Nick Hockaday #01 - Sea of Green

Thomas Adcock's writing career began with the Detroit Free Press. As a journalist, he authored articles for newspapers like Chicago Today, Toronto Telegram, and the New York Times. Between 1981 and 1982 Adcock authored the five-book series Ben Clayton, T-man, starring a U.S. Treasury Department agent. The books were slim men's action-adventure novels published by Warner Books. In 1982 Adcock expanded to the 300-400 page counts with his six-book series starring New York City Police Detective Neil Hockaday. The series' second installment, Dark Maze, won him an Edgar award in 1992. I never like to jump ahead so I'm beginning this series with Sea of Green, the 1989 debut published by The Mysterious Press.

Neil Hockaday is an Irish plainclothes detective working the streets as part of New York City's Street Crime Unit – Manhattan out of Midtown-North. He calls it SCUM Patrol. Hockaday grew up in Hell's Kitchen and was an altar boy. Later, he worked his way through the police ranks and is quite comfortable roaming the streets and avenues of his native stomping ground. Most of his collars are small-time swindles, a few drug busts, and the occasional shooter. For the savages, he carries a .44 Charter Arms Bulldog in a shoulder holster, a .32 Beretta Puma on his left ankle and a .38 police special in a belt snap holster. 

In Sea of Green, Hockaday, in first-person perspective, explains that he recently became divorced (no kids) and has moved into a tiny apartment house on West Forty-third Street and Tenth Avenue. After the brief history and introductions the book kicks off with Hockaday discovering that one of his snitches has been murdered. When Hockaday investigates the murder he interviews the man's landlord, a sketchy guy named Howie. A few days later Hockaday returns home and discovers Howie's naked body in his bathtub – dead as Elvis. 

Next, Hockaday's superior, Inspector Tomassino Neglio puts him on the case of The Most Reverend Father Love of the Healing Stream Deliverance Temple. It turns out the preacher, a guy named Waterman, has received numerous death threats in his offering plate. During the investigation an unknown shooter assassinates Waterman right in front of Hockaday. Somehow the murder of Waterman ties into a real-estate swindle involving the very dead Howie, the snitch, and a huge swath of land deemed The Jungle. 

I have a number of problems with the book. First, Hockaday doesn't have a violent bone in his body. There is absolutely no action whatsoever. He spends his time bar-hopping while contemplating his romantic ties with a cabaret dancer named Mona. Second, this book is a heavy tribute to New York City. Adcock spends pages and pages detailing the city's buildings and landmarks. That's fine, but the book is painted to be crime-fiction. I can read thousands of other cosmopolitan books dedicated strictly to New York. Third, Adcock inserts too much political garbage and personal opinions into the novel. He takes shots at Reagan, the U.S. government, and highlights so many social issues that really don't need to be here. It's like reading new Stephen King novels where he injects his over-the-top anger towards Donald Trump. I don't really give a shit if any author is an elephant or a jackass. Just write stories for people to escape their current environment or situation.

Despite my issues with the book and author, which began to take their toll by page 250 of 312 pages, I soldiered on. The story is a fine one when the author focuses on actually telling it. The limited investigation was still a pleasant reading experience and the tie-in of the story's central murder to the romantic fling was see-through but rewarding. I enjoyed Hockaday's perspective on his childhood as an altar boy and the personal connection he had with the church in attempting to solve the reverend's murder. 

If this bloated book was trimmed to 200 pages it would have been a fast-paced winner with plenty of upside. Give me the meat and potatoes, spare the parsley. Mild recommendation. 

Buy a copy of the book HERE

Sergeant Cluff #01 - Sergeant Cluff Stands Firm

British author Geoffrey Horne (1916-1988) used the pseudonym Gil North to author an 11-book series of crime-fiction novels starring Sergeant Caleb Cluff, a detective working in the Yorkshire Dales for the Criminal Investigation Department. The books were published between 1960 through 1972 and spawned a BBC TV show that ran two series between 1964-1965 starring Leslie Sands in the titular role. Lately, I've been sipping tea a lot and reading British novels, so I acquired the series debut, Sergeant Cluff Stands Firm. 

Although no age is provided, I gained the impression that Cluff is in his late 50s or early 60s. He is single, walks with a cane, and has both a cat and a dog. Each morning a woman comes to his small cottage to bring him breakfast and to attend to small chores, although I'm tempted to believe she comes there just to be sure he is still alive. He's a recluse. He does have a brother who took over the family farm after the death of their mother. The brother, John, has a wife and a daughter. 

The novel begins with Cluff being summoned to a house in the village. It is there that neighbors have reported that a 20ish woman hasn't been seen outside of her home in a few days. With Inspector Mole, the two break into the house and find the woman has committed suicide by turning on the gas stove and taking a nap. However, her husband – a much older man – has seemingly disappeared.

Cluff begins the hunt for the woman's husband, a man named Wright. He checks the man's employer as well as two other women that Wright has been laying with. Despite the possibility of a criminal charge, the coroner finds no signs of foul play. Yet Cluff, a seasoned veteran, feels it in his bones that Wright just isn't right. There's a catch here somewhere. After his superiors squawk over his never-tiring approach, Cluff calls in a leave of absence to go on holiday. He spends his time watching Wright like a hawk until the case breaks.

I really enjoyed the Cluff character. He doesn't say much. His dog Clive is nearly in every scene with him, a type of Lassie sidekick that comes into save the day at one point. Clive's demeanor is rather cold and could be perceived as off-putting. When it comes to the suspects and criminals Cluff is notorious, summoning Mike Hammer's internal fortitude to scare and intimidate before getting physical. Also, I liked the book's location which apparently is a mainstay through the series. Cluff was born and raised in the fictional village of Gunnershaw and he serves that region's law-enforcement. Gunnershaw is a densely wooded area with rural farms and a small-town demeanor. There is also a humorous interaction between Cluff's colleagues – the aforementioned Inspector Mole and a bungling Constable Barker, both of which feel that Cluff is a neanderthal worthy of prowling the forest with his dog. Alas, that's the appeal of the character and story. 

If you enjoy the British sleuths and gumshoes then this book and series should entertain you. It does have a uniqueness about it that drifts from the quilted comfy zone of the dry British whodunit. Give it a try. Buy the books HERE.

Paperbacks from Hell Visualized Feature

Way back on Episode 65 we covered the horror sensation of Paperbacks from Hell. This remains one of our most beloved features. What better way to celebrate this feature's popularity than a visualized enhancement!?! We've repurposed the segment into an awesome visual experience complete with dozens upon dozens of full-color horror vintage paperback covers and photos from our own personal collection. Enjoy the show HERE and be sure to subscribe. 

The Maze and the Monster

The August 1963 issue of Magazine of Horror and Strange Stories featured stories by powerhouse authors like Robert Silverberg, Frank Belknap Long, Ambrose Bierce, H.G. Wells, Donald A. Wollheim, and Robert W. Chambers. I've been reading a lot of Edward D. Hoch stories recently and wanted to try a stand-alone short by the writer. I found his story “The Maze and the Monster” included in this issue. The story is also included in an anthology collecting 52 shorts called Devils and Demons, edited by Marvin Kaye and published by Doubleday in 1987.

The beginning of “The Maze and the Monster” begins with a tourist named William Nellis traveling from London's West End to the wild waters off the Atlantic Coast of North Africa. Like the typical pulp nautical adventure things go awry quickly and the ship Nellis is aboard crashes on an island during a storm. Alone on the beach, washed up and in distress, William is delighted when two men wearing a sort of greenish uniform appear. But, they level their rifles at him and march him to an island fortress.

After his half-day stay in a dungeon, William is brought in front of Captain Cortez. It is explained that William has arrived on the Island of Snails. He discovers that Cortez owns the entire island and controls all of the people. He has also devised a wicked game for his prisoners to play. William is brought to a dark underground level of the fortress and explained the rules of his game.

Before him is two miles of passageways that form a dark maze. The door behind William be sealed and and his only choice is to enter the maze with no weapons. Inside, he will find two possible exits – one leads to a paradise of pleasure beyond his wildest dreams and the other leads to a savage beast. To instigate things Cortez has his men enter the maze and pull out the remains of the last prisoner that entered. Then, the door shuts and William is left in darkness.

This was a creepy short read that showcased Hoch's penchant for placing ordinary people into extreme circumstances. The writer thrived for decades and penned numerous stories for the pulps and digests. The ending is a slamming door that surprises the reader (and the main character) and it left me feeling something after reading the last line. Recommended. You can read the story below. 

Haggard Chronicles #01 - Haggard

Many of Guyana-born, British author Christopher Nicole’s historic adventures take place in England’s Caribbean colonies in the 1700s and 1800s. His 1980 novel, Haggard, was a historical epic that launched a trilogy tracking the family of the Haggards, an English plantation family on Barbados in the West Indies. The novel is available on Kindle, but copies of the vintage paperback are plentiful if you know where to look.

Barbados became a British colony in 1625 and quickly became a plantation economy with the labor provided by imported African slaves. Slavery wasn’t outlawed by the Brits until 1833. When the novel begins in 1780, the Haggard plantation is staffed by hundreds of black slaves growing sugar cane, corn, rum and various grains.

Our protagonist is John Haggard who is the wealthiest planter in all Barbados after inheriting his father’s 150 year-old farm four years ago at age 23 coinciding with the premature death of his wife. He’s handsome and charismatic hero who is kind and respectful to his slaves (I know, I know) and adept with a sword and pistol.

There’s a category of humans in the novel (and history) called Indentured Servants who were basically white prisoners (thieves and such) forced into slavery for a ten-year period before being reintroduced into free society. As the novel opens, John hasn’t been laid in many years and makes the impulsive decision to buy himself an indentured bedmate for a couple bucks. He chooses a super-hot, feisty redhead named Emma straight off the penal boat from Virginia. Their sex scenes are pretty graphic and don’t always meet the modern standards of consent we practice today. Consider yourself warned.

Of course, the unlikely romance between Haggard and Emma is a large storyline in the novel. If you’ve seen the film, Pretty Woman, you pretty much know the beats. As starcrossed love stories goes, it’s a good, if uncomfortable, one.

But getting laid isn’t Haggard’s only preoccupation. Not far away in the newly-minted USA, there is a war of independence being waged against England. Haggard is having trouble guaranteeing the integrity of his ships holding the sugar en route to England as his shipments are being intercepted and diverted to Boston. Meanwhile, the French have been taking island after island in the Caribbean with an eye on Barbados. This causes tension between Haggard and other gentry on the island who want to take collective action to protect their interests while Haggard is more of a go-it-alone kinda guy. These would’ve been great storylines if the author had developed them more, but they fall by the wayside quickly.

Although he is technically British, Haggard has never been to England but plans a trip with Emma and a handful of his slaves in the novel’s second act. There are a lot of fun “fish out of water” scenes where Haggard is clueless about British high-society customs.

In England, Haggard is also confronted with the realities of slavery. You see, slavery has been outlawed in England, with the exception of the distant colonies, such as Barbados. Haggard showing up on British soil with his slaves in tow, becomes a major conflict of the novel with thought-provoking narratives rationalizing and condemning the practice.

Another thing to understand about this novel, is that the author could write his ass off. Some of the dialogue among characters was awestriking. The character of Haggard is a very nuanced guy. Sometimes he comes off like a total hero, and other times he comes off like a total dick. Just like real people. There’s lots of problematic teen sex, meaning sex with teens that would land someone in jail today. However, this behavior is clearly intended to be morally dubious.

The plotting is really all over the place. And that’s the problem. Interesting things happen, and then they move onto the next vignette from Haggard's fictional life. Haggard never really holds together as a well-crafted novel. The author worked so hard to craft a historical epic that he forgot to make it about something. There were so many excellent missed opportunities here, but unfortunately I can’t recommend it in good conscience. At least the American plantation novels knew what they were doing with their interracial titillation and violent slave uprisings. This one was just a well-crafted slog.

I love Christopher Nicole’s writing, so I’m not giving up on him. This one, however, is not his masterpiece. 

You can get this book and the other series installments HERE. 

Fred Fellows #01 - Sleep Long, My Love

In the non-fiction book Hillary Waugh's Guide to Mysteries & Mystery Writing, Waugh, a Mystery Writers of America Grand Master, focuses the tenth chapter on police-procedural writing and some of the catalysts that drove him to write some of the best novels of that sub-genre. He says he was influenced and deeply moved by Charles Boswell's They All Died Young, which he remembers reading in 1949. He refers to books by Ed McBain, John Creasey, Roger West and Maj Sjowall and how the business of moving toward the police instead of away from the police was a radical shift in the character of the mystery story. Waugh's recognition of the police procedural genre, and it's creation, elevated his writing to the upper echelons among his contemporaries. Nothing exemplifies that more than his Fred Fellows series. 

I read the second installment of Waugh's Fred Fellows series in 2019, a book called Road Block. I remember liking it, but felt that it was too much of a procedure instead of a compelling narrative. Even though I gave the book a less-than-stellar review, I've always kept Fred Fellows in mind when I've read other police procedural books. No matter how many books I read that Fred fella just kept returning. After halfheartedly searching for more of the Fred Fellows novels I finally found some. I wanted to try Fellows again from the beginning with the series debut Sleep Long, My Love. It was originally published in 1959 and was later adapted into a British film titled Jigsaw (Pan reissued the book under that name in 1962). 

Fred Fellows is the Chief of Police in the small fictitious city of  Stockton, Connecticut. Not much is known about his background or personal life other than he is married, has a couple of sons, and only drinks his coffee with sugar and milk. His police force includes about 20 officers, of which the key characters being Fellows' right-hand man, Detective Sergeant Sidney Wilkes, as well as Sergeants Unger and Gorman. Fellows and his force sometimes work with the nearest big city, Bridgeport. 

In Sleep Long, My Love, Fellows and Wilkes investigate a possible tenant skipping out on a rental house lease. Upon investigation they discover body parts that were morbidly charred in the furnace as well as a human torso stuffed into a trunk. There are scummy blood stains in the bathtub and the remnants of a hacksaw and knife in the ashes of the fireplace. This is a 1959 novel that appears to be very modern based on the disturbing crime scene. The questions are two-fold: Who is the killer and who is the victim? That's the investigation that haunts the two men and the entire town of Stockton.

I've read my share of these procedural stories and I feel comfortable being thrust into the investigation. By having very little knowledge beyond what the police possess I was knee-deep in analyzing clues, evidence, suspects, and motive. The interesting part of the story is that there are two major mysteries here, who was killed and who's the killer. By having very little information the investigation has to comb a lot of streets, towns, and occupations to gather information. As tiny clues are presented the detective work eliminates them. Often I was left with at a dead end just like Fellows. Who was this girl? Why was she killed? The mystery was just so compelling and the various leads seemed so promising. 

This may be one of the better police procedural novels I've ever read. I love the Fellows and Wilkes characters and their system of bouncing ideas off of each other. Wilkes is the second-guess type and Fellows is a bit more diligent in never dismissing any little thread of detail. I couldn't put the book down and read it nearly in one sitting. After completion I thought more about why I didn't like the second installment, Road Block, as much. That novel is based on traffic and patterns of traffic after a heist places robbers somewhere on the real-life Merritt Parkway in Connecticut. I just found the “road work” dull and uninspiring where Sleep Long, My Love is a totally different type of narrative. If you love police procedural novels then look no further than this one. High recommendation. 

Buy a copy of the book HERE

Paperback Warrior Podcast - Episode 103

Today's episode examines the intriguing police procedural sub-genre of crime-fiction. Eric presents an exciting feature on one of the genre's most iconic authors, Hillary Waugh. In addition, Eric reviews the first installment of the vintage detective series Neil Hockaday and discusses some new book aquisitions. The episode also includes an audible story by crime-noir writer Jimmy McKimmey. Stream below or download the episode directly HERE. 

Listen to "Episode 103: Hillary Waugh" on Spreaker.