Fall Girl

by Richard Deming

Velda toyed with men. Sometimes she gave them what they wanted - sometimes not. But her games were somewhat limited by her marriage. For every time her husband found out about one of her flings, there were jealous rages. If he got mad enough, no allowance that week.

Velda was, in fact, becoming tired of the whole mess.

Then suddenly the husband was dead and Velda was a rich widow.

So, if you were a cop, what would you think . . .

Paperback

First published January 1, 1959

About the author

Richard Deming (1915-1983) was a solid and reliable pro whose crime-writing career extended from late 1940s pulps to early 1980s digests. He also wrote several volumes of popular non-fiction late in his life.

He is most likely to be remembered as one of the most prolific contributors to Manhunt and the early days of Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine and as a paperback original writer, sometimes of novels based on TV shows (Dragnet, The Mod Squad, and under the pseudonym Max Franklin, Starsky and Hutch). He was also a frequent ghost for the Ellery Queen team on paperback originals and for Brett Halliday on lead novelettes for Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine.

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kindly ignore the publisher's blurb implying that the book is all about a
wanton wife who hops in every bed. That's not what this book is about. Not at all. It's a story about a con man and a murder mystery. Jim Horton checks into a hotel in Rice City. Belle Jarvis sees him in the
lobby and wants to know what kind of con he's running. She travels with "Colonel" Robert Desmond and together are con artists in their own right. Jim has some kind of bum check scam going and he's working used car dealers. At Honest John Quincy's car lot, Jim sees the owner
arguing with an absolutely stunning blonde. After looking her over, Jim
realizes that she is the owner's wife, Velda. After Velda drives off, the talk about the sale of a Jaguar and, when Jim steps into the restroom, Honest John is gunned down. Realizing he's being set up as a patsy to take the fall, Jim tries to skip town ahead of the police. Failing that, he
sticks around to try to clear his name. Who did the shooting? Was it the local mob trying to give a civics lesson? Was it the hot blonde trying to wriggle out of a divorce? A great pulp era mystery about a con man who is in the wrong place at
the wrong time. It's fast paced easy reading not clogged up with
endless descriptions. Highly recommended

[Brett Bayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bunco artist Jim Horton arrives in a city ready to fleece some of the local establishments of their money. Unfortunately, during one of his cons, a murder is committed, and somebody evidently has decided to frame him for the crime. And so Horton must turn private eye and solve the mystery before the cops close in. There are a bunch of characters in this one, and plenty of red herrings as well. Before the book is over, pretty much everyone is a suspect. It's enjoyable enough, but lesser Deming—I doubt I'll remember anything about this one in a few weeks. It does contain some of his tried-and-true tropes, notably the daring getaway from thugs who mean to do harm to the protagonist.

[Dave Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

And the other‘Dave’s” review is correct. The book description from the publisher was quite misleading.

I really enjoyed this book, and I kinda wished that it was a series. And not a stand-alone.

[Kenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plot driven novel; characters sufficient to provide motivation for actions. Kept me guessing the ending until the end, so a worthwhile read. Recommended.