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You'll Die Next!
An ordinary fellow wakes up to a stranger knocking at his door and is beaten to a pulp, fired from his job, and plunged into an insomniac nightmare from which he cannot escape. "Of all the writers who specialized in soft-cover originals during the paperback boom of the 1950s, Harry Whittington was certainly the 'king'".--Bill Pronzini.
176 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1954
About the author
Harry Whittington
180 books44 followersHe also wrote under the names Ashley Carter, Harriet Kathryn Myers, and Blaine Stevens, Curt Colman, John Dexter, Tabor Evans, Whit Harrison, Kel Holland, Suzanne Stephens, Clay Stuart, Hondo Wells, Harry White, Hallam Whitney, Henri Whittier, J.X. Williams.
Harry Whittington (February 4, 1915–June 11, 1989) was an American mystery novelist and one of the original founders of the paperback novel. Born in Ocala, Florida, he worked in government jobs before becoming a writer.
His reputation as a prolific writer of pulp fiction novels is supported by his writing of 85 novels in a span of twelve years (as many as seven in a single month) mostly in the crime, suspense, and noir fiction genres. In total, he published over 200 novels. Seven of his writings were produced for the screen, including the television series Lawman. His reputation for being known as 'The King of the Pulps' is shared with author H. Bedford-Jones. Only a handful of Whittington's novels are in print today.
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Harry Whittington (February 4, 1915–June 11, 1989) was an American mystery novelist and one of the original founders of the paperback novel. Born in Ocala, Florida, he worked in government jobs before becoming a writer.
His reputation as a prolific writer of pulp fiction novels is supported by his writing of 85 novels in a span of twelve years (as many as seven in a single month) mostly in the crime, suspense, and noir fiction genres. In total, he published over 200 novels. Seven of his writings were produced for the screen, including the television series Lawman. His reputation for being known as 'The King of the Pulps' is shared with author H. Bedford-Jones. Only a handful of Whittington's novels are in print today.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 12, 2019
02/2019
From 1954.
I thought this was going to be a fairly typical man on the run plot with the bad choice of marrying a dancer to blame for the danger. But it turned out to be an unpredictable, often entertaining, saga of mixed up names.
From 1954.
I thought this was going to be a fairly typical man on the run plot with the bad choice of marrying a dancer to blame for the danger. But it turned out to be an unpredictable, often entertaining, saga of mixed up names.
December 27, 2012
Suburban paranoia 1950's style.
June 16, 2017
This is precisely the kind of pulp noir tale that I can't get enough of. Whittington was a master at his craft and could take pulp cliches and turn them into a story so compelling you can't put it down. He's got the ordinary guy with a deadend job who somehow managed to romance and marry the headliner at the KitKat Club and can't figure out what she sees in him. There's some kind of mixup and someone thinks he is some ex-con out of California and there's some toughs out to do him trouble. Before long, the hoods and the cops are all after him and it's a pulse-pounding man-on-the-run story. Whittington piles it on this poor guy till he doesn't know which end is up and has him practically crawling through a garbage dump at one point. But Whittington gets the mood right. It's pure pulp that he's giving you here and there's not a bad note in this entire symphony.
October 11, 2014
Henry Wilson lives a quiet life, a clerk at the Veteran’s Affairs with a drop-dead gorgeous wife so in love with homely old him that he can’t believe it. That quiet life changes with a knock on his door: he leaves his breakfast popovers behind to take a few blows and a threat of future violence, and as he hits the ground Henry’s world comes crashing down with him. They say they’re onto him, that they’ve found him, that they tracked him all the way from California and will have their revenge. The trouble is, Henry doesn’t know what they’re talking about—he’s never been to California, never hurt anyone before in his life. His tormentors don’t care, and neither does anyone he reaches out to for help—especially after he’s framed for his wife’s near-murder and the shooting of a policeman. Henry Wilson’s idyllic life turns into a descent into hell, from which he may never recover…
The plot is a noir staple, where the everyman protagonist is sucked into a dangerous situation, forced to descend into the criminal shadow world to restore the normalcy to his boring old life. Henry’s still in awe of his wife—a mysterious, sexual creature he met when she was a singer at the local Kit-Kat club—but he loves her beyond measure, and soldiers through being beaten and shot for love of her. Henry stands alone against his unknown pursuers and their terrible case of mistaken identity; trying to discover his attackers, he heads into the seedy side of town that’s more familiar to his wife than it is to Henry.
Some of the book’s twists—such as the explanation for Henry’s tormented life, and the book’s finale—are brilliant surprises that neatly wrap up the plot, and while I can’t say they were entirely convincing I did find they were unique and memorable. And at only 35,000 words, you’re not getting a lot of depth or characterization, though Henry is easy to root for and empathize with. But you know what? If you like plot—the twisty-turny suspense kind where you can’t put the book down because you want to see what happens next—then this is a good book for you. They really don’t make them like they used to.
Whittington didn’t mess around with his plots; I keep expecting to read a book of his that I find merely average, but that hasn’t happened yet. You’ll Die Next! is a compelling little novel with a blazing-hot plot and non-stop action, both a fast read and a really good one. It’s great white-knuckle reading—short, fast, and to the point, delivering on thrills thanks to the situations the luckless protagonist finds himself in.
(Full review found here.)
The plot is a noir staple, where the everyman protagonist is sucked into a dangerous situation, forced to descend into the criminal shadow world to restore the normalcy to his boring old life. Henry’s still in awe of his wife—a mysterious, sexual creature he met when she was a singer at the local Kit-Kat club—but he loves her beyond measure, and soldiers through being beaten and shot for love of her. Henry stands alone against his unknown pursuers and their terrible case of mistaken identity; trying to discover his attackers, he heads into the seedy side of town that’s more familiar to his wife than it is to Henry.
Some of the book’s twists—such as the explanation for Henry’s tormented life, and the book’s finale—are brilliant surprises that neatly wrap up the plot, and while I can’t say they were entirely convincing I did find they were unique and memorable. And at only 35,000 words, you’re not getting a lot of depth or characterization, though Henry is easy to root for and empathize with. But you know what? If you like plot—the twisty-turny suspense kind where you can’t put the book down because you want to see what happens next—then this is a good book for you. They really don’t make them like they used to.
Whittington didn’t mess around with his plots; I keep expecting to read a book of his that I find merely average, but that hasn’t happened yet. You’ll Die Next! is a compelling little novel with a blazing-hot plot and non-stop action, both a fast read and a really good one. It’s great white-knuckle reading—short, fast, and to the point, delivering on thrills thanks to the situations the luckless protagonist finds himself in.
(Full review found here.)
February 7, 2015
This is a rip-roaring short novel of noir paranoia. Whittington channels Kafka and Woolrich to drag poor Henry Wilson through the rubbish heap as he's apparently the victim of mistaken identity and quickly on the run from the police after being beaten and fired from his job and then accused of murdering his wife and shooting a cop. The plot picks up intensity as Wilson searches for the man who is out to get him and the fast paced narrative is fueled by Wilson's fear. Loses focus a bit late in the book when Wilson is captive and mostly an observer for a long stretch, but there's plenty of activity for him to observe and that keeps the book moving until the final action packed scenes.
April 2, 2024
SPANISH:
USA, años 50’s. Como tantos otros, Henry Wilson es un ciudadano buscándose la vida en la sociedad americana de posguerra, felizmente casado con una mujer (de pasado ex-cabaratera y que ahora sirve pankakes para desayunar a su marido y pasa la aspiradora) y que se ve involucrado por una confusión con una banda de delincuentes, debiendo descubrir porqué le persiguen, y al mismo tiempo escapando de la policía. Estamos en los terrenos del falso culpable que debe huir de unos y otros (en la línea de Goodis o Irish) y cuyo atractivo plus es la densidad narrativa, prácticamente la misma unidad espacio/tiempo de unas 48 horas (“Man in motion”, que dirían los americanos). Es una lectura amena, el ritmo no decae, pero me ha parecido que la premisa a dicha confusión y la posterior justificación es endeble, poco creíble…aparte que carece de los matices psicológicos de otros autores, los personajes son algo esquemáticos. Puede que Harry Whittington fuera muy prolífico (y polivalente temáticamente; su obra es casi un compendio de los distintos subgéneros que cultivaron varios autores), pero siempre mantuvo un sello de calidad para con el lector, en mayor o menor medida, y como demuestran Brute me in pass/Forgive me killer (1956), Web to murder (1958) Fires than destroy (1951), Devil wear wings (1960)…Su novela “You’ll die next (1951)” sencillamente la podría haber escrito en un día, como por encargo, y despacharla en un santiamén para satisfacer a su editor. Estamos ya rascando el fondo de la olla con este escritor, a si que a ver si se animan las editoriales a traducir algunas que aún siguen sin ver la luz en España y que presumo deben estar entre las mejores: A ticket to hell, A night for screaming, Hell can’t wait, To find cora…
ENGLISH:
USA, 50's. Like so many others, Henry Wilson is a citizen looking for a life in post-war American society, happily married to a woman (fa former companion girl on a nightclub and who now serves pancakes for breakfast to her husband and run the vacuum) and who finds himself involved due to a confusion with a gang of criminals, having to discover why they are pursuing him, and at the same time escaping from the police. We are in the grounds of the wrong man who must run away from one and the other (in the style of Goodis or Irish) and whose attractive bonus is narrative density, practically the same space/time unit of about 48 hours (“Man in motion”, what Americans would say). It is an enjoyable read, the pace does not falter, but it seemed to me that the premise for this confusion and the subsequent justification is weak, not very plausible... apart from the fact that it lacks the psychological as opposite of other authors, the characters are somewhat simplified. Harry Whittington may have been very prolific (and thematically versatile; his work is almost a compendium of the different subgenres that various authors cultivated), but he always maintained a seal of quality for the reader, to a greater or lesser degree, and as demonstrates Brute me in pass/Forgive me killer (1956), Web to murder (1958) Fires than destroy (1951), Devil wear wings (1960)…His novel “You'll die next (1951)” could have simply been written in a day, as on-demand, as promptly deliver to satisfy his editor. We are already scratching the bottom of the pot with this writer, so let's see if the publishers are encouraged to translate some that have not yet seen the light of day in Spain and that I presume must be among the best: A ticket to hell, A night for screaming, Hell can't wait, To find Cora…
USA, años 50’s. Como tantos otros, Henry Wilson es un ciudadano buscándose la vida en la sociedad americana de posguerra, felizmente casado con una mujer (de pasado ex-cabaratera y que ahora sirve pankakes para desayunar a su marido y pasa la aspiradora) y que se ve involucrado por una confusión con una banda de delincuentes, debiendo descubrir porqué le persiguen, y al mismo tiempo escapando de la policía. Estamos en los terrenos del falso culpable que debe huir de unos y otros (en la línea de Goodis o Irish) y cuyo atractivo plus es la densidad narrativa, prácticamente la misma unidad espacio/tiempo de unas 48 horas (“Man in motion”, que dirían los americanos). Es una lectura amena, el ritmo no decae, pero me ha parecido que la premisa a dicha confusión y la posterior justificación es endeble, poco creíble…aparte que carece de los matices psicológicos de otros autores, los personajes son algo esquemáticos. Puede que Harry Whittington fuera muy prolífico (y polivalente temáticamente; su obra es casi un compendio de los distintos subgéneros que cultivaron varios autores), pero siempre mantuvo un sello de calidad para con el lector, en mayor o menor medida, y como demuestran Brute me in pass/Forgive me killer (1956), Web to murder (1958) Fires than destroy (1951), Devil wear wings (1960)…Su novela “You’ll die next (1951)” sencillamente la podría haber escrito en un día, como por encargo, y despacharla en un santiamén para satisfacer a su editor. Estamos ya rascando el fondo de la olla con este escritor, a si que a ver si se animan las editoriales a traducir algunas que aún siguen sin ver la luz en España y que presumo deben estar entre las mejores: A ticket to hell, A night for screaming, Hell can’t wait, To find cora…
ENGLISH:
USA, 50's. Like so many others, Henry Wilson is a citizen looking for a life in post-war American society, happily married to a woman (fa former companion girl on a nightclub and who now serves pancakes for breakfast to her husband and run the vacuum) and who finds himself involved due to a confusion with a gang of criminals, having to discover why they are pursuing him, and at the same time escaping from the police. We are in the grounds of the wrong man who must run away from one and the other (in the style of Goodis or Irish) and whose attractive bonus is narrative density, practically the same space/time unit of about 48 hours (“Man in motion”, what Americans would say). It is an enjoyable read, the pace does not falter, but it seemed to me that the premise for this confusion and the subsequent justification is weak, not very plausible... apart from the fact that it lacks the psychological as opposite of other authors, the characters are somewhat simplified. Harry Whittington may have been very prolific (and thematically versatile; his work is almost a compendium of the different subgenres that various authors cultivated), but he always maintained a seal of quality for the reader, to a greater or lesser degree, and as demonstrates Brute me in pass/Forgive me killer (1956), Web to murder (1958) Fires than destroy (1951), Devil wear wings (1960)…His novel “You'll die next (1951)” could have simply been written in a day, as on-demand, as promptly deliver to satisfy his editor. We are already scratching the bottom of the pot with this writer, so let's see if the publishers are encouraged to translate some that have not yet seen the light of day in Spain and that I presume must be among the best: A ticket to hell, A night for screaming, Hell can't wait, To find Cora…
July 1, 2026
You'll Die Next by Harry Whittington (1954, 159 pgs., read my old Carrol & Graff copy which cost $3.95 in 1982) Henry Wilson has the worst day of his life. First he gets his butt kicked early in the morning at his front door, then he gets fired, and then he almost gets run over in the park...and that's just in the beginning! This is a man on the run novel and everybody wants a piece of Henry Wilson, showcasing writer Harry Whittington at his best. Don't miss You'll Die Next! ...5.0 outta 5.0...
October 7, 2007
You'll Die Next! offers what is best about noir fiction. A fast paced plot, ordinary people in extraordinary situations, beautiful (and often dangerous) dames, lots of thugs, and a tons of gunplay. This thin volume is full of the overblown prose and tough guy parlance that littered the literary landscape of the 1950s.
Pinky sifted his coat up on his heavy shoulders. Henry saw him as a dangerous man gone to lard. Pinky wasn’t much taller than his blind enemy. He was somewhere between forty and fifty. He had black greasy hair. His puffy face would smile at you while he knifed you in the back.
Henry stirred and Pinky’s gun jerked nervously. Pinky said, “Stand still, chump. I got other troubles right now. I’ll get around to you.”
Whittington is no Chandler but his writing is easy and knowledgeable all at the same time. At no point does the prose detract from the plot. And plot is what this is all about. Whittington keeps the reader on the edge of their seat as the action unfolds and twists in ways that most of us haven’t thought of
Pinky sifted his coat up on his heavy shoulders. Henry saw him as a dangerous man gone to lard. Pinky wasn’t much taller than his blind enemy. He was somewhere between forty and fifty. He had black greasy hair. His puffy face would smile at you while he knifed you in the back.
Henry stirred and Pinky’s gun jerked nervously. Pinky said, “Stand still, chump. I got other troubles right now. I’ll get around to you.”
Whittington is no Chandler but his writing is easy and knowledgeable all at the same time. At no point does the prose detract from the plot. And plot is what this is all about. Whittington keeps the reader on the edge of their seat as the action unfolds and twists in ways that most of us haven’t thought of
April 21, 2016
This is as noir as it gets. A man gets dropped into a shark tank with a bloody cow carcass.for a life preserver.
Harry Whittington keeps the action fast and brisk so that things keeps moving. A real action writer. As both Hitchcock and Bukowski said, get to the action, don't waste my time describing the room and the clothes the people wore. Nobody cares about that. One of Whittington's finest novels, and only $2.99 on Kindle.
Harry Whittington keeps the action fast and brisk so that things keeps moving. A real action writer. As both Hitchcock and Bukowski said, get to the action, don't waste my time describing the room and the clothes the people wore. Nobody cares about that. One of Whittington's finest novels, and only $2.99 on Kindle.
August 14, 2011
Hello, Harry Whittington here. I'd like to tell you about my book, "You'll Die Next!". Even though I wrote this novel back in 1954 it is far from dated. The pacing is tantalizing, the characters alive, the style fresher than most books published in the 21st century, if I may be so bold. So give it a go and do a dead man a favor. You will not be disappointed.
Harry Whittington
Harry Whittington
September 18, 2015
Love how Whittington drops you into the action. He's a schlub with a hot wife who's making him delicious popovers for breakfast. There's a knock on the door and who should it be but a guy who punches him in the face. Things only get worse from there for Henry Wilson. This is pitch-perfect noir until the ending, which is quite schmaltzy.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews