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A Hearse of a Different Color
A delicious collection of 14 Hitchcockian short stories taken from 1960s and 1970s editions of Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. Ahhh.....sweet dreams. Dream of a Murder by C.B. Gilford ~ The Missing Miles by Arthur Porges ~ Adventure of the Haunted Library by August Derleth ~ An Estimate of Rita by Ed Lacy ~ The Full Treatment by Rog Phillips ~ Another Day, Another Murder by Lawrence Treat ~ The Living Doll by Richard O. Lewis ~ The Flat Male by Frank Sisk ~ Chaviski's Christmas by Edwin P. Hicks ~ The Case of the Helpless Man by Douglas Farr ~ Fat Jow and the Sung Tusk by Robert Alan Blair ~ Echo of a Savage by Robert Edmond Alter ~ The Nonconformist by William R. Coons ~ The Sapphire that Disappeared by James Holding
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First published July 1, 1980
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About the author
Alfred Hitchcock
1,147 books769 followersSir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock KBE (1899-1980) was an iconic and highly influential film director and producer, who pioneered many techniques in the suspense and thriller genres.
Following a very substantial career in his native Britain in both silent films and talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood and became an American citizen with dual nationality in 1956, thus he also remained a British subject.
Hitchcock directed more than fifty feature films in a career which spanned six decades, from the silent film era, through the invention of sound films, and far into the era of colour films. For a complete list of his films, see Alfred Hitchcock filmography.
Hitchcock was among the most consistently recognizable directors to the general public, and was one of the most successful film directors during his lifetime. He continues to be one of the best known and most popular filmmakers of all time.
Following a very substantial career in his native Britain in both silent films and talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood and became an American citizen with dual nationality in 1956, thus he also remained a British subject.
Hitchcock directed more than fifty feature films in a career which spanned six decades, from the silent film era, through the invention of sound films, and far into the era of colour films. For a complete list of his films, see Alfred Hitchcock filmography.
Hitchcock was among the most consistently recognizable directors to the general public, and was one of the most successful film directors during his lifetime. He continues to be one of the best known and most popular filmmakers of all time.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 23, 2017
All of the stories in this one are taken from Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, between 1960 and 1970. It starts off a bit weak with a handful of rather dull and predictable stories before picking up. Lead story “Dream of Murder”, by C.B. Gilford, is a goofy tale about a guy who kills his wife and is plagued by nightmares that eventually tip his hand. Gilford is usually quite good, but this one is a bit... eh. “The Missing Miles” by Arthur Porges is an overly-contrived story about how a businessman murders his partner and covers his tracks by running up miles on his car so that the timing of the murder would’ve been impossible and blah blah blah. It’s a little much. August Derleth’s “Adventure of the Haunted Library” is a Solar Pons tale—Solar Pons being Derleth’s Sherlock Holmes pastiche. Again, not a particularly great story.
But with Ed Lacy’s “An Estimate of Rita”, this collection starts moving in the right direction. The owner of a hunting lodge is witness to a woman rescuing her husband—but are her motivations pure or is there money involved? A solid little suspense story. “The Full Treatment”, by Rog Phillips, continues the upward trend with a story of a man ticketed in a small, corrupt county, and coming to realize the entire place is dead-set on swindling him out of every penny. Lawrence Treat’s “Another Day, Another Murder” is a clever little mystery story.
“The Living Doll”, by Richard O. Lewis, is a decent story, if not a little on the goofy side. “The Flat Male”, by Frank Sisk, is very clever, and so is Edwin P. Hick’s “Chaviski’s Christmas”.
“The Case of the Helpless Man”, by Douglas Farr, has to be one of the most unlikely, ridiculous stories I’ve ever read; and right when this collection was popping on all cylinders, too.
“Fat Jow and the Sung Tusk” was a very good story by Robert Alan Blair about a Chinese herbalist tracking down a missing artifact in San Francisco’s Chinatown and running afoul of a Red Chinese plot. Liked this one a lot.
I knew Robert Edmond Alter from his novels CARNY KILL and SWAMP SISTER, so I was excited to read “Echo of a Savage”—it was a solid story of a swamp-dweller who outsmarts a gang of bank robbers.
“The Non-Conformist”, by William R. Coons, had an ending that seemed telegraphed from the first sentence.
The collection ends on a high note with the clever little mystery story “That Sapphire That Disappeared”, by James Holding—a simple but fun tale about a husband and wife detective team who solve the case of a missing jewel while on vacation in Buenos Aires.
So, stand-out stories: “The Full Treatment”, “Fat Jow and the Sung Tusk”, and “Echo of a Savage”.
But with Ed Lacy’s “An Estimate of Rita”, this collection starts moving in the right direction. The owner of a hunting lodge is witness to a woman rescuing her husband—but are her motivations pure or is there money involved? A solid little suspense story. “The Full Treatment”, by Rog Phillips, continues the upward trend with a story of a man ticketed in a small, corrupt county, and coming to realize the entire place is dead-set on swindling him out of every penny. Lawrence Treat’s “Another Day, Another Murder” is a clever little mystery story.
“The Living Doll”, by Richard O. Lewis, is a decent story, if not a little on the goofy side. “The Flat Male”, by Frank Sisk, is very clever, and so is Edwin P. Hick’s “Chaviski’s Christmas”.
“The Case of the Helpless Man”, by Douglas Farr, has to be one of the most unlikely, ridiculous stories I’ve ever read; and right when this collection was popping on all cylinders, too.
“Fat Jow and the Sung Tusk” was a very good story by Robert Alan Blair about a Chinese herbalist tracking down a missing artifact in San Francisco’s Chinatown and running afoul of a Red Chinese plot. Liked this one a lot.
I knew Robert Edmond Alter from his novels CARNY KILL and SWAMP SISTER, so I was excited to read “Echo of a Savage”—it was a solid story of a swamp-dweller who outsmarts a gang of bank robbers.
“The Non-Conformist”, by William R. Coons, had an ending that seemed telegraphed from the first sentence.
The collection ends on a high note with the clever little mystery story “That Sapphire That Disappeared”, by James Holding—a simple but fun tale about a husband and wife detective team who solve the case of a missing jewel while on vacation in Buenos Aires.
So, stand-out stories: “The Full Treatment”, “Fat Jow and the Sung Tusk”, and “Echo of a Savage”.
September 24, 2017
Having been a fan of Alfred Hitchcock during my teens, watching several of his movies, and reading most of his collections of stories (by other writers), I picked this one up after a gap of over 40 years.
I immediately realized how far apart I had grown from that teen reader, how my current expectations of character and language had ratcheted up. No fault of Mr. Hitchcock, whose collections remain rooted in the '60's and '70's, especially this one, where the accent is on plot, where character is sacrificed for the macabre, where the language and voice varies by individual author. The quality of the stories also vary: some excellent, others okay, and some worth a miss. And yet the tongue-in-cheek humour is still there, the twist at the end, the surreal situation from which escape comes only at a personal cost; these things had kept me spellbound once, now they only came across as contrivances. Suspense literature has moved forward in the intervening years, and these plot lines have become the baseline for later stories that I have read, albeit taken to a higher level.
Call me a literary snob, but this time around I was underwhelmed, although reading this book was a welcome escape into the past, a safe place, despite Mr. Hitchcock's diabolical plots.
I immediately realized how far apart I had grown from that teen reader, how my current expectations of character and language had ratcheted up. No fault of Mr. Hitchcock, whose collections remain rooted in the '60's and '70's, especially this one, where the accent is on plot, where character is sacrificed for the macabre, where the language and voice varies by individual author. The quality of the stories also vary: some excellent, others okay, and some worth a miss. And yet the tongue-in-cheek humour is still there, the twist at the end, the surreal situation from which escape comes only at a personal cost; these things had kept me spellbound once, now they only came across as contrivances. Suspense literature has moved forward in the intervening years, and these plot lines have become the baseline for later stories that I have read, albeit taken to a higher level.
Call me a literary snob, but this time around I was underwhelmed, although reading this book was a welcome escape into the past, a safe place, despite Mr. Hitchcock's diabolical plots.
January 20, 2018
Imagine my excitement when I discovered this absolutely delightful, first edition sitting in my grandma's bookshelf. A quick check revealed it belonged to my uncle, and I can have it, if I want it!! If you enjoy the macabre, the twists and the unexpected, then you must absolutely read this book. It contains novelettes and stories by the masters of macabre. No demise is necessary to enjoy the spellbinding writing talents in this book.
February 7, 2019
Above average stories for that era and genre, but who would expect less from Hitchcock.
A couple of clunkers, but there's some in every collection, and some real gems. It's a great bathroom book. LOL
A couple of clunkers, but there's some in every collection, and some real gems. It's a great bathroom book. LOL
February 11, 2020
I loved this collection! While there were some duds for me, the ones I ended up really enjoying were: “Dream of a Murder,” “The Full Treatment,” “The Living Doll,” “The Flat Male,” and “The Case of the Helpless Man.”
I love how some of these stories had Twilight Zone vibes (they would make excellent episodes). Some twists I predicted but others caught me by surprise! I loved Hitchcock’s introduction as well.
I found two other anthologies from the closed bookstore, so I’m def looking forward to reading more!
I love how some of these stories had Twilight Zone vibes (they would make excellent episodes). Some twists I predicted but others caught me by surprise! I loved Hitchcock’s introduction as well.
I found two other anthologies from the closed bookstore, so I’m def looking forward to reading more!
October 15, 2023
Another great collection without a dud in the bunch.Notables are Dream of a Murder by CB Gilford about a man who thinks he got away with murdering his wife. Another Day, Another Murder by Lawrence Treat, two detectives with a murder case that links up with a box that was found in an abandoned home, has an interesting ending. Also enjoyed Frank Sisk's The Flat Male, a widower going to an undertaker to bury her husband turns out to be part of a plan.
Highly recommended, enjoyed all the stories, a really nice collection.
Highly recommended, enjoyed all the stories, a really nice collection.
February 18, 2023
Nice anthology of crime fiction, not all of which involve murder or grisly circumstances. Look for August Derleth's Sherlock Holmes-homage, Solar Pons, and check out the story by Rog Phillips, who I mostly remember for science fiction work in the 60s. All in all, not a bad read.
March 10, 2020
It’s hard to judge this book. I would say about two or three of the short stories were good but the others I did not enjoy. Will probably not look into more Hitchcock. At times I felt like it was a bit boring. This book was not for me.
April 14, 2021
An interesting selection of short stories. I used to have the book as a teenager and still found some of the stories quite enjoyable, if a bit dated.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews