The Snarl of the Beast

Race Williams #1

by Carroll John Daly

1st printing of this Trade paperback in fine condition.

Genres: Mystery, Novels, Detective, Fiction

228 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1927

About the author

With a single screen writing credit to his name, Carroll John Daly is an unlikely mention as being the originator of the private eye... but he just might be. And he was, by contemporary accounts, a strange guy; born in Yonkers, New York in 1889, he most certainly was neurotic, agoraphobic and had a severe fear of dentists. These considerable obstacles to a conventional career were fortuitously offset by the genetic good fortune of having a sympathetic wealthy uncle who encouraged his writing efforts. Daly began to make a name for himself in the nickel and dime pulps in the early 1920s. He was 33 when he managed to get published in the fledgling Black Mask. His character Terry Mack is significant as the first tough-talking private eye (debuting in May, 1923) ever to appear in the pulp genre. Daly's characterization was pretty crudely drawn and he quickly created another character in the same vein, the twin-toting .45 gumshoe Race Williams. Black Mask hired a visionary editor, Joe "Cap" Shaw in 1926, who almost immediately took an intense dislike to Daly's one-dimensional writing style. Shaw conceded to his popularity for the time being, while methodically building up a stable of far greater writing talent. Criticism aside, Daly's 'The Snarl of the Beast' (1927) has the distinction as being acknowledged as the first private eye novel ever published. As Joe Shaw groomed other writers, contemporary critics began to condemn Daly, accusing him of subverting the morals of society and bemoaning the quality of his writing. The mind-numbing void the Race Williams character filled in Black Mask became less important in the early 1930s as the magazine featured vastly superior stories written by the likes of Raoul Fauconnier Whitfield and John K. Butler. Daly and Shaw argued continually over the quality of Daly's writing, and to a lesser extent money and to the delight of Joe Shaw, Daly walked off the magazine in late 1934. Daly would sporadically reappear in Black Mask after Shaw left the publication in 1936, but would fade into obscurity, ending his writing career ignobly by writing comic book dialog. He died in 1958, unappreciated and virtually forgotten by those working in the genre he largely helped create.

* Complete list of his short stories.

Reviews

[Russ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the writing style and the opening pages. If I had stopped a quarter of the way in, I would have rated this five stars. Spare, sardonic, vivid, and visceral.

The problem turned out to be a pretzel-like plot where breaking events and action scenes kept returning us to the status quo ante. Several activities and action sequences resulted in knowing no more than we knew before the scene.

Also I began to be irritated by repetition in observations made by the main character. Yes, the villain is like a snarling beast--we established that quite early on--but then that point gets hammered over and over.

I could never quite follow younger characters who alternated between helping Race and trying to trick him. I couldn't keep track of which girls where one guy's girlfriend or sister or both. The intrigue about the will and the inheritance confused me.

But I would still pay a million dollars to string words and sentences together like Daly did in this book. Read the first few pages and you will know right away whether the style is too old-fashioned for you or if you're like me and wish that more people wrote this way.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Believed to be the first hard boiled PI novel, this book is all action and attitude. It was published in 1927 after a few Race Williams stories had appeared in Black Mask magazine. It is amazing how many of the genre's tropes are already there: first person narrative, unreliable dames, dark and cynical humor, the urban setting, many (many) guns. This particular novel makes clear the line from the pulp westerns to the pulp crime stories. Race is all surface and although there is some inkling of the lone knight with his own moral code, he does not have the depth of loyalty and honor of a Philip Marlowe or a Sam Spade. Interestingly, the first Race Williams story had to do with the KKK, on the rise in the 1920s.

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Daly was credited with creating the first hard-boiled story,**according to wiki - "Knights of the Open Palm" was published June 1, 1923, in Black Mask, predating the October 1923 debut of Dashiell Hammett's Continental Op character." So there you have it, it's in wiki, it has to be true. ** I also found that Black Mask states the same claim**
This is the first Race Williams PI/Shamus, and he's a tough talking character, that makes his living just inside the law. Little ragged around the edges, but glad to have found a reprint(1992) of this early hard-boiled tale.

[RJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here we have volume 17 of a long series named Race Williams. Our protagonist Race Williams is a savvy, slippery private detective in New York City circa 1930. There is a sub-plot involving a sister, brother, and a will, but the main focus is on the capture of a large, cunning, murdering criminal known as “The Beast”. This tale is billed as “one of the longest and best of the Race Williams adventures” and is considered by some as the first of the pulp fiction detectives. Pay attention to the dialogue, it takes you back. The writing is very good and the story keeps you interested once you get used to the narration. I am not a fan of this type of story-telling, it reminds me of the old radio mysteries; everything told from first person perspective. This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.

[Joshua]

I started reading this book as I've been looking for some decent werewolf novels that aren't erotic or "furry" novels. I'm not sure how this book ended up on my list except maybe by accident.

It was written in the late 1920's and the author is hailed as one of the first real detective novelists. He has a great writing style and wonderful descriptions, but I'm just not interested in reading a detective novel right now.

[Andrew Vachss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Father of the modern hard-boiled detective novel.

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: originally serialized in the Black Mask. PI Race Williams is asked by the police to help track down a master criminal, The Beast.

[L J Field · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first Race Williams novel…and also the very first hard-boiled detective novel ever published. It is a first-rate story that is so complicated that I would have a very hard time describing the plot without giving away much of the plot. the Snarl of the Beast is actually the voice of a homicidal maniac called The Beast. It appears that he can take lots of lead to his body without losing his life. And he wants Williams’ dead. Very exciting. I read the novel in one sitting.

[Malum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very much like early Spillane, but with more action and a bit less plot.

[Mark Rabideau · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent, arguably the first, hard-boiled noir detective novel. If you want to listen to it being read in a magnificent style, get Ben Tucker's recording (free) from Librivox.

[Steven · Rating 1 out of 5]

This one's a real mess. Strung together from its original serialization in Black Mask Magazine in the 1920s, it has the distinction of being the first "Hard-boiled" detective novel published (1928). Wordy in a way that writing for a penny a word might make a writer. Interesting read from a historical perspective of the genre only. Hammett did twice as much with half the words and is the better read for 1920-30s crime fiction.

[Carles · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pura acció. Moltes escenes nocturnes. Race Williams constantment en perill, perseguit per malfactors i bandes que el volen matar. Capítols curts. Diàleg escàs. Frases iròniques enginyoses.
Moltes paraules interessants; fantàstica traducció de Jordi Arbonès.