GAMES OF CHANCE

The dice haven't been kind, but there's still one way he can leave the casino a winner.

This is a nice orange cover painted by Raymond Johnson for William Ard’s 1956 thriller Mr. Trouble. Johnson is good every time out, and you already know that Ard at his worst is decent, while at his best he’s better than almost anyone. This one stars his recurring insurance investigator hero Timothy Dane, who’s sent to Tampa to retrieve a stolen diamond but—thanks to his gun falling out of his suitcase—is thought to be a hitman sent to eliminate two Vegas gamblers who owe money to the mob and have fled to Florida. He soon finds himself in the crossfire between the gamblers and the real hitman sent to eliminate them, all while trying to pry the diamond from the clutches of femme fatale Leora Grant. The book has an involving scattered narrative of half a dozen characters operating from mistaken assumptions, and it all comes together seamlessly in the end, resulting in another Ard winner, no trouble at all. The guy is good. Buy it.

Florida, Tampa, Popular Library, William Ard, Ben Kerr, Ray Johnson, cover art, literature

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HISTORY REWIND

The headlines that mattered yesteryear.

January 16

1942—Carole Lombard Dies in Plane Crash

American actress Carole Lombard, who was the highest paid star in Hollywood during the late 1930s, dies in the crash of TWA Flight 3, on which she was flying from Las Vegas to Los Angeles after headlining a war bond rally in support of America’s military efforts. She was thirty-three years old.

January 15

1919—Luxemburg and Liebknecht Are Killed

Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, two of the most prominent socialists in Germany, are tortured and murdered by the Freikorps. Freikorps was a term applied to various paramilitary organizations that sprang up around Germany as soldiers returned in defeat from World War I. Members of these groups would later become prominent members of the SS.

January 14

1967—Summer of Love Begins

The Human Be-In takes place in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park with between 20,000 to 30,000 people in attendance, their purpose being to promote their ideals of personal empowerment, cultural and political decentralization, communal living, ecological preservation, and higher consciousness. The event is considered the beginning of the famed counterculture Summer of Love.

January 13

1968—Cash Performs at Folsom Prison

Johnny Cash performs live at Folsom State Prison in California, where he records a live album that includes a version of his 1955 hit “Folsom Prison Blues.” Cash had always been interested in performing at a prison, but was unable to until personnel changes at his record company brought in people who were amenable to the idea. The Folsom album was Cash’s biggest commercial success for years, reaching number 1 on the country music charts.

January 13

2004—Harold Shipman Found Hanged

British serial killer Harold Shipman is found dead in his prison cell, after hanging himself with a bedsheet. Shipman, a former doctor who preyed on his patients, was one of the most prolific serial killers in history, with two-hundred and eighteen murders positively attributed to him, and another two-hundred of which he is suspected.

DON GIOVANNI

Giovanni Benvenuti was one of Italy's most prolific paperback cover artists. His unique style is on display in multiple collections within our website.

WALKING AFTER MIDNIGHT