The Black Bird Pulp Review

Arm-Chair In Hell

Arm-Chair In Hell by Henry Kane (Dell #316 1949)

A playboy, loud-mouthed detective is hired by multiple clients with varying interests to find the whereabouts of some expensive rugs, missing during a shady deal gone wrong. He finds himself all over town, dodging suspicion and punches (but sometimes taking some of those) as he works himself into the good end of evey deal, ultimately helping out his friends and ending up with a hefty sum of dough. Double crossings, femme fatales, plot twists, and a couple murders make this a solid read, if only a bit predictable and “stock” as far as the plot goes.

The Slasher

The Slasher by Ovid Demaris (Gold Medal #910 1959)

A homosexual, Christian hating psychopath kills, and continues to kill as a team of detectives hunt him down before he continues. Gritty, graphic, and suprisingly edgey, this quick read lets you inside the head of the intelligent, slippery serial murderer. Difficult to catch, the hardened, toothless antagonist escapes justice numerous times, and terrorizes them all the while. That is, until he meets his demise at the gunpoint of his pursuers.

Cheap thrills and loathesome depravity abound in The Slasher

The Black Bird Pulp Review

The purpose of this blog is a simple one: To keep record of and write a short review for each mystery/thriller pulp era paperback that I read.

A picture of the cover will accompany each review.