The Corpse That Walked: A Classic Mystery of Death, Deception, and Impossible Appearances

by Octavus Roy Cohen

Alan Douglas found himself in a macabre masquerade that could only have one ending-murder. He wore another man's face. He lived with another man's woman. And he was to die another man's death.

Genres: Pulp, Mystery

164 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1951

About the author

Octavus Roy Cohen was an American author, born in South Carolina where he received his secondary education at the Porter Military Academy, now the exclusive Porter-Gaud School. He went on to receive a college education at the Clemson University. Between 1910 and 1912 he worked in the editorial departments of the Birmingham Ledger, the Charleston News and Courier, the Bayonne Times, and the Newark Morning Star. He became popular as a result of his stories printed in The Saturday Evening Post which concerned themselves with the adventures of the Southern Negro. If his people seemed to possess the usual mythical Negro qualities of drollery and miscomprehensions, his tales at any rate were spirited. In 1913, he was admitted to the South Carolina bar and practiced law in Charleston for two years. Between 1917 and his death he published 56 books, works that included humorous and detective novels, plays, and collections of short stories. He also composed successful Broadway plays and radio, film, and television scripts.

Reviews

[Marcus · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t know why people were so down on this book in reviews. It was fun and easy to read which is always a good time. It’s certainly a product of its time but that little bit of nostalgia was like a light summer snack.

[Kelliann Gomez · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book really made me appreciate books that have withstood the passage of time and remained pertinent... Because it has not.

It was a good reprieve from that true crime/mystery style that seems to be so completely common and overly done in the genre, but a lot of the events were very simple (although probably believable in a simpler time, I suppose). For example, one woman was able to buy a ticket to Cuba and Miami for the next day and get records and information from staff on cruise ships, at hotels, etc... She was also able to up and leave her NY apartment, find a seasonal job in FL, and rent an apartment in FL. NBD.

Police officers were very open with her at the end and fully disclosed everything that had happened to her. They also were able to take away only the suspects they thought were important...

So... Blah. A very convenient, simple, and unimpressive novel. The writing style seems a bit dated as well but wasn't half bad.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sure it's a bit a pulp potboiler, with plenty of 50s dialog like "This sure is a wow of a party" and "there's nobody that hard boiled, is there?" and cold-as-flint murderers and prostitutes with hearts of gold and an "average guy"in a sweater in the middle of it. Probably rots my brains, but every once in a while, there's a beautifully clever bit, like the description of an exotic dancer as someone with feathers of one end, shoes on the other and not much in between. I'm glad at least that I know this oft-cited genre of pulpy crime novel. Evidently, Octavus was one of the great practicers of it.

[Patrick Hayes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This 142 page novella from 1942 (Forget Kindle--I found a paperback for a buck!) has all the pulpy goodness one would want from this time period.

The setup is simple: an honest man (and he is) is offered two grand to go through plastic surgery to look like another and imitate the man in Miami. He and his fiancee need the money quickly, so the money is taken, but there's much more to the story.

This has plenty of twists, great characters--albeit a small cast, and some great lines.

The only downfall is the ending is anti-climatic. I read it in 90 minutes, so I didn't feel too put off.

If you're looking for an old time Noir novel, this is worth your time.

[Lisa Kucharski · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lot of lead up with all the action at the end. Luckily this was a short novel cause I don't think the story could have been dragged out any more than it was. It was getting frustrating at point where I knew what the set up was and then you just sat around and waited for "it" to happen.

The writing was nice, but it could have used some more twists and turns to make it much more interesting for the reader.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty good early Gold Medal PBO. Not a lot of action and stretches the limits of credulity at times, but all in all not a bad read.