Night of the Juggler by William P. McGivern

 

(pb; 1975)

From the back cover

“Gus Soltik can’t read, can’t even think straight, but he knows it’s October 15^th, the fifth anniversary of his mother’s death. On this day Gus will kill again─slashing young Kate Boyd’s throat. Two men have precious few hours to stop him. But first they must fight each other.”

 

Review

Juggler is an immediately immersive and excellent police procedural, with characters who are, for the most part, well-developed, driving the action with their personalities and actions. A few characters are narrowly defined and/or odd, probable cannon fodder-type figures by today’s “woke” standards, but in the mid-Seventies they were standard fare (McGivern’s handling of Manolo is a bit over-the-top; that said, Manolo is more than a flashy homosexual, and this is crime novel, not a melodramatic character study.) The action is constant, the pace never lags, and the writing is focused, with a great ending scene between two of the main characters. Worth reading and owning, this.

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The resulting film was released stateside on June 6, 1980. Robert Butler and an uncredited Sidney J.Furie directed it, from a screenplay by William W. Norton (billed as Bill Norton Sr.) and Rick Natkin.

Cliff Gorman played Gus Soltic. Richard S.Castellano, billed as Richard Castellano, played Lt. Tonelli. James Brolin played Sean Boyd (cinematic stand-in for Luther Boyd). Linda Miller, billed as Linda G. Miller, played Barbara Boyd. Abby Bluestone played Kathy Boyd.

Dan Hedaya played Sgt. Otis Barnes. Mandy Pantinkin played Allesandro the Cabbie. Richard Gant played “Hospital Cop.” Sharon Mitchell played Susie. John Randolph Jones played “Truck Driver.”

The Mad Robot by William P. McGivern

(pb; 1944, 2013: novella)

From the inside flap

“It seemed like a fairly simple mission. Make a routine supply run to Jupiter and plant yourself in the Earth-Mars robot experimental station. Then hang around for awhile and see if you can figure out what problems they’re having with the robot development program out there. Just don’t let anybody know that you’re spying on them.

“But when Rick Weston arrived on Jupiter, he soon found himself in a maze of hatred and intrigue. Robots were going beserk on occasion─and sometimes taking human lives! With the help of a friendly Martian scientist and a beautiful girl, it didn’t take Weston long to figure out the problems with the robots weren’t just mechanical.”

Review

Robot is a sixty-five-page blast of science fiction fun and action, with deftly sketched characters and zero lag in the smart, tightly written storyline. The betrayals and mini- twists are by-the-numbers but that did not ruin the read. It is simply McGivern, an excellent writer, thrilling within a familiar genre structure. 

The 2013 “Deluxe Paperback Edition” I read was by Armchair Fiction as a two-novellas-in-one-paperbook work. Its companion novella is J. Hunter Holly’s 1963 The Running Man.

The Running Man by J. Hunter Holly (a.k.a. Joan Hunter Holly)

(pb; 1963)

From the inside flap

“NO ONE WAS SAFE FROM THE POWERFUL FORCE!

“‘I can’t tell you my name,’ the trembling man stammered out. ‘I’m simply  a man, Mr. Munro─a man running for his life! But whether or not I’m able to stay alive or not, someone else must know. . .’

“And what the running man knew was incredible and horrifying. But before the night was over, the running man was dead, and with that, Jeff Munro had to believe the horrifying truth. And he had to find a way to destroy the evil power that was loose upon the world. It had come from outer space, reaching into our Solar System from a faraway star. It was a power that could invade men’s minds. It was a power capable of ruling the entire universe.”

Review

Running is a fun, fast-paced and action-oriented science fiction/alien cult-conspiracy novel. The usual twists, turns and occasional betrayals keep this novella interesting, making it worth your time.
 

The 2013 “Deluxe Paperback Edition” I read was republished by Armchair Fiction as a two-novellas-one-paperback work. Its companion novella is William P. McGivern’s The Mad Robot (it was originally published in the January 1944 issue of Amazing Stories).

Odds Against Tomorrow by William P. McGivern

(hb; 1957)

From the inside flap

“. . .two men, strangers but inevitable enemies, meet in the planning of a crime. They violate the laws of society deliberately and gravely; a bank is broken into, a man is killed and two protagonists are driven to ground in a lonely farmhouse.

“One of them is bitter and inarticulate, tormented by his inadequacies and failures. His accomplice, a Negro, is clever but in panic at the thought of death. Do they dare trust one another?”

Review

Odds─for the most part─is another compelling, taut and unflinching McGivern crime tale, this one taking on the ugly theme of racism. When a heist goes sideways, one of the henchmens’ overt racism further complicates the crooks’ increasingly intense flight while the cops close in on them. The action takes surprising, unlikely turns near the end, leavening the work for readers who want a kumbaya and uncharacteristic-for-McGivern ending. For those of us who prefer more realistic and potentially grimmer fare, the 1959 film version fixes the novel’s forced turns. Despite that, the book version of Odds is an excellent, bristling and timely story.

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The resulting film was released stateside in November 1959. Robert Wise directed the film, from a screenplay by Abraham Polonsky, billed as John O. Killens, and Nelson Gidding. (Polonsky was on blacklisted by HUAC.)

Harry Belafonte played Johnny Ingram. Kim Hamilton played Ruth Ingram. Robert Ryan played Earle Slater (“Earl Slater” in the book). Shelley Winters played Lorry ("Lory" in the book). Gloria Grahame played Helen.

Ed Begley played Dave Burke. Wayne Rogers played “Soldier in bar”.

Rogue Cop by William P. McGivern

(hb; 1954)

From the inside flap

“The story of a good cop who was caught in the numbers racket.”

Review

Rogue is another tough-guy-with-a-good-heart tale, told in a taut, raw and unflinching way. When Mike Carmody’s brother─a fellow cop, who is not on the take─is targeted by a mobster (Bill Ackerman) who pays for Mike’s dirty deeds, Mike must figure out a way to save his brother, as well as himself. Of course, there is a fair amount of fist fighting, tense one-liners and gunplay, even as McGivern underscores this fast, short action play with humanity and the silver lining of grace. This is an excellent, burn-though read, one worth owning.

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The resulting film was released stateside on June 17, 1955. It was directed by Roy Rowland, from a screenplay by Sydney Boehm.

Robert Taylor played Det. Sgt. Christopher Kelvaney. Janet Leigh played Karen Stephanson. George Raft played Dan Beaumonte. Steve Forrest played Eddie Kelvaney. Anne Francis played Nancy Corlane.

Robert F. Simon played Ackerman. Vince Edwards played Joey Langley. Anthony Ross played Father Ahearn. Alan Hale Jr. played Johnny Stark.

The Big Heat by William P. McGivern

(hb; 1952, 1953)

From the back cover

"MURDER WAS IN THE AIR. A COP HAD KILLED HIMSELF, AND EVERY CROOK IN TOWN KNEW THAT WOULD BE SURE TO BRING ON THE BIG HEAT. Why did they fear a dead man? Dave Bannion, homicide sergeant, fought for the answer to that question. The dead man was a police clerk who shot himself for no obvious reason. That was Bannion's first judgment, until a girl named Lucy presented a quite different picture of the dead man from the one he had shown to the world and to his fastidious, glacial wife. Bannion's chief, Lieutenant Wilks, wanted the case closed and speculation ended quickly and tightly. So did Max Stone and Lagana, who held the city in a sinister, underworld grip. But why? Why did they all fear a dead man?"

Review

Heat is an excellent, waste-no-words, tough-guy of a novel about love, morality and revenge. Its temperamental protagonist, a rogue cop named Dave Bannion, takes no guff and metes out violent punishments to the murderous bad guys whose greed and avarice guides them. There is little nuance in this work, but if you are looking for a slam-bang Fifties-style cop tale with memorable characters, this is a top-notch entry in that genre. This is one of the best bad guy-bruising books I have read in a long time, one worth owning.

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The film was released stateside in October 1953. Fritz Lang directed it, from Sydney Boehm's screenplay, which was (mostly) lifted -- scene for scene -- from McGovern's Saturday Evening Post serial (which later was brought together as a novel).

Glenn Ford played Dave Bannion. Gloria Grahame played Debby Marsh. Jocelyn Brando played Katie Bannion. Carolyn Jones played Doris.

Alexander Scourby played Mike Lagana. Lee Marvin played Vince Stone. Jeanette Nolan played Bertha Duncan. Peter Whitney played Tierney. 

Willis Bouchey played Lt. Ted Wilks. Robert Burton played Gus Burke. Adam Williams played Larry Gordon. Dorothy Green played Lucy Chapman.