Sat 26 Nov 2022
An Archived PI Mystery Review by Jim McCahery: JONATHAN LATIMER – The Fifth Grave.
Posted by Steve under Reviews[15] Comments
JONATHAN LATIMER – The Fifth Grave. PI Karl Craven. Popular Library, 1950.
Jonathan Latimer’s The Fifth Grave has an interesting publishing history, having been originally published by Methuen in England in 1941 under the author’s own title, Solomon’s Vineyard. Its first appearance in the U.S. was in Mystery Book Magazine (August, 1946), and [until now] the first and only appearance in book form is the December, 1950 Popular Library edition (#301), with a subsequent second printing in April of the following year. All of Mr. Latimer’s other books appeared first in the U.S. in hardcover editions.
Narrator and private eye Karl Craven from St. Louis .discovers his partner Oke Johnson shot dead in Paulton where they had come to rescue a client’s niece, Penelope Grayson, -from a religious cult group located near town at Solomon’s Vineyard. The founder, Solomon, lies in state in their imposing white temple — “the temple that bootleg built.”
The business end of the vineyard is naturally in other than unsoiled hands and Craven has quite a time separating the wheat from the chaff, especially since he must save a seemingly doped Penelope before the impending Ceremony of the Bride, a Walpurgis Night when she is to become the fifth wife of the dead Solomon, with her grave already dug and complete with headstone.
A far cry from Latimer’s series investigator William Crane, Craven is as hard-boiled as they come. An egoist, he justifies all his actions; anything goes, he feels, when it’s question of “fighting fire with fire.” His likes are simple — food, fighting, women, and liquor. Some scenes are definitely not for those with weak stomachs. like the one in which Craven forces an antagonist’s head through prison bars, sacrificing some skin in the process.
On the obese side, Karl Craven becomes an object of worship himself by the masochistic nympho princess residing at the Vineyard. He narrowly escapes death twice, including a fabulous scene in a steak room. There is quite a bit of action and suspense with more than one surprise before the case is resolved to the mutual satisfaction of Craven and the client. Written in a terse and often brutal language, it has to be a classic of its kind.
November 26th, 2022 at 8:25 pm
Love this book. Definitely in my personal top 10 hardboiled detective novels. Came in 12th in the thrilling detective poll: https://thrillingdetective.com/2022/09/25/the-14-best-private-eye-novels-of-all-time/.
November 26th, 2022 at 9:09 pm
Thanks for the link, Tony. I was pleased to see how many of the books in that list I’ve read, especially those in the top 14. Then again I was dismayed to see how many I haven’t read.
Not yet, that is.
November 26th, 2022 at 11:17 pm
The Popular Library edition in 1950 should be avoided because of censorship changes and abridgement. I have the British SOLOMON’S VINEYARD which is not abridged.
By the way, this novel has been reviewed at least 3 other times in Mystery File: Art Scott in 2010, William Deeck also in 2010, and Mike Nevins in 2021. The Mike Nevins review goes into detail about the abridged editions.
November 26th, 2022 at 11:48 pm
These are the links for the other reviews Walker mentions.
Art Scott: https://mysteryfile.com/blog/?p=2036
William Deeck: https://mysteryfile.com/blog/?p=2034
Mike Nevins: https://mysteryfile.com/blog/?p=72513
Also discussed here:
John Fraser: https://mysteryfile.com/Latimer/Latimer.html
November 27th, 2022 at 11:54 am
Thanks, Tony! I was just now looking for a;; those links myself when I discovered you’d done all the work for me.
November 27th, 2022 at 12:02 am
Yet another take on Hammett’s RED HARVEST and a good one. In some ways Latimer looks forward to Spillane in this one six years before the sex and sadism of I, THE JURY would shake the literary world though this one also reflects THE DAIN CURSE and to some extent the OP and Cleve Adams rough tough none too bright Rex McBride.
Even after Spillane’s big breakthrough this one still feels a little edgy for the time.
I’ve always wondered what Latimer’s thinking was on this, a sort of sendup, the ultimate hard boiled novel, just pushing boundaries… It resembles nothing else he wrote though in the Crane books there is an equally vivid and straight forward approach to sex and hardboiled attitudes just smoothed over a bit by the third person narration.
November 27th, 2022 at 9:44 am
What Walker said. I got a beautiful copy of the Pan edition in England years ago. The editing is apparent from the first page.
November 27th, 2022 at 4:20 pm
I notice the Kindle edition – available on Amazon for 99 cents – uses the cover of the Pan paperback. It’s well worth it.
November 27th, 2022 at 10:54 pm
November 28th, 2022 at 1:28 pm
I just looked at my copy of the Popular Library edition. It claims to be complete and unabridged, but it cited Mystery Book Magazine as the original appearance. The abridgement was undoubtedly done by the magazine, which was standard for pulp reprints of hardcovers in those days. Since Popular Library reprinted that text in its entirely, it was complete in their eyes.
November 28th, 2022 at 9:26 pm
I think you may have the right of it, Ken.
November 30th, 2022 at 4:47 pm
“From the way her buttocks looked under the black silk dress, I knew she’d be good in bed.” How could anybody *not* like a hard-boiled P.I. novel with a first sentence like that? (Although I don’t think the cut version begins with it.)
Steve, I notice your original review was written in 1981. Hadn’t Maury Neville already published the signed limited edition by then? Maybe I’m misremembering, but I could’ve sworn it was available around that time. I still remember getting and reading it.
I’ve often wondered why and for which market Latimer wrote SOLOMON’S VINEYARD. By 1940 Isabelle Taylor was making all the buying decisions for Crime Club, and he must have known she would never in a million years take a yarn with that level of sex and violence.
November 30th, 2022 at 4:57 pm
Ed
The date I have for the Neville hardcover is 1982. (I have a note that this was the first unexpurgated version. Is that correct?)
I have been looking for the review I might have written for the book. Why can’t I find it? I know the answer must be something obvious.
And you’re right. There has to be a story as to why Latimer wrote the story in the first place.
November 30th, 2022 at 7:29 pm
Latimer talks a bit about why he wrote it in an interview which served as the intro to the 1982 reprint: https://blackmaskmagazine.com/blog/authors-introduction-to-the-1982-edition-of-solomons-vineyard/amp/
November 30th, 2022 at 8:29 pm
Thanks, Tony. I’d read the piece before, but too long ago to remember it. Best author interview ever!