Wed 13 Apr 2022
Stories I’m Reading: HAROLD Q. MASUR “The Corpse Maker.â€
Posted by Steve under Stories I'm Reading[5] Comments
HAROLD Q. MASUR “The Corpse Maker.†Short story. Scott Jordan. First published in Come Seven, Come Death, edited by Henry Morrison (Pocket, paperback original, 1965). Never collected or reprinted (unless advised otherwise).
Attorney Scott Jordan’s client, a notorious fence, is guilty as charged, but when the D.A. offers to make a deal, he turns him down. It seems that the police forced their way into the man’s apartment and searched it without a warrant. So why then does the man not show up for his trial? Has he skipped bail just when he’s about to go free?
Totally baffled, Jordan tracks him down and finds him at home almost beaten to death. He names his assailant and an (almost) dying message, which of course gives Jordan a lot to go on. And he needs it, as the case is (almost) as complicated as a full-length novel, complete with another killing and (of course) a beautiful girl.
All to the good, but the story is badly marred by heavy coincidence – two, in fact, occurring on the very same page. Nor in the length of the tale (22 pages) is there time for any real detection. Jordan’s explanation fits all the facts, but how he managed to put them all together is not gone into. And in spite of the fact that I’ve enjoyed all of the Scott Jordan novels I’ve read, that was a long time ago, and I was disappointed with this one. In “The Corpse Maker,” he’s as straight and narrow as white bread, with not a ounce of grittiness to him.
I’ll have to go back and read some of his early books again.
April 13th, 2022 at 7:58 pm
I always liked Masur and Scott Jordan. THe tough guy lawyer was a variation on Perry Mason, as likely to solve a case with his fists as a gun, but with a solid legal basis still.
For my money Jordan is an underrated eye of the era.
April 13th, 2022 at 9:01 pm
I remember him as a two-fisted kind of character, too. I was surprised to find him as bland as I felt he was in this story.
April 14th, 2022 at 7:40 pm
I have a feeling we may be both remembering the first couple of books. As I recall Jordan became a bit less two fisted as time passed.
April 14th, 2022 at 8:05 pm
Perry Mason also started out as a rougher, more hard-boiled character, didn’t he?
April 16th, 2022 at 1:01 am
Masur wrote at least one mainstream legal novel later in his career. Ambition may have meant the books became a bit less rough and ready as the went along. His first Jordan was pretty much a tough guy private eye novel.