I’m talking those cardboard creations of bright-orange pumpkins and skeletons with the arms that can move. Or how about a witch flying on a broom across the moon, hanging on your front door? It’s that time of year when candy corn is being sold by the truckloads, and pumpkins are plentiful. Changing things up from the previous Halloween columns, I’m tackling three books with icons of Halloween in the titles. Can’t promise anything spooky, though.
BATS FLY AT DUSK by Erle Stanley Gardner — This is not your typical Cool & Lam mystery, since Donald Lam is nowhere to be found. We’re told he signed up for the Navy, which is fitting since this book was written in 1942. He makes somewhat of an appearance through a few telegrams, but that’s all. This one is all about Bertha Cool taking center stage.
The story deals with a blind man who sells ties on the street, trying to find a woman he knows got hurt in an accident. But what Bertha gets herself into is more trouble than she expects, becoming the prime suspect in a case that develops. All the blind man wanted was a name and to make sure the girl was okay, but this story takes a turn that keeps readers guessing until a great reveal toward the end.
Bertha tries to take the easiest route of finding the girl by placing an ad in the paper for anyone who witnessed the accident. She gets saddled with a man who believes he can make a score off the insurance. It all leads to the missing woman and her former boss, who recently passed away, and his will. He was very rich and left some money to her and his cousin, who is none too pleased to only get a small percentage, while this maid gets the bulk.
But before you can say “fry me an oyster,” the trouble really starts, with the finger pointed directly at Bertha Cool. This is unlike all the other Cool & Lam books by relying on Bertha to perpetuate the plot, which is very amusing since she tries throughout the whole novel to save money in the investigation, then blaming all her actions on Donald since he put these ideas of how to investigate a case in her head. It’s a fun excursion into this great series, but not the first book to read. If you’ve read a few others, you’ll get a laugh from some of Bertha’s actions. Oh, and yes, a bat does have a part in Gardner’s book (written under his A.A. Fair pen name) — just not a very big one.
THE SKELETON COAST CONTRACT by Philip Atlee — Having literally just finished this 1968 book, I have absolutely no retention of what I just read. That is how non-descript and disengaging it is — 144 pages of a whole lot of nothing going on. But what is truly scary is that there are plenty more of these books in the series. Who was reading them going, “Ooh, I can’t wait until the next non-adventure”?
There seems to be some sort of plot that takes place, but you got me. From what I gather, it deals with Joe Gall being sent to Africa to kill someone and get back a cache of uncut diamonds. What I do know is that it steals an idea from THE FREEDOM TRAP: that of going into a jail only to break out of it. But again, this plot is so not there, you won’t even bother.
I can safely say this will be the last time I ever try an Atlee novel. Not because they are truly awful, just that paint drying has a better plot. Once he escapes the jail, he runs into people who throw him back into another jail. Well, I think this is what was going on, unless I’m missing the boat, and I don’t think I am. This is without a doubt the most pointless story I ever read for this column and that is saying a lot. At least the cover looks cool.
THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. #6: THE VAMPIRE AFFAIR by David McDaniel — This is really the only book in this column with a true Halloween tie, because you know vampires and Eastern Europe go so well together. The book opens with a puzzle for the boss of U.N.C.L.E.: An agent is found dead with two puncture wounds to his neck. Not thinking that agent took his own life, Napoleon and Illya are sent off to investigate.
This 1966 effort is MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. with a SCOOBY-DOO ending and a cameo that would have fit into BATMAN. The story has a great setup with our two heores arriving in Bucharest to find a man being chased by an angry mob. They help out this gentlemen, only to find out he is a direct descendent of a certain family that Bram Stroker wrote about. This man, Zoltan, makes it a point to prove he is no vampire and wants to find out what is going on as well.
Those who grew up watching the old BATMAN show surely remember whenever they would walk up a building, a window would open with some sort of cameo. This happens in the sense that Zoltan and Napoleon run into an American who writes for a magazine; his name is Forrest J Ackerman, who not only wrote but published FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND. It’s nice to see this little exchange happen, but it’s totally pointless to the whole plot.
Throw in the scenes of Illya and Napoleon thinking they saw a giant bat and that maybe there are killer werewolves on the prowl, and the story moves along like a haunted house ride, only for the ending to be such a rip-off. Oh, I’m so surprised it’s not real vampire, but THRUSH agents who have found treasures and are driving people away. That’s a total shame since the story had all this great buildup. But I can’t blame the book since the series itself went the way of parody itself by the end. This is an U.N.C.L.E. book that squarely aimed at the youngest viewers since there are no real battles, gore or even sex that the others one have.
Next time: I got shorts for my birthday this year. —Bruce Grossman
OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF PHILIP ATLEE:
• THE KIWI CONTRACT by Philip Atlee
OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF ERLE STANLEY GARDNER:
• THE BIGGER THEY COME by Erle Stanley Gardner
• THE CASE OF THE HESITANT HOSTESS by Erle Stanley Gardner
• THE CASEBOOK OF SIDNEY ZOOM by Erle Stanley Gardner
• CROWS CAN’T COUNT by Erle Stanley Gardner
• GOLD COMES IN BRICKS by Erle Stanley Gardner
• PERRY MASON SOLVES THE CASE OF THE PHANTOM FORTUNE by Erle Stanley Gardner
• SOME SLIPS DON’T SHOW by Erle Stanley Gardner
• SOME WOMEN WON’T WAIT by Erle Stanley Gardner
• TRY ANYTHING ONCE by Erle Stanley Gardner
OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. SERIES:
• THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. #2: THE DOOMSDAY AFFAIR by Harry Whittington
• THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. #3: THE COPENHAGEN AFFAIR by John Oram
Related posts:
- BULLETS, BROADS, BLACKMAIL & BOMBS >> Precious Metals
- BULLETS, BROADS, BLACKMAIL & BOMBS >> Renoir, Monet & McGinnis
- BULLETS, BROADS, BLACKMAIL & BOMBS >> Freeze Frame
- BULLETS, BROADS, BLACKMAIL & BOMBS >> My Name Is Erle
- BULLETS, BROADS, BLACKMAIL & BOMBS >> Watching the Detectives
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Don’t give up on Atlee, the 1st 6 books are great and loaded with action. Talk about tough-in Irish Beauty Contract, Gall has his hand pinned to a table by a knife and just rips it free. Silken Baroness has Joe getting the skin scalded off of him and in Death Bird, he becomes a full blown heroin addict to pursue his latest mission. Green Wound has a very good race war plot and an excellent villain who returns later in the series in a story that spans 2 books.
There is a drop off in action in the mid-range but the last few come back to form.
Well Larry I do have The Green Wound Contract, but don’t hold your breath to see a review anytime soon.