Deepwater Challenge

Based on a small sample size, what I've read by Frank Bonham has been exceptional. He authored for the pulps in the 1940s and 1950s, then moved into writing full-length novels and television scripts. He's mostly known for his western writing, but he was a consistent juvenile and YA writer. I found a copy of his YA novel Deepwater Challenge. It was published in 1963 by Thomas Y. Crowell Company with cover art designed by Albert Burkhardt. 

Cam Walker has graduated from high school and is prowling the docks searching for the right boat. His father is down and out with debilitating arthritis, so it's up to Cam to bring home the bacon – but in this case, it's fish. His parents have saved $7K for a boat, hoping that Cam can start up a successful fishing and salvage business. But Cam quickly realizes it's not enough money to purchase a decent floating tub. This is when he runs into his fiercest rival, an elderly fisherman named Graber. 

Cam wants to buy Graber's overpriced boat, but his father insists that he seek consultation from a family friend, a former Japanese salvage diver named Aki. After Aki reveals that Graber's boat is significantly damaged, Cam purchases another boat using financing. This infuriates Graber, and he becomes one of the primary plot devices – this maniacal lunatic prowling the sea, hoping to wreck and sink Cam. 

With Aki, Cam begins diving in deep waters to harvest abalone, a meaty shellfish that grabs onto the ocean's rocky settlements. But Aki is too old now to successfully make the dives, and Cam is inexperienced. Cam's older brother Steve, a former U.S. Navy diver, joins the trio. But, he has a secret that he withholds from Cam and Aki – he isn't healthy enough to make the dives, yet wants to contribute to the family's new fishing business. 

First off, Bonham can write his grocery list and make it interesting. I was so invested in the education portions of this novel, the intricacies of diving, the technology (as antiquated as it might be now), and the art of abalone harvesting. However, Bonham introduces another interesting plot device with salvaging boat wrecks. There's a thread here of the trio discovering some rare 1800s coins that will hopefully fund their enterprise. Getting the coins to the surface is one of the most exciting portions of the book. Additionally, I was fascinated by the character of Aki and his history as a Japanese-American. He was forced to relocate with his family after WWII, causing him to lose his family's business.

In the “About the Author” section, Frank Bonham explains that he spent a great deal of time researching for this book. He frequently performed skin diving with a friend from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, interviewing professional abalone divers, and cross-checking facts with the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries. He presents these fishing facts in a pleasurable way. Deepwater Challenge is a fascinating book for any reader, young or old.  

You can read this book at Archive.org HERE. 

By Her Own Hand

Los Angeles native Frank Bonham (1914-1988) specialized in westerns, young adult fiction, and television scripts. Between 1941 and 1952, Bonham honed his skills by writing for the pulps. He authored only three crime-noir novels, including By Her Own Hand. It was originally released in 1963 by Monarch Books. 

In an undisclosed California city, Captain Chilton is taking over the Plaza Division police station. Before Chilton, the department had spiraled into a rather chaotic, under utilized precinct. This portion of the city reflects the old guard and braces for the new. Caught in the transition are two Vice Squad Sergeants Skip Kawano and Lou Michikowski. Both are feeling the heat as Chilton increases the pressure to clean up the streets.

Like most traditional police precincts, the way to topple the top echelon of crime is through prostitutes. They are the perfect informants and mostly the police lay off their profession in exchange for valuable bits of information on criminal rings. The same thing occurs here as both Kawano and Michikowski utilize prostitutes to gain valuable intel. In turn, other precincts rely on these same prostitute informants to minimize crime waves. But, Chilton doesn't see it that way. 

At 126 pages, Bonham's novel is more like a quick novella. Mostly, the action is around an investigation into a murdered prostitute to determine what information she was withholding. Chilton's department faces intense opposition for arresting the prostitutes and removing them from the streets. Included in the investigation is a side-story that leads into the porno movie business. For a 1963 novel, Bonham doesn't pull any punches in terms of explicit imagery. This side-story involves a gangbang that's recorded in an after hours park. The scenery, time of day, and skill of the photographer allows the investigation to branch off into some unusual places. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this quick read and found it to be slightly ahead of its time. Also, the characters and plot are soaked in realism due to Bonham's involvement in youth gangs and urban violence. He advocated for peace and was often riding along in police cars to learn firsthand the negative influences affecting California's youth. To my knowledge, By Her Own Hand has never been reprinted, but affordable used copies are still available. It's worth your time. 

Buy a copy of this book HERE

The Skin Game

Frank Bonham (1914-1988) is best remembered as an author of young adult fiction and westerns from the pulp era into the advent of paperback originals. However, he also authored three crime novels, including The Skin Game, originally released by the prestigious Fawcett Gold Medal imprint in 1962.

Our main character is a former cop turned Parole Officer named Sam Garrett. He’s provided the task of supervising a parolee named Gene Foreman, a man Sam knew years ago when they were both police officers. Gene is technically a sex offender who was recently released on parole from prison after serving 26 months. It’s not as bad as it sounds. He was consorting with a girl who said she was 19 but was actually 17 and - boom - he’s automatically a statutory rapist.

A cop named Donovan has a real hard-on for Gene and wants to bring him in as a suspect for a recent sex crime. Sam doesn’t think Gene did it, but is duty bound to bring his old friend in for police questioning. The problem? Gene abandoned his apartment and is nowhere to be found. Parole Officer Sam needs to locate his old friend before he violates the terms of his parole and further cements his status as a suspect in Donovan’s investigation.

The stakes escalate exponentially when the police learn of a sexual thrill-killer who gets women to pose for naked photographs before brutally murdering them. With Gene completely off the grid, the police naturally gravitates to him as a suspect. Is it possible that this ex-cop has a screw loose and is indiscriminately killing sexy babes while on parole? That’s one of the mysteries encapsulated in this 160-page paperback. There are some unexpected twists along the way, and the novel isn’t always about what it seems.

For a guy who only dabbled in the Fawcett Gold Medal style of crime noir fiction, Bonham nailed the style and plot structure very well. There was plenty of sexual titillation, and characters who aren’t what you think they are. The Skin Game has been reprinted by Cutting Edge, which is a good thing considering it’s a solid example of what made mid-20th century paperbacks something really special. Get the book HERE