The George Kelley Collection
Detective/Mystery Stories


SEVEN SLAYERS
Paul Cain
New York: Avon Publishing Co., Inc., 1950.
Bison Catalog Record

The name of the game is murder in this collection of seven hard-boiled short stories, originally published during the 1930s in the pulp magazine Black Mask. The opening tale, "Black", introduces a mysterious stranger who makes a grim discovery late one night upon his arrival in a small nameless town. The stranger quickly capitalizes upon his discovery, cleverly playing one side against another in a dispute between local rival gangs. "Pigeon Blood" features the diabolically ingenious Mr. Druse, a former attorney, whose investigation into the theft of some very valuable rubies brings out his most morbid and mercenary tendencies. "Parlor Trick" introduces the attractive Bella, a young woman who conjures up some fast talking to explain the fact that there is a corpse in her kitchen. And there's Johnny Doolin of "Murder In Blue", a former stuntman currently employed as a bodyguard, who quickly realizes that his client isn't terribly interested in staying alive. Driven by greed, passion and blackmail, these characters, along with those featured in the collection's other stories: "Red 71", "One, Two, Three" and "Pineapple" live life on the edge and let their guns do the talking.