Adventures of Paul Pry: A Dime Detective Book

by Erle Stanley Gardner

A collection of stories of Paul Pry, the suave adventurer, and his companion Mugs Magoo, a one-armed ex-cop with a photographic memory

Paperback

First published February 1, 1991

About the author

Erle Stanley Gardner was an American lawyer and author of detective stories who also published under the pseudonyms A.A. Fair, Kyle Corning, Charles M. Green, Carleton Kendrake, Charles J. Kenny, Les Tillray, and Robert Parr.

Innovative and restless in his nature, he was bored by the routine of legal practice, the only part of which he enjoyed was trial work and the development of trial strategy. In his spare time, he began to write for pulp magazines, which also fostered the early careers of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. He created many different series characters for the pulps, including the ingenious Lester Leith, a "gentleman thief" in the tradition of Raffles, and Ken Corning, a crusading lawyer who was the archetype of his most successful creation, the fictional lawyer and crime-solver Perry Mason, about whom he wrote more than eighty novels. With the success of Perry Mason, he gradually reduced his contributions to the pulp magazines, eventually withdrawing from the medium entirely, except for non-fiction articles on travel, Western history, and forensic science.

See more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erle_Sta...

Reviews

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of early pulp stories featuring Paul Pry by author Gardner, gather posthumously. Amusing period pieces, with references to prohibition and $5 barnstorming plane rides. Paul Pry is an opportunist who makes a living skinning crooks. He hijacks their loot and lets a cop turn it in and get credit for a split of the reward. Short stories are fun reads with Mission Impossible plots.

Early pulp stories - Paul Pry, one of Gardner's least known and strangest characters is showcased for the first time in this short story collection which was first published as a collection after Gardner's death. The Crime Juggler - a plot to switch shipments/ The Racket Buster - an armored truck is hijacked / The Daisy Pusher - a double crosser gets double-crossed / Wiker Gets the Works - A hired gun gets imported from Chicago / A Double Deal in Diamonds - A jewelry hijacking is anticipated / Slick and Clean - a rescued maiden thinks she's pulling a fast one / Hell's Danger Signal - a gangster in the closet is a pack rat/ Dressed to Kill - dressing as a robber at a masquerade can be dangerous / The Cross-Stitch Killer - extortionist sews victims' lips closed.

[Maryjane Nordgren · Rating 2 out of 5]

disappointing writing and stories

[Rachael · Rating 1 out of 5]

did not enjoy this book. repetitive stories, and too old school. it was sexist and racist, and didn't have any classic charm to excuse that.

[Dave Porta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This 352-page 2000 Trade Paperback published by House of Stratus collects nine of the twenty-seven pulp magazine stories of Pry and sidekick Mugs Magoo. Pry in particular foils the schemes of nemesis Big Front Gilvray because BF's real name is Benjamin Franklin, and Pry takes offense that so great a name is defiled by the gangster's corrupt deeds. Inspectors Quigley and Oakley are generic authorities with whom Pry splits the reward, and gives all the credit while taking all the risk.

These nine stories are:

"The Crime Juggler"
"The Racket Buster"
"The Daisy Pusher"
"Wiker Gets the Works"
"A Double Deal in Diamonds"
"Slick and Clean"
"Hell's Danger Signal"
"Dressed to Kill"
"The Cross-Stitch Killer"

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Volume 1 contains five stories featuring Paul Pry and his assistant the one-armed former cop, Mugs Magoo.