Monday, August 6, 2012

Crime Fiction Alphabet L

This week in the Crime Fiction Alphabet over at Kerrie's website Mysteries in Paradise we are currently up to the Letter "L". My contribution will be the Carter Brown title from 1960. Lament For A Lousy Lover.

Crime Fiction Alphabet: L is for Lament For a Lousy Lover

An astrologist spells death for the star of a TV Western




Al Wheeler, tough L.A. cop, and Mavis Seidlitz, sensational blonde private eye, meet head-on in a free-for-all bout of mischief and murder!


A man-hungry heroine and a cast of potential killers on location for a spectacular TV Western made Pine City police officer Lieutenant Al Wheeler's horoscope highly dangerous! Taking his cue from the corpse who's been robbed of a fabulous diamond ring, the tough free-wheeling cop tries to shake the clues of wacky blonde bombshell Mavis Seidlitz and trap a desperate murderer, in the most sensational case of his career. 






When the villain took aim, it did not turn out like the movies. The hero fell down really dead. So Police Lieutenant Al Wheeler had an unrehearsed corpse on his hands and that was the least of his worries. There was the fiery female star, built like a man-trap. The brooding, blue-chinned heavy. The frantic film producer. The scheming sponsor....And Mavis Seidlitz! That wacky, yacky dame had some hot leads on homicide and hotter plans for Al Wheeler!





Printing History

Horwitz Publications, Inc
Numbered Series #90 1961
Long Story Magazine #19 Feb 1961
International Edition Series #25 1962
International Edition Series #72 1971
  
New American Library 
Signet Books
S1856 November 1960
S1856 November 1960 (Canada)
D3162 1967

New English Library
Four Square Books
2179 July 1968

6 comments:

  1. A little overkill on the L's :) interesting how the newer the cover the more 'tantalizing' it gets! Great choice for L!

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  2. "built like a man-trap." Instant classic.

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  3. Scott - What set of covers! And those descriptions of characters - classic indeed!

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  4. That first one looks like "Lament for a Lousy Cover." What is going on? A woman in formal dress with a crystal ball in the middle of Monument Valley with a cowboy?

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  5. Cool post!Right up there with Chandler and MacDonald (aka Kenneth Millar)!

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