The George Kelley Collection
Adventure Stories


THE YOUNG PUNKS
Leo Margulies
New York: Pyramid, 1957.
Bison Catalog Record

According to the editor, the eleven short stories in this collection "were written to shock you," so it should come as no surprise that the characters are an extremely vicious and nasty bunch. They include adolescent killers, youthful gang members seeking revenge at all costs, and teenage drug addicts who live and die according to their own code of ethics. "Sinner's Alley" introduces young members of the Black Gang, toughest group of hoodlums in Los Angeles, who confront an undercover cop investigating a brutal case of rape and murder. Teenager Johnny Trachetti of "Runaway" knows trouble when he sees it, and takes to the streets when the cops question him about a homicide. Tough-talking Eddie Kelder, of "New Man in Town" is convinced there's not enough action in the small town of Williston until he's caught unaware in a violent trap set by members of the local gang. Despairing and desperate, these are The Young Punks who live in a world of violence, betrayal and fear as seen through the eyes of pulp masters including Frank Kane, Richard Prather, Hal Ellson, and Evan Hunter.