Sat 2 Jul 2016
Reviewed by Dan Stumpf: PAUL CAIN – Seven Slayers.
Posted by Steve under Pulp Fiction , Reviews[4] Comments
PAUL CAIN – Seven Slayers. Saint Enterprises, paperback original, 1946. Avon #268, paperback, 1950. Vintage/Black Lizard, paperback, 1987, 1994.
And Pulp is a many-splendored thing as witness the stories by Paul Cain (aka screenwriter Peter Ruric) first collected in paperback in 1946 as Seven Slayers. The prose is never more than functional, the characters no deeper than the thickness of a page, but these things move faster than a speeding bullet, impelled by a ruthless logic that goes from Problem to Solution with fast action and not much fuss about what it all means.
Where Chandler’s five murderers seem driven by ethics, sentiment or an innate decency, Cain’s seven slayers are motivated mostly by greed, and sustained by nothing more than their own expertise. The result lacks the satisfying depth of Chandler’s prose, but it sure makes for satisfying stories.
Contents:
Black. Black Mask, May 1932
Murder in Blue. Black Mask, June 1933, as “Murder Done in Blueâ€
One, Two, Three. Black Mask, May 1933
Parlor Trick. Black Mask, July 1932
Pigeon Blood. Black Mask, November 1933
Pineapple. Black Mask, March 1936
Red 71. Black Mask, December 1932
July 2nd, 2016 at 9:32 pm
Cain had a wonderful feel for the rhythm of violence and hardboiled dialogue. His stories seemed choreographed as much as written, and his work in film shows in his cinematic skills.
His work is a lesson in how much a good writer can get out of direct simple even staccato prose. Other people wrote with a pencil, a quill, or a typewriter, Cain wrote with a Thompson sub machine gun.
July 2nd, 2016 at 9:57 pm
Can’t disagree with either Dan’s assessment of Cain’s work, or yours, David, and a lot of other people think so, too. Until Black Lizard came along and reprinted this collection, those earlier two paperbacks were in extremely high demand, and as collectibles, they very well may still be.
July 2nd, 2016 at 9:54 pm
I reviewed THE COMPLETE SLAYERS by Paul Cain 4 years ago and gave it my highest recommendation. Centipede Press published all 20 stories by Cain in this edition, 17 of the stories originally appeared first in BLACK MASK. FAST ONE is in the running for best hard boiled novel. The review can be read at https://mysteryfile.com/blog/?p=16440
July 2nd, 2016 at 10:00 pm
Walker
Your comment was posted before I finished typing mine. You are one of the people I was thinking of who rate Paul Cain among the best hardboiled writers ever.