Fri 22 Apr 2011
GEORGE HARMON COXE – The Glass Triangle. Alfred A Knopf, hardcover, 1940. Dell #81, paperback, mapback edition, 1945; Dell #522, [1951], mapback. Jonathon Press Mystery #J23, digest pb, [1947]. Contained in Triple Exposure (with The Jade Venus and The Fifth Key), Knopf, hardcover, 1959.
This is vintage Coxe, written while he was still fresh from toiling a decade or more for Black Mask and other pulps. I’ve never been sure why he switched to Kent Murdock as the detective in his early novels, rather than continue with Flashgun Casey, as they tend to blur in my mind into the same character, the tough successful news photographer who continually finds himself involved in murder.
In this one Murdock introduces the sister of an old friend to a Hollywood crowd in town for a movie premiere, then feels it’s his obligation to protect her when the director, unliked by all, is murdered in his hotel room. There’s no moral consideration involved, just a newspaperman’s curiosity and what he owes on a promise to a friend.
So, OK, call him medium-boiled. Coxe’s heroes are people who stick up for each other, easily inspire trust and confidence, and who are maybe just a little soft at heart.
A piece of glass is the only tangible evidence Murdock has after the corpse disappears and his photographic plates are stolen, but only the careful reader will spot the additional clues Coxe slips in. I did name the killer, but that’s about all. The only question left unanswered is why the supremely detestable director was along on the junket in the first place.
April 23rd, 2011 at 8:27 am
It’s funny, back in the 1970’s Coxe was pretty well known among mystery readers (his last book was published in 1976, he died in 1984) but I doubt you could say that today, except some of us old-timers.
That’s a shame, and the same goes for a lot of other almost forgotten writers.
April 23rd, 2011 at 11:03 am
I’m long overdue for getting into the Murdock books. I set aside a pile of them to read and write about for my blog. As Jeff says – only the old-timers know about Coxe and his characters. I’m going to do my best to resurrect an interest in his books. I liked the two Casey novels I read and I’m sure I’ll enjoy Kent Murdock.
April 25th, 2011 at 2:17 pm
In 1971 I interviewed Coxe for a series of articles in The Armchair Detective and one of the things that came up in our conversation was why he didn’t stick with Casey (who had lots of fans)instead of creating Kent Murdock. I think he felt he was working a different market with the Murdocks all of which were published by Knopf. In hindsight, he thought that maybe he should have stuck with Casey since he met so many people who were Casey fans. This may be why he returned to the character after his years of writing for Black Mask to produce a handful of Casey novels.
George was pleased with what I wrote for TAD and when he realized I wasn’t getting paid for the articles he dedicated one of his last books, The Silent Witness, to me.
Should any of the readers of this blog still not have a copy of my book(written with Dave Siegel)Flashgun Casey, Crime Photographer, From the Pulps to Radio and Beyond, I have some copies for sale for $10 each (including postage). Just send a check to J. Randolph Cox, P. O. Box 226, Dundas, MN 55019
April 25th, 2011 at 4:09 pm
Thanks for the comment, Randy, and coming to my rescue. Other than yourself, there’s nobody I could think of who’d have the answer so quickly or so definitively– straight from Mr. Coxe himself!
Trying to think of the differences between the two characters in the meantime myself, I was wondering if Casey was more hard-boiled than Murdock, whom I called “medium boiled” in this particular review. But I confess it’s been too long since I read enough of either to be qualified to make such a statement.
Back in my teens and 20s, I read every book by Coxe that came out, being a devout member of the Dollar Mystery Guild at the time. This included three-in-one omnibuses of older books as well, such as TRIPLE EXPOSURE up in the credits, where I’m sure I read THE GLASS TRIANGLE for the first time.
As for your book on Flashgun Casey, everybody reading this comment should buy it. It’s a must.