I am writing this while monitoring my bids on eBay for
several pulps. I won two issues of Famous Detective,
including one with stories by Seven Anderton and Hunt Collins
(Evan Hunter) and have others in play. Right now I am down to
the short strokes on some issues of Mammoth Detective that
features stories by William P. McGivern, JDM and others. I'll
win some and lose some. Yeah, I'm back after a spat of
bidding. I won two Mammoths, one including a 60,000 word
McGivern story but lost three to a last minute bidder with
the handle Rocking Richard. He damn near got the other two as
well but I managed to squeak another bid in.
Next up this evening are four issues of Smashing Detective
Stories from the early 1950s. This was a sister publication
to Famous Detective and like all the Columbia mags edited by
Robert W. Lowndes, a wizard with a small budget.
Talking about hardboiled or noir science fiction, I second
the nomination of THE DEMOLISHED MAN, a truly remarkable
novel. Of course, Leigh Brackett employed the hard-boiled
techniques in her various science fantasy adventures as she
did in her hard-boiled detective stories. She recognized, I
think, the romantic element in Chandler along with the tough
language. A fairly recent acquisition is the collection
MARTIAN QUEST(Haffner Press 2002) which contains her first 20
science fiction stories (into early 1943).
On my mind of late is another SF/mystery switch hitter,
Wilson Tucker. Tucker wrote one of my favorite SF novels THE
LONG LOUD SILENCE, which is also one of the great titles
IMHO. I've also loved the Tucker mysteries I've sampled with
THE MAN IN MY GRAVE being my favorite (and also a knockout
title). What I didn't realize until recently were the number
of mysteries by Tucker. I was somewhat familiar with those
from the 1940s and 50s but didn't realize that he kept
writing mysteries in the 1960s and 70s.
So I am playing some catchup on Tucker and am currently
reading THIS WITCH
(Doubleday Crime Club 1971). The title certainly sounds like
a fantasy rather than a mystery. The book is actually an
international thriller that takes place in the Gaza Strip
just after the 1967 war. I'm still in the midst of reading it
but am enjoying Tucker's clean prose and his willingness to
bend the genre rules. This is a thriller with a Canadian
adventurer (and sometime dabbler in espionage) by the name of
Ross seeking the lost treasure of Solomon--lost to the Romans
during the diastrous Jewish revolt of 66 AD. The Israelis are
also quite interested in the treasure and seek Ross'
collaboration. He seemingly agrees but is actually moving on
a personal plan of action that anticipated the Israeli
approach. Although I don't believe the term Dead Sea Scroll
is mentioned, the Israelis say that there is one missing that
will provide the final clue as to the location of the
treasure.
The wildcard is a young woman of mixed (probably
Asian/European) heritage and bright green diamond-shaped
eyes. In the opening scene, Ross purchases her as a slave on
the Street of the Laughing Dog in Gaza. She gives her name as
Kehli but Ross calls her Kelly from that opening scene. He
only bought her because he wanted to attract the attention of
the authorities. He does that but in the course of the action
he discovers that she can foresee some elements of the future
and had been waiting for him to arrive in order to join him.
Being able to glimpse over the horizon is a handy talent and
so loner Ross is glad to have her on his team. Of course, she
cleaned up real nice and jumped his bones right after her
first decent meal. That would have swayed my judgement
too.
So, I am enjoying the book thus far and rather like the
mixture of the fantasy element into the modern thriller.
We'll see how Tucker resolves all this and I will report a
final verdict when I finish the book. I can vouch for his
general historical accuracy. I don't know if there was a lost
treasure of the Temple of Solomon but there was definitely a
Jewish Revolt in the time discussed. Oh, and the Romans
won...but I guess you figured that out already.
Well, the auctions are over and I won nine of them and lost
seven but I did win all the Smashing Detective and Famous
Detective mags that were my prime goals and a couple of
Mammoth Detectives. I also picked up a 1939 Clues but lost
out on a 1942 Private Eye that I very much wanted and issues
of FBI Stories and Mammoth Detective with John D. MacDonald
stories.
But all in all, a good evening's haul.
Richard Moore
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