Series characters make this column so much fun, and this one introduces some long-dormant characters who have just been collecting dust on various bookshelves across this country. While one of them has been featured here before, it was a long time ago. So let’s meet a bunch of bad-ass mofos, as they purport themselves to be.
TROUBLE IS MY NAME by Stephen Marlowe — A man’s man is the best way to sum up Chester Drum, a globetrotting detective who bashes his way through cases. It’s quite apparent Drum is based on the Raymond Chandler archetype.
At the start of this 1957 book, I was bit lost, dropped in the middle of the action of Drum being interrogated by German officials. The case in question deals with missing money and a man named Fred Severing. The German government wants to find Severing, forcing Drum’s hand throughout, playing every angle he can.
I’m not going to say it was the easiest case to follow. It took me a few times to get used to Marlowe’s style. But once I did, it was really smooth sailing. Drum is a total kick-ass detective, even if he might have cribbed a few ideas from others. But it’s his coldness that sets him apart in the genre, as people are smacked and beaten as though it were normal, especially toward the end when blood starts to fly and Drum is not sure who to trust.
EDGE #15: PARADISE LOSES by George G. Gilman — It’s the glorious return of the most hard-edged Westerner ever: Edge, the seriously pissed-off Civil War vet with a razor blade and no regard for anyone but himself. Like some of the earlier Edge adventures, this 1974 installment relies heavily on the Civil War flashbacks, since the basic story is not what you would call something that could carry the whole tome.
Edge runs into two men tied up by a riverbank and who seem to be at death’s door due to a rising tide. Edge frees them for the simple request of some information. Of course, these guys have no idea who he is and give him grief for taking his sweet time. (Maybe next time, they can just call him a girl and see what happens.). The men explain the only town nearby is called Paradise, which is so holy-roller that even talking to women will get you in trouble. I mean, the town has a whipping post, and the only time I hear about that is when Gregg Allman is singing about it.
This is about the time Gilman goes into flashback mode of Edge and his fellow soldiers being captured and breaking free by stealing a steamship. In the other part of the story, Edge is not welcome in town and gets ripped off by the locals. They stupidly steal his money — a bad mistake in a big way. It’s great to read some balls-out action in the EDGE series, which is vastly superior to Gilman’s other Western output. Now I’m fired up to tackle more.
CHARLIE M by Brian Freemantle — Man, the publisher must have hated breakfast to change the original title of this 1977 book from CHARLIE MUFFIN to CHARLIE M. It probably sounded like some kids’ book, which it’s definitely not.
In the long line of British spies, Charlie Muffin reminded me of one in particular: Len Deighton’s creation Bernard Samson, since both aren’t liked by their bosses or even coworkers. How else could classify an agent like Charlie when it opens with him pretty much being used as some expendable agent — a decoy, to be precise? When Charlie makes it through the escapade, his fellow agents are off celebrating and shocked to see him come through it.
Even at the office, he is deemed a pest; his bosses want him to just be a clerk, forcing him to quit the service — funny, since Charlie is the best agent compared to his compatriots of two sycophants who do their bosses’ bidding. Charlie might be happily married, but that doesn’t stop him from sleeping with his secretary.
Who can believe Charlie puts up with all the bullshit thrown at him? But this is where Charlie shines: He understands he is not wanted and uses it to his advantage. Toward the end, he will be the agent responsible for getting a Russian general to defect. He’s way ahead of the game, since by the end, he is laughing all the way to the bank.
Freemantle takes the spy genre and puts some much-needed humor into the mix. I don’t mean laugh-out-loud moments, but more cleverness and wit. This is the first of a series I’ll be reading more of.
Next time: Gene Hackman and Charles Bronson, with a story by Terry Southern. —Bruce Grossman
OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF GEORGE G. GILMAN:
• ADAM STEELE #1: REBELS AND ASSASSINS DIE HARD by George G. Gilman
• EDGE #2: TEN GRAND by George G. Gilman
• EDGE #4: KILLER’S BREED by George G. Gilman
• EDGE #6: RED RIVER by George G. Gilman
• STEELE #17: SATAN’S DAUGHTERS by George G. Gilman
Related posts:
- BULLETS, BROADS, BLACKMAIL & BOMBS >> Tumblin’ Tumbleweeds
- BULLETS, BROADS, BLACKMAIL & BOMBS >> Precious Metals
- BULLETS, BROADS, BLACKMAIL & BOMBS >> Spaghetti Westerns, Pulp-Style
- BULLETS, BROADS, BLACKMAIL & BOMBS >> Even Spies Start Small
- BULLETS, BROADS, BLACKMAIL & BOMBS >> Don’t Fear the Reaper
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Okay, I just read today’s column and the other entry discussing Edge. I didn’t realize you were a history major. I have a BA and MA in history which is probably why my first novel is a mystery featuring Harry Truman. Anyway, I like the historical aspect of the Edge books and am now going to add them to my growing list of books to look out for. Thanks.
I believe that this volume in the Charlie Muffin series was also the one that was the basis for a David Hemmings film version that appeared (to my knowledge) only once on PBS.
I recall a print ad somewhere that used the line “Have you ever imagined if Lt.Columbo was a spy? Meet Charlie Muffin. He’s VERY expendable.”
Brian I totally thought of Muffin as Columbo while reading it. Don’t remember that one on PBS and pretty much watch anything that was featured on that show Mystery or even Masterpiece Theater.
Indeed there was a movie: http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/124402/Charlie-Muffin/overview
Chester Drum was one of the better detectives of his time, right up there with Mike Hammer and Shell Scott and Lew Archer, but is almost forgotten today.
Drum famously teamed up with Shell Scott in a book called Doubles in Trouble.
Hard Case Crime or Stark House should definitely reprint some of these.