Customer Reviews

Phantom Lady

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Cornell Woolrich or William Irish, the pseudonym he used for this title and others, was the master of dark intense suspense novels, filled with nightmare circumstances thwarting average people's lives. One such tale is PHANTOM LADY wherein Scott Henderson is the hapless soul beleaguered by a dead wife, strangled with his own necktie, and by the police demanding to know his alibi. The only hope he has is the dim memory of a woman in a pumpkin colored hat complete with a huge feather he chatted with in a bar after the argument with his wife. But because he hasn't a name nor a description, other than the hat, the police aren't quick to believe him and when witnesses to their conversation all claim she was never there, his world spirals into an inexplicable nightmare.You won't find a suspense novel as tight, swift and dark as this around much anymore and read in the spectacularly reproduced original dust jacket art and meticulously recreated boards, the experience might only be matched if you were able to own an original gem. But then who could afford to? Much better to read this masterpiece as the facsimile!

Even if this one is not quite as powerful as "I Married A Dead Man", and the ending doesn't pay off quite as fully as you might hope, it is still a very involving and typically stylish piece of storytelling that grabs you in chapter one and holds on tight till it's done with you. It also contains one of the most powerful single chapters I've ever read- a set piece in which a mysterious woman stalks a bartender simply by staring at him and following him until his nerves begin to crumble- which could stand alone as a short story superior to the novel as a whole. As a reading experience, this is a genuine treat, and the book itself- a faithful facsimile of the first edition- is beautiful to look at and a great pleasure to own. A bargain at the original price and a steal on sale. Thank you again, Otto Penzler.

Step into Gotham City circa 1947 where you take a few steps into a local pub to get away from your wife, and by chance meet an interesting young lady, take her a few other night spots, then come home, and bang, your wife is dead! Not pleasant, especially when you can find no one in the great city to vouch for your alibi! The police arrive, and their suggestion that you may be the culprit is enough to give you the creeps. And the police detective in charge happens to be a good friend from way back, who also does not seem convinced of your innocence. So, you have 24 hours to prove yourself and the clock keeps ticking into the moment when your life may very well be through! This great thriller/ noir author spun many hard boiled tales where the lead character seems guilty, and has to prove his innocence, a nice twist on the "innocent before proven guilty" idea on which our system is (supposedly) based. PHANTOM LADY may be his best!

I am quite surprised by the reviewers who claim that this is Cornell Woolrich's best work. I very much like Woolrich's writing style and have read a number Woolrich stories and a few of his novels as well. I am very much willing to tolerate somewhat implausible situtions and incredible coincidences for suspense, characters and atmosphere. But this novel is essentially a suspense thriller with a plot so unrealistic that it strains credibility. To make matters worse, unlike "Randezvous in Black", this is not Woolrich at his poetic best and the characters in "Phantom Lady" are simply not as compelling as his characters usually are. Having said that, this is still a good read, if you want a page turner above all else.