Paperback 1142: Popular Library 431 (1st ptg, 1952)
Title: Strangler's Serenade
Author: William Irish (pseud. of Cornell Woolrich)
Cover artist: Rudolph Belarski
Condition: 6-7/10
Value: $35
[The Book Den, Santa Barbara CA, Aug. 2025]
- The lingerie repo man will not be stopped
- She'd probably run faster without the lingerie. That's like 90 pounds of lingerie, what the hell?
- "The Killer Was Crazy—About Women"— yeah, that's ... generally how it works? What part of that is a "twist?" Is this a book about the romantic life of a man who just happens to be a serial killer on the side? "I'm used to chasing victims, but chasing dames, that's a whole other racket, brother, let me tell you!"
- The Killer Was Tired of Running Up Staircases
- Classic "Fear Hand"—love it.
- A midcentury William Irish (Cornell Woolrich) paperback with a dynamic Rudolph Belarski cover!? It's not in the greatest condition, but I'd've bought it in any condition short of falling apart. Its vibe is pure.
Best things about this back cover:
- The girl was a PHILOSOPHY MAJOR!
- Wow, this back cover story (with its incredibly ugly non-indented paragraphs) feels miles away from whatever was going on on the front cover. The chaser has become the chasee!
- "Champ Prescott," LOL, prep school much?
Page 123~
Though there was agony expressed in the posture, there was also the grace and grandeur of finality. The mouth, as they uncovered it, would never say foolish, child-like things again; it had grown up into death. It was the equal now of the mouths of Aristotle and Spinoza.
Sir, this is a suspense novel. You can take that straining after profundity back to your high school English teacher, mkay? (Woolrich could really turn the prose up to "Purple" when he wanted to)
~RP
[Follow Rex Parker on BlueSky and Letterboxd]
4 comments:
Champ Prescott is now my new bsky handle, thanks!
I keep looking at the balusters and thinking they look like AI generated hands. They‘re too close together! They’re at the wrong angle! Those stairs seem wrong too, as though each step is only two inches tall. Hat Guy looks as though he’s saying "Criminy lady! Will you slow down?!? I’m havin’ a heart attack here! If you don't slow down, how am I supposed to moider ya?!?"
Nice to see a non-photo cover.
The composition is great and the whole thing is wonderfully dynamic. The shadow of her arm falling across her thigh is fantastic. And I can hear the guy chasing her wheezing and mentally swearing he's gotta cut back to two packs a day.
But I have to agree with Xerxes about the balusters and stairs. There's no space between the balusters; take out every other one and they'd look fine. And the treads on the stairs are too long while the rises are too short, except at the bottom where the stairs look extremely steep. Once you see it, it's hard to unsee.
But the people are great.
My pleasure 😇
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