Hangman's Harvest

Milo March Mysteries #1

by M.E. Chaber, Robert McGinnis (Illustrator)

Milo March, a tough private eye from Denver, is sent to Aragon City (which could be Hollywood) to help the City Betterment Committee wipe out the gangsters and hoodlums controlling brothels, bookies, gamblers, shady nightclubs, and the dope traffic. He just has to uncover "Mr. X," the mystery man who's been raking in a tidy little income by providing protection to the Syndicate. But can Milo accomplish that without stumbling over something even more dangerous-like who pays Mr. X, and why?Milo is well equipped for the job. He has plenty of gall, good looks, an unlimited expense account, a fishtail Cadillac, and ample experience with lawbreakers-and beautiful, willing women, of whom there are several, but only one who is the girl next door. As March starts his snooping, he is surprised to discover a sexy, naked blonde in his hotel room. And there are other, more painful things complicating his life-things like beatings and fistfights and gun battles, and a blow he never saw coming."Sentence by sentence, this is a strongly readable book." -New York Herald Tribune Book Review"The established pattern of California coast crime-political graft, dope, and prostitution-with a fall guy introduced to clean it up. Milo March, hired by the Civic Betterment Committee, fouls up with the brains and muscle men when he spies on his assignment before he is due, latches onto cultured hoods and tough racket boys-and pays off from syndicate roughing up to cards down." -Kirkus Reviews

160 pages

About the author

Pseudonym of Kendell Foster Crossen.

Reviews

[John Marr · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pleasant little soft-boiled romp, only slightly-soiled by a too-noir ending. Recommended to (I think it's better) to Shell Scott fans, unless you can't take your detectives without a mega-side orders of mammaries.

[Aaron Oliver · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hangman’s Harvest has our protagonist loaned out from the company he works for (does not say as what), to a small coastal California town full of gangsters and corrupt politicians. It seems a local group of businessmen and women want to clean up their city. They want March to find only the crooked folks in government. Once they can ferret out those dishonest souls, they can push the crime lords out of town.