Title: The Pusher
Author: Ed McBain
Cover artist: Charles Binger
Condition: 6/10
Estimated value: $35
- This cover is full of wonders, but the very most amazing part, for me, is luminescent cop face looking back over his shoulder like, "Uh ... wasn't me."
- Pictorially, I love the placement of the bare light bulb, but looks to be hanging about waist-high, which ... come on, even shitty apartments have to be moderately practical. Maybe he didn't kill himself 'cause of dope. Maybe he just got so frustrated at trying to get the light bulb to hang right that he was just like, "fuck it, I'm out."
- This seems an unlikely position / location in which to hang oneself. I'm no expert. But still.
- Detective: "This looks like ... what is this some kind of miniature turkey baster? Hey, Jim, come here and look at this?"
- The turn of his ankle is lovely and tragic. Same with the stubbed out cigarettes.
Best things about this back cover:
- Seriously, this is one of the grimmer back covers, after one of the grimmest covers I've ever seen. This book's not messing around.
- Aha! It *wasn't* suicide by hanging. Well, let me be the first to say, it honestly didn't look like suicide by hanging.
- Not a big fan of back covers that basically describe the front cover, tbh. SEEN IT! Tell me something I don't know.
Page 123~
She supposed, of course, that there were men who would try anything once, just for kicks. Why not a girl who couldn't hear or talk?
My favorite part of this is, "of course."
~RP
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Tumblr]
1 comment:
Great cover, but my brain latched on to one detail and then the back cover copy reinforced it completely. That syringe the cop in the foreground is holding is a key piece of evidence. But the guy's not wearing gloves. He's screwing up the fingerprints something awful. I guess back in 1956 they still used handkerchiefs to pick up evidence, but either way, he's wrecked the evidence.
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