. Shanghai Incident- Another great cold War era spy book. This one takes place in China and has an ex-soldier returning to find a missing geologist. What was great about this book is it was a spy plot but the style was classic hardboiled detective. It wasn’t a straight narrow mystery but more of a conspiracy mystery.
26. Maigret Sets a Trap- a serial killer is loose on the streets of Paris and Chief Inspector Maigret is tracking him down. This one probably would have been higher but they had made a movie out of it and not only have I watched it like twenty times but the movie was actually better. They didn’t just add scenes but really fleshed out the killers motivation. Regardless, it’s a great entry in the Maigret series.
25. Nighthunter no 1- Part one in a six part series about a psychic killer who uses supernatural elemental forces. What a well researched occult horror novel. The lore in this thing was incredibly on point and the kills were brutal. My biggest complaint is I would have rather just had the story in one book and not stretched out over six. But who knows, maybe it’s worth it to read all six. It’s pretty great as just one though.
24. The Quick Red Fox- this is my third in the Travis McGee series and so far my favorite. Florida houseboat lovin PI Travis McGee is hired by a famous actress to hunt down the guy who is blackmailing her with scandalous photos taken at an orgy she attended. Like other TM entries, the mystery in depth, with many layers and the outlook is bleak.
23. Tight Case- cop book about hunting down the mob. The cops are drunk and willing to break the law to catch the mob. This was written by a real world FBI man who took on the mob. One of the grimiest books I’ve ever read. Everyone in this is a shit heel.
22. To Renew the Ages- Laser books no 26- Post Apocalyptic sci-fi about a man and woman who band together to travel across the wasteland. They get into inventive random encounters and fall in love. This was action and romance and I loved it.
21. The Running Gun- A man is set up as the fall guy in a murder and must travel to the rugged deserts of Mexico to clear his name. Much like the last book this is about a man and woman who band together to travel across a wasteland and fall in love. Sci-fi or Western apparently this is a plot line I enjoy.
20. Panic- Halloween horror book about a boy and then man haunted by a group of wispy imps who only he can see. This was recommended to me by odditypardonme on Instagram and he was right. It rules. No filler. Great Scottish folklore. The main villain is unsettling. And it delivers on the Halloween.
19. Silverglass no 1- sword and sorcery with a female lead written by two female authors. It was tough and exciting. Sleazy. Lots of sex scenes. These ladies get their freak on and they are in control of it. Conan esque type main character who is quick with the sword and hates magic. Reminiscent of a great D&D campaign. Just a lot of fun.
18. Shadow Over Innsmouth- this was a reread so I dropped it lower than it should be. Lovecraft’s haunting story of a town of fish people who made a deal with the old gods.
17. Nolan no 1- Heist novel. Retired thief anti-hero Nolan is being hunted by the mob and is forced to do one last last job to get out from under their scopes. Strong characters. Well written. Exciting which is weird because a lot of it is planning the robbery.
16. The Mexican Connection- Another book where the “bad guy” is the hero. A group of drug runners are trying to do one last big run of quaaludes, so they can retire. A walking hard-on of a cop is on their trail. Someone is snitching. Who is the weak link, can they get away with it? I had no idea the drug dealers were the good guys until the halfway point and it blew my mind when it dawned on me. I think that made me rate it higher.
15. The Night Stalker- The original novel the TV movie was based on. What’s great about this is that the book was actually first even though it wasn’t published until after the movie. It’s different but not in a bad way. Kolchak isn’t the main hero here. He’s the vehicle for telling the story. He gathers together a network of people, so we get lots of other great characters which only adds to the enjoyment.
14. The Maya Temple- the one and only gothic on the list. A woman travels to the jungles of Mexico to find her missing archaeologist father. I loved the setting. The mystery. The Mayan folklore. It was so fun and completely grabs you. Plus, there is a hilarious scene where the main character eats some magic mushrooms and trips out.
13. Atomic Werewolves and Man Eating Plants- I’ve read a few of the Men’s Adventure Library collections and this one has been my favorite. It’s all Weird Tales-ish horror type stories that originally appeared in the pages of Men’s Adventure mags from the 50s-70s. So many great selections that really stick in your mind. In fact, since I’ve read this I have been judging all other short story collections on how great this was.
12. The Golden Child- ok this guy’s trippin. He’s putting the golden child novelization at number 12. Look man. Number one, I love that movie. And even though it doesn’t have Eddie Murphy’s charm and humor it was great but in a different way. This was an entirely different monster. Hardboiled occult detective steeped in Eastern folklore. I looked forward to reading this every night.
11. Monster from Earths End- learned about this book from the Paperback Warrior blog when they reviewed it. Reminscent of The Thing/Who Goes There. Classic b monster horror movie.
10. Sorcerers- spy book with a black magic cult written by E Howard Hunt. This has cold war political intrigue, world traveling, undercover and action scenes. It’s romantically spy and it has a witchcraft cult.
9. A Stir of Echoes- I loved the movie so I decided to go back and read the book. It’s just as eerie but not in your face. There were moments in it that genuinely creeped me out. Excellent haunted house story.
8. Black is the Color- John Brunner writing spy fiction. He takes all of this South African political strife and moves into the swinging hip jazz scene of 60s London and spices it up with voodoo. And he does it well.
7. The Dead of Winter- A group of buddies find one of their own murdered in a strange and violent way. They dig through his life and uncover some shady connections. I thought this was going to be a straight vigilante action book and instead was floored by this complex but understandable mystery novel and they didn’t forget to bring along the vigilante action.
6. The Seth Papers- This is an entry in the occult detective series Dr Owen Orient. He is hired by a woman as a translator for the locals as her and her partner do and archeology dig. They find the Hand of Seth which is a mummified hand that gives prophetic powers. Dr Owen realizes these people are in an evil secret society and must stop them. Halfway through a female CIA agent comes in and takes over the narrative and it’s equally as fun as it turns into a spy novel.
5. Jirel of Joiry- Early sword and sorcery starring a female warrior written by a female. Jirel of Joiry is different from Conan in that she goes about defeating her enemies in other ways. The worlds, creatures and scenarios are completely one of a kind. It borders on horror a lot of the time.
4. Crime Partners- Donald Goines Kenyatta series entry with two hitman who team up with a black militia group to take on cops and drug dealers. Low down and gritty. This is the hardest novel I’ve ever read. This is from the street, written by an author who was in and out of prison.
3. The Gang Girls- I got this for the wonderful juvenile delinquit exploitive cover art and was surprised to find a completely engrossing story. A young lady and her drunk prostitute mom move from Ohio to New York City. The girl gets jumped by a girl gang. Fights back. They invite her to join and from then on its fight, drugs, violence and crime.
2. Assignment Burma Girl- another exciting entry in the Sam Durell spy series. When you read one of these books you not only get an enjoyable history lesson but you get to experience exotic locations from the comfort of your home. Sam Durell is stern and serious but not dry bureaucratic spy fiction. He’s also not martini’s and poonanny. It’s always a great mystery with exciting action and realistic with a tinge of pulpy fun.
1. The Hanging Stones- Manly Wade Wellman comes in at number one on my list this year with this Silver John entry. Someone is building a replica Stone Henge on top of Teatray Mountain. Being a curious fellow John heads up the mountain. We get werewolves, druid folklore, ghosts, fist fights, greed, philosophy, Christian mysticism, occult detecting and songs as John is a travelling folk singer. Such an incredibly inventive and different idea Manly Wade Wellman had come up with. He really brings this world to life.
