The Dead Men Grin

Ben Helm #1

by Bruno Fischer

Ben Helm, Crack New York Detective, versus an unknown killer who terrorizes the sleepy town of Trevan with a trio of shocking murders.

This is the thread of The Dead Men Grin, a horrifying story so skillfully plotted that it golds you breathless throughout.

WHo set the mysterious that claimed the life of Ben's beautiful cousin? What is the gruesome clue in the grinning faces of the two bodies Ben discovers in a nearby swamp? And why is Ben's own family united against him in a strange conspiracy of silence?

Time runs out fast as Ben finds himself next on the killer's list, and springs his showdown trap in one last-minute desperate gamble.

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1945

About the author

Bruno Fischer was the author of 25 novels and more than 300 short stories, a contributor to "Black Mask" and "Manhunt" magazines, and the uncrowned king of the notorious 'weird menace' pulps. He wrote also as Russell Gray and Harrison Storm.

Reviews

[Tom Britz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Dead Men Grin is my first read from Bruno Fischer, who was a quite popular pulp era noir/detective fiction writer. It is also the first of his Ben Helm detective series. This tale is about a monied and seriously dysfunctional family, which just so happens to be Ben's relations. Ben receives a letter from his aunt telling him (not asking) to arrive the next morning in order to prevent the murder of her brother, Ben's uncle. Ben arrives just in time to see see three people murdered, practically before he gets unpacked. This novel written in 1945 is surprisingly free of offending stereotyping and the mystery is unfolded gradually and solved in the last pages, realistically and satisfactorily. This is a recommended mystery.

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: the first PI Ben Helm story. Crime in a small town. He doesn't want to but eventually agrees to investigate the murder of his cousin.