A Futura paperback from 1981 (though the book itself is set in 1985, for no real reason I could determine), this has yuppie couple Clay and Holly RyanA Futura paperback from 1981 (though the book itself is set in 1985, for no real reason I could determine), this has yuppie couple Clay and Holly Ryan escaping New York (they’re fed up with city life, then she gets attacked and that makes up their minds for them) and re-locating to Credence, a small town in West Virginia on the recommendation of an acquaintance. It’s a quaint little town but nobody seems to be older than fifty, everyone’s worried about getting hurt and there are only six children there. Then the Clays meet Willis and Karen Unger and their quick friendship takes a sour note when Karen finds herself pregnant which should, in the circumstances, be impossible. This slim novel reminded me, at the start, of “Dead & Buried” (you know something’s wrong, you just can’t figure out what it is), though it takes a turn away from that and becomes all the more enjoyable because of it. Clay and Holly are a great couple, as are the Unger’s and Salem creates a wonderful atmosphere for the town and those inhabitants we meet, including the good Dr Fullwood. There are winding sense of tension, a bit of suspense, a little bit of gore, some humour and a gathering darkness that leads to a rip-roaring denouement. Great fun, this does exactly what an early 80s horror paperback original should do - it rips along, making you care about the people and grimace at the horror and entertains thoroughly. A cracking read, I very much recommend it....more
After drowning in a swimming pool at a party, Joana Raitt is resuscitated by her boyfriend, Glen. Afterward, strange events - a near hit-and-run, a raAfter drowning in a swimming pool at a party, Joana Raitt is resuscitated by her boyfriend, Glen. Afterward, strange events - a near hit-and-run, a random attack by a stranger - made Joana believe her life is in danger and that forces are trying to bring her back into the world of the dead. Her friend, Pete Landau, is a psychic counsellor and reveals assailants are "walkers", the revived dead. With the help of a friendly doctor, Warren Hovde, she must defeat four of the walking dead before she will be safe. Published in 1980, this is the absolute pitch-perfect example of original horror paperbacks (from the 70s and 80s) that I adore. Well written, with likeable and immediately identifiable characters and a great use of location (the hospital is creepy without being overly so, Peter’s swinging batchelor pad looks like everything you’ve ever seen in a 70s movie and Joana’s flat, where one of the attacks takes place), is also benefits from a brisk pace that has the action rattling along. Combined with some good thriller elements - Warren putting the truth together, Glen trying to figure it out, Joana trying to stay alive - and a nicely twisty ending, I thought this was really great fun and would highly recommend it. ...more
It seemed a good idea for The Brotherhood (a collection of ex-wrestlers, living and working in the London docks of the 80s) to transport the charity mIt seemed a good idea for The Brotherhood (a collection of ex-wrestlers, living and working in the London docks of the 80s) to transport the charity money in a black canvas octopus for their float in the Paxton Carnival. But then it’s stolen, Dusty Wilkins and his mates have to try and find it, the pieces scattered over the derelict dockland, in a race against time. Published in 1981, this is typical of the kids fiction of the time, gritty and not shying away from the harsher aspects of life, but filled with humour and friendship too. Set in and around a dockland being reclaimed (the atmosphere is captured incredibly well), the bulk of the book follows Dusty and his friends trying to help out his dad by recovering the money. Dusty goes with his (kind-of) friend (though whatever issue there might be isn’t really explored) Frankie Blight, the local police chiefs son. The brothers Len & Danny end up in the tunnels and chased by police, with younger Danny coming out on top. Sally Smart (and her bad haircut) is lumbered with having to look after her baby sister Suzy and comes across a widow living in the last house on a street slowly being demolished. Herbie Cookson, meanwhile, heads off on his own and tags a lift in a truck that takes him a long way from home. Things come right in the end, but it’s not a perfectly happy ending and that works brilliantly. With some great characterisation, a nice line in dialogue and a kids eye view of the world that’s just starting to be a bit cynical, this worked a treat. Very much recommended. ...more
Dan Gallagher, a lawyer, is a happy married family man in New York. When his wife and daughter go upstate for the weekend, he goes for a drink with a Dan Gallagher, a lawyer, is a happy married family man in New York. When his wife and daughter go upstate for the weekend, he goes for a drink with a colleague called Alex Forrest and one thing leads to another. But it’s not just a weekend fling for Alex and she wants Dan all for herself. The novelisation of the 1987 film, this is very briskly paced (I reckon it’s less than 50k words) and well told, with a nice sense for the family side of things, as well as the raunch. It doesn’t pack the punch the film did (I saw it at the cinema when it first came out and the entire place went back a row in fright at the climax, I’d never seen anything like it), but it faithfully reproduces it, rather than the more downbeat ‘unseen’ ending. My only issue was Alex, to be honest - she’s painted as a monster (as I’m sure she was in the film, it’s been a while since I saw it) but, reading it now (and yes, I know that you can’t apply modern thinking to a book that’s 37 years old), she’s clearly suffering with mental issues. But that was the film, that was the climate then and the novelisation follows through - it also brushes over how easily Dan is able to get away with his indiscretion, which I remember at the time thinking was odd. So yes, it’s a well-written book of a cleverly made film and if you have fond memories, it’ll work well for you but your mileage may vary. ...more
Manhattan in 1981 and Susan Reed, wife of lawyer Lou, mother to youngster Andrea and owner of a beloved dog called Sweet William, works at a commerciaManhattan in 1981 and Susan Reed, wife of lawyer Lou, mother to youngster Andrea and owner of a beloved dog called Sweet William, works at a commercial art firm. Her good friend and colleague, Tara, helps the days pass by until Susan gets a telephone call with nothing but silence coming through the receiver: It’s as if “there was evil on the other end of the line.” The calls soon come frequently, even from pay phones and then there’s an almost biblical run of incidents. One of Tara’s friends, Harriet, works for Ma Bell and puts a tap on the line but Harriet is soon killed and whatever Susan can hear on the phone begins to pursue her. This starts off really well, as Susan is a great character, there’s a lovely sense of early 80s New York and all this works on the fact that nobody (obviously) has a mobile. But then it starts to drag, because - really - not much happens other than phone calls and I found myself skipping chunks of text (there’s an old friend and a visit to her parents that has nothing to do with the story and the final piece, with a young man Susan meets, could be a quarter of the length) and my enjoyment waned. Essentially, the devil is after Susan (which she realises after she watches “The Black Hole” on television) and it doesn’t matter where she goes, he knows. There’s a wonderfully downbeat ending (typical of that era) which I loved and I did like Susan, but I feel like I would have enjoyed the piece a lot more if it had been a novella, rather than something padded out to become a small novel. ...more
The capsule of the first manned flight to Mars burns up on re-entry into Earth's atmosphere but all is not as it seems. A reporter discovers that NASAThe capsule of the first manned flight to Mars burns up on re-entry into Earth's atmosphere but all is not as it seems. A reporter discovers that NASA faked the whole flight and landing with the crew in the desert, for the benefit of television. Only the astronauts can tell the world the true story, but the government wants them dead. I saw the film a long time ago and only recently discovered it had been novelised (twice, as it happens - I only bought this version, so I have no idea if they’re the same), so I picked up a copy. My memory of the film isn’t good, so I can’t say how close the book follows it, but I remember the out-of-control car and helicopter/plane sequences, both of which are dispensed with in a couple of pages, so I imagine it was written from the shooting script. The characterisation is brisk and decent, there’s a lot of padding with regard to the NASA activities (nobody needs a verbatim countdown!) and the book has a wonderfully cynical edge to it, proving not much has changed between 1977 and today, in terms of politics and executives lining their own pockets. A gripping little thriller, I really enjoyed this. ...more
Detective Jim Kelso is considered a Jonah by his colleagues and superiors, a good copper who somehow attracts bad luck. After a botched attempt to stoDetective Jim Kelso is considered a Jonah by his colleagues and superiors, a good copper who somehow attracts bad luck. After a botched attempt to stop some robbers, he’s sent to a small town on the east coast to investigate drug smuggling and stumbles across a dangerous organisation. Parted with Ellie, a tough and smart Customs investigator, it quickly seems that more than his life is at stake - it’s his past, future and sanity. Through torture and a forced overdose, drugs he discovers the terrifying secret of The Jonah and learns, in the most horrifying way, that it can destroy him as well as others. I’ve been aware of this for ages (it was published in 1981), but it was seeing a random comment that it was a mix of crime and horror that led me to pick it up. Although it’s 43 years old as I write this, it hasn’t really dated (apart, perhaps, from a couple of points to do with Ellie) and it works well as a dark, gritty police thriller. There are hints of the supernatural - we first encounter Jim as an abandoned baby in 1950 and call back in on him at various times, where something monstrous seems to be protecting him - but it’s not the main thrust. The investigation is well handled, the supporting cast and baddies are all believable, there are some moments of startling violence and (a Herbert trope) a couple of relatively explicit sex scenes. The pace really picks up at the halfway point and races towards a dark ending with a very clever twist in the last few lines that is hinted at and most unexpected. I thoroughly enjoyed this and would very much recommend it. ...more
David Moore is trying to recover from a tragic and haunted past and lives on the island of Coquina, in the Caribbean. Whilst skin-diving, looking for David Moore is trying to recover from a tragic and haunted past and lives on the island of Coquina, in the Caribbean. Whilst skin-diving, looking for treasure, he accidentally sets off a depth charge in ‘the abyss’ which releases a German submarine that has been underwater, virtually intact, for decades. The battered vessel is dragged to shore but contains a bizarre and terrifying cargo that will transform a once peaceful island into a landscape of unrelenting nightmare. An old-school horror (this was first published in 1980), this stands up remarkably well, though I shouldn’t be surprised since McCammon is an excellent writer I like a lot. He spends a lot of time (perhaps half the length) setting the characters, island and situation up (all of which are very well realised - the characters pop off the page and the island is wonderfully atmospheric), before what’s in the Night Boat (it’s a 44 year old book, so it can’t be a spoiler to say they’re a form of zombie) begins to make mayhem. The nice thing is, McCammon uses the voodoo of the island to explain how they came to be supernatural and it works a treat. Once they swarm the island, the pace really picks up and there are a few gory, gruesome sequences before a stand-out ending that is powerful, well-written, tense, melancholic but, ultimately, uplifting. An excellent read, I’d very much recommend it....more
A horde of giant Gila Monsters is on the loose in New Mexico, threatening every living creature in sight. Nothing and no one is safe from the ravenousA horde of giant Gila Monsters is on the loose in New Mexico, threatening every living creature in sight. Nothing and no one is safe from the ravenous creatures as they tear their way through the desert and into heavily populated areas. Can these atomically mutated creatures be stopped or is this the beginning of the end for mankind? I found this hugely enjoyable - it’s just the kind of pulpy horror I love, it’s short, it’s gruesome and it absolutely doesn’t pretend to be anything it’s not. And yes, the cover image happens in the story! Dr Kate Dwyer is the protagonist, a highly regarded herpetologist, who is thorough, brave, never puts herself or others in danger and, generally, is the perfect heroine. Her ex-colleague, an Apache professor called Chato Del-Klinne (currently working as a ranch hand) comes back into her life and they team up. And when I say team up, I mean they mostly have sex and, outside of that, he doesn’t do a great deal aside from tag along. The locations (Kathy Ptacek, who wrote this, is a native of the area) are really well used, characterisation is blunt (and, beautifully, most of them are introduced and then eaten within the same chapter!) and the action is pretty full on (not as gory as I’d hoped, but it’s gruesome at times). As for the monsters themselves, their early appearances are all essentially sound but, once they set off on the rampage, we get them in their full glory. I had a lot of fun with this and would highly recommend it to fellow fans of 70s/80 paperback horror....more
Double-crossed, shot and left for dead in a burning house by his wife and one-time partner, Parker is out for revenge. He's also out for his share of Double-crossed, shot and left for dead in a burning house by his wife and one-time partner, Parker is out for revenge. He's also out for his share of the take. And if Mal Resnick has bought his way back into the Outfit with Parker's money, and if the Outfit doesn't see things Parker's way, they'll just have to think again. This is the first Stark I’ve read (though I’ve been aware of him since reading Stephen King back in the 80s) and what a great place to start. I picked the book up because I enjoyed the Lee Marvin film (though I haven’t seen it for a while) and it really held my attention. Writing in a sparse, hard-boiled style with a proper anti-hero at the centre of it, this is dark, bleak and brutal (in a whole range of ways) - it must have hit like a tornado in 1962. The plot is very basic - Parker is double-crossed and decides to pay back those who’ve wronged him - but it’s beautifully set-up, the writing is never less than excellent and the tone and atmosphere are well sustained. I’m very keen to get to book 2 in the Parker series now. Highly recommended. ...more
A series of unexplained deaths in the small Cambridgeshire town of Warchester prompts Pascal and Jenny, two local reporters, to investigate the possibA series of unexplained deaths in the small Cambridgeshire town of Warchester prompts Pascal and Jenny, two local reporters, to investigate the possibility that a living dinosaur was responsible. First published in 1984, this is good pulpy fun, made all the better for being in the English countryside (and Kettering, a town local to me, also gets a mention, which doesn’t happen often). The basic plot sees a very rich landowner, Lord Darren Penward, uses his estate and fortune to build dinosaurs using DNA from fossils implanted into chicken cells. It reads well, probably doesn’t stand up to any scientific probing and makes as much sense as the central concept of “Jurassic Park”. After an incident where several locals are killed, local reporters David Pascal and Jenny Stamper, team up to try and find out the truth. This was published years before the aforementioned JP and only has loose connections (I wonder what Mr Brosnan thought of the book and film?) but one of the sequels, “Fallen Kingdom” from 2018, appears to have a lot of similarities. That’s a shame, because this is much more entertaining than that film was. The kind of pulpy horror adventure I adore, this is well written and whips along at a cracking pace, with decent characterisation, plenty of action and suspense and a nice level gore (there’s even some sex as well). I found it great fun and would very much recommend it. ...more
A young couple - David is in his 30s, Gale in her 20s - are on honeymoon in Bermuda (his second, her first) and while diving on the reefs off-shore loA young couple - David is in his 30s, Gale in her 20s - are on honeymoon in Bermuda (his second, her first) and while diving on the reefs off-shore looking for the wreck of a sunken ship, they discover some glass ampoules. Put in touch with a local character called Treece, they begin to excavate them but are soon caught up in a terrifying game that quickly becomes a struggle of salvage and survival. Originally published in 1976, I am very, very late coming to this and I’ve not seen the film either (my shark phobia put paid to that) but knew all about it. I’ve only ever read “Jaws” by Benchley - though I remember my dad reading and liking “The Girl On The Sea Of Cortez” - but decided to pick this up after finding it in a secondhand shop. I’m glad I did. I was worried at first, that a book almost fifty years old would have some issues, but I didn’t particularly find any - Gail is a strong character who has a good role to play and she also clamps down on racist comments. The underwater sequences (there are a lot of them) are beautifully handled and Benchley really conveys a good sense of the sea and how it looks and feels. With a decent enough thriller plot pushing things forward, my only gripe was that the pace sometimes slackens but never enough to make me want to skim it. If you were going to read this, you’d have already done so but for those late-comers like me, I’d highly recommend it. ...more
No one can stop Dark Angel... His heritage is violence and terror, a creature nightmare who kills without warning or mercy. Only once has his prey surNo one can stop Dark Angel... His heritage is violence and terror, a creature nightmare who kills without warning or mercy. Only once has his prey survived and, scarred emotionally and physically, his wife Anita has fled to the sanctuary of Lostman's Bayou with their son, Tony. There she rents the house of Clay Tomlin, an ex-naval pilot who has night blindness. First published in 1987, I have somehow avoided John Farris until now (after a discussion with my friend, Gary McMahon, I think I was getting him confused with John Saul) but decided to jump into this one and I’m really pleased I did. Typical of its time period - and not supernatural, as the blurb might lead you to expect - this is wonderfully written, with a great grasp of character, a keen sense of location and some nicely use suspense and violence to punctuate the narrative. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and look forward to exploring more of his back catalogue. Well worth a read and I highly recommend it, even though most horror fans (unlike myself) will already be keen readers of Farris. ...more
Published in 1985 (Darke is the pseudonym of prolific pulpy writer Laurence James, who was everywhere in the 70s & 80s), this features ex Civil War soPublished in 1985 (Darke is the pseudonym of prolific pulpy writer Laurence James, who was everywhere in the 70s & 80s), this features ex Civil War soldier John Ferris sailing to Virginia with his ‘ravishing gypsy’ wife Sarah. Unfortunately for him, his arch-enemy Robert Monk (the ‘brutal torturer and witchfinder’) he apparently left for dead in a previous book is also there, plying his trade. And Monk is after revenge. I’ve known about this series for a long time (copies are difficult to find at a reasonable price) but this was my first and even though it’s five books in, it was easy to pick up what was going on. Billed on the cover as ‘a Sphere adult series’, this was quite violent and gruesome and a couple of the sex scenes were slightly hotter than I’d expected but, overall, it was a good, action orientated romp. Once you meet some supporting characters it’s fairly obvious what’s going to happen (we don’t see the Manson-like brutality but James describes it well when Ferris finds the victims) and there’s clever use of an albino character who might actually be magic. The central relationship between Ferris and the heavily pregnant Sarah is nicely built which just makes the ending more powerful than you’d expect. I really enjoyed this and will keep my eyes open for more. If you enjoy 70s & 80s horror paperbacks, you’ll probably love it. If you don’t well, then, I feel a bit sorry for you. ...more
When a USAF plane goes down in the arctic, the crew are killed by Shako, a giant polar bear who also eats the top secret capsule being transported. ThWhen a USAF plane goes down in the arctic, the crew are killed by Shako, a giant polar bear who also eats the top secret capsule being transported. The terrifying bear now becomes a target of the CIA and, later, the Russians. But Shako is prepared to fight back to the death. Culled from the pages of 2000AD (where it originally appeared in progs 20 to 35 in 1977/78), this is a gory and gruesome delight, true to the comics of the time and all the more enjoyable for that (even if, put together like this, it does occasionally feel repetitive). The writing is solid - lots of polar bear facts - even if some of it is out of step with today’s thinking and it doesn’t shy away from the horrors of that area (not only animal fights but, also , humans clubbing baby seals). Thankfully, Mills and co are on the right side and when those cowardly hunters are devoured, it’s with great delight. My biggest issue, however, was with the artwork. The gore is well done and the panels are beautifully reproduced but the drawings are occasionally sloppy enough that all the characters look the same, so it’s sometimes difficult to know who is who (and one character, nicknamed “Foul Mouth”, comes across very foolishly because, obviously, that was written for a kids comic). I read 2000AD around this time but didn’t remember the strip at all and, for the most part, it was a nostalgic blast. ...more
The fourth Judge Dredd annual, with striking Carlos Ezquerra cover art, this features a variety of comic strips (which I haven’t noticed in the Case FThe fourth Judge Dredd annual, with striking Carlos Ezquerra cover art, this features a variety of comic strips (which I haven’t noticed in the Case Files, so might be original to this), a few strips from the Daily Star run and a terrific interview with Ezquerra himself. The strips, all from John Wagner/Alan Grant partnership, are excellent, some of them serious, some of them not so and some pieces of Mega City One are laid out, as well as a guide to slang. The artwork, of course, is uniformly awesome and seeing so many from Ezquerra is a real treat, since the man was responsible for the look of Dredd (the creation of which he covers in his interview). Great fun, full of invention and creatively, this is an excellent read and I’d highly recommend it....more
Following a distinguished servce in the UK sugar industry, Dan Mason retires to Dragon’s Farm in Kent. While working on his garden one day, he disturbFollowing a distinguished servce in the UK sugar industry, Dan Mason retires to Dragon’s Farm in Kent. While working on his garden one day, he disturbs a colony of spiders and one of them bites him. He kills it but, that night, hundreds invade his bedroom and kill him. And so we’re off on a rollicking, 1978 horror paperback original, with nature biting back against man. I loved it. Richard Lewis gets things off to a flying start and, very soon, the spiders are on the march to London, laying absolute waste to everything in their path because - of course - they’ve been genetically modified (we don’t find out all the details until much later). Thankfully, Dan’s son Alan is a an accomplished biologist well aware of arachnids (for some reason, Lewis keeps referring to the spiders as insects, which got jarring after a while) and he’s soon on the case. There’s a lot to love about this. Set in a late 70s England, mainly in Kent though we get as far north as Bedford, this takes plenty of leads from the James Herbert rulebook and some of the early chapters feature Shreddies (a phrase conjured up by my friend Marc Francis), introduced and then bumped off in a handful of pages, only existing to give us another slice of horror. And Lewis piles on the horror - it’s not just adults that get it in this, kids and animals aren’t safe either and there’s a sequence at the end that was more powerful (featuring dogs and cats) than I think the writer was planning. There are downsides, of course. There’s a lull in the action in the middle as the scientists do their stuff (and it’s made worse because we ‘hear’ of several big-scale and violent incidents which would have made superb set pieces but are dealt with in a line or two), there’s some casual chauvinism (Lewis appears obsessed with the sagginess of female characters boobs) and the ending features an “oh, I forgot to tell you moment” from a character who should have been interviewed nearer the start of the story. But these are minor quibbles and don’t detract from the sheer joy of the story. Your reading pleasure will entirely depend on your love for 70s horror but, if it’s anything like mine, you’ll think “Spiders” is a winner. Now I just have to try and find the sequel for a reasonable price! Very highly recommended. ...more
Remo Williams is The Destroyer, an ex-cop who should be dead, but instead fights for the secret government law-enforcement organisation CURE. Trained Remo Williams is The Destroyer, an ex-cop who should be dead, but instead fights for the secret government law-enforcement organisation CURE. Trained in the esoteric martial art of Sinanju by his aged mentor, Chiun, Remo is America's last line of defence. This volume opens with a brutal fight in the streets of New Jersey before Remo and Chiun find themselves in battle after battle. Their arch-enemy and fellow assassin, the Maestro of Mayhem known as Nuihc, is hoping to knock out his competition. It all comes to a boil in Chiun's hometown in North Korea as the Destroyer finds himself in a fight to the death after suffering three brutal suicide attacks by surprisingly skilled adversaries which leave him nearly incapacitated. This is my first book in the Destroyer series and was first published in September 1975, so it’s a little bit dated in some of its attitudes but doesn’t dwell on anything long. Told with great pace and the minimum of characterisation (though we do get an insight into how Remo found himself as the Destroyer, which was good), this boils down to a grudge with three suicide assassins destroying his shoulders and one leg, leaving him incapacitated for the final battle. Can he survive? What do you think? A good, quick read that did everything it was supposed to, this was good fun and I enjoyed it. If you like this kind of thing - pulpy fiction from the 70s - you’ll enjoy this. If you don’t, well, you wouldn’t have picked the book up in the first place, would you? ...more
The rains came and, soon, half of Wales lay waterlogged. In the depths of an isolated valley in Snowdonia, a landslip awoke an Ancient Evil from the tThe rains came and, soon, half of Wales lay waterlogged. In the depths of an isolated valley in Snowdonia, a landslip awoke an Ancient Evil from the time of the Druids, a demon awakening to claim the lands as Its own - and nothing can stand in Its way. Only one man can stop them but John Casson lives in a world where Demons are unknown. The horror that awaits him lies beyond reason and unless he can abandon rationality and tap his own internal strength, the Demon will win. And the world will be lost. Originally published in 1983, I was really looking forward to this. Yes, the blurb is over-the-top but hey, that’s the kind of 70s/80s horror paperback I love and I was even more keen when I realised I knew the locations - Snowdon, Ffestiniog - from family holidays. Unfortunately, the book didn’t live up to its promise (and how Mr Watkins must have kicked himself, calling the demon IT in the text but not scooping Stephen King to use the title by three years). Whilst the characterisation is well done and fairly vivid and the locations are realised with good atmosphere, far too much of the action happens off-screen for my liking. We see the characters get into a sticky situation (with decent suspense) and then cut to someone (usually Casson, who works for a power company) being told about it and, I have to say, that got frustrating after a while (the pilot sequence is especially annoying and a policeman - quite a key character - gets killed without anyone apparently noticing). Some of the spooky elements - the deserted power station, for example - work well but too often the set pieces don’t seem to flow as part of the story itself and then there’s the lady vicar changes her stance (on pretty much everything) from chapter to chapter. As for the climax, well, let’s just say that resolving the issue over a couple of pages didn’t really work for me. I wanted to like this but, sadly, it was a bit of a disappointment (and - spoiler alert - there’s no big ‘end of the world’ situation either). ...more
Walter Huff is an insurance investigator like any other until the day he meets the beautiful and dangerous Phyllis Nirdlinger and falls under her spelWalter Huff is an insurance investigator like any other until the day he meets the beautiful and dangerous Phyllis Nirdlinger and falls under her spell. Together they plot to kill her husband and split the insurance. It'll be the perfect murder… I first became aware of this when it was mentioned in relation to “Body Heat” (I can see the comparison) but it’s taken me this long to read it (it was originally published as a serial in 1936!). By chance, I picked up a copy at a recent visit to Astley Book Farm and decided to bump it to the top of my TBR and I’m really pleased I did. Of course it’s dated (it’s 87 years old!) but it’s a taut little thriller (a long novella, I’d have said) that picks up the suspense and never really lets the reader off. Told in first person by Huff, the characterisation is sharp, the dialogue and language crisp and clipped and features a Hollywoodland that is still in its relatively early days. A cracking book, I genuinely wish I’d read it a lot earlier. Very highly recommended. ...more
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