Phantom lady, I was with you for six hours last night, but I can't remember what you look like, or what you wore -- except for that large orange ha...
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Mar 15, 2008
Andy
rated it: 
The kind of suspenser Cornell Woolrich excelled at, a woman's race against the electric chair to clear her boss' name for a murder he didn't commit. Many of his books used the format of the black widow drawing up a list of men she has to confront, just like in "The Bride Wore Black" and "Rendezvous In Black".
Woolrich had excellent touch of suspense in his novels (he wrote "Rear Window" among others). If you can catch the movie starring Ella Raines on TCM
Woolrich had excellent touch of suspense in his novels (he wrote "Rear Window" among others). If you can catch the movie starring Ella Raines on TCM
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Dec 07, 2011
Nick
rated it: 
Nifty little puzzle mystery from the 40s that fairly drips with noir-pulp prose. The puzzle, when it is finally solved at (literally) the last minute, is blatantly ludicrous, and thus not entirely satisfying from a logic perspective, but fun nonetheless.
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Jan 16, 2010
Tom
rated it: 
not quite as much carnage as 'rendezvous in black,' still my fave of the 2 woolrich books i've read so far, mainly for the sheer outlandishness & fantastic nature of its bloodshed.
despite some obvious cinematic noir conventions (which, admittedly, he helped invent) woolrich's plots are generally brilliant (despite a few necessary suspensions of disbelief)... but his characters are stock figures for the most part, lacking the stylish sheen of chandler, the matter-of-factness of hamme More...
despite some obvious cinematic noir conventions (which, admittedly, he helped invent) woolrich's plots are generally brilliant (despite a few necessary suspensions of disbelief)... but his characters are stock figures for the most part, lacking the stylish sheen of chandler, the matter-of-factness of hamme More...
Nov 27, 2011
Stephen King recommended book as noted in Chapter 9 of Berkley's 1983 paperback edition of Danse Macabre.
Dec 07, 2011
Shannon
rated it:
This book is preposterous. How many people have to die for Henderson to be saved? Too many! The Phantom Lady is one of those books where you realize the solution far too early on (with one exception) and watch ridiculous things happen and ridiculous conclusions be made. But each incident with Lombard interviewing the various characters involved in Henderson's alibi makes it worth the read. As you're reading, you'll think of ten different ways it could have been written better. But as I said, a g
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Oct 06, 2009
Maureen
rated it:
phantom lady is a fun little romp with excellent pacing. woolrich loves enhancing the harrow of a piece by marrying it to a schedule: this one counts down toward an execution: will the phantom lady be found in time to clear henderson's name before he makes it to the chair? and who the hell is she anyway? nobody seems to remember her, which is surprising considering she had a giant orange pumpkin hat on. a bit dated yes, but if you like william irish woolrich books, you won't be disappointed.
Apr 26, 2011
Tim
rated it:
Maybe I wasn't in the right frame of mind, but I found this one to be a bit of a chore. Standard Woolrich far-fetched plot and pacing. The plot was fairly retread from previous Woolrich work. The ride just wasn't enough to make it that much fun.
Feb 04, 2011
Giangian
rated it:
Noir dei primi anni Quaranta, di gran classe. Atmosfere da film in bianco e nero, se non per un tocco di arancione che attraversa tutto il libro sotto forma di un cappello.
Una tensione altissima, una storia avvincente scandita dal conto alla rovescia di un condannato a morte.
Una tensione altissima, una storia avvincente scandita dal conto alla rovescia di un condannato a morte.
Jun 20, 2011
Matt
rated it:
The most suspenseful book I can remember ever reading. I'm a big fan of film noir as well, but I thought the Hollywood movie based on this book sucked.
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