Plunder [Paperback]

Benjamin Appel (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Gold Medal Books (January 1, 1958)
• ASIN: B002JYWF0I
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Gritty Noir Crime Spree in Post-WWII Manila, October 29, 2010

By 

Baron Von Cool - See all my reviews

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This review is from: PLUNDER. (Paperback)

Plunder is a gritty look at a pair of A.W.O.L. G.I.s, Blacky and Joe, who bribe their way out of an army prison camp and end up becoming crime lords in post-World War II Manila. Blacky is a grunt who hates officers and Joe is an officer who hates everybody; you can tell right from the outset that these two guys are going to come to blows sooner or later. Blacky regrets his association with Joe and has a heart, but is nothing more than dumb muscle. Joe, clearly the brains of the outfit, proceeds to manipulate, betray and murder everyone who gets in the way of his "blue-sky deal" to organize a criminal empire. First, a protection racket on the pom-pom houses (brothels), and later speculating on the black market with bribed or stolen army surplus. What makes Joe's scheme so brilliant is he and Blacky will pose as high-ranking officers, "proving" they have clout with the higher-ups in the American military, which provides the incentive for the many shady Filipino criminals and American servicemen to go along with them--the ultimate "inside men". The bitter reality of the ravaged Philippines, including the people, culture, and underworld, is meticulously brought to life by an author who obviously was there during the war and lived through the aftermath. This is a hard-hitting, exciting story that manages to cover a lot of time in a slim 180 pages; the entire rise and fall of Joe and Blacky is here, in total noir style. Sex, murders, betrayal, blackmail, it's got everything in spades, and Benjamin Appel knows how to spit the words onto the page with an economy of style. It's not a perfect book, sometimes too many events and too much time are glossed over, and several of the plot points continually hinted at end up going nowhere, but I suppose that is the reality of life--we don't always get what we want. Or we get it, only to realize we didn't want it after all, or at least not the way we ended up having it. Regardless of these few minor flaws, I really enjoyed this book and would definitely pick up more by this author.