Frail On North Circular - Macgregor Urquhart

BOARDMAN 380

FIRST PRINTING 1962

LONDON, UK

COVER ART BY MCLOUGHLIN

The body was discovered in the River Roding, not two hundred yards from the busy North Circular road. It was that of a young redhead, and it was dressed only in underclothing. Cause of death was immediately obvious-a stab wound in the heart. Sergeant Renning discovered the body. Chief Inspector Smarles got the case-and Renning along with it.

A curious man, Smarles. Untidy, scruffy almost, careless of externals, sometimes oblivious of his physical surroundings, yet all the time aware on the five planes of awareness of what really matters.

His investigations centre on a dingy restaurant, the type of place known to its habitues as a caff. Here the weak-minded son of the manageress entertains hid friends-the boys already well on the road to delinquency, the girls matching them stride for stride. There is, too, a senile seller of call girl lists, a dim ex-pug, a tired and faded prostitute. And behind them all, manipulating them as though they were puppets, the sinister figure of the Guv'nor. But everyone is too frightened to give Smarles his name.

So Smarles-a dirty rozzer as he often tells himself-investigates. But in a way quite strange to most fictional detectives. He listens to the talk of delinquent youth, he puts up with the officiousness of Sergeant Renning. He thinks bitter thoughts about his superiors, is offensive to his juniors. And finally, he pounces.

Here is a novel as fresh and original as the conception of Chief Inspector Smarles. The Chief Inspector will probably never be promoted, but readers will not complain so long as he remains the same wholly original figure.

The Deadly Sex - Jack Webb

BOARDMAN 303

LONDON, UK

FIRST PRINTING 1960

COVER ART BY MCLOUGHLIN

Sammy Golden, police-detective, and Father Shanley, the astute but kindly parish priest, are involved with murder and delinquents-among other things-in Jack Webb's most exciting mystery to date.

Sammy is told to acquire a hangover and then report for duty. This is an unorthodox order, but on it hangs the catching of a cop-killer, the murderer of one of Sammy's friends. Sammy does as he is told. Perhaps he is overzealous because his head aches so that he can hardly think, and when he turns up, still on orders at a roadhouse called The Seven Club, he is ready for both beer and trouble. He has plenty of both before the evening ends.

The excitement starts when Sammy meets a blonde-a girl whose looks are one-in-a-thousand-and saves her from a fracas that starts in The Seven Club. Father Shanley tries to reach Sammy, but Sammy is moving so fast that their paths seldom cross in this suspense-filled story.

The Tiger Aamong Us - Leigh Brackett

BOARDMAN 200

LONDON, UK

FIRST PRINTING 1958

COVER ART BY MCLOUGHLIN

Walter Sherris - successful, happy, good husband and father-made just one mistake: he took a walk along a dark road one night. Without warning, a car raced toward him and screeched to a stop; out piled five young men intent on violence. To the accompaniment of wild brainless laughter, Walter Sherris was beaten to the ground.

He awoke in a hospital nine days later. And from that moment his pleasant life became a nightmare, more horrible than those he had wrestled with in those nine days of unconsciousness.

Walter Sherris wanted revenge: for the broken leg and the pain; for the doubts he now had about his pretty, gay wife; and for the countless and nameless others who had been mauled by the thrill seekers, the sadists, the compulsive slayers.

The police were evasive, almost disinterested. There were no witnesses. So Walter Sherris set out-alone-to trap the tiger.

Don't Cry For Me - William Campbell Gault

BOARDMAN BOOKS 143

LONDON, UK

FIRST PRINTING 1954

FIRST PUBLISHED IN 1952

COVER ART BY McLOUGHLIN

Illicit drug traffic, beautiful and young addicts, underworld characters and race-track touts are amongst the characters Pete Worden finds himself dealing with in the course of his highly disorganized and far from conventional life.

When Pete finds the dead body of Al Calvano, obviously placed as a plant in Pete's apartment, he decides to lay off his more ordinary daily chores of following the horses, and other allied activities, to do a little investigating of the quality of the company he keeps. What he discovers would make anybody lay off for good.

Pete's extremely staunch girl friend stands by through thick and thin, hoping to marry him but receiving little encouragement. Things like that are hard on a girl, but Ellen is resourceful.

DON'T CRY FOR ME, a hard-boiled, rough, tough mystery story, introduces a new writer who shows every sign of being a winner.

The Mugger - Ed McBain

BOARDMAN 254

LONDON, UK 1959

COVER ART BY McLOUGHLIN

THE MUGGER

The mugger waited in the shadows watching the girl -a pretty one this time. Alone. Her handbag looked heavy. The set-up was perfect. He moved towards her so softly, so quickly, she didn't have time to scream. His arm went around her throat and he dragged her into the alley.

"Don't make a sound," he said, pressing her against the brick wall. Then he crashed his fist into her face. He grabbed her handbag and ran- into the night where a team of determined police were methodically hunting him down.