Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Paperback 238: She Woke to Darkness / Brett Halliday (Dell 867)

Paperback 238: Dell 867 (1st ptg, 1955)

Title: She Woke to Darkness
Author: Brett Halliday
Cover artist: Robert Schulz

Yours for: $9


Best things about this cover:

  • "She Woke to a Massive Head Wound"
  • Doesn't everyone wake to darkness from time to time? I mean, when you gotta go ...
  • Her left hip has grown its own hand. Creepy.
  • That's one big, rectangular pool of blood.

Best things about this back cover:

  • Love the caricatures of the characters. Second one looks more like an 80's fashion model than a 50's dame who likes capital-M Martinis.
  • Here's where Mike Shayne and I differ: I prefer vintage broads and vivacious brandy.
  • "Who Is This Girl?" - early, eventually discarded title of Madonna's hit "Who's That Girl?"

Page 123~

The duplicating office had been able to shed no light on Halliday's disappearance. He had left with the original manuscript under his arm about six o-clock, and that was all they knew.

That's right. Writer "Brett Halliday" is a character in a novel by ... writer Brett Halliday.

~RP

9 comments:

Nicole "Gidget" Kalstein said...

Is it me, or is that first caricature Humphrey Bogart?

Wow, nothing like naming a character after oneself.

"What should I name him? Hmmm...I know!..."




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http://coverjunkie.blogspot.com/

Dirt Diggler said...

* Check out those evergreen socks on the dead guy! (I think his mother DIDN'T dress him.) Or maybe he's asleep to darkness after a huge bender.


* p. 123 - Since Brett Halliday wrote this novel, but apparently left the duplicating office with the original manuscript, perhaps shows he was attempting to create a rare "limited edition" by subterfuge and slight of character.

I could see it now: --- "He Stole to Fame, Mike Shayne's 86th Case"!

Alix said...

Tough, concrete-mixer-type guys do not "fancy" anything.

The punctuation, the wayward semi-colon, the scary tranny in the bottom pic: AIEEEEEEEEEE!

Tulse said...

I hope Ms '80s Fashion Model knows a good locksmith, as it sounds like she ends up losing a lot of keys.

(And she must also be a real lightweight if only takes three drinks to get her tanked.)

Cassandra Gold said...

Oh, no! Mike Shayne is "relentless as a concrete mixer."

Um, wait...what?

I wasn't aware concrete mixers were known for their relentlessness. I learn something new every day.

JamiSings said...

Maybe Brett was dipping into the world to be one day known as the Mary/Larry Sue. The bane of those who read fan fiction.

Anonymous said...

Reminds me of the time I was reading a Clive Cussler book (why?? why was I reading Clive Cussler??) and his hero, Dirk Pitt (TM) was rescued by...Clive Cussler!

And yes, I always wake to darkness during the work week. I also have this same look as I stumble around searching for the coffee pot.

Ms Avery said...

Wait, she gives her keys to one guy and then leaves with another? How do they get into her apartment? That's just awfully confusing.

Canaduck said...

Note that the men are "men" but the women are "girls". Sigh!