Vintage Pulp | Jan 23 2024 |
Symons reflects on exactly how bad a man's life can be.
Looking for a bit more depth in your murder mysteries? 1957's The Color of Murder by British author Julian Symons takes a literary approach to the genre, examining the torturous existence of sad sack office drone John Wilkins, who hates his wife, covets the neighborhood librarian, and suffers from blackouts at times of stress (uh oh). Symons divides the novel roughly in half. In the first, Wilkins explains in first person to a psychologist how he came to be mired in a terrible life and loveless marriage, his account stopping before the murder (which if he actually committed, he'd presumably have blacked out anyway). The second half follows in third person the course of Wilkins' trial, with assorted twists, and there's an epilogue providing final focus. Whether or not Wilkins is a killer, he's a pitiable human. If you think you have an unsatisfactory life, read The Color of Murder to learn how well-off you really are. The cover art on this Dell edition is by Robert Maguire.
Vintage Pulp | Oct 26 2016 |
In vintage fiction you really need to watch your step.
The first step is a doozy, as they say, but in vintage fiction so is the last one and all those in between. Above and below are assorted paperback covers featuring characters who've had a bad time navigating stairs, a few due to accidents but most via ill intent from third parties. We also have one hardback dust sleeve we added at the bottom because it was so interesting. Just scroll down, but do it carefully.
Julian SymonsRobert MaguireAnita BoutellGlyn JonesDoris Miles DisneyLeslie FordRed BurgerH.H. LewisLeslie CharterisAgatha ChristieDay KenneBob AbbettKriss LelercTalmage PowellLawrence G. BlochmanE. T. FrenchMaurice ProcterAlan FairAndré HélénaHelen McCloyGeorge BellairsMichel Gourdoncover artliteraturecover collection