Now, Will You Try for Murder?

by Harry Olesker, Robert McGinnis (Illustrator)

He stood to win $160,000... and all he got was a kitchen knife rammed in his chest.

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1958

About the author

Harry Olesker received a master’s degree from Columbia University before serving in Army Intelligence during World War II. He began his career as a radio script writer for station WOR [now WWOR-TV], and later was a television producer for the National Broadcasting Company and the Columbia Broadcasting System. In early 1958, Olesker saw his first novel published, Now, Will You Try for Murder?

From 1963 to 1968 he directed radio and television film production for the American Cancer Society. In April 1969, Harry Olesker died “when his motorcycle and an automobile collided” in the Long Island, New York, town of Roslyn. He was only 46 years old.

Reviews

[Alonzo Church · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pete Brand, press agent for one of the big networks, currently has a job promoting a big prime time game show. That show has the ratings, a brilliant contestant, and a lot of hard drinking folks with itchy nerves running the whole shebang. Pete’s an edgy guy, has a yen for his hot Secretary (the one with the fancy Smith College degree), and starts days late because of frequent hangovers. He also is spending beyond his means….

Then, suddenly, the brilliant contestant turns up dead, sitting on a bench out by LaGuardia. Then, more bodies turn up, as does one of those laconic policemen who only look like they aren’t solving the crime. Can you guess the killer? Can you guess the motive?

Maybe — though understanding the richly layered 1958 atmosphere helps a lot. The mystery is merely OK, but the time capsule provided by a pretty good writer is superb. Why waste your time with reruns of Mad Men when you can get the full view of the era in a mere 160 pages.