Any Woman He Wanted

by Harry Whittington, Whit Harrison (psuedonym)

With a new introduction by Ed Gorman

Mike Ballard works homicide, demoted from lieutenant four years ago for accepting bribes. When District Attorney Tom Flynn, who was the one pursuing Ballard, tries to enlist him in his fight against corruption, Ballard wants nothing to do with it.

The next day Flynn turns up dead — with the cops overeager to insist he committed suicide despite the bullet hole in the back of his head. Then there’s Lupe, pregnant by the son of one of the most influential men in town, who wants Ballard's help. And Naomi, who knows exactly what she wants.

There's only so much a man can take, and when Ballard’s drinking friend is threatened and the cops don’t seem interested in giving him protection, Ballard decides to strike back against the new crime machine.

154 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1961

About the author

He also wrote under the names Ashley Carter, Harriet Kathryn Myers, and Blaine Stevens, Curt Colman, John Dexter, Tabor Evans, Whit Harrison, Kel Holland, Suzanne Stephens, Clay Stuart, Hondo Wells, Harry White, Hallam Whitney, Henri Whittier, J.X. Williams.

Harry Whittington (February 4, 1915–June 11, 1989) was an American mystery novelist and one of the original founders of the paperback novel. Born in Ocala, Florida, he worked in government jobs before becoming a writer.

His reputation as a prolific writer of pulp fiction novels is supported by his writing of 85 novels in a span of twelve years (as many as seven in a single month) mostly in the crime, suspense, and noir fiction genres. In total, he published over 200 novels. Seven of his writings were produced for the screen, including the television series Lawman. His reputation for being known as 'The King of the Pulps' is shared with author H. Bedford-Jones. Only a handful of Whittington's novels are in print today.
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Reviews

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this was published by Beacon in 1960 as a sleaze novel, it was originally written by Whittington as sequel to Brute in Brass, which was published by Fawcett Gold Medal. Whittington intended Mike Ballard as a series character but Gold Medal rejected this sequel. The hilarious thing is that anyone buying this based on the cover thinking that they were getting a story about a guy making time with four women was seriously disappointed. There is not so much as a kiss in the entire book. Hard to understand Gold Medal's rejection because this is just about the equal to Brute in Brass. The primary difference is that Any Woman He Wanted is not a noir. It is just a straight ahead crime novel. The novel starts with Ballard, now a homicide detective showing up at the scene of a robbery. A nice set-piece scene that establishes character via action. After that things slow down a bit with Ballard's back story, both pre- and post-Brute in Brass. So we learn more about his history, and for those who have read Brute, we find out what happened after that novel ended. It is now four years later and Ballard is a clean, but hobbled, cop. Enter new plot complications. He meets with the DA, who tries to hire him as a special investigator. Ballard knows that is death warrant and refuses. Next day the DA is dead and it is game on. The rest of the novel tracks Ballard as he battles it out with the new criminals who run the town.

280Steps has re-released this one as an eBook and it is also available in a Stark House edition along with A Night for Screaming.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whittington was one of the great pulp writers of the fifties and sixties. He published over 170 novels, many of them pulp crime fiction as well as westerns and country blues. "Any Woman He Wanted" reprises the character of Mike Ballard from "Brute in Brass," the violent, mean, take-no-prisoners Homicide Detective who, despite being on the take, singlehandedly threw over Luxtro's mob. Four years later, it's still the same corrupt, dirty town but maybe there's a limit to how much of a man's soul can be bought. This is a violent, powerful novel that hits you over the top with the corruption and dirty practices. It's got the young punks, the teenage dolls who cover for the hoods, the rich estates, the kids who are hopped up and doing it for kicks, the honest crusaders, and the dirty officials. But what makes this novel really work is the absolutely relentless pacing as the story builds up to the penultimate confrontation.