The Screaming Mimi (A Dutton guilt edged mystery) [Hardcover]

Fredric Brown (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1949 | Series: A Dutton guilt edged mystery

Bill Sweeney is a down-and-out lush. He is also a top-notch reporter. Aroused by the naked beauty of the Ripper's fourth victim--or near-victim--Sweeney pulls himself together and goes after the killer. As he puts questions and answers together, he finds himself face to face with madness and death.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

The book was adapted for the screen in 1958, in a B-movie classic that's remembered for the prototype shower-scene later re-used in Pyscho. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 284 pages
• Publisher: Dutton; 1st edition (1949)
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0006AS64G
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,921,106 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ONE OF MY FAVORITES!, February 10, 2001

By 

DrSpecter (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Screaming Mimi (Paperback)

One of the masterpieces of Hardboiled Mystery, and one of the most neglected and under-rated. John Sweeny finds a hideous statue of a screaming woman in a Chicago boutique and realises it was a psychological trigger for a serial killer. At once funny and terrifying, this book needs to be put along side Hammett and James M Cain and Jim Thompson. This is much MUCH more than a who-done-it; it was a best seller when it came out, and is now out of print. WHAT'S GOING ON??!!!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A book for all tunes, October 20, 2005

By 

E. Nolan - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Screaming Mimi (Paperback)

Blackmask is to be commended for republishing a lot of pulp era fiction which has gone public domain. The downside is that apparently they seek out a copy of the original, scan it and then OCR the images. This causes a lot of typos; in this book, for instance, the word "time" is almost always rendered as "tune", and sometimes you have to figure out that "bun" means "him". Of course these are all real words, so they are not caught by spellcheck..

That aside, this is an engaging little mystery, and perhaps the Chicagoest book I have read. Brown gives you enough clues to figure out more or less what's going on, but the real draw is the engaging character of Sweeny.

One reviewer below called the book homophobic. I think that's an overstatement. A book from 1949 is not going to have a modern view of homosexuality, but the atitude is very "live and let live", and Sweeny does come to respect the shop-keeper a bit.

Is it hard-boiled or an action thriller? Not really. Sweeney is a man of culture as much as deeds, and is only really in danger once, but Brown makes shoe-leather as interesting as shoot-outs.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Be Careful What You Wish For----, October 3, 2002

By 

sweetmolly (RICHMOND, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Screaming Mimi (Paperback)

Our guy, Sweeney, is so far over the top the only reason we believe him is because he's our narrator. Sweeney would make Hecht & McArthur's "Front Page" newspapermen look like weenies. Sweeney doesn't just occasionally drink too much; he binges out and spends weeks in the gutter, broke, filthy, and homeless. When Sweeney sobers up (just moderately), he is such a star reporter, his employer's leap to cater to his every whim. Like Wow!

In this 40's era Chicago-noir, Sweeney,while in a nearly comatose binge, witnesses a strange crime site through a plate glass door. A woman (is she dead?) is sprawled on the floor with a fearsome, slavering dog guarding her. No one can get by the dog to see what is wrong. The woman slowly rises, and drops her gown in a spectacular manner. Sweeney decides then and there 1) this is the most beautiful woman in the world and 2) he, Sweeney the Magnificent, will spend a night with her. And anything he wants badly enough, he gets.

Though Sweeney is a little uncertain if what he witnessed was an alcohol-induced hallucination, he finds out quickly it was the real thing. The police think The Ripper, who has terrorized Chicago with three victims, has made an abortive attack on the lady, but her dog saved her. She is an at-risk witness who might be in further danger. Sweeney intends to solve the crimes and get the girl.

Frederic Brown is an edgy writer with a razor sharp sense of humor. When Sweeney theorizes, we don't know if he is putting us on or himself. Mr. Brown is concise and sardonic with a crafty throwaway style. He leaves us always slightly off-balance, and then walks away. Take it, or leave it. Most readers will take it and line up for more.