Death is the theme for this week’s cheery column. It’s all about being killed. Okay, actually it’s just a cheap reason to use three books with a death motif, plain and simple.

DEATH TRICK by J. F. Burke – What seems to be just a run-of-the-mill detective novel is even less that what it seems. This 1975 effort is the second of the Sam Kelly novels, which is a big problem since you are constantly hit over the head with reference to events of the first book. Not only does it assume you’ve read that one, but it keeps a key piece of information from new readers, certain to leave you confused until about the last third.

See, Sam Kelly is of mixed race, which – once you find this out – a ton of stuff that has been said before finally makes sense. Still, most readers will be upset by the other problems, including Kelly being a detective who seems to be smarter then everyone else in the book. From hiding evidence from cops to making up alibis for others, it just hits the point of parody with his brazenness.

The plot deals with Sam and his girlfriend, a madam. One of her girls calls to tell her that a trick was brutally killed while she was in the bathroom. The client also happens to be a big-time operator of the city who has led a good moral life.

There is so much hidden from the readers even when the case is solved, you will feel cheated throughout. Kelly seems to have the power of deus ex machina; when in need, a person he knows pops up to help him out. Even when the final confrontation happens, most folks will be like, “Where has this happened before? Oh, yeah, TOUCH OF EVIL.” The cover might be tempting, but the inside will just leave you confused and ripped off.

DEAD MAN’S TALE by Ellery Queen – With ghostwritten Ellery Queen, you never know what to expect. Well, actually if you’re familiar with real author Stephen Marlowe’s own books, you’ll have a pretty good idea. Unlike other novels in the Queen canon, this 1961 one is not a mystery, but more like a Cold War thriller.

Barney Street was a wealthy man with a daughter who is upset about his will, because dear old Dad is leaving the bulk of his estate to a shadowy figure known as Milo Hacha, a man Barney knew during World War II. Milo was on the German side, but helped smuggle American soldiers back to the border. Estelle Street wants all the money to herself – not some man she heard about in her youth who may not even be alive.

Estelle hires – or I should say forces – a couple of brothers to chase after Milo: Steve and Andy Longacre. Steve is a big gun in the underworld and Estelle has him wrapped up tight with some damaging information. The book is a prolonged chase with our crew of investigators a few steps behind Milo. Along the way, certain people are intrigued as to the sudden interest in Milo. This includes a crazy old blind man who seems to have taken Milo’s daughter for himself and will kill anyone who tries to take her away. Meanwhile, Milo is on his own little mission of redemption for his father, a political prisoner who was set up to take a fall.

Again, this is more in the line of Marlowe’s Chester Drum series than Ellery Queen mysteries, since there is no real mystery to the plot – just that of the chase and the end results, but there are plenty of thrills to keep the reader engaged. This is worth seeking out; newbies will want to start grabbing all the Marlowe they can, so may I suggest his recent Stark House Press collection.

THE AVENGER #22: THE BLACK DEATH by Kenneth Roberson – Even though the cover proudly proclaims this 1942 novel is from the creator of Doc Savage, Lester Dent had nothing to do with this series at all (Paul Ernst is the true author). It’s just that publisher Street and Smith figured they could capitalize off the use of the popular house author name of Kenneth Robeson.

I felt like this was a third-tier type of story that would not rank high in the Doc Savage run. To be honest, it’s a waste of a good idea. It just never gels and feels forced throughout. Understandably, the series is not remembered with the highest regard.

Through a bizarre incident, Richard Benson – aka The Avenger – has kind of a clay face, but this fact is pretty much glanced over and not brought up. The basic plot deals with a cult-like group killing off people by way of orchids that make the victims completely black, like coal.

There are some great action sequences, but they are not the easiest to follow, with one of the big plot points dealing with a television-type device that the cult has access to, using it to lay a trap for the Avenger and his crew. Again, the plot is forced, like it was going through a sluice. It’s a total rip-off of the Doc Savage mold, from his use of gadgets to a group of team members who help him out in the case. Stick to the original pulp hero – not this second-string wannabe.

Next time: Radiohead is the new Pink Floyd. You know it’s true. –Bruce Grossman

Buy it at Amazon.

OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF ELLERY QUEEN:
• COP OUT by Ellery Queen
• THE COPPER FRAME by Ellery Queen
• THE DRAGON’S TEETH / CALAMITY TOWN by Ellery Queen
• THE FOUR OF HEARTS by Ellery Queen
• A ROOM TO DIE IN by Ellery Queen
• THE SPANISH CAPE MYSTERY by Ellery Queen
• WHO KILLED THE GOLDEN GOOSE by Ellery Queen

OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF KENNETH ROBESON:
• DOC SAVAGE: FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE / THE DEVIL GENGHIS by Kenneth Robeson
• DOC SAVAGE #19: PIRATE OF THE PACIFIC by Kenneth Robeson
• DOC SAVAGE: THE CZAR OF FEAR by Kenneth Robeson
• DOC SAVAGE: THE SPOOK LEGION by Kenneth Robeson