3 out of 5

HCC-032

It centers around a completely ridiculous concept that reeeeally requires you to squint and strain and ignore its silliness, but, at the same time, it very much fits with the lean-into-it flow of the book, and doesn’t distract from the more important thing: that George Axelrod’s Blackmailer is dang fun.

Existing on the ‘softer’ side of Hard Case Crime’s pulp books, I was pleased as flipping through Blackmailer’s opening pages: the dialogue has an authentically crisp tone; the suits and streets setting feels legit; and – something that’s been somewhat lacking the last couple HCC books – we’re given something meaty right from the outset: a mysterious dame, Jean Dahl, offering everyman and crossword book publisher Dick Sherman the seemingly random opportunity to publish the last, posthumous novel of a renowned author.  By this point Axelrod has already given us plenty to get a sense of Sherman’s generally logical and well-intended sensibilities, and his disbelief regarding the offer – not to mention a followup offer of the same book from a creaky-voiced agent – makes us curious as well, something the book keeps us spinning on when this deal turns into double deals and triple deals with a local socialite, Walter, a famous startlet, Janis, and people turning up at Dick’s apartment with guns and whatnot.

Everyone besides Dick is an absolute caricature, to be sure: Walter, Janis, the agent, the goons: all are one-dimensional props for light tension and hijinks, but the book makes sure to keep us moving from set piece to set piece, explaining things in big ol’ amusing, villainous monologues along the way, such that it’s very easy to go along for the ride.  You can see it as a 50s big screen charmer, to be sure, but that silly central concept probably only works in text.