Wake Up Little Susie: A Mystery (Sam McCain Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Edward Gorman (Author)

Book Description

Series: Sam McCain Mysteries | Publication Date: December 1999

In 1958 Ford introduced the Edsel to America. In the Black River Falls, Iowa, the dead body of a 19 year old girl in the trunk of a brand new Edsel upstages the ill-fated car. Sam McCain makes some troubling discoveries as he tracks down the murderer.'

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In 1957 perhaps the only thing worse than a new Ford Edsel is a new Ford Edsel with a dead body in the trunk. Veteran crime writer Gorman painstakingly evokes small-town America in the late '50s for this nostalgic prequel to The Day the Music Died. Sam McCain is a young lawyer and PI in quiet Black River Falls, Iowa. Susan Squires is the body discovered in the ill-fated new car while the whole town is engaged in a parade sponsored by the Ford Motor Company. Though the police are called to the crime scene, the bumbling efforts of the ruthless sheriff lead the local judge to assign Sam to the case on the q.t. Sam's prime suspect is Susan's abusive husband, David, a politically ambitious DA. Then David dies, and suspicion shifts to his ex-wife and to Susan's ex-lover. Gorman spends more time polishing up the period details, delving into the town's social intrigues and recounting Sam's love life than he does advancing the murder investigation. But his subplots converge when Mary Travers, a young woman who loves Sam and who was Susan Squire's best friend, vanishes. Gorman's assured prose fits his subject like a tailored suit. He mentions every song playing on the car radio as young couples neck in back seats, and the overall effect is a lot like a Bob Greene newspaper column set inside a mystery. Though the investigation moves slowly, Gorman's depiction of the town's rivalries keeps the tension strong. (Jan.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Iowa lawyer/private investigator Sam McCain has plenty of clues and suspects in the murder of an ambitious county attorney's wife but can't quite put them together. An evocative return to the 1950s and sequel to The Day the Music Died (LJ 1/99).
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Carroll & Graf Publishers; 2nd edition (December 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786706651
• ISBN-13: 978-0786706655
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,244,991 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ed Gorman is an award winning American author best known for his crime and mystery fiction. He wrote The Poker Club which is now a film of the same name directed by Tim McCann.

He has written under many pseudonyms including "E. J. Gorman" and "Daniel Ransom." He won a Spur Award for Best Short Fiction for his short story "The Face" in 1992. His fiction collection Cages was nominated for the 1995 Bram Stoker Award for Best Fiction Collection. His collection The Dark Fantastic was nominated for the same award in 2001.

He has contributed to many magazines and other publications including Xero, Black Lizard, Cemetery Dance, the anthology Tales of Zorro, and many more.

Visit his blog at newimprovedgorman.blogspot.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another Gorman triumph!, January 13, 2000

By 

A. KAPLAN "Penelopecat" (Las Vegas, NV United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Wake Up Little Susie: A Mystery (Sam McCain Mysteries) (Hardcover)

This prequel to The Day the Music Died isn't quite as good as the first book, but it's still very, very good. As usual, Gorman creates a fantastic, vivid cast of characters, each with their own particular quirks that place them just left of center, and sets them all down in a compelling murder mystery. The period detail seems to capture the 50s without being heavy-handed. Let's hope there are many more Sam McCain novels to come in the future.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Remember the Edsel!, March 12, 2000

By 

lvkleydorff - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wake Up Little Susie: A Mystery (Sam McCain Mysteries) (Hardcover)

This is a fun book, with a novel story line, great humor and a credible small-town mess of characters. The fun is in the reading, not in detecting. The author is not absolutely surefooted about his time period of 1957, but who cares? Good reading with a gin and tonic in hand.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Blast to the Past, March 18, 2009

By 

Mark Baker (Santa Clarita, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Wake Up Little Susie: A Mystery (Sam McCain Mysteries) (Hardcover)

It's a day Sam McCain and other car enthusiasts have been looking forward to for a while. The Ford Motor Company is releasing their new design, the Edsel, in dealerships all over the country. But it turns out the design is less than appealing.

The real shock in this small Iowa town, however, is the body that is found in the trunk of one of the models. Susan Squires was the second wife of David Squires, another ambitious attorney in town. A part time PI, Sam is asked to look into the murder and beat the crooked chief of police. Does he have what it takes to find the killer?

I may not have lived during the 50's, but this book was a fun nostalgic journey to the not so distant past. References to pop culture long gone made me smile. Sam is a smart, likable lead, with the exception of his love life. I had a hard time keeping all the characters straight at first, but once I did, they began to stand out to me as well. The mystery was good with a few nice twists along the way. I never would have figured out the villain without Sam's help.

Those who enjoy history or live through the decade will enjoy this trip back in time.