In the Vanishing Room

by Robert Colby

''You asked my business, '' remarked Dasher, ''and I told you that I m a trouble-shooter. I shoot trouble - with this.'' He waved the .45. ''And you re trouble. My client asked that you both be removed, and I m most obliging, you see, at a price.''

''Why?'' cried Marian. ''Why should he want us killed?''

''I don t know, '' said Dasher. ''I have no idea. Those things are never of interest to me. I have clients all over the country who send people to me. I never ask why. I ask, how much will you pay? That s what I ask. Some people come higher than others. It depends on their importance. And believe me, this is not an expensive job, as they go. You ll hardly be missed.''

He called to his assistant. ''Go get the tarp. The gentleman will go first. I m in no hurry with the lady.'' He gave Marian a lewd grin.

130 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1961

About the author

American novelist and crime thriller paperback genre and short story writer. Colby wrote novels for a number of the paperback houses including Gold Medal, which published his most praised novel, The Captain Must Die. He was also a prolific contributor of short stories to Alfred Hitchcock and Mike Shayne's mystery magazines. Many of these have gathered into two published collections of his stories. Colby also wrote a non-fiction true crime book, The California Crime Book, and co-authored a 'Nick Carter' book, The Death's Head Conspiracy, with Gary Brandner. Author Ed Gorman believed "Robert Colby was one of the best of the paperback original writers".

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

Colby starts this short novel off with an interesting sequence with Norris, a down on his luck guy flying to New York fir one last chance interview, chance meeting a bombshell at the airport, Eileen Taggart. They have drinks at her apartment and then things turn quite screwy. She’s after something besides his irresistible sex appeal.

This is another one of those novels about a mysterious package that everyone wants at whatever cost. Pretty soon, Taggart is up to his eyeballs in trouble and corpses and nothing makes any sense to him at any point along the way.

Colby does a great job starting this out with the femme fatale and the mysterious package, but he kind of gets too clever after that and too mysterious.

By the way, the flip side of the original Ace double is Trimble’s The Surfside Caper.

[Edwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Half of a Ace Double from 1961 telling the story of Paul Norris, a down-on-his-luck business man, traveling to NYC for a job interview when unbeknownst to him a highly valued receipt is planted on him. A woman, forewarned that Norris is carrying the receipt, meets him at the airport and hapless Norris, hoping to score, inadvertently gets involved in a criminal smuggling conspiracy. Failing to score, Norris decides to take advantage of the situation by trying to take a cut of the valuable cargo and then gets himself involved way over his head. Norris is very believable character, motivated by sex and money, and turns out to be less hapless than I had initially assumed. The short novel is a taut rollercoaster of chases and twists and turns. Highly recommended.

[Jan Moens · Rating 5 out of 5]

8,5/10