Fri 25 Jan 2019
Archived Mystery Review: THOMAS POLSKY – Curtains for the Copper.
Posted by Steve under Bibliographies, Lists & Checklists , Characters , Reviews[4] Comments
THOMAS POLSKY – Curtains for the Copper. “Scoop” Griddle #3. E. P. Dutton, hardcover, 1941. Handi-Books #5, paperback, 1942. Dell #29, mapback edition, no date stated [1944]; Dell #700, paperback, 1953.
While Polsky wrote one additional non-series book in 1952, Curtains for the Copper is the last of three cases that ace newspaper reporter L. F. “Scoop” Griddle worked on shortly before World War II. The cop who dies is a rookie on the beat, shot and killed during a raid on a gambling house.
There are lots of suspects on the scene, including a good-looking girl and a police chief with a IQ of 62. In fact it is only the sorry excuse for police work that makes the final scene possible. Nothing more than a good imitation of George Harmon Coxe, only the latter did it better.
The L. F. “Scoop†Griddle series —
Curtains for the Editor. Dutton 1939
Curtains for the Judge. Dutton 1939
Curtains for the Copper. Dutton 1941
January 25th, 2019 at 9:31 pm
The first is by far the best.
Not a terrible version of the screwball mystery school newspaper sub genre. Nothing great, but still fun.
January 26th, 2019 at 12:22 pm
If this was a screwball mystery, I missed it in my review, which is all I remember of the book. Given that the author whose work I compared it to, George Harmon Coxe– not a screwball mystery writer, by any means — I may have missed it altogether.
All in all, I think it’s time to give Polsky another try Maybe I’ll see more in what he has to offer the next time around.
January 26th, 2019 at 8:56 pm
This is a new writer to me.
WIll have to check him out!
I like George Harmon Coxe,
January 26th, 2019 at 9:14 pm
It was closer to Sales Daffy Dill or Babcock’s Hannah than Coxe’s Casey for me, at least the first one was. Maybe the second was more serious.