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A Plot for Murder
An ex-newspaperman finds crime going on, based on radio scripts he wrote.
214 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1949
3 people are currently reading
22 people want to read
About the author
Fredric Brown
805 books353 followersFredric Brown was an American science fiction and mystery writer. He was one of the boldest early writers in genre fiction in his use of narrative experimentation. While never in the front rank of popularity in his lifetime, Brown has developed a considerable cult following in the almost half century since he last wrote. His works have been periodically reprinted and he has a worldwide fan base, most notably in the U.S. and Europe, and especially in France, where there have been several recent movie adaptations of his work. He also remains popular in Japan.
Never financially secure, Brown - like many other pulp writers - often wrote at a furious pace in order to pay bills. This accounts, at least in part, for the uneven quality of his work. A newspaperman by profession, Brown was only able to devote 14 years of his life as a full-time fiction writer. Brown was also a heavy drinker, and this at times doubtless affected his productivity. A cultured man and omnivorous reader whose interests ranged far beyond those of most pulp writers, Brown had a lifelong interest in the flute, chess, poker, and the works of Lewis Carroll. Brown married twice and was the father of two sons.
Never financially secure, Brown - like many other pulp writers - often wrote at a furious pace in order to pay bills. This accounts, at least in part, for the uneven quality of his work. A newspaperman by profession, Brown was only able to devote 14 years of his life as a full-time fiction writer. Brown was also a heavy drinker, and this at times doubtless affected his productivity. A cultured man and omnivorous reader whose interests ranged far beyond those of most pulp writers, Brown had a lifelong interest in the flute, chess, poker, and the works of Lewis Carroll. Brown married twice and was the father of two sons.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 17, 2022
Can murder be fun?
Fredric Brown was a "pulp" writer who is revered by lovers of classic Sci-Fi. I never heard of his off-beat mysteries until they started appearing as Kindle editions and I stumbled onto them. They're unique, to say the least.
Unfortunately, there's little information on Brown and his work and I can't give a date for this book. It's set in New York City in pre-television times. Our hero (using the term very loosely) is Bill Tracy, a former hard-drinking newspaperman who's now a hard-drinking writer for a popular radio soap opera named "Millie's Millions." It's in the tradition of the silent-screen series "The Perils of Pauline" and every episode sees Millie facing new dangers and troubles and (to the huge relief of her fans) surviving by the skin of her teeth. It pays well, but cranking out five inane episodes a week is boring, soul-destroying work.
And so Tracy conceives of another radio show - more literate and intelligent - in which the listener is given the clues to a murder and invited to solve the crime. He's written several episodes and is hoping to sell it to a radio station and be rid of Millie for good. But before he can tell anyone about it, his plots start showing up in real murders. AND they're real murders of people he knows.
In most pulp stories, Tracy would be arrested and beaten up by eager-beaver, not-too-bright cops determined to get a conviction at all costs. Brown rose above the stereotypes and that's what makes his mysteries so intriguing. Inspector Bates is a quiet, shrewd man who suspects that the sea of evidence pointing at Tracy is too good to be true. He's tough, but he wants to arrest the right guy and Tracy remains free to do a bit of investigating on his own. Bumbling, heavy-handed Sergeant Corey lives up to the "dumb cop" stereotype, but he's so thrilled to meet the writer of his favorite radio show that he doesn't give a damn if the guy IS a murderer. After all, New York City sees multiple murders every day. What's one more?
Brown was no slouch at plotting, either, and this one winds around and around. Humor and realistic characters set it apart from the herd. In particular, the two women in Tracy's life provide endless complications and interest. It's the age-old dilemma of a man trying to choose between a kind-hearted, straight-forward gal-pal and a voluptuous, clinging femme-fatale. You know what he'll decide, but it's still great fun to watch. If you love classic mysteries, you shouldn't miss Brown's stuff. If you love good writing, that's reason enough
Fredric Brown was a "pulp" writer who is revered by lovers of classic Sci-Fi. I never heard of his off-beat mysteries until they started appearing as Kindle editions and I stumbled onto them. They're unique, to say the least.
Unfortunately, there's little information on Brown and his work and I can't give a date for this book. It's set in New York City in pre-television times. Our hero (using the term very loosely) is Bill Tracy, a former hard-drinking newspaperman who's now a hard-drinking writer for a popular radio soap opera named "Millie's Millions." It's in the tradition of the silent-screen series "The Perils of Pauline" and every episode sees Millie facing new dangers and troubles and (to the huge relief of her fans) surviving by the skin of her teeth. It pays well, but cranking out five inane episodes a week is boring, soul-destroying work.
And so Tracy conceives of another radio show - more literate and intelligent - in which the listener is given the clues to a murder and invited to solve the crime. He's written several episodes and is hoping to sell it to a radio station and be rid of Millie for good. But before he can tell anyone about it, his plots start showing up in real murders. AND they're real murders of people he knows.
In most pulp stories, Tracy would be arrested and beaten up by eager-beaver, not-too-bright cops determined to get a conviction at all costs. Brown rose above the stereotypes and that's what makes his mysteries so intriguing. Inspector Bates is a quiet, shrewd man who suspects that the sea of evidence pointing at Tracy is too good to be true. He's tough, but he wants to arrest the right guy and Tracy remains free to do a bit of investigating on his own. Bumbling, heavy-handed Sergeant Corey lives up to the "dumb cop" stereotype, but he's so thrilled to meet the writer of his favorite radio show that he doesn't give a damn if the guy IS a murderer. After all, New York City sees multiple murders every day. What's one more?
Brown was no slouch at plotting, either, and this one winds around and around. Humor and realistic characters set it apart from the herd. In particular, the two women in Tracy's life provide endless complications and interest. It's the age-old dilemma of a man trying to choose between a kind-hearted, straight-forward gal-pal and a voluptuous, clinging femme-fatale. You know what he'll decide, but it's still great fun to watch. If you love classic mysteries, you shouldn't miss Brown's stuff. If you love good writing, that's reason enough
January 1, 2022
I decided to start this book between xmas and nye as it was supposed to take place around then but overall the story doesn't involve any of the holiday which was stupid as it would have made bringing people together and well- let's say the author missed an opportunity that would have made this story a lot better. The detective could have watched and made connections at parties; instead he's passing out drunk in a bar.
The basic premise is that Tracey (who writes radio plays) started to work on a set up stories involving murders... and low and behold the stories are coming true. One would think Tracey would want to get this figured out but he's a sap, spending much his times getting blind drunk and passing out. I was about to throw in the towel on the story. Decided to speed read through a lot of useless dialogue and finally another character actually tells him what to do (as in hey why don't you solve this duh) and after a while he actually catches on that he should- but! not until after another character spoon feeds him some info. In the end Tracey does end up solving the murder because he is the only one who would know how all the elements link up, but really... it was a slog to get to this point.
I'm not sure if the story is told in a way that other people (from the time it was written) would find really funny. I didn't find it that funny. I know that Brown does have some other mysteries out there, and I will read a few others before I make a decision about continuing with the author.
End result 3/4 of the book the person we are waiting for to solve the mystery is not solving the mysteries.
The basic premise is that Tracey (who writes radio plays) started to work on a set up stories involving murders... and low and behold the stories are coming true. One would think Tracey would want to get this figured out but he's a sap, spending much his times getting blind drunk and passing out. I was about to throw in the towel on the story. Decided to speed read through a lot of useless dialogue and finally another character actually tells him what to do (as in hey why don't you solve this duh) and after a while he actually catches on that he should- but! not until after another character spoon feeds him some info. In the end Tracey does end up solving the murder because he is the only one who would know how all the elements link up, but really... it was a slog to get to this point.
I'm not sure if the story is told in a way that other people (from the time it was written) would find really funny. I didn't find it that funny. I know that Brown does have some other mysteries out there, and I will read a few others before I make a decision about continuing with the author.
End result 3/4 of the book the person we are waiting for to solve the mystery is not solving the mysteries.
February 13, 2024
Original published as Murder Can Be Fun in 1948, the novel begins with someone dressed as Santa Claus walking the streets of New York City in August. Santa walks into a building, into an office, past a secretary, and shoots a man and his dog. This bizarre crime is heightened when a writer of a radio drama wakes up to read about the crime--which matches one of the premises of a radio thriller he's hoping to create. The title of the show is Murder Can Be Fun.
Pressure falls further upon the writer when a janitor's body is found in a furnace--another premise to his series. Who had the opportunity to read his unseen scripts? Why are they committing these crimes? What story will be the next murder? And how do they know the writer?
Great pacing, great premise, great characters, and a very slick reveal.
This book is absolute aces.
Pressure falls further upon the writer when a janitor's body is found in a furnace--another premise to his series. Who had the opportunity to read his unseen scripts? Why are they committing these crimes? What story will be the next murder? And how do they know the writer?
Great pacing, great premise, great characters, and a very slick reveal.
This book is absolute aces.
February 24, 2025
See review under Frederick Brown, “Murder Can Be Fun”.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews