Mon 17 Oct 2022
An Archived Mystery Review by Bob Adey: JACK WEBB – The Gilded Witch.
Posted by Steve under Reviews[6] Comments
JACK WEBB – The Gilded Witch. Father Shanley & Det. Sgt. Sammy Golden #9. Regency Books, paperback original, 1963.
My first meeting with Father Joseph Shanley and Detective Sergeant Sammy Golden, and I must admit that I’m quite impressed. Both detectives are interesting and thoughtful men and the problem they face is the death of Gil Barta, author of a blockbuster novel that has drawn perhaps too vivid a picture of the local township.
More deaths follow, Golden travels to Phoenix in search of Barta’s past life and Father Shanley goes down with a virus infection. The lady of the title turns out to be Betty Ames Angelo, and it is her connection with Barta and his past that eventually helps unlock the mystery. Golden is quite smitten with the lady but there is more to her than meets the eye.
Another good novel and yet another failure in the Adey clear-out-the-shelves campaign.
October 17th, 2022 at 9:15 pm
The first thing I should do is make sure everyone is aware that the Jack Webb who wrote the Shanley/Golden books is NOT the same Jack Webb, the radio & TV star.
This was the last of nine in the series, and there must be a story as to why it was published by a small obscure paperback company based in Evanston Illinois. The first eight all came out in hardcover from Rinehart; most if all of these were reprinted in paperback by Signet.
This one’s scarce. There’s only one offered for sale on Abebooks, for example (not counting a very expensive copy of a British hardcover edition.)
October 17th, 2022 at 9:20 pm
The pairing of a Catholic priest and a Jewish homicide detective is an unusual one. Here’s a link to a long essay that discusses the team-up and talks about their nine cases together in considerable detail:
http://detecs.org/shanley.html
October 17th, 2022 at 9:35 pm
Entertaining series that probably should have been better known. I have good memories of one where Golden has to play at private eye to clear himself of corruption charges.
Like Ben Benson, and a few others Webb was one of those writers we took for granted until they were gone.
October 17th, 2022 at 9:48 pm
How right you are. Unlike Ben Benson, though, I never got around to reading any of the Webb books. I still have the paperbacks, but over the years the print has gotten so small I can no longer read them.
October 17th, 2022 at 9:46 pm
I see that the first book in the series The Big Sin is available on the Kindle for $3.99.
October 17th, 2022 at 9:49 pm
Thanks, Chuck. There goes that excuse for not reading one of them now.