Another column, another music reference that 10 people will get. I could not pass it up, since all the titles this week feature names. That is about as loose as you can get with these themes, but they are also all of the mystery/detective variety — no matter the setting, as you will find out.
SPACE FOR HIRE by William F. Nolan — Combining his love for BLACK MASK-era pulp noir with the space opera, Nolan gets a combination like peanut butter and chocolate: They both are great alone, but together even better. In this 1971 novel, Nolan takes a Sam Spade-type detective named Sam Space and sticks him in the sci-fi world of FLASH GORDON.
It literally starts out like a typical noir book of the past, with one big difference being his client is a three-headed alien holding a blaster ray, so right away, you know this is not your typical mystery. Sam Space is hired to protect “coldpacs” (actual bodies that can be used) so her client’s noted scientist father can transfer his mind into a new body. Just believe me, folks — it makes sense in the book.
But as soon as Sam is hired, he is attacked and killed … or is he, since this book uses the science-fiction angle to epic levels, with multiple dimensions crossed over multiple timelines. This plot makes LOST seems believable, since all the versions of Sam seem to have the same timeline, in which they were hired for the same reason, with each Sam all following the one clue: a letter found on a dead woman, just signed by someone named F.
Again, this probably has a few people scratching their heads, but this is totally a noir story, just set in such a bizarre world filled with robots, mice that are cops, egg-laying aliens and dragons — yeah, I said dragons. This truly is one of the most original books covered in this column, that’s for sure, and way ahead of its time. Plus, the man did write LOGAN’S RUN.
GIDEON’S FOG by J.J. Marric — Before the comments start, J.J. Marric is not a real person, but John Creasey writing under that name. The best way to sum up the Gideon series is that it takes Ed McBain’s 87th Precinct series and changes the setting to London. That really sums it up in the best way. It’s not a rip-off of McBain, but it definitely shares the same type of setup, since it’s a police procedural focusing on head cop George Gideon.
The 1974 story has a few threads throughout the plot. First, that of a jam jar being found with what seems to be a cache of stolen diamonds. This was found by accident due to the fact of the second problem that is a thorn in Gideon’s side: a group called the E.L.C., which is about women’s rights, but the cops have dubbed “Enemies of Loving Couples,” since this group’s mission is to rip up bushes at night in London parks so lovers won’t be able to canoodle there anymore.
But as frustrating as that is for the police, the real problem is that of one Gideon’s men has gone missing, to the point where Gideon has to take to the air and ask for public help. As most can figure out, Gideon’s man has been kidnapped for some reason, which is explained as the plot hits the climax.
Creasey does a great job of keeping these threads going, especially since they do all come together in a way. For those who like police procedurals with a spot of tea, you can easily get into this series. But be forewarned: It does come off a bit dated in the morals department, and is a tad slow to set things in motion. It’s a nice break from Creasey’s other series, and you’ve got to hand it to the man: He was prolific.
TONY ROME by Marvin H. Albert — This 1960 book is a slight bit of a cheat, since it was originally called MIAMI MAYHEM, but was changed to reflect the movie that came out based on it, starring some guy from New Jersey. Actually, I’m a fan of Mr. Sinatra, his singing and his acting, be it THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE or THE FIRST DEADLY SIN.
Now, the funny thing is, this book is a bit of déjà vu for me, since the main character lives in Miami, is a hard-as-nails detective, and lives on a houseboat, so already Tony Rome seems like a combination of Mike Shayne and Travis McGee. But there are some differences, since Albert gets to the heart of the matter quicker than some others.
The story opens with Rome finding his former partner shot dead in Rome’s office. It flashes back to what was supposed to have been a simple case of dropping off a very wealthy drunk. See, Rome was called upon by his former partner Turpin to come to the hotel he was working at and take care of a single girl who was three sheets to the wind and had checked in the night before. That’s pretty much a simple case that Rome even says never goes simply, especially when he drops off the girl and is bombarded by questions from her father and husband, which leads to Rome being hired to find out what this girl was up to when she went missing.
But again, things are not made for these detectives to ever go smoothly, since the girl herself hires Rome to find a missing pin that is worth some money. She doesn’t want the cops or insurance company to know, since her father will find out. From here on out, Albert does a great job of piling on the problems for Rome, while also disposing of characters that run their course in the book. In other words, bodies pile up quicker than mosquitoes making friends with a bug zapper. It becomes apparent to Rome that things are a bit weird when it’s discovered that the missing pin was actually filled with phony diamonds, but still it’s a hot property that people are being killed over.
The novel might share some of those traits of the previously mentioned characters, but Rome is his own man throughout the story. For a book I expected very little from, it was a pleasant surprise to find it so engaging — well worth seeking out. Plus, if Frank says it’s good, then you better read it.
Next time: three seriously pissed-off men. —Bruce Grossman
OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF JOHN CREASEY:
• THE BLACK SPIDERS by John Creasey
• THE DEPTHS by John Creasey
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Marvin H. Albert’s nearly always worth seeking out, under all his various names.
I agree with Mr. Crider, Albert is always worth reading.