Tue 12 Feb 2013
Reviewed by William F. Deeck: BILL S. BALLINGER – The Tooth and the Nail.
Posted by Steve under Reviews[4] Comments
William F. Deeck
BILL S. BALLINGER – The Tooth and the Nail. Harper, hardcover, 1955. Signet #1319, 1956; cover by Robert Maguire.
A damsel in mild distress captures the attention of Lew Mountain, professional magician, and he comes gallantly to her rescue. She arrives in New York with a hatbox, an exceptionally heavy small satchel, and no dollar to pay the cab driver. Soon she joins Mountain’s act and marries him.
Inevitably, given the folly of the female in distress, tragedy ensues. Mountain then — and I give away nothing here, repeating only what the author says in the prologue — avenges murder, commits murder, and is murdered in the attempt.
While I can’t wax as enthusiastic as some reviewers have over this novel, it definitely is an enjoyable reading experience.
February 12th, 2013 at 10:42 pm
I’m sorry that this review is as short as it is. Bill was often terse, but I think he outdid himself this time.
If anyone else has read this book, perhaps you can tell us more about it. I’m intrigued, but I would like to know more.
One good reason for reprinting this review, though, is to show off the cover, which as the credits say, was done by Robert Maguire.
I also have an image of the hardcover jacket, but there was simply no room to include it.
February 13th, 2013 at 4:21 am
I’ve often thought that Ballinger had some good ideas but never quite brought them off. PORTRAIT IN SMOKE and THE LONGEST SECOND should have been classics–but they ain’t.
February 13th, 2013 at 1:38 pm
After I had read The Longest Second I began to collect paperbacks by Ballinger. The beginning of this crime novel is extraordinary. Unfortunately I have not read The Tooth And The Nail.
February 13th, 2013 at 8:17 pm
Says David Rachel, in part:
http://noirboiled.blogspot.com/2009/03/book-review-bill-s-ballinger-tooth-and.html
“…This time out, the first-person story of magician Lew Mountain alternates with the third-person story of a murder trial–but who is on trial for killing whom? And how exactly does Lew Mountain figure into the court case? The answers are great fun to discover.”
Says Bill Crider, in part:
http://billcrider.blogspot.com/2004/11/bill-s-ballinger.html
“There’s been some discussion over at Ed Gorman’s blog of Bill S. Ballinger, a sadly neglected writer whose books are worth rediscovery. One of them, The Tooth and the Nail, really knocked me for a loop when I first read it, more than 40 years ago.”
And here’s a website devoted to the author:
http://www.billsballinger.com/