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Lament for Julie
Tormented by a satin-skinned package of dynamite who offered him ecstasy unfettered by convention . . . Bedeviled by another woman who wanted a master . . . Given 12 hours to get out of town - and then framed for murder.
This was the grim situation faced by Todd Corwin shortly after he came to Longport seeking Julie Steadman s killer.
If he cleared out of town he was sure of safety. If he stayed, nothing was certain except more trouble with the police and a deepening involvement with the Vollmer clan -
Austin, who owned everything in town including the cops . . . Joy, Austin s wife, who took men where she found them . . . and Gail, the step-daughter, who would risk anything to take Todd away from Joy.
This was the grim situation faced by Todd Corwin shortly after he came to Longport seeking Julie Steadman s killer.
If he cleared out of town he was sure of safety. If he stayed, nothing was certain except more trouble with the police and a deepening involvement with the Vollmer clan -
Austin, who owned everything in town including the cops . . . Joy, Austin s wife, who took men where she found them . . . and Gail, the step-daughter, who would risk anything to take Todd away from Joy.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1961
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About the author
Robert Colby
72 books2 followersAmerican novelist and crime thriller paperback genre and short story writer. Colby wrote novels for a number of the paperback houses including Gold Medal, which published his most praised novel, The Captain Must Die. He was also a prolific contributor of short stories to Alfred Hitchcock and Mike Shayne's mystery magazines. Many of these have gathered into two published collections of his stories. Colby also wrote a non-fiction true crime book, The California Crime Book, and co-authored a 'Nick Carter' book, The Death's Head Conspiracy, with Gary Brandner. Author Ed Gorman believed "Robert Colby was one of the best of the paperback original writers".
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 13, 2020
A past love triangle find Julie married to Steadman, with Corwin the odd man out. Tough guy Corwin holds no grudge and they remain close friends. Steadman goes to sea and when he returns he finds that wife Julie has been killed in a suspicious hit-and-run. Steadman starts investigating and ends up dead in an apparent suicide. Corwin assumes that they have both been murdered and comes back to town for answers and vengeance. Corwin turns out to be a proto-vigilante type, driven and violent, who ingratiates himself with the rich and corrupt family that runs the town and then proceeds to get laid and kick some serious ass. A propulsive plot with several interesting characters and plenty of sex and violence are my low-brow expectations for a great book and this one covers all the bases. Recommended.
June 15, 2017
This book starts in the middle of the action and then gives you the background. However, once you get past the confusing beginning, there's quite a story here. Two guys in the navy ( Gordy Steadman and
Todd Corwin) meet a girl ( Julie) at a dance. She alternately dates both and they both fall for her. After a whirlwind romance, Gordy marries her. While he's away on assignment, Julie is killed in what's said to be a hit and run, but the circumstances are strange and the eyewitnesses (the Lanskys) are forced to leave town. Seems the car involved
belonged to a family ( the Vollmers) that owns the town and everyone in it.
Gordy returns from active duty overseas to find out Julie's dead and, when he investigates, his shooting is declared a suicide. Todd now investigates, but no one has the balls to tell him what went on except for a former cop who got forced into retirement for asking too many questions.
Todd manages to meet the Vollmers and stay at their cottage, but he can never be sure if they know who he is or his
connection to the people who were killed.
Gail Vollmer is the voluptuous daughter. Her stepmother Joy is just two years older than her, likes the same men, and often sunbathes without a stitch on. She
is an animal just waiting to be uncaged. Matt Vollmer, the brother, jokes around with loaded guns. Yet, Todd knew that, if they meant to kill you, they would and nothing could stop them.
Recommended
Todd Corwin) meet a girl ( Julie) at a dance. She alternately dates both and they both fall for her. After a whirlwind romance, Gordy marries her. While he's away on assignment, Julie is killed in what's said to be a hit and run, but the circumstances are strange and the eyewitnesses (the Lanskys) are forced to leave town. Seems the car involved
belonged to a family ( the Vollmers) that owns the town and everyone in it.
Gordy returns from active duty overseas to find out Julie's dead and, when he investigates, his shooting is declared a suicide. Todd now investigates, but no one has the balls to tell him what went on except for a former cop who got forced into retirement for asking too many questions.
Todd manages to meet the Vollmers and stay at their cottage, but he can never be sure if they know who he is or his
connection to the people who were killed.
Gail Vollmer is the voluptuous daughter. Her stepmother Joy is just two years older than her, likes the same men, and often sunbathes without a stitch on. She
is an animal just waiting to be uncaged. Matt Vollmer, the brother, jokes around with loaded guns. Yet, Todd knew that, if they meant to kill you, they would and nothing could stop them.
Recommended
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 6, 2025
"Lament for Julie" was my third Robert Colby book. I can now say with assurance that I'll be a fan for life. It occurred to me that my favorite publisher of vintage crime fiction, Stark House press has not to date printed any of Robert Colby's books, but Wild Side, Armchair Fiction, and Prologue have all put out titles by Colby. I suppose these other publishers got there first, but it would be great to have three of his novels in one volume, which seems to be Stark House's preferred format, and one of the reasons they're the coolest. I'm just glad his stuff is available at all in paperback, because the original Colby novels are getting more and more scarce, and he definitely deserves new readers
Lament for Julie was an above average sexmeat and murderpotatoes mystery. Todd Corwin, the main character, enters the picture when he is called to help investigate the death of Julie Steadman at the dire behest of Gordon Steadman, who is Julie's husband and Todd's friend. Todd arrives in town only to be confronted with not one, but two deaths which he has ample reason to believe are both murders, despite one being classified an accident and the other a suicide. Todd Corwin reminded me of Travis McGee from the John d. Macdonald series, which I believe started around the time this was written. Todd, being the type of man that women seem to lose their clothes around, uses his looks and charm like Travis McGee, to get his sleuthing done. The prime suspects are anyone in the orbit of the all powerful Vollmer family and Todd seems to see penetration as the quickest means of infiltration. Not really, but he does make inroads through a lack of diffidence where the Vollmer women are concerned. Throughout the book though, Todd is driven by a maniacal need for revenge, which despite his calculations, land him in tense situations, the likes of which had me turning pages quicker than if I had been reading, for instance, someone like Ross Macdonald.
Mr. Colby also impresses with some rather bleak prose; a quality I've always admired in crime fiction writers. Here's an example "Even if he wanted to have a part in that grotesque, morbid protraction of unavailing sorrow called a funeral, he couldn't". And then there was "Just remember that in this world the angels are trampled by the heels of bastards. Show me a real bastard and I'll show you a real winner." In a few scenes, guns were pulled but not used, which reminded me of why I read nothing but westerns for three years. When a gun is pulled in a western, usually someone gets killed, and that always ensures further acts of violence. Colby does enough by just creating a well plotted mystery though, and still managed enough action and tension to ensure I finished this one quick. Now I've got to figure out which of his books to read next.
Lament for Julie was an above average sexmeat and murderpotatoes mystery. Todd Corwin, the main character, enters the picture when he is called to help investigate the death of Julie Steadman at the dire behest of Gordon Steadman, who is Julie's husband and Todd's friend. Todd arrives in town only to be confronted with not one, but two deaths which he has ample reason to believe are both murders, despite one being classified an accident and the other a suicide. Todd Corwin reminded me of Travis McGee from the John d. Macdonald series, which I believe started around the time this was written. Todd, being the type of man that women seem to lose their clothes around, uses his looks and charm like Travis McGee, to get his sleuthing done. The prime suspects are anyone in the orbit of the all powerful Vollmer family and Todd seems to see penetration as the quickest means of infiltration. Not really, but he does make inroads through a lack of diffidence where the Vollmer women are concerned. Throughout the book though, Todd is driven by a maniacal need for revenge, which despite his calculations, land him in tense situations, the likes of which had me turning pages quicker than if I had been reading, for instance, someone like Ross Macdonald.
Mr. Colby also impresses with some rather bleak prose; a quality I've always admired in crime fiction writers. Here's an example "Even if he wanted to have a part in that grotesque, morbid protraction of unavailing sorrow called a funeral, he couldn't". And then there was "Just remember that in this world the angels are trampled by the heels of bastards. Show me a real bastard and I'll show you a real winner." In a few scenes, guns were pulled but not used, which reminded me of why I read nothing but westerns for three years. When a gun is pulled in a western, usually someone gets killed, and that always ensures further acts of violence. Colby does enough by just creating a well plotted mystery though, and still managed enough action and tension to ensure I finished this one quick. Now I've got to figure out which of his books to read next.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews