Sunday, May 27, 2018

Sunday Morning Bonus Pulp: Detective Tales, April 1949


I keep telling guys, never trust a suit of armor. Nine times out of ten, there's a killer hiding inside it. But do they listen to me? No. But if they did, there wouldn't be a story, would there? Day Keene is the biggest name in this issue of DETECTIVE TALES, at least he is unless you know that one of the other authors, John Lane, was really John D. MacDonald. C. William Harrison has a story in here, too, but I think he was best known as a Western pulpster. The other authors are either house-names or writers I've never heard of, like Philip Weck and Robert Zacks. So I can't guess at the overall quality of the fiction, but I like the cover and I'm sure the stories by MacDonald and Keene are good. (I wish somebody would do a complete collection of JDM's pulp detective yarns.)

5 comments:

Scott D. Parker said...

Day Keene has been a known entity for a while now, but JDM is brand-new to me. I have finished reading the first 5 Travis McGee novels in the past five weeks. It has prompted me to go dig out an old collection of JDM pulps, GOOD OLD STUFF, because I'm now very curious about his pulp days. Heck, the only Keene I know is paperback originals so I wouldn't mind some of those as well. Really enjoy JDM's McGee.

Rick Robinson said...

The used magazine dealers who wrote their prices like that sure didn't care about future values, did they? Phooey.

Paul Herman said...

Just a note to Scott Parker,above, the book Good Old Stuff was p.c.'d and updated by
JDM. I prefer NOT to read amended stories by people who are afraid to offend someone
Of something tht was written years ago. I'm am hoping someone reprints the original stories of JDM from the detective pulps. Possibly Altus Press, if they can get the rights.

Walker Martin said...

Good point by Paul Herman. GOOD OLD STUFF and the sequel, MORE GOOD OLD STUFF was *updated* by JDM and many readers thought he ruined the stories. I'll take my pulp straight with no changes.

Scott D. Parker said...

Paul and Walker - So, I actually read the introduction to GOOD OLD STUFF after reading y'all's comments. And, well, I *suppose* JDM has a point about taking the reader out of the story...but, I, too, prefer my pulp with no changes.