Simon Ark #06 - The Wolves of Werclaw

I reviewed a novel called Murder's Old Maid by Donald Bayne Hobart. It was published in the October 1956 issue of Famous Detective. I was happy to find a digital scan of the issue online and even more delighted when I saw that the sixth Simon Ark story, “The Wolves of Werclaw”, was included in this same issue. 

Simon Ark, written and created by Edward D. Hoch, may or may not be a 2,000 year old occult detective who is endlessly searching for Satan. He teams with an unnamed narrator who normally presents each Simon Ark story in first-person perspective. These stories have Ark and the narrator somewhere on Earth investigating a weird menace that typically has more in common with crime-fiction than the supernatural. But, Hoch writes the stories subjectively with the reader still thinking something creepy really happened long after the last page is read. That is sort of the Ark gimmick with these tales.

In “The Wolves of Werclaw” novelet, the narrator is now serving as vice-president of a major New York publishing firm. He journeys to Poland to witness firsthand the gradual lifting of the Iron Curtain. In the Polish city of Werclaw (not to be confused with the real Polish city of Wroclaw) the narrator is joined by a co-worker named Franklin Fangler. A celebration is occurring to commemorate the fifteenth anniversary of a historic battle in which the tiny town held off a thousand Nazi troops. The survivors are being honored for their achievements and patriotism.

That night the narrator and Fangler are invited to the cavernous home of Berza, the town's Chief of Police. Later, the two are awakened by a frantic Berza claiming that giant wolves are savagely attacking the town. The narrator witnesses three large grey wolves running through the streets and a rifle crack as police officers attempt to stop the bloody carnage. The next morning Berza calls for a wolf expert. 

Simon Ark appears with an introduction and is pleased to discover his friend from years ago in the unnamed narrator. The two catch up and then discuss the pesky wolves. As the narrative tightens the two friends are thrust into protecting a man named Otto from the town's vigilantes. The people feel that Otto is an actual werewolf and may be behind the brutal murders (or a pack leader). But, as usual, Ark has a different theory that may suggest the real killers are the communists hoping to keep a firm foothold on Poland's throat. 

This story was just terrific with plenty of action, foul play, murder, and violence. With so much carnage and mayhem the author was still able to create an imposing chilly ambiance to the storytelling. While certainly maintaining a political vibe, this tale had more of a supernatural feeling to it than any other Ark story I've read. The white-knuckled hatred from the town combined with the innocent nature of Otto was such a great blend. The story was clever, entrancing, and just excellent. I'm loving these Simon Ark stories. Get a lot of stories starring Simon Ark HERE.

The Tent

The few stories and novellas I've read by Kealan Patrick Burke were exceptional. Burke is a veteran Irish author that won a 2004 Bram Stoker Award for his novella The Turtle Boy, a work that kicked off a series of novellas starring a character named Timmy Quinn. His work has appeared in publications by Cemetery Dance and the collections Shivers, Grave Tales, and Inhuman. I've slacked off a bit on horror but wanted to read a few of the “newish” authors that I've enjoyed in the past to get back into the genre more. I chose Burke's 2015 self-published novella The Tent as a good camping spot.

Mike and Emma are a married couple on the tattered fringes of divorce. In an effort to restore synergy back into their failing relationship the couple decide to try camping in rural Ohio with their son. When Mike's cheap tent fails to provide adequate shelter the three very-bad-campers head to the car to call it a night. However, Mike gets the family lost in the woods - in the dark in the middle of nowhere with no cell phone service. 

While Mike and Emma turn on each other they discover that their son has vanished. They conduct a frantic search for their boy and find a weird tent that seems to have been made from flesh and bone. Is the tent hiding a body? A psychotic killer? Or, is the tent itself a monster?

At roughly 63 pages The Tent delivers a spooky atmosphere, unlikable characters, and a terrifying menace to consume the unlikable characters. It is easy to compare horror fiction with horror films, so I venture to say The Tent sort of works like Invasion of the Body Snatchers meets The Blob with a companion in Jeepers Creepers. Burke changes the presentation to different characters and scenarios to give readers a break from all the shrubbery. If you need a light horror fix then this is a fun hour. Get your ebook HERE.

Oasis of the Damned

Massachusetts author Greg F. Gifune (b. 1963) has earned many accolades, highlighted by winning Bram Stoker, British Fantasy, and International Horror Guild awards. I've enjoyed reading his novels like Midnight Solitaire, Children of Chaos, and Apartment Seven. It has been a long time since I've picked up one of his books so I decided to read a military-styled horror novella called Oasis of the Damned. It was originally published in 2014 by the now defunct DarkFuse and now exists as the first half of a twofer titled Oasis of the Damned & Heretics: A Novella Double-Shot. 

The novella begins with a woman named Richter awakening from a helicopter crash. Readers learn she is a U.S. Army Transport Helicopter Pilot that has been downed somewhere in the middle of a vast scorching desert. Miraculously, a man named Owens arrives quickly on the scene and helps her gather some belongings for a long walk to a really odd place. 

Owens leads Richter to an old WWII camp that consists of one small square building and a larger tower-styled building. As Richter gets closer she sees sandbags stacked up near the entrance of the tower. Owens is fairly discreet and doesn't provide many details other than the place exists in the middle of nowhere, the chances of rescue are non-existent, and the only thing keeping him alive are the leftover rations from decades ago and the oasis of fresh water inside the camp. 

After a quick introduction Owens begins preparing for some sort of invasion. But what could possibly be happening in this doomed and desolate place? As night falls Richter learns that zombie-like creatures with razor sharp talons and teeth descend onto the camp in an effort to kill Owens. Through the battle, which includes both of them fighting hordes of monsters with guns, grenades, and swords, Richter discovers that Owens is the last survivor of a large crew of refinery engineers. Every night these creatures emerge and a battle of willpower and determination ensues. The key to success is decapitating the creatures and then burning the bodies. However, the creatures can also appear in other forms including hyenas and the bodies of the people they have killed. Needless to say these are some truly terrifying creatures.

Gifune's novella is like a cross between any first-person creature-shooter game and a deranged episode of Lost. This desolate military camp isn't all that it seems to be. When Richter decides to leave the facility the end result is something out of an old Twilight Zone episode – all roads out of town just lead back to town. To spruce up the one-dimensional “1-2-3-Kill!” action, there is a terrific backstory as Richter recalls the tragedy that befell her younger brother in their childhood home. These flashback sequences explain Richter's fighting spirit and her battles in Iraq during two years of active duty. 

Oasis of the Damned was a quick enjoyable read at roughly 90 pages, give or take a large font or two. Gifune's style has always been “hit 'em hard” while still embracing a smooth calculated delivery to spook his reader. I've never read a bad book by this author and Oasis of the Damned is another testimony to his storytelling talent. Recommended. 

Get a copy of the book HERE 

Ranking My September 2024 Reads

I rank my Top 10 reads of September 2024 with capsule reviews and photos of the books. Check it out HERE or stream below:

Paperback Warrior Podcast - Episode 106

In this episode, Eric delves into the career of author Jack Finney. He wrote science-fiction and crime-fiction novels that included time-travel, heists, and prison breaks. Eric reviews Finney's most famous novel, The Body Snatchers, which was the basis for the Invasion of the Body Snatchers film franchise. In addition, Eric discusses his antique mall paperback shopping and reviews a horror story titled Nightmare on Ice from the newest issue of Bold Venture Press's Pulp Adventures. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast and follow us on Facebook, X, and YouTube. Check the Paperback Warrior blog daily for new reviews and articles. A companion video is available HERE that ties into this episode.

Listen to "Episode 106: Jack Finney" on Spreaker.

Simon Ark #04 - The Man from Nowhere

The fourth Simon Ark appearance was in the June 1956 issue of Famous Detective Stories. It was also reprinted in Startling Mystery Stories' Summer 1967 issue. The story, written by Edward D. Hoch, is titled “The Man from Nowhere” and features an enticing premise of “...the story of Douglas Zadig's last day on Earth and the people who were with him when he died.”

The story begins with occult detective (who may be 2,000 years of age) Simon Ark telephoning the unnamed narrator in November 1940ish. Ark asks if the narrator would like to join him on a weekend trip to Maine. In first-person narrative, the narrator explains that any trip with Simon Ark is never as casual as it sounds. He's delighted to unearth some criminal activity with the bizarre detective. 

Ark, who is presented in the series as searching for “Ultimate Evil”, is in Maine to interview an overnight sensation named Douglas Zadig. The 20-yr old man appeared out of the mist one day claiming to have no memory of his past life. He spoke English very poorly, wore clothes that were rags, and possessed a copy of Voltaire's novel Zadig, thus his name was created. However, since the man appeared he has managed to write a book titled “On the Eternal War Between the Forces of Good and the Forces of Evil” that contains word-for-word teachings from a religious leader named Zoroaster – a man that lived seven centuries before Christ. 

When Ark and the narrator arrive to visit Zadig they discover that he has been attacked twice by an unknown entity while sitting alone in his room. There's talk that Zadig may be a target for the Devil himself. Through an investgation both Ark and the narrator learn about a similar man named Kaspar Hauser that also appeared “out of thin air” in 1829. He also remembered nothing of his past and was dressed like a peasant. What is the correlation between these two bizarre men and their outwardly appearance of being from another century? Needless to say the story escalates with a murder mystery. 

“The Man from Nowhere” is an excellent representation of what this series is all about – the perfect cocktail of traditional detective-fiction mixed with a dose of Victorian horror and draped in the hints of a supernatural explanation. Like other weird-menace stories in the pulps there is always a logical explanation. But, what I love about Hoch's resolution to these cases is that he leaves it subjective. There is always a brief possibility that the abnormal things happening are really supernatural. That is evident with Ark's last spoken words in this story: “...there are some things better left unexplained, at least in this world.” 

In this world, you can get a copy of the Simon Ark stories HERE.

Hammer of the Dogs

Jarret Keene has recently basked in the western spotlight, spurred into action with his Kid Crimson series of wild-west adventures. Those books – Gunpowder Mountain, The Guns of Goblin Valley, Stagecoach to Oblivion – are available from WolfpackPublishing. My first experience with Keene was the debut Crimson novel, an entertaining fast-paced hero tale laced with colorful characters and creative violence. I was excited to observe Keene's craft outside of the western genre. I was delighted to receive his 2023 novel Hammer of the Dogs. It was published by University of Nevada Press and is described as a post-apocalyptic adventure set in war-torn Las Vegas.

The novel's heroine is iron-headed Lash, an intelligent Dystopian warrior that attends a makeshift educational facility aptly titled Academy. With her mother dead and her father missing, Lash relies on the strict behavioral teachings of Professor, a brilliant tech-head that may be a festering warmonger with a penchant for religious fanaticism (think Cyber-Christ). Lash's skillset is an advanced high-level awareness of droids, a technology that is draped over the bombed and revamped Las Vegas strip. There are colorful varieties of drones (and droids) that can cook, heal, interact, screw, and dive-bomb humanity with a plethora of deadly killing devices that would give terrorists nightmares. The victor must control the drones and successfully operate jammer devices to stop the enemy drones.

The book's premise is partly enriched by a feud between the Academy and a warlord named Richter. His mission is to seemingly kill Academy students and continue the downfall and decline of Las Vegas. Needless to say, Lash's mentor and friends all buy into the propaganda that Richter is the real enemy. However, after a terrifying conflict with Richter's forces, Lash becomes a prisoner and learns the real and awful truth that has been withheld from her for years. Additionally, she learns the whereabouts of her enslaved father.

First, from an action-adventure perspective, this is a doomsday feast of energized firefights, drone battles, fisticuffs, and heroic missions that are equally mind-boggling and entertaining. While I didn't always know what a “VAMPIR-launched TBG-29V thermobaric antipersonnel round” was, it never spoiled the fun when that same round splattered a drone's intestinal optical fibers into stringy sparklers. The book was reminiscent of Robert Tine's outrageous 1980s paperback series Outrider, complete with hero Bonner facing a sworn enemy in Leatherman – just replace drones with armed-to-the-teeth dune buggies and inferior prose. But, Keene's nightmarish post-apocalypse is more advanced and contains characters that should appeal to every age group. There's gun porn, but that all plays into Keene's social message.

Keene is never preachy or one-sided, but he delivers some stark social awareness through these downtrodden desperate kids with advanced technology. If that statement alone isn't the real message, then he spells it out quite clearly. Too much technology alienates humanity and feeds the combat quota of Americans versus Americans in fruitless endeavors to outrace, overbuy, overeat, overreach, and overtake each other to prove one side is better than the other – "better than, different than, less than" played out with bone-chilling drones and their insta-killer devices. It rips the population of post-nuke Earth apart in the same ways that it shreds the pre-nuke Earth today. It's by design and we're fools for buying into it. Keene's message concerns too many weapons touted by youth. It also showcases the horror of cold-blooded remote murder that happens today across endless battlefields – mourning and human compassion disappears through a touch screen arsenal of ballistic catastrophe. Keene totally gets it and I applaud him for combining modern fears (and education) with an entertaining action-adventure novel.

Hammer of the Dogs wins across all fronts and I'm hoping I see more of Lash in the future. Highly recommended. Get your copy HERE.

Sam Durell #13 - Assignment-Lowlands

The 13th adventure starring CIA troubleshooter Sam Durell was Assignment-Lowlands from 1961. By this point in the series, author Edward S. Aarons had fully embraced the character that would carry him to his death in 1975 after authoring 42 installments starring the Cajun spy.

A romantic weekend with his girlfriend on the Chesapeake Bay is cut short by a phone call summoning Sam to a meeting in a London pub to accept his next assignment. Two days earlier, every CIA operative around the world was put on high alert and told to be ready for something big. That time is now.

After a brief stop in London that provides the reader no insight into the crisis, Sam continues to Amsterdam. Upon meeting his CIA safehouse host, Sam finds the man dying of a rare virus. Before he expires, he sends Sam to the Northern Holland island of Scheersplaat (not on Google Maps - possibly fictional?) to meet a man who unleashed this virus upon the world from a bunker. Naturally, the CIA’s man in Amsterdam dies before providing any pertinent details - just a map to the target location in the Frisian Islands in Northern Holland.

"Operation Cassandra” was an undeployed Nazi bioweapons program during WW2 that has been unearthed and somehow released from an underground lab on a remote island in Holland. This is the kind of thing that would make the Bubonic Plague look like a head cold, and Sam needs to contain it without becoming infected along the way.

Neither Sam nor his CIA colleagues knows who unearthed this buried laboratory of the Nazi virologists, but whoever is behind this is trying to blackmail the USA for money to keep the disease from spreading worldwide. This creates a mystery for Sam to solve while on the ground in Holland. Think Jack Bauer meets Sam Spade.

Sam finds himself face-to-face with the terrorist behind this plot fairly early in the paperback, and he’s one of the best villains I can recall in ages. Menacing and unhinged - but not cartoonish. There are further layers of adversaries baked into the plot - each one better than the last.

I’ve read a handful of Aaron’s Sam Durell Assignment adventures, and this one is by far the best thus far. The plot moves at a great pace akin to an episode of 24 and Sam shows way more personality than usual. The setting was great, and the aspirations of the characters were always logical.

The paperback had elements of a maritime adventure, a hardboiled mystery, and a treasure hunt - all the wrapping of a 1960s spy adventure. If these types of stories broadly appeal to you, you’re gonna love this Assignment. You can get Edward S. Aarons books HERE.

Antique Store Crime-Fiction

In this video, Eric journeys north to St. Mary's Georgia to locate a lone bookshelf buried in an old antique store. This video shows the vintage crime-fiction hardbacks stored there by authors Richard and Frances Lockridge. Eric presents a brief overview of the Mr. & Mrs. North, Lieutenant Heimrich, and Detective Nathan Shapiro crime-fiction titles. Stream on the YouTube app HERE or watch below:

Unboxing Operation Hang Ten

In today's video, Eric unboxes the entire Operation Hang Ten series. This was a title created by Lyle Keynon Engel and published between 1969 and 1973. Eric has a brief history of the title and author and examines each paperback in the collection. Stream the video HERE or watch below. Be sure to subscribe for weekly videos.

Simon Ark #03 - The Witch is Dead

“The Witch is Dead” was the third Simon Ark story, and it appeared in Famous Detective Stories' April 1956 issue. It was reprinted in the Fall 1966 issue of Startling Mystery Stories. There were a total of at least 45 Ark stories, and they are all penned by Edward D. Hoch. The concept is that Ark travels the globe searching for Satan while also solving crimes that possess a weird menace. Most of the stories include an unnamed narrator presenting the story in first-person. 

The story begins with the narrator describing a woman named Marie Carrio and her career as a fortune-teller named Mother Fortune (how original). She operates her mammoth crystal ball in Westchester County, New York. The narrator states that Mother Fortune died in a burst of flames and that her death proved even more fantastic than her life. 

The narrator then describes the events leading up to Mother Fortune's fiery demise, which is the story. He says it was October in 1950 and he was now working for Neptune Books, a paperback publisher (great nod to the era). He is now married to a woman named Shelly. He meets Simon Ark unexpectedly at a train station. Ark catches up with the narrator on the last couple of years since they had worked together. He says, “There is evil everywhere these days, and it is most difficult to separate the man-made evil from the more ancient type.” This statement pretty much sums up the Simon Ark series – deciphering supernatural or simple logic. 

Ark explains to the narrator that he is in Westchester County to investigate weird happenings at the Hudsonville College for Women. The narrator laughs when Ark advises that the college has somehow become cursed by Mother Fortune. Three students are near death and another forty are critically ill. Ark is there to determine the real cause of the outbreak and if it is somehow linked to an unfortunate event that occurred between Mother Fortune and the school years ago.

This was probably my least favorite of the Simon Ark stories thus far. The plot development was a bit murky and the final solution to the school's epidemic was hard to believe. I enjoyed the exchanges between Ark and the narrator and appreciated the PI-esque investigation. The story just moved a little too slow with such a limp payoff. With this many stories across four decades the output is certainly going to vary. You could skip this one.

Paperback Warrior Primer - Jon Messmann

Whether you enjoy men's action-adventure, adult westerns, comics, mysteries, vigilante sagas, or gothic romance, there's something for everyone when it comes to author Jon Messmann (1920-2004). We have covered so many of his books and titles thanks to publishers like Cutting Edge Books reprinting his work for modern readers. Hopefully, today's primer will shine a light on his life and literary work.

Jon Messmann was born in 1920. His parents forced him to play violin and some sources stated he really disliked playing music and preferred writing. In 1940, he began writing for the up-and-coming comic industry, a period known as the Golden Age of Comic Books. His first gig was for Fawcett Comics, an early, successful comic book publisher of that era. His co-workers were a dream-team of comic book icons such as Joe Simon, Jack Kirby, and Chic Stone. Messmann wrote for a decade on titles like Captain Marvel Jr., Human Torch, Sub-Mariner, Gabby Hayes, Don Winslow of the Navy, Tex Ritter, and Nyoka: The Jungle Girl.

In 1950, Messmann, co-created Carousel, an 8-page tabloid comics section in the Pittsburg Courier. This featured many of Messmann's comic ideas like secret agents, historical romance, sea adventure, private-eyes, jungle girls and even fairy tales. Carousel lasted five years and was distributed by New York's Smith-Mann Syndicate. But, Messmann wanted to get into writing full-length, paperback originals.

Beginning in the 1960s, Messmann’s transition into paperback full-length novels began with Lyle KenyonEngel’s star franchise, Nick Carter: Killmaster. Messmann’s first contribution to that series was it's 37th installment, 14 Seconds to Hell, published in 1968. The series, authored by a selection of ghost writers under the name Nick Carter, was a firm stepping stone for Messmann. The series paralleled the pulp industry in terms of campy, over-the-top secret-agent action. Messmann’s experience writing comics and comic strips made him a viable workhorse for Engel to rely on. The author contributed 14 more installments through 1970 before departing the series. Most Nick Carter fans will list Messmann in the highest tier of series contributors.

Engel, pleased with Messmann’s production, paired him with another Killmaster author named George Snyder for a series called Hot Line in 1970. The series lasted only three installments with Messmann only contributing to the debut, Our Spacecraft is Missing!. Again, this allowed Messmann to develop a modern secret-agent, in this case a President’s Man type of hero named Fowler.

Also in 1970, while writing Killmaster novels Messman wrote two books starring a vagabond hero named Logan. They were inspired by John D. MacDonald’s successful character Travis McGee. The books are Logan and Killers at Sea and were authored under the pseudonym Alan Joseph. Both books have been reprinted as new editions under Messmann's name. You can obtain them HERE.

Just like Gil Brewer, Dean R. Koontz, Hillary Waugh, and Gardner F. Fox, Jon Messmann also authored gothic romance paperbacks. The pseudonyms he used for these novels was Claudette Nicole and Claud Nicole.

After Mack Bolan's saga was unveiled in the hit series The Executioner in the late 1960s and early 70s, publishers began searching for vigilante fiction. In 1973, Signet began publishing a vigilante series called The Revenger, written by Jon Messmann. He crafted these novels through 1975 while also creating and writing another character, Jefferson Boone: Handyman. The sexual escapades of The Revenger's Ben Martin, Jefferson Boone: Handyman, and the Nick Carter series before that, led Messmann to what would ultimately become his meal ticket – Skye Fargo.

By 1978, adult western fiction rose to prominence and was led by a series heavyweight in Lou Cameron's Longarm. The concept was simply to incorporate two to three graphic sex scenes into a traditional western. The main character fights the bad guys and pleases the bad girls. Messmann, following the trend, created The Trailsman series in 1980 for Signet. Like Don Pendleton's The Executioner, Messmann had created an iconic hero in Skye Fargo – lake blue eyes/bed mattress Olympian – and placed him in nearly 400 total installments. Of those, Messmann wrote nearly half up until his retirement using the pseudonym Jon Sharpe. The publisher then handed the series over to a rotation of ghost writers using the Sharpe house name.

Messmann also created the short-lived Canyon 'O Grady western series in 1989 and authored three installments. It was rumored that Messmann had never been to the western regions of the U.S., instead writing every Trailsman and Canyon 'O Grady novel from the comfort of his Manhattan apartment.

Messmann even dipped his typewriter in the romance waters. Using the pseudonym Pamela Windsor, he wrote three romance novels for Jove from 1977 through 1980. He also authored a horror novel called The Deadly Deep in 1976 for New American Library, and thrillers like Phone Call for Signet in 1979, Jogger's Moon in 1980 for Penguin, and the western The Last Snow in 1989 for Random House. He also authored the stand-alone crime-fiction mystery novel A Bullet for the Bride in 1972 for Pyramid.

Jon Messmann died in 2004 at the age of 84 in a New York nursing home. His books are widely circulated and can often be found in just about any used bookstore across America. The fact that fans like myself are still discussing his literature is a true testament of his storytelling talent. Get many of his books and titles right HERE.

Joe Bain #02 - The Pleasant Grove Murders

Sheriff Joe Bain serves fictitious San Rodrigo County, California. He is a Korean War vet with an estranged wife and a teenage daughter. Bain is also a by-the-books guy, but is a little more elementary and basic when it comes to your average police procedural. He's what I describe as barnyard dumb, rough around the edges, and has a unique likability that may compare to Hoke Moseley. The character was created by John Holbrook Vance, a science-fiction and fantasy author that dipped his toes in mystery fiction with a handful of novels. There were only two published Joe Bain books. The first, The Fox Valley Murders, I reviewed HERE and discussed on the podcast HERE. But, I also read the series second and last installment, The Pleasant Grove Murders.

The premise for the novel is the murder of a young mailman named Ken. Bain must determine if someone murdered a mailman, who just happened to be Ken that day, or if they were intentionally killing Ken, who just happened to be the mailman that day. You see the mystery here? However, when more murders begin to pile up the mystery expands into some pretty posh places. 

Like the first Bain book, this novel introduces a small backstory on events that happened to a high school kid named Sam, Ken's best friend. Vance introduces a proposed marriage between two prominent families, a who-can-outdo-who class clash, and some scandalous neighborhood affairs. It all washes out in the end but the real joy is just sorting through the suspects in a befuddled Bain sort of way. 

Vance included a campaign election to entertain readers between bodies hitting the floor in Bain's debut. This novel also offers an enjoyable time-waster as well. Bain and his mother are flirting with the idea of running a country hotel complete with a dive bar and alcohol. The town questions the Sheriff dealing with the town's riffraff on a personal level but also the fact that he learned about the hotel sale through his professional endeavors. Should a Sheriff be able to gain insider information for his own gain? It is a good debate between the town. In some ways it reminds me of those outlandish scenarios presented on the old 90s television show Picket Fences. 

I really enjoy the Joe Bain character and hated to learn that this is really it. Two published books. However, there is an unfinished and unedited loose outline of a third Bain book out there too. I've never read it because I just don't consider it to be a finished product suitable for public consumption. It is a shame that Vance never wrote anything else about this crazy little community. Buy a copy of the book HERE.

Paperback Warrior Podcast - Episode 105

Today's brand-new episode focuses on one of the most polarizing authors of the early to mid 20th century, Sydney Horler. He wrote 150 books and authored over 1,000 short stories while waging a headline war with his contemporaries. We dive into his life, his involvement in London's criminal underworld, and the many series titles and characters he created. Eric also reviews a private-eye novel from 1984 and discusses a heated marital dispute in the parking lot of a Jacksonville bookstore. Play the episode below or on any streaming platform. Download the episode HERE. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast and follow us on Facebook, X, and YouTube. 

Listen to "Episode 105: The Crazy Career of Sydney Horler" on Spreaker.

Simon Ark #02 - Hoofs of Satan

The Famous Detective Stories February 1956 issue includes “Hoofs of Satan”, the second appearance of occult detective Simon Ark. He first appeared in the magazine a few months earlier. Those of you unaware of the character there were at least 45 Simon Ark stories and they were all authored by series creator Edward D. Hoch. Ark travels the world searching for the Devil while investigating bizarre occurrences that suggest an evil presence. He teams with an unnamed narrator that progresses from a reporter to a publisher and then a partner with Ark in a detective agency. 

“The Hoofs of Satan” takes place in the winter of 1945 in North Bradshire, a village that lies on the edge of a forest on one of the main highways from London to the coast. The narrator, in third-person this time, describes it as a relic of the Middle Ages that somehow survived the 20th century. Simon Ark is there to investigate the village and later explains to a Chief Inspector that a hundred years ago several villages in that area discovered strange cloven hoof-prints in the snow. The villagers followed the path of the prints through the forest but came to a certain point where the dogs would just howl but go no further. 

Simon Ark, the Inspector, and the village mayor examine new hoof-prints that have appeared in North Bradshire. The trio interview the owner of a house where the majority of the hoof-prints appear. A man named Summers agrees to help the group find answers on who – or what – is making these tracks. Ark has some suspicions and meets with a neighbor named Hunt, a strikingly beautiful married woman that was a popular actress before her retirement a couple of years ago. Ark believes there may be some connection between Hunt, her husband, and Summers. A love triangle? But, what does that have to do with hoof-prints?

Despite Ark's explanation of the weird happenings in North Bradshire, the story eventually drifts into familiar territory in these Ark stories. There is a logical explanation, a murder, and a central mystery on who the killer is. The prints in the snow are unusual but explained in the story's conclusion. As the story ends there is a dark tone as readers discover that Ark may have dished out vigilante justice. The ending suggests that maybe there was a supernatural element marked by Ark leaving an ankh behind. 

This was a fun bit of escapism that puts Ark into the role of leading a mystery investigation. The story is more procedural and follows a well-worn template but it still works well. Readers gain a few tidbits about Ark along the way which contributes to the grand mystery of who the heck Ark really is. As usual, suspend your disbelief and have fun with it. That's what the Simon Ark stories are really about. 

You can obtain this story by purchasing City of Brass: And Other Simon Ark Stories. It is a collection published by Mysterious Press and it features three Ark stories. You can buy it HERE.

Friday the 13th - Friday the 13th Part 3

In one of the more bizarre occurrences in paperback history, two film novelizations occurred for Paramount's Friday the 13th Part 3 (often listed with III). The first was authored by Michael Avallone, a crime-fiction author that wrote the popular Ed Noon series of detective fiction as well as early installments in the Nick Carter: Killmaster series. Avallone wasn't a complete stranger to spookville. He also wrote gothic romance novels that possessed a familiar supernatural scent that appealed to 1970s readers. His F13 novelization was timed perfectly for the release of the film to theaters in 1982. However, Signet hired Simon Hawke, who had previously penned the prior two Friday the 13th novelizations, to write his own novelization of Friday the 13th Part 3 in 1988. Weird, right?

I like Avallone's writing so I chose to read his take on the film first. As a kid, I rented Friday the 13th films so much that the tapes were at my house more than the rental store. I also camped in front of cable television in the late 80s watching the USA Network air the films every Saturday on the Captain USA show or their Saturday Nightmares prime-time spot. Needless to say, I knew what the next page was going to offer. 

Avallone mostly sticks to the script for 90% of the book. If you haven't seen the film, this one has Jason attacking teen visitors at a nearby farm called Higgins Haven, which is adjacent to the Camp Crystal Lake original battleground. Many fans call this film “the barn one” because the action and body count intensifies in that dwelling. Plus, there's plenty of sharp things in there to penetrate soft bodies.

The hero of the film/book is Chris, a young woman that lived a horrifying ordeal as a child when she saw Jason Voorhees face to face in the woods. While she's dealing with repressed memories of that night, she orchestrates an outing to visit the lake where the murders occurred. She brings friends along that just make for easy slasher fodder – two potheads, a horny couple, a creepy lunatic nerd, and another sensible girl. She also brings her boyfriend Andy along for the massacre as well.

Jason begins hacking his way through the characters, including three black bikers, until Chris is the proverbial last girl. Avallone's writing borders on satire at times as if he is secretly rolling his eyes at the ludicrous concept of the undead killer killing...again and again. The perfect example is his take on the imbecile police in the third chapter, aptly titled “Give Him the Axe!”. Avallone is such a great storyteller that he is able to draw out some of the tension and cat-and-mouse intrigue to heights that even rival Harry Manfredini's intense musical score. 

The book's ending drifts into a different version than what is seen on film. In this book's ending Chris completely decapitates Jason whereas in the film she simply cleaves him in the head with an axe. Big difference. She also awakens in bed with the doctors and police outside in the hallway questioning her sanity. She escapes the room and journeys back to the barn to search for clues that the murders actually happened. She wants to prove that she didn't make all of this up. She finds a leg, a foot, and an arm in the hay before Jason decapitates her. The police then go check on Chris and find her still in bed. The whole scene was a nightmare. 

In the film, one of the best segments is when Chris escapes to the canoe and at dawn she sees Jason peering from a window before Mrs. Voorhees corpse erupts out of the water, which is later proved to just be a nightmare. Avallone omits this segment. I took a peek at Simon Hawke's treatment and he kept his novelization strictly to the film version, which may be why he was hired to do another novelization of the film in the first place. 

I love the Friday the 13th films in the same way that any old timer will tell you they loved all of the Hammer and Universal horror films when they were a kid. Jason, Michael, Freddy, and Leatherface have become the new Wolfman, Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Mummy. This book is a nostalgic trip through time but also showcases a superb writer doing the most he can with an unrealistic story. For that, I applaud the effort. This is an entertaining read.

Joe Bain #01 - The Fox Valley Murders

John Holbrook Vance (1916-2013) published most of his literary work under the name Jack Vance. As a respected science-fiction and fantasy author, Vance wrote many series titles like Dying Earth, Lyonesse, Demon Prince, and Durdane. While those two genres occupied most of Vance's career, he still wrote mystery novels as Ellery Queen, Peter Held, and Alan Wade. My first experience with the author is his two-book series of mysteries starring Sheriff Joe Bain. I started with the first novel, The Fox Valley Murders, originally published in hardcover in 1966. 

In the fictitious California locale of San Rodrigo County, the long-serving Sheriff dies in a freak swimming accident. His replacement is deputy Joe Bain, a one-time troublemaker that has worked his way through the ranks to become a semi-respectable lawman. However Bain is serving in interim role until the county elects a new Sheriff. Bain, enjoying the freedom of a supervisory role, throws his hat in the pool as a nominee. A protagonist running a tight political race may not be an electrifying read. To combat the boredom the author throws in a riveting murder mystery with a robust body count. Now we're talking.

The author offers an explanatory – and disturbing – flashback highlighting events that transpired in San Rodrigo 16 years ago when a young man named Ausley was sentenced to life imprisonment for the rape and murder of a middle school girl. There were a half-dozen residents that testified they saw Ausley at the scene of the crime. However, those residents are now being murdered one-by-one after Ausley is released from prison for good conduct. 16 years have passed and Ausley now says he is a changed person and isn't committing murders or any crime whatsoever.

Vance inserts Joe Bain's brief history to build validity to the character. He joined the U.S. Army after high school and saw action in the Korean War. He was then transferred to the Military Police and wound up as a sergeant. He used his GI benefits to attend the Chapman Institute of Criminology which resulted in his position as county deputy. Bain has an estranged wife somewhere and he lives with his mother and teenage daughter. Bain is rough around the edges and comes across as barnyard dumb in a likable way. His pleas for a vote come at the most inopportune time and his problem solving skills are a little late for the dance. But, these are purposeful characteristics that set Bain apart from the cookie-cutter good guy with a badge that dominated media of that era.

If you are looking for a police procedural that is a little unusual then Joe Bain is the man for the job. He's the star of this quirky small-town murder mystery with a bite. Your only disappointment will be coping with the fact that only two of these Joe Bain books were published. You get a copy of the reprint HERE and listen to our podcast episode about the series HERE.

Hammond Innes Paperback Collection Visualized Feature

Today we feature an exclusive video showcasing Eric's Hammond Innes paperback collection. The video features paperback covers by Frank McCarthy and publishers Avon and Ballantine. Check it out below or by clicking HERE.

Simon Ark #01 - Village of the Dead

Edward D. Hoch was a prolific writer that penned hundreds of shorts across several different genres in dozens upon dozens of magazines. He was a big deal for publishers and editors looking for content for their monthly or weekly books. While there have been several memorable characters in Hoch's bibliography, ranging from Ben Snow to Captain Leopold, the one that fascinates me the most is the bizarre occult detective Simon Ark. 

Simon Ark debuted in “Village of the Dead”, a short story featured in Famous Detective Stories in December 1955. In fact, Ark's first six appearances were in that magazine before spilling over into magazines like Crack Detective and Mystery Stories, Double-Action Detective and Mystery Stories, and Tightrope!. Eventually, the character would become a fixture in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine and Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine. There were at least 45 stories featuring Simon Ark between 1956 and 2008. 

In “Village of the Dead”, an unnamed narrator (he is never named) recounts a strange event that occurred in a small American town – The Gildaz Horror. In first-person, the narrator explains that he was working as a reporter scoping out political stories when a teletype hit the newsroom about a mass suicide occurring in the tiny village of Gidaz, just south of the narrator's location. He quickly gets to the scene and discovers that a majority of Gidaz's population took a fatal jump from the top of a hundred foot cliff. 73 people now lay in bloody shreds on sharp rocks lying at the cliff's base. What would make all of these people commit suicide together?

As the narrator begins researching the story he enters one of the abandoned homes and meets another investigator – one of a different sort. He introduces himself as Simon Ark, but advises the narrator that his name is not important. He is described as not appearing old, yet there were tiny lines of age if you looked close enough. The narrator says in a way Ark was a very handsome man, yet he couldn't imagine women ever being attracted to him. He later describes Ark as seemingly from another world or another time.

The two team up together to learn more about the suicide and eventually meet another reporter named Shelly that was originally from the small town. Ark discovers a book in town called The Confessions of Saint Augustine that looks as though it was burned. Later, they discover that a man calling himself Axidus came to town two years ago and began a new religion for Gidaz. The population trusted him to a fault, which may have been their downfall. Through the course of the investigation the narrator and reader learns more about Simon Ark – he may be 2,000 years old, he speaks Coptic, hints that he knew Saint Augustine himself, and that this Axidus may be an evil figure from long ago. How does it all tie together?

There are readers that absolutely love the Simon Ark stories and others really hate them. I've had the fortune of reading a lot of them and I really enjoy the character. “Village of the Dead” by itself isn't strong storytelling and ends with a Scooby-Doo type ending. That's the thing about the Simon Ark stories, they have a bizarre menace theme that eventually leads to a logical explanation instead of some far-flung supernatural one. However, what makes the stories cool is there is always a lingering thought that maybe there was something supernatural occurring. Like in this story Axidus is probably just a quack fanatic that got rich quick or he really was some ancient enemy from centuries ago. 

The thing with Simon Ark stories is that he is on a mission to find the Devil. It is his goal to combat evil across the globe and to eventually bring the ultimate fight to the Devil. But, he isn't a pulpy over-the-top hero. Instead, he solves mysteries in a Sherlock Holmes way with the narrator playing Watson. As the series progresses forward the narrator becomes a book publisher and then eventually partners with Ark as a detective agency. The supernatural and bizarre menace possibilities tend to lessen as the series matures in the 60s and 70s. 

Many Simon Ark stories have been reprinted in physical and digital collections. A passing glace on Amazon will net you a handful of titles with this story included. Start here as a base and then work your way forward. I'll bring you more Simon Ark reviews to guide your way through the darkness. 

Get Simon Ark books HERE.

A Matter of Adultery

A Matter of Adultery was first published by Newsstand Library as a mass market paperback in 1961. The cover was painted by artist Robert Bonfils, a name synonymous with the sleaze paperback era. The author is listed as Don Lee, a name that I don't recognize or know. Cutting Edge Books have performed a remarkable service by offering vintage paperbacks in new editions for the modern consumer. The book now exists in digital and paperback versions. It is also collected in a digital omnibus titled Vintage Sleaze #5: 12 Forbidden Novels from the 1950s and 1960s. 

The book stars Chris Howard, a public relations executive that absolutely loves the look, feel, and aura of women. He's obsessed with women and has made it a steadfast vow to never marry. Whenever he gets too close to a woman he immediately plants the smell of baby diapers in his mind and then quickly scampers out of the intimate relationship. It is a game he plays with himself and others that aligns with his career choice of backing ambitious men for various public official roles.

Howard's newest client is a politician named Morley. However, his contact for Morley is the man's sexy wife Jen. She's a tramp who imposes her will by expertly seducing men. Howard takes the contract to plan Morley's campaign for governorship of his state. However, Howard must walk a balance beam between sleeping with Jen, which is a must, while also supporting Morley in his political endeavors. Needless to say a talented man like Howard can juggle both jobs very well. However, there are three main issues confounding his position.

The first issue is a racketeer that doesn't want Morley elected. To stop the proceedings they put a price on Howard's head. After numerous attempts to kill him Howard buys some protection in the form of an ex-OSS (that's today's CIA) agent and war hero named Amy Downs. She takes the job to investigate the killers to protect Morley and Howard. The second issue is that Amy and Howard have a physical chemistry that is electric. While Howard is resting from his sexcapades with Jen he has to make room for Amy in his bed. Which brings us to the third issue and what I consider the real focus of the book – Howard's secretary and business partner Darleen.

Howard's daily work routine and very existence is plagued by the sexiest woman in the novel. Darleen is a beautiful, loving, highly-charged virgin that adores Howard. Darleen's love for the man extends to forgiving trust that no matter how many women Howard sleeps with he will ultimately choose her someday. Howard himself knows this but fights his urges to sexually engage with Darleen. His battle is an emotional and physical test of willpower and inner fortitude.

Like most of these mid 20th century sleaze novels A Matter of Adultery is far better than its reputation as disposable fiction read with one hand. This book, like many others of the era, is a melodrama packed with tantalizing romance that is void of any graphic sex. I will say this book may be the first one of this era that states “orgasm” in the lovemaking...but it doesn't get much hotter than that. The central theme rests in the conflict between Howard and his strict bachelorhood and Darleen with her eyes on the prize. As a romance novel the author nails it. As a crime-fiction story it mostly works with just enough action to keep it breezing by. It is mostly an original story and plot but I did see a twinkling of a White Christmas plot-point that may have been recycled. Otherwise, A Matter of Adultery is worth pursuing. Recommended. 

Buy a copy of this book HERE.