Fri 8 Jan 2016
Reviewed by William F. Deeck: FRANK GRUBER – Swing Low, Swing Dead.
Posted by Steve under Bibliographies, Lists & Checklists , Characters , Reviews[7] Comments
William F. Deeck
FRANK GRUBER – Swing Low, Swing Dead. Belmont L92-586, paperback original, April 1964. Cover art: Victor Kalin. Reprinted several times, including Belmont B75-2039, 1970.
Once again through no fault of their own, Johnny Fletcher, masterly and maybe masterful bookseller who specializes in one title, and Sam Cragg, the strongest man in the world, are living hazardously. Sam has won all rights to a rock-and-roll song called “Apple Taffy,” the first line of which is “I love apple taffy, sweet, sweet, sticky sticky apple taffy.”
Johnny claims this song is better than most, and adds: “The whole point and purpose of rock and roll music is to see how childish, how infantile you can make it.”
Several people are seeking the original manuscript, some for a consideration, others for nothing, except, perhaps, the lives of Johnny and Sam. After all, someone has poisoned the original composer, and that someone is not likely to let a few more lives stand in his or her way.
Fletcher has street smarts and Cragg has no smarts. Both of them would like to be rich, but Fletcher knows such a change in fortune would take all the fun out of their lives, such as it is, though Cragg may have a different opinion since he likes to eat regularly. Gruber`s Fletcher and Cragg novels are great fun if not sampled too often.
The Johnny Fletcher & Sam Cragg series —
The French Key. Farrar 1940.
The Laughing Fox. Farrar 1940.
The Hungry Dog. Farrar 1941.
The Navy Colt. Farrar 1941.
The Talking Clock. Farrar 1941.
The Gift Horse. Farrar 1942.
The Mighty Blockhead. Farrar 1942.
The Silver Tombstone. Farrar 1945.
The Honest Dealer. Rinehart 1947.
The Whispering Master. Rinehart 1947.
The Scarlet Feather. Rinehart 1948.
The Leather Duke. Rinehart 1949.
The Limping Goose. Rinehart 1954.
Swing Low Swing Dead. Belmont 1964.
January 8th, 2016 at 7:29 pm
Not my favorite Gruber mysteries but as Bill says fun if not dipped into too often. I preferred his books as John Vedder and his international adventure titles such as BRIDGE OF SAND and BROTHERS OF SILENCE. His series can be fun but never seemed like his best work to me.
Although Gruber wrote to an 11 point formula he boiled it down to one long sentence: Get the protagonist in trouble as close to the first line on the first page as possible, continue to raise the stakes until it seems almost impossible to extricate him, then get him out of trouble as close to the last line of the last page as possible.
January 8th, 2016 at 8:47 pm
Not my favorite series either. I’ve not read Gruber in a long time, but even back when I did, I thought these books were far too corny.
I’m willing to try one again, though, should one come along.
January 9th, 2016 at 2:56 pm
I had a number of these at one time. I have to admit that I never read any of them. Was I missing something?
January 9th, 2016 at 3:44 pm
Well, you have three opinions on this, so far. Bill’s, David’s, and mine. I think we all say about the same thing.
January 9th, 2016 at 4:29 pm
Well, let’s see. They seem to be great fun if you don’t read them too often. Since I’ve never read them I must be having more fun than any of you.
January 9th, 2016 at 10:17 pm
I have no comeback for that. Not yet, anyway.
January 9th, 2016 at 11:24 pm
You will, Steve, you will.