• First Digital Edition
• Includes an Afterword on the history of pulp paperbacks
A murder mystery story, plotted around the characters and situations found in a lawyer's office, is being planned by a lively young couple. Then, a murder is committed and fiction becomes grim fact. Jane and Dagobert, who proves to be engagingly uninhibited in his methods of detection, soon find a real baffler on their hands. And the deeper they probe into the affairs of the office staff, the more complex, sordid, and exciting the case becomes.
Persons in the Mystery:
JANE HAMISH, a pretty young executive in a law firm, is cheerfully nursing her fiancé through his latest hobby which is making her write a murder mystery inspired by his imaginings and peopled by characters on the staff at her office.
DAGOBERT BROWN, an engaging fugitive from gainful employment, is so completely absorbed in the thriller he is cooking up around the staff of Daniel Playfair and Son that he is mildly astonished when the wrong victim actually dies.
MRS. ROBJOHN, an elderly client in whose mental processes reason plays small part, is driving the law office crazy with her imaginary fears. A sinister— and constantly changing—they pursue Mrs. Robjohn day and night according to her stories.
MAJOR JIMMY STEWART, handsome, pompous, young junior partner, is always vividly aware of women as such. He has worked his romantic way through the office; now he is passionately keen on an heiress and her millions.
ROSEMARY PROCTOR, efficient, attractive chief clerk, who says she's 29, can't quite get over being tossed in the romantic discard by Jimmy.
SARAH SWINBURNE, typist, the youngest and prettiest girl in the office, lasted just two and a half lunches with Jimmy—too much sense of humor.
MR. PLAYFAIR, elderly senior partner, treats his staff like members of the family and sighs when work interferes with his crossword puzzles.
OATES, the office boy, is six feet tall, sophisticated and unsavory. He has several personalities and leads a double life, at least.
DOUGLAS ROBJOHN, Mrs. Robjohn's son and sole heir, lives in Ceylon but is due back soon. Mrs. Robjohn never mentions him—which is remarkable, since reticence is not her strong point.
SIRKORSKI, a concert pianist with a past mixed up with Mrs. Robjohn's, thinks he might have children somewhere because "these things happen."
About Vintage Paperback Pulp Fiction:
A new revolution was underway at the start of the 1940s in America--a paperback revolution that would change the way publishers would produce and distribute books and the reading public would consume them. In 1939 a new publishing company--Pocket Books--stormed onto the scene with the publication of its first paperbound book. The American public could not get enough of them. The popular pulp genres reflected the tastes of Americans during the 1930s and 1940s--mysteries, thrillers, and "hardboiled detective" stories were all the rage.
In the early 1950s new pulp fiction sub-genres emerged--science fiction, lesbian fiction, juvenile delinquent and sleaze, for instance--that would tantalize readers with gritty, realistic and lurid stories never seen before. Publishers had come to realize that sex sells. In a competitive frenzy for readers, they turned to alluring covers that often featured a sexy woman in some form of undress, along with a suggestive tag line that promised sex and violence within. To this day, the pulp cover art of these vintage paperback books are just as sought after as the books themselves were sixty years ago.
We are excited to make these wonderful pulp fiction stories available in ebook format to new generations of readers, as a new revolution--the ebook revolution--is in full swing. We hope you will enjoy this nostalgic look back at a period in American history when dames were dangerous, tough-guys were deadly and dolls were downright delicious!
--This text refers to the
Kindle Edition
edition.
• Includes an Afterword on the history of pulp paperbacks
A murder mystery story, plotted around the characters and situations found in a lawyer's office, is being planned by a lively young couple. Then, a murder is committed and fiction becomes grim fact. Jane and Dagobert, who proves to be engagingly uninhibited in his methods of detection, soon find a real baffler on their hands. And the deeper they probe into the affairs of the office staff, the more complex, sordid, and exciting the case becomes.
Persons in the Mystery:
JANE HAMISH, a pretty young executive in a law firm, is cheerfully nursing her fiancé through his latest hobby which is making her write a murder mystery inspired by his imaginings and peopled by characters on the staff at her office.
DAGOBERT BROWN, an engaging fugitive from gainful employment, is so completely absorbed in the thriller he is cooking up around the staff of Daniel Playfair and Son that he is mildly astonished when the wrong victim actually dies.
MRS. ROBJOHN, an elderly client in whose mental processes reason plays small part, is driving the law office crazy with her imaginary fears. A sinister— and constantly changing—they pursue Mrs. Robjohn day and night according to her stories.
MAJOR JIMMY STEWART, handsome, pompous, young junior partner, is always vividly aware of women as such. He has worked his romantic way through the office; now he is passionately keen on an heiress and her millions.
ROSEMARY PROCTOR, efficient, attractive chief clerk, who says she's 29, can't quite get over being tossed in the romantic discard by Jimmy.
SARAH SWINBURNE, typist, the youngest and prettiest girl in the office, lasted just two and a half lunches with Jimmy—too much sense of humor.
MR. PLAYFAIR, elderly senior partner, treats his staff like members of the family and sighs when work interferes with his crossword puzzles.
OATES, the office boy, is six feet tall, sophisticated and unsavory. He has several personalities and leads a double life, at least.
DOUGLAS ROBJOHN, Mrs. Robjohn's son and sole heir, lives in Ceylon but is due back soon. Mrs. Robjohn never mentions him—which is remarkable, since reticence is not her strong point.
SIRKORSKI, a concert pianist with a past mixed up with Mrs. Robjohn's, thinks he might have children somewhere because "these things happen."
About Vintage Paperback Pulp Fiction:
A new revolution was underway at the start of the 1940s in America--a paperback revolution that would change the way publishers would produce and distribute books and the reading public would consume them. In 1939 a new publishing company--Pocket Books--stormed onto the scene with the publication of its first paperbound book. The American public could not get enough of them. The popular pulp genres reflected the tastes of Americans during the 1930s and 1940s--mysteries, thrillers, and "hardboiled detective" stories were all the rage.
In the early 1950s new pulp fiction sub-genres emerged--science fiction, lesbian fiction, juvenile delinquent and sleaze, for instance--that would tantalize readers with gritty, realistic and lurid stories never seen before. Publishers had come to realize that sex sells. In a competitive frenzy for readers, they turned to alluring covers that often featured a sexy woman in some form of undress, along with a suggestive tag line that promised sex and violence within. To this day, the pulp cover art of these vintage paperback books are just as sought after as the books themselves were sixty years ago.
We are excited to make these wonderful pulp fiction stories available in ebook format to new generations of readers, as a new revolution--the ebook revolution--is in full swing. We hope you will enjoy this nostalgic look back at a period in American history when dames were dangerous, tough-guys were deadly and dolls were downright delicious!
