THE MURDERERS - Fredric Brown


It is the late 1950's/early 1960's and Willy Griff is a down-on-his luck actor in Hollywood. He may not have a lot of luck getting acting jobs, but he has great luck when it comes to women. He is currently making time with a hot little number by the name of Doris. Their attraction for one another is genuine and very, very passionate.  Unfortunately, Doris's husband, John Seaton, isn't too keen on the relationship.

John Seaton is a wealthy businessman. Older than Doris, he's suspected his young wife of having an affair and Seaton has had a P.I. following her. Seaton arranges a meeting with Willy and lets him know that he's aware of the affair. Because Seaton is wealthy and connected, he offers to help Willy get acting work if he promises never to see Doris again.  If Willy refuses, Seaton will make sure the young actor never works in the town again.

Griff agrees to the wealthy man's terms, but the moment the old man leaves, Willy calls Doris to let her know what's happened and instead of living up to the terms, Griff and Doris decide they want it all - their relationship AND Seaton's money - so they plot to kill the old man.  Their plan is perfect ... they'll never get caught ... right?

I love the work of Fredric Brown. I 'discovered' him in the 1970's when I learned that a Star Trek episode was based on one of his short stories and then I started reading his science fiction novels (such as the popular Martian, Go Home). It wasn't until many years later that I learned he had a brilliant career writing mysteries as well as science fiction. I've purchased many but read only a few.  This particular book is new to me.

The plot is pretty basic and, frankly, quite reminiscent of 1950's dark, gritty mysteries. What keeps us reading is our curiosity about whether or not Willy and Doris will succeed, and the strength of the characters.

Neither Willie nor Doris are so incredibly charming that we really want to see them succeed, and Seaton isn't supremely villainous, so it's not as though we want to see him get his comeuppance. But these characters are drawn such that they feel like real people (and most people aren't supremely villainous [yes, I know an exception or two] or deserving of their hearts' desires at someone else's expense).

Brown's writing is incredibly fluid and it's really easy to get caught up in the flow of the story and that's a big reason I enjoy reading his works.  This little-known work of his was quite delightful.

Looking for a good book? The Murderers by Fredric Brown is wonderful example of 1950's gritty mysteries.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, as part of a collection of novels, in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

* * * * * *

The Murderers

author: Fredric Brown

publisher: Bantam Books

paperback, 119 pages

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