Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Paperback 694: Stop This Man! / Peter Rabe (Gold Medal 763)

Paperback 694: Gold Medal 763 (2nd ptg, 1958)

Title: Stop This Man!
Author: Peter Rabe
Cover artist: Darcy

Yours for: $14

GM763

Best things about this cover:
  • A great, brutal cover marred only by the stupid slab of yellow Erskine at the top.
  • Love the unfinished quality of painting toward the bottom, the obvious dilapidation on the ceiling, the dynamic use of perspective, the framing of his left hand in the dead middle of the page, the believable fear on her face, the simple, understated, off-center title ... all fantastic.
  • Not sure what that shirt's made of though? Taffy?

GM763bc

Best things about this back cover:
  • OK, is it "could not put this book down," or, as the cover clearly states, "couldn't put this book down." I call bullshit.
  • I love (sarcastically) how this book basically belongs to Erskine Caldwell now. Sorry, Peter Rabe. I know it must be tough to get shown up on your own cover(s) by a 3-to-1 margin, but that's show business. Gotta move product.
  • The NYT review clearly has no appreciation for how much I like "the lurid modern crime thriller."

Page 123~

They put handcuffs on the Turtle and put him in a police car. Then they drove him downtown, to the office of the FBI. The Turtle didn't say anything during the long ride. He didn't think that funny talk would make any difference any more.

Aw, c'mon, The Turtle, you're not trying hard enough. Do your Nixon impression!

~RP

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Tumblr]

4 comments:

Rick Ollerman said...

This was Rabe's first book, and what makes the Caldwell business so funny is that while he was sent the book for a blurb, he didn't read it, so he said that he "couldn't put it down." Um, because he never picked it up.

Karl said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Karl said...

(corrected version)
That is a great cover painting, as you say. And I'll bet that blurb-slab was the cause of much binge-drinking and existential despair on the part of the poor artist.

Michael5000 said...

I don't want to give away any spoilers, but Catell ends up sprawled face down in a California ditch.