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The Sailcloth Shroud
The man nobody knew much about was buried at sea. He had been middle-aged, an almost professional sailor, and he had suffered a heart attack. There was nothing in his personal effects to suggest that he might have possessed a fortune.
Of the two men who had been aboard with him, one was dead two days after the small ketch reached port. Dead by murder. The other man, captain and owner of the boat, was suddenly the object of intense scrutiny by the police and the FBI. He also found himself under a different and less subtle pressure from an underworld gang that was determined to discover a secret he didn’t know he had. Obviously, his life depended on finding out the true identity of the man he had buried at sea, as well as on solving the grisly enigma of his death.
Of the two men who had been aboard with him, one was dead two days after the small ketch reached port. Dead by murder. The other man, captain and owner of the boat, was suddenly the object of intense scrutiny by the police and the FBI. He also found himself under a different and less subtle pressure from an underworld gang that was determined to discover a secret he didn’t know he had. Obviously, his life depended on finding out the true identity of the man he had buried at sea, as well as on solving the grisly enigma of his death.
180 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1960
1 person is currently reading
129 people want to read
About the author
Charles Williams
33 books100 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Please see: Charles Williams
Charles Williams was one of the preeminent authors of American crime fiction. Born in Texas, he dropped out of high school to enlist in the US Merchant Marine, serving for ten years (1929-1939) before leaving to work in the electronics industry. He was a radio inspector during the war years at the Puget Sound Navy Yard in Washington state. At the end of World War II, Williams began writing fiction while living in San Francisco. The success of his backwoods noir Hill Girl (1951) allowed him to quit his job and write fulltime.
Williams’s clean and somewhat casual narrative style distinguishes his novels—which range from hard-boiled, small-town noir to suspense thrillers set at sea and in the Deep South. Although originally published by pulp fiction houses, his work won great critical acclaim, with Hell Hath No Fury (1953) becoming the first paperback original to be reviewed by legendary New York Times critic Anthony Boucher. Many of his novels were adapted for the screen, such as Dead Calm (published in 1963) and Don’t Just Stand There! (published in 1966), for which Williams wrote the screenplay.
After the death of his wife Lasca (m. 1939) from cancer in 1972, Williams purchased property on the California-Oregon border where he lived alone for a time in a trailer. After relocating to Los Angeles, Williams committed suicide in his apartment in the Van Nuys neighborhood in early April 1975. Williams had been depressed since the death of his wife, and his emotional state worsened as sales of his books declined when stand alone thrillers began to lose popularity in the early 70s. He was survived by a daughter, Alison.
Please see: Charles Williams
Charles Williams was one of the preeminent authors of American crime fiction. Born in Texas, he dropped out of high school to enlist in the US Merchant Marine, serving for ten years (1929-1939) before leaving to work in the electronics industry. He was a radio inspector during the war years at the Puget Sound Navy Yard in Washington state. At the end of World War II, Williams began writing fiction while living in San Francisco. The success of his backwoods noir Hill Girl (1951) allowed him to quit his job and write fulltime.
Williams’s clean and somewhat casual narrative style distinguishes his novels—which range from hard-boiled, small-town noir to suspense thrillers set at sea and in the Deep South. Although originally published by pulp fiction houses, his work won great critical acclaim, with Hell Hath No Fury (1953) becoming the first paperback original to be reviewed by legendary New York Times critic Anthony Boucher. Many of his novels were adapted for the screen, such as Dead Calm (published in 1963) and Don’t Just Stand There! (published in 1966), for which Williams wrote the screenplay.
After the death of his wife Lasca (m. 1939) from cancer in 1972, Williams purchased property on the California-Oregon border where he lived alone for a time in a trailer. After relocating to Los Angeles, Williams committed suicide in his apartment in the Van Nuys neighborhood in early April 1975. Williams had been depressed since the death of his wife, and his emotional state worsened as sales of his books declined when stand alone thrillers began to lose popularity in the early 70s. He was survived by a daughter, Alison.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
August 23, 2021
While maybe not quite as captivating as my previous Charles Williams read, A Touch of Death, this was still very much a top-notch noir thriller, and I'm now determined to devour every novel of his that I can get my hands on.
(Note: I discuss the first 30-40 pages in detail -- mostly just the setup.)
The story concerns Captain Stuart Rodgers, a lifelong sailor newly returned to the states after having purchased and sailed back a 40-foot ketch in Panama. Unfortunately, his two shipmates, hired in Panama to help man the ship, are now both dead. The first, Baxter, died of a seeming heart attack while still several days from land, and so he regrettably had to be buried at sea as a last resort. The second man was found murdered not too long after their return to the states, and now some shady gangster-types are after Captain Stuart, as they don't believe the story about Baxter's death and are trying to find him. The police and feds are also extremely interested in who the mysterious Baxter was for some reason. Too bad Stuart knows little to nothing about him, as the man wasn't the talkative type. But he better figure it out, and fast. And there’s no way to retrieve the body to prove he's dead, of course, seeing as it's lying somewhere at the bottom of the ocean.
As usual for Charles Williams, this was a fast-paced burner that never really lets up. There are no wasted words -- nearly every single piece of information and every thought or spoken word is driving the plot forward in some way. It's just go go go go all the way through. Things like characterization are pretty bare-bones, but the reader still gets to know Captain Stuart during the course of the action, and he's instantly relatable, at least for me. There were several moments of sailor/nautical talk where I had no idea what the hell they were going on about, but that didn't detract from the overall intensity of the story at all.
Highly recommended for fans of noir, and mystery-thrillers in general. Oh and sailors too.
4.0 Stars
(Note: I discuss the first 30-40 pages in detail -- mostly just the setup.)
The story concerns Captain Stuart Rodgers, a lifelong sailor newly returned to the states after having purchased and sailed back a 40-foot ketch in Panama. Unfortunately, his two shipmates, hired in Panama to help man the ship, are now both dead. The first, Baxter, died of a seeming heart attack while still several days from land, and so he regrettably had to be buried at sea as a last resort. The second man was found murdered not too long after their return to the states, and now some shady gangster-types are after Captain Stuart, as they don't believe the story about Baxter's death and are trying to find him. The police and feds are also extremely interested in who the mysterious Baxter was for some reason. Too bad Stuart knows little to nothing about him, as the man wasn't the talkative type. But he better figure it out, and fast. And there’s no way to retrieve the body to prove he's dead, of course, seeing as it's lying somewhere at the bottom of the ocean.
As usual for Charles Williams, this was a fast-paced burner that never really lets up. There are no wasted words -- nearly every single piece of information and every thought or spoken word is driving the plot forward in some way. It's just go go go go all the way through. Things like characterization are pretty bare-bones, but the reader still gets to know Captain Stuart during the course of the action, and he's instantly relatable, at least for me. There were several moments of sailor/nautical talk where I had no idea what the hell they were going on about, but that didn't detract from the overall intensity of the story at all.
Highly recommended for fans of noir, and mystery-thrillers in general. Oh and sailors too.
4.0 Stars
August 8, 2020
This book was awesome. It is currently number two (after The Hot Spot) among the six Charles Williams novels that I have read.
The plot is ingenious (far fetched, but who cares?). Stuart Rogers, the captain of a ketch is taken in for questioning by the police after one of his sailors who accompanied him on his last voyage turns up dead with quite a lot of money on him. It turns out that the dead sailor might have got the money from another sailor who died of a heart attack during the voyage. This sailor has a history of faking his own death. When he becomes prime suspect in the deaths, Rogers goes on the run not just from the police, but also a bunch of gangsters who are out to recover the money.
I had mentioned in another review that Charles Williams knows a lot about sailing and boats (he was in the US Merchant Marine) and he incorporates the knowledge into his novels. This puts him a notch above other crime writers whose novels lack attention to detail and whose characters come across as mere caricatures. There are some wonderful passages about life on a ketch in this book that reminded me of Hemingway's writing. I also liked the parts where the main character is on the run in Florida. His journey across marl roads and large private villas are cinematic.
The main character is not a tortured soul like the characters in The Hot Spot or Touch of Death. In fact he is doing quite well for himself before he is pulled into this mystery. He does develop a sardonic humor as the events begin to unfold.
The thrilling finale involving a lie detector test and the bitter ending are perfectly rendered by Williams. I discovered that there is an obscure film based on the book. It does not appear to be that good based on the IMDB rating. But this is a great book to make a movie on.
The plot is ingenious (far fetched, but who cares?). Stuart Rogers, the captain of a ketch is taken in for questioning by the police after one of his sailors who accompanied him on his last voyage turns up dead with quite a lot of money on him. It turns out that the dead sailor might have got the money from another sailor who died of a heart attack during the voyage. This sailor has a history of faking his own death. When he becomes prime suspect in the deaths, Rogers goes on the run not just from the police, but also a bunch of gangsters who are out to recover the money.
I had mentioned in another review that Charles Williams knows a lot about sailing and boats (he was in the US Merchant Marine) and he incorporates the knowledge into his novels. This puts him a notch above other crime writers whose novels lack attention to detail and whose characters come across as mere caricatures. There are some wonderful passages about life on a ketch in this book that reminded me of Hemingway's writing. I also liked the parts where the main character is on the run in Florida. His journey across marl roads and large private villas are cinematic.
The main character is not a tortured soul like the characters in The Hot Spot or Touch of Death. In fact he is doing quite well for himself before he is pulled into this mystery. He does develop a sardonic humor as the events begin to unfold.
The thrilling finale involving a lie detector test and the bitter ending are perfectly rendered by Williams. I discovered that there is an obscure film based on the book. It does not appear to be that good based on the IMDB rating. But this is a great book to make a movie on.
November 10, 2024
A very entertaining, fast-paced nautical mystery from the 1960s. The plot is particularly twisty and fun, involving two deaths amongst the three man crew of a small boat that’s just sailed into port. The trials the surviving crew member goes through as he tries to work out exactly what has happened and save himself from current perils are endlessly engaging.
June 15, 2009
As with other Williams novels I've read, this was very cleanly written, with a fast paced narrative that has plenty of suspense and bare knuckles action, and some romantic interest that never gets cloying or too sleazy.
Williams is definitely a thinking person's Florida thriller writer. If you want smart escapism with a 50s feel, look no further.
Since this was written in the 1950s, about the only time the characters aren't smoking is when they're asleep. At least no doctor recommends them for his patients, though come to think of it there is a smoking in hospital passage.
Williams is definitely a thinking person's Florida thriller writer. If you want smart escapism with a 50s feel, look no further.
Since this was written in the 1950s, about the only time the characters aren't smoking is when they're asleep. At least no doctor recommends them for his patients, though come to think of it there is a smoking in hospital passage.
March 11, 2021
Another terrific mystery/suspense/noir novel from Williams. I have been a mystery/detective/noir reader for may years and I don't know what turned me on to Charles Williams. But 4 years ago I decided to start reading him and started with his first novel, Hill Girl. I liked it and thought it was good but not great and gave it 3 stars. I decided to try his second novel, Big City Girl. While this was far from the the city based noir of writers like David Goodis that I had been reading it did do a good noir take on the "man on the run" trope with a Steinbeck background. I gave that one 4 stars. I read the next 13 books and Williams continued to provide wonderful noir fiction. Of those 15 books I considered 11 to be 4 star quality, 3 that dropped to 3 stars and one that I couldn't git into and gave up after a few chapters, Uncle Sagamore and His Girls. I was worried that Williams was starting to slip but I moved on to this novel and Williams was back in great form again. Williams uses his obvious wealth of seafaring knowledge to develop a story with a mystery that starts slowly on a sailboat traveling from Panama to the states and continues to deepen. Williams makes you feel like yo are actually on that sailboat with Stuart Rodgers. Rodgers, keeps getting pushed deeper into in the criminal world after a seemingly average person he hired to help bring his sailboat back to the US from Panama dies with a heart attack and needed to be buried at sea. To Rodgers it was an unfortunate incident that he thought could be cleared up quickly with the authorities. But the person who died seemed to have a lot of skeletons in his closet which led to interrogations by the police and FBI and beating and threats on his life by criminals who were after the dead man's secrets. Rodgers narrowly escapes with his life and doggedly tries to unravel the mystery in the hopes it will resolve the issue and get him off the hook. There is an intense lie detector session with the criminal gang that that haves you glued to each page.
May 10, 2020
Por ahí, en las redes sociales, mi hermano Fernando reflexionaba que estaba escuchando mucho disco viejo, conocido y querido en esta cuarentena, aislamiento social voluntario o cómo quieran Uds llamarlo, como forma de encontrar lugares donde fuera feliz, lo que me llevó a caer en la cuenta que efectivamente yo estoy haciendo lo mismo, pero releyendo libros muy queridos. Libros que me formaron, probablemente, cómo lector entre mis 15 y 20 años y que han estado juntando polvo en mi biblioteca hasta estos días. De modo que, con el de hoy, iniciamos un viaje de repaso a un montón de novelas policiales que me convencieron -si todavía faltaba algo- de mi amor por el género. Comenzamos con esta novela breve del maestro Charles Williams, uno que no sale nunca cuando se hacen listas de autores emblemáticos del género pese a que se lo tiene de lo más ganado. Y si algo era la especialidad de Williams era el vincular lo policial o criminal con elementos marinos y aquí en Una mortaja (tal es la traducción) no es la excepción. Nuestro protagonista, Stuart Rogers, recibe la visita de la policía en el puerto, mientras trabaja en su barco. Rogers acaba de llegar de un viaje desde Panamá, viaje que realizó con una tripulación de apenas dos hombres a los cuales reclutó mismo en ese país antes de partir. En el camino, uno de ellos -Baxter- murió a bordo de un infarto y no tuvieron más remedio que enterrar su cuerpo en el mar. Y el otro -Keefer- acaba de ser asesinado a escasas 48 hs de tocar puerto, con mucho dinero en su poder. Rogers ciertamente no entiende nada, pero más le vale irse despertando, porque la policía y unos peligrosos gángsters van a estar de inmediato tras su cabeza. Williams construye un gran misterio y un thriller pesadillesco, uno donde hasta las páginas finales no vamos a entender qué está pasando, con un protagonista que por momentos pesca menos que los propios lectores. Y qué ritmo, amigos, que gran ritmo para contar una historia. Que bueno que era Williams (volverá a las reseñas en nada) y que pena que no sea más conocido.
July 1, 2015
I generally associate Charles Williams with Country Noir. The first of his books I read was THE DIAMOND BIKINI and I love the film version of HELL HATH NO FURY (The Hot Spot). Both novels set in an Erskine Caldwell inspired South. This is the first of his later sailing noirs that I've read, although I did start DEAD CALM recently. I hate to sound cliche, but it was a real page-turner. I couldn't put it down. I read it in one sitting and actually wanted more. Like The Divine Westlake, Williams's action is straightforward, written in lean, clean prose. The flawed characters, even the villains, are drawn with naturalism and verve. There was a little too much sailing details for my tastes, but I think I could sail a ketch from having read this. Can't wait to read more of Williams.
July 14, 2023
My quest to read every book Charles Williams wrote continued with this 1959 mystery. Nobody strings words together better than Mr. Williams did. His writing is always top notch, and his stories are well-crafted.
You just bought a boat in Panama and need to sail it back to the Texas coast, so you hire two deck hands. They're both nice guys, capable sailors. You're happy to have the help. But on the way, one of them dies of a heart attack and is buried at sea. When you file the papers to report his death, you discover that there's no record of the man's existence anywhere. Everything he told you about himself was a lie. The other deck hand is murdered within two days of reaching Texas. And now dangerous assassins are trying to kill you.
Who in the heck were those two guys you hired?
The entire book is the protagonist's quest to find out what he obviously didn't know about his two friendly, mild-mannered deck hands.
I gave the book 4 stars simply because it didn't have quite as much of a noir feel as some of his best novels, such as "River Girl" and "The Hot Spot." But I'm splitting hairs. They're all good.
You just bought a boat in Panama and need to sail it back to the Texas coast, so you hire two deck hands. They're both nice guys, capable sailors. You're happy to have the help. But on the way, one of them dies of a heart attack and is buried at sea. When you file the papers to report his death, you discover that there's no record of the man's existence anywhere. Everything he told you about himself was a lie. The other deck hand is murdered within two days of reaching Texas. And now dangerous assassins are trying to kill you.
Who in the heck were those two guys you hired?
The entire book is the protagonist's quest to find out what he obviously didn't know about his two friendly, mild-mannered deck hands.
I gave the book 4 stars simply because it didn't have quite as much of a noir feel as some of his best novels, such as "River Girl" and "The Hot Spot." But I'm splitting hairs. They're all good.
August 17, 2012
Funny how this happens. I had just finished reading DEAD IN THE WATER by Stuart Woods, which has a man who dies of a heart attack while at sea resulting in a sea burial and the after effects. Then I pick up this book and guess what? Another heart attack/burial at sea. But a whole different sstory. This story was originally published in 1959, but the only thing that dates a good sailing story are the sailing instruments.
Williams also wrote DEAD CALM which is the basis for the movie of the same name. THAT movie scares me every time I see it!
Williams also wrote DEAD CALM which is the basis for the movie of the same name. THAT movie scares me every time I see it!
September 6, 2022
Although I have not yet read some of his novels that seem to be his best and greatest works (or on which at least a kind of invisible consensus rests), Dead calm, All the way, A touch of death..., what happens to me with Charles Williams is that, like Gil Brewer, I feel like we're with a guy who really has a great storytelling punch, but without a great masterpiece in his baggage. Perhaps the closest to the high point among the novels was Hell hath no fury (1953; aka The hot spot), perhaps not a masterpiece but a very good novel.
Here, with The sailcloth shroud (1960), Williams (and I) return to the seascape after the great success (and I would say not only among its public) harvested with Scorpion's Reef (1955). I like the seascape, and Williams certainly has a special touch, a special sensibility about treating the world of sailing as you would expect from a person who has practiced this in his personal life/hobbies… definitely an accomplished sailor. The story follows a sailor named Stuart Rogers, owner of a place in the state of Florida who becomes involved in a murder and robbery plot after the mysterious disappearance of a person who was part of the small crew of his boat. As in Nightfall (Goodis, 1947) we have a person who has to escape pursued by robbers and policemen, and his subsequent efforts to investigate himself in order to prove his innocence. It is a mystery and crime book rather a book of pure noir. Even Williams even allows himself to introduce some notes that refer to "psychoanalytic-Freudian aspects" of the world of William Irish/Cornell Woolrich. I think the plot is followed with interest, but let's just say it's not a great book. At times one gets the impression that the plot is a bit far-fetched. And while I'm not a big fan of one of William's most reputable books, Scorpion Reef (1955) (even though a good book...sometimes excellent), this one stands above of The sailcloth shroud.
Final note:
By the way, once and for all: Charles Williams was a true lover of sailing... but he didn't kill himself aboard his boat. The book, written more than 20 years ago (the first serious attempt to approach his total oeuvre) by the Spanish author Hernán Migoya, brought to light where Charles Williams' suicide occurred (in his home) after various investigations, including conversations with Williams' daughter, Allison, who finally revealed the truth to Migoya. I really recommend of this book, only available in spanish.
Here, with The sailcloth shroud (1960), Williams (and I) return to the seascape after the great success (and I would say not only among its public) harvested with Scorpion's Reef (1955). I like the seascape, and Williams certainly has a special touch, a special sensibility about treating the world of sailing as you would expect from a person who has practiced this in his personal life/hobbies… definitely an accomplished sailor. The story follows a sailor named Stuart Rogers, owner of a place in the state of Florida who becomes involved in a murder and robbery plot after the mysterious disappearance of a person who was part of the small crew of his boat. As in Nightfall (Goodis, 1947) we have a person who has to escape pursued by robbers and policemen, and his subsequent efforts to investigate himself in order to prove his innocence. It is a mystery and crime book rather a book of pure noir. Even Williams even allows himself to introduce some notes that refer to "psychoanalytic-Freudian aspects" of the world of William Irish/Cornell Woolrich. I think the plot is followed with interest, but let's just say it's not a great book. At times one gets the impression that the plot is a bit far-fetched. And while I'm not a big fan of one of William's most reputable books, Scorpion Reef (1955) (even though a good book...sometimes excellent), this one stands above of The sailcloth shroud.
Final note:
By the way, once and for all: Charles Williams was a true lover of sailing... but he didn't kill himself aboard his boat. The book, written more than 20 years ago (the first serious attempt to approach his total oeuvre) by the Spanish author Hernán Migoya, brought to light where Charles Williams' suicide occurred (in his home) after various investigations, including conversations with Williams' daughter, Allison, who finally revealed the truth to Migoya. I really recommend of this book, only available in spanish.
November 25, 2020
This being the third Charles Williams novel I've read, I must say it doesn't come close to "A Touch of Death"or "Talk of the Town/Stain of Suspicion (UK)". It's a bit shorter than most books of this sort and it isn't really very complicated. Basically, Charter Yacht Captain Stuart Rogers flies South of the border to purchase a Ketch and sail her back to the US for restoration and resale. He hires a flat broke, drunken lout of a seaman with whom he is acquainted to help him with the trip. At about the time of departure, another man asks if he could get on as a deckhand. The Captain agrees after it is revealed in a short interview that the rather clean-cut, older gentleman is an experienced sailor. He also makes it clear that he can't pay much, to which the man is agreeable admitting that he is trying to save plane fare home after a job didn't work out. After a troublesome journey, The Topaz is docked in Southport Texas with one hand dead and buried at sea and the other murdered shortly after arrival. The Police, FBI and elements of the underworld all demand answers and Rogers has to try to work it out before he ends up in big, big trouble. I'd give it two and a half.
January 27, 2024
This is the best Charles Williams novel I've read so far. Great mystery with a fantastic climax. Unfortunately 90% of the story was told through conversation/interrogation, with very little of the story told in-person. A little more show and less tell would have made this a classic.
Want to read
July 19, 2020elibrary
June 29, 2021
The story moves fast. Good read.
August 24, 2024
Bon ritme (encara que no frenètic) i personatges ben desenvolupats. L'únic que li puc retreure és que la versemblança de la història és limitada (la novel·la negra ha de ser versemblant, altrament deixa de ser novel·la negra i es converteix en ciència-ficció).
La traducció de na Carme Geronès i en Carles Urritz és bona. Encara que es nota que ja té 40 anys (en aquella època no es solia usar l'article personal, fins i tot en converses informals, i els personatges pareixia que parlaven consultant una gramàtica a cada moment), no té grans problemes. En els dos primers capítols els personatges es fan un garbuix amb els tractaments de tu, vós i vostè (per culpa dels traductors, no de l'autor, evidentment), però la resta de la novel·la flueix prou bé sense que la forma cridi l'atenció més que el fons.
La traducció de na Carme Geronès i en Carles Urritz és bona. Encara que es nota que ja té 40 anys (en aquella època no es solia usar l'article personal, fins i tot en converses informals, i els personatges pareixia que parlaven consultant una gramàtica a cada moment), no té grans problemes. En els dos primers capítols els personatges es fan un garbuix amb els tractaments de tu, vós i vostè (per culpa dels traductors, no de l'autor, evidentment), però la resta de la novel·la flueix prou bé sense que la forma cridi l'atenció més que el fons.
January 15, 2025
Very good. Not quite as good as Scorpion Reef, but close. Gritty noir. A lot of people fault Williams for his excessive nautical detail/description of the boats in his books. I feel that it adds to the authenticity of the story.
December 28, 2024
Molt entretingut. Un misteri que sembla impossible.
Quina força té, i què fascinant és la primera persona en aquest casos. I que ben usada per Charles Williams.
Personatges molt ben retratats. També les estances, els ambients.
Bona novel·la.
Quina força té, i què fascinant és la primera persona en aquest casos. I que ben usada per Charles Williams.
Personatges molt ben retratats. També les estances, els ambients.
Bona novel·la.
June 4, 2012
Yay! Pulp for sailors...
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews