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Danny Boyd
Nymph to the Slaughter
"Breezy, light-hearted, slightly whimsical, quaintly naughty...all good words to describe "Nymph to the Slaughter" by the prolific Carter Brown (AKA Alan Geoffrey Yates of London). There are no deep cosmic truths to be found here, no insights into the human condition, no answers to the questions that have plagued humanity for aeons. It's just entertainment, some fast-paced fun with likable (or unlikable) people, designed to help you escape this wretched world for a few hours. And it's just as engaging and entertaining now as it was back in the early Sixties, except now you might be a bit embarrassed by the title, given the current reign of judgmental liberalism, but at least you no longer have to hide it behind your comic book...mid-century sleaze is now acceptable, if still not respectable. Private detective Danny Boyd is supremely self-confident, not only in his detection skills, but that his profile is devastatingly irresistible to women -- he flashes it so often, right and left, that one woman accuses him of having a twitch, before she slams the door in his face. But he knows he is a great detective, able to fathom anything. However, when he knocks on the door of a New York penthouse apartment, it's answered by a buxom blonde in a harem girl's outfit, and he's ushered into the exotic presence of the hookah-smoking Osman Bey, he thinks he has fallen into an Arabian night's entertainment. In reality he's fallen through the looking glass. Hired to find a kidnapped girl, he soon feels like the guy who just walked into the middle of a Fellini film, and there are no subtitles. He finds himself caught between two criminal factions, suspecting he is being used as a pawn by both. Fortunately for Danny, he's a bit smarter than everyone gives him credit for, even the reader."
124 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1960
About the author
Carter Brown
584 books52 followersCarter Brown was the pseudonym of Alan Geoffrey Yates (1923-1985), who was born in London and educated in Essex.
He married Denise Mackellar and worked as a sound engineer for Gaumont-British films before moving to Australia and taking up work in public relations.
In 1953 he became a full-time writer and produced nearly 200 novels between then and his retirement in 1981.
He also wrote as Tex Conrad and Caroline Farr.
His series heroes were Larry Baker, Danny Boyd, Paul Donavan, Rick Holman, Andy Kane, Randy Roberts, Mavis Siedlitz and Al Wheeler.
He married Denise Mackellar and worked as a sound engineer for Gaumont-British films before moving to Australia and taking up work in public relations.
In 1953 he became a full-time writer and produced nearly 200 novels between then and his retirement in 1981.
He also wrote as Tex Conrad and Caroline Farr.
His series heroes were Larry Baker, Danny Boyd, Paul Donavan, Rick Holman, Andy Kane, Randy Roberts, Mavis Siedlitz and Al Wheeler.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 20, 2014
Breezy, light-hearted, slightly whimsical, quaintly naughty...all good words to describe "Nymph to the Slaughter" by the prolific Carter Brown (AKA Alan Geoffrey Yates of London). There are no deep cosmic truths to be found here, no insights into the human condition, no answers to the questions that have plagued humanity for aeons. It's just entertainment, some fast-paced fun with likable (or unlikable) people, designed to help you escape this wretched world for a few hours. And it's just as engaging and entertaining now as it was back in the early Sixties, except now you might be a bit embarrassed by the title, given the current reign of judgmental liberalism, but at least you no longer have to hide it behind your comic book...mid-century sleaze is now acceptable, if still not respectable.
Private detective Danny Boyd is supremely self-confident, not only in his detection skills, but that his profile is devastatingly irresistible to women -- he flashes it so often, right and left, that one woman accuses him of having a twitch, before she slams the door in his face. But he knows he is a great detective, able to fathom anything. However, when he knocks on the door of a New York penthouse apartment, it's answered by a buxom blonde in a harem girl's outfit, and he's ushered into the exotic presence of the hookah-smoking Osman Bey, he thinks he has fallen into an Arabian night's entertainment. In reality he's fallen through the looking glass. Hired to find a kidnapped girl, he soon feels like the guy who just walked into the middle of a Fellini film, and there are no subtitles. He finds himself caught between two criminal factions, suspecting he is being used as a pawn by both. Fortunately for Danny, he's a bit smarter than everyone gives him credit for, even the reader.
Anyone looking for a hard-boiled detective novel will probably be a bit disappointed, even though there is plenty of action and girls, girls, girls, but if you like other humor-oriented detectives like Richard Prather's Shell Scott or Michael Avallone's Ed Noon, then any of the series detectives of Carter Brown (they are in many ways interchangeable) might also be your cuppa.
Private detective Danny Boyd is supremely self-confident, not only in his detection skills, but that his profile is devastatingly irresistible to women -- he flashes it so often, right and left, that one woman accuses him of having a twitch, before she slams the door in his face. But he knows he is a great detective, able to fathom anything. However, when he knocks on the door of a New York penthouse apartment, it's answered by a buxom blonde in a harem girl's outfit, and he's ushered into the exotic presence of the hookah-smoking Osman Bey, he thinks he has fallen into an Arabian night's entertainment. In reality he's fallen through the looking glass. Hired to find a kidnapped girl, he soon feels like the guy who just walked into the middle of a Fellini film, and there are no subtitles. He finds himself caught between two criminal factions, suspecting he is being used as a pawn by both. Fortunately for Danny, he's a bit smarter than everyone gives him credit for, even the reader.
Anyone looking for a hard-boiled detective novel will probably be a bit disappointed, even though there is plenty of action and girls, girls, girls, but if you like other humor-oriented detectives like Richard Prather's Shell Scott or Michael Avallone's Ed Noon, then any of the series detectives of Carter Brown (they are in many ways interchangeable) might also be your cuppa.
April 23, 2020
Old style, gritty detective story. Sexist? Sure, what do you expect from 1963? Suffragettes? Danny Boyd bad mouths and bluffs his way through the plot and any chicks or criminals. Lots of very clever dialogue can be enjoyed if you can put your anachronistic prejudices aside. Otherwise, don't bother; unless you are doing a PhD in something Danny Boyd would never bother reading.
March 13, 2015
Πρώτο βιβλίο του Κάρτερ Μπράουν που διαβάζω, από τα πάρα πολλά που έχει γράψει, μερικά εκ των οποίων έχουν μεταφραστεί και στα ελληνικά από τις εκδόσεις Άγκυρα. Πρόκειται για τον ορισμό του παλπ αστυνομικού μυθιστορήματος, όχι φυσικά στο ίδιο επίπεδο με το παλπ των Τσάντλερ, Χάμετ, Τόμσον και λοιπών, αλλά σίγουρα πρόκειται για ένα ενδιαφέρον αστυνομικό, που προσφέρει διασκέδαση και χαλάρωση.
Γενικά συμβαίνουν μπόλικα πράγματα σε λίγες σελίδες, αλλά η γενική υπόθεση έχει ως εξής: Ο ιδιωτικός ντετέκτιβ Ντάνι Μπόιντ, προσλαμβάνεται από κάποιον Οσμάν Μπέη, για να βρει την απαχθείσα κόρη ενός στενού συνεργάτη και φίλου του Οσμάν Μπέη, που μόλις έφθασε στην Νέα Υόρκη, καθώς βέβαια και κάποια διαμάντια αξίας 200.000 δολαρίων, που πέρασε κρυφά η κόρη του φίλου του Μπέη, μέσα σε ένα σπάνιο βιβλίο, από το Παρίσι στο αεροδρόμιο της Νέα Υόρκης. Βέβαια τα πράγματα περιπλέκονται άσχημα, πολλά πρόσωπα εμφανίζονται και πολλά μυστικά βγαίνουν στην δημοσιότητα.
Η γραφή του Μπράουν μου φάνηκε σχετικά καλή, με χιούμορ, που μερικές φορές όμως καταντούσε λίγο σαχλό ή κάτι τέτοιο, οι χαρακτήρες δίχως βάθος, οι σκηνές δράσης αρκετούτσικες, και το τέλος φυσικά μη αναμενόμενο. Γενικά χαμηλών προδιαγραφών αστυνομικό μυθιστόρημα, που όμως διασκεδάζει και ξεκουράζει.
5/10
Στα ελληνικά από τις εκδόσεις Άγκυρα, με τον τίτλο "Νεράιδα στο σφαγείο".
Γενικά συμβαίνουν μπόλικα πράγματα σε λίγες σελίδες, αλλά η γενική υπόθεση έχει ως εξής: Ο ιδιωτικός ντετέκτιβ Ντάνι Μπόιντ, προσλαμβάνεται από κάποιον Οσμάν Μπέη, για να βρει την απαχθείσα κόρη ενός στενού συνεργάτη και φίλου του Οσμάν Μπέη, που μόλις έφθασε στην Νέα Υόρκη, καθώς βέβαια και κάποια διαμάντια αξίας 200.000 δολαρίων, που πέρασε κρυφά η κόρη του φίλου του Μπέη, μέσα σε ένα σπάνιο βιβλίο, από το Παρίσι στο αεροδρόμιο της Νέα Υόρκης. Βέβαια τα πράγματα περιπλέκονται άσχημα, πολλά πρόσωπα εμφανίζονται και πολλά μυστικά βγαίνουν στην δημοσιότητα.
Η γραφή του Μπράουν μου φάνηκε σχετικά καλή, με χιούμορ, που μερικές φορές όμως καταντούσε λίγο σαχλό ή κάτι τέτοιο, οι χαρακτήρες δίχως βάθος, οι σκηνές δράσης αρκετούτσικες, και το τέλος φυσικά μη αναμενόμενο. Γενικά χαμηλών προδιαγραφών αστυνομικό μυθιστόρημα, που όμως διασκεδάζει και ξεκουράζει.
5/10
Στα ελληνικά από τις εκδόσεις Άγκυρα, με τον τίτλο "Νεράιδα στο σφαγείο".
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews