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David Wintino #1
Collectible Ed Lacy LEAD WITH YOUR LEFT First edition 1957 Harper Detective Novel
Discover the charm and allure of this carefully preserved gem, steeped in history and rich with knowledge. This rare and vintage book is a perfect addition to any bibliophile's collection, offering a unique insight into the era it hails from. Its pages hold more than just words; they are a testimony to the passage of time, holding stories within stories that transport readers back in time. This piece of literary history awaits its new home. Please note, being an antique item, minor signs of age and use are part of its unique charm."
499 pages, Hardcover
First published January 23, 1956
2 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
About the author
Ed Lacy
102 books10 followersEd Lacy was the pseudonymn of Leonard (Len) S Zinberg, who was born in New York City on 25 August 1925. After his mother and father had divorced and his mother remarried, he spent his early years living in relative affluence in the outskirts of Harlem.
During the late 1920s, he attended the College of the City of New York and then, in the 1930s he travelled throughout the United States where he had a variety of odd jobs, including working as a butcher, to support himself. In the early 1940s, he returned to New York, where he married and resided for the rest of his life.
Back in New York, he was a freelance writer and some of his early published work emerged in literary journals, such as a short story titled 'A Leaner' in 'Story Magazine' in November 1936. He was also a member of the League of American Writers, on whose committee, 'Keep America Out of War Committee', he served in January 1940 during the period of the Hitler-Stalin pact.
During World War II he was Private First Class Len Zinberg, serving with the Allies’ 1943 push into Fascist Italy. As PFC Zinberg he had a story titled 'Timing' in the men’s magazine, 'Sir!' in October 1942 and his early detective story 'Pay Telephone' appeared with James M. Cain in 'Popular Detective' in October 1943.
In addition, in the 25 October 1943 issue of 'The New Republic', he won a Soldiers' Prose competition and published a war sketch. His war sketches also appeared in 'Yank', whose motto was 'written by the men ... for men in the service'.
He was later promoted to Sergeant and as such he wrote the scathing satire 'Welcome Home' about a GI returning to his childhood home and a second 'Yank' article recorded the reception in Rome on VJ-Day where 'most people were merely smiling quietly.'
And it was probably the contributions he made to such as 'Yank' and 'The New Republic' that paved the way for his 18 New Yorker pieces, published between 1945 and 1947, which in turn were instrumental in promoting his professional writing career.
As a marketing ploy he adopted Steve April as a pseudonym and he was able to
sell more stories to markets such as 'Esquire' and 'Colliers'. As Steve April he also wrote text for comic strips such as Ranger Comics (1946) and Fight Comics (1951) and a novel, Exit 13 (1954).
The Ed Lacy pseudonymn came about when the original paperback (rather than historic reprints) boom hit America and this presented him with a more lucrative writing opportunity as he turned dedicatedly to detective fiction.
His first published crime and detective novel, 'The Woman Aroused', followed in 1951 and this began an output that totalled 28 novels as well as many short stories, his 'New York Times' obituary suggested 'many hundreds', until his early death in 1968. He also wrote on boxing, both in his novels and historically.
His early books often had lurid titles and he was known to remark, 'Yes, the title made me grit my teeth, too' and the often sexy cover art perhaps did not do these books the justice they deserved as professionally they were regarded as being well written and solidly plotted.
By the mid-1950s, however, he realised he had established a strong presence in the paperback original market so in 1955 he was able to sign with the more prestigious Harper to bring out his works in hardcover and 'The Best That Ever Did It' (1955) gave him his first solid recognition as the book went into a second printing.
Included in his novel output were three separate series of detective novels featuring Dave Wintino, Toussaint Moore and Lee Hayes. A white American himself, Lacy is credited with creating 'the first credible African-American PI' in American fiction, Toussaint "Touie" Marcus Moore. His first novel featuring Moore, 'Room to Swing' (1957) won the 1958 Edgar Award for Best Novel and this clearly marked the high point of his writing career.
His short stories continued to be reprinted in Ellery Queen's Magazine and in var
During the late 1920s, he attended the College of the City of New York and then, in the 1930s he travelled throughout the United States where he had a variety of odd jobs, including working as a butcher, to support himself. In the early 1940s, he returned to New York, where he married and resided for the rest of his life.
Back in New York, he was a freelance writer and some of his early published work emerged in literary journals, such as a short story titled 'A Leaner' in 'Story Magazine' in November 1936. He was also a member of the League of American Writers, on whose committee, 'Keep America Out of War Committee', he served in January 1940 during the period of the Hitler-Stalin pact.
During World War II he was Private First Class Len Zinberg, serving with the Allies’ 1943 push into Fascist Italy. As PFC Zinberg he had a story titled 'Timing' in the men’s magazine, 'Sir!' in October 1942 and his early detective story 'Pay Telephone' appeared with James M. Cain in 'Popular Detective' in October 1943.
In addition, in the 25 October 1943 issue of 'The New Republic', he won a Soldiers' Prose competition and published a war sketch. His war sketches also appeared in 'Yank', whose motto was 'written by the men ... for men in the service'.
He was later promoted to Sergeant and as such he wrote the scathing satire 'Welcome Home' about a GI returning to his childhood home and a second 'Yank' article recorded the reception in Rome on VJ-Day where 'most people were merely smiling quietly.'
And it was probably the contributions he made to such as 'Yank' and 'The New Republic' that paved the way for his 18 New Yorker pieces, published between 1945 and 1947, which in turn were instrumental in promoting his professional writing career.
As a marketing ploy he adopted Steve April as a pseudonym and he was able to
sell more stories to markets such as 'Esquire' and 'Colliers'. As Steve April he also wrote text for comic strips such as Ranger Comics (1946) and Fight Comics (1951) and a novel, Exit 13 (1954).
The Ed Lacy pseudonymn came about when the original paperback (rather than historic reprints) boom hit America and this presented him with a more lucrative writing opportunity as he turned dedicatedly to detective fiction.
His first published crime and detective novel, 'The Woman Aroused', followed in 1951 and this began an output that totalled 28 novels as well as many short stories, his 'New York Times' obituary suggested 'many hundreds', until his early death in 1968. He also wrote on boxing, both in his novels and historically.
His early books often had lurid titles and he was known to remark, 'Yes, the title made me grit my teeth, too' and the often sexy cover art perhaps did not do these books the justice they deserved as professionally they were regarded as being well written and solidly plotted.
By the mid-1950s, however, he realised he had established a strong presence in the paperback original market so in 1955 he was able to sign with the more prestigious Harper to bring out his works in hardcover and 'The Best That Ever Did It' (1955) gave him his first solid recognition as the book went into a second printing.
Included in his novel output were three separate series of detective novels featuring Dave Wintino, Toussaint Moore and Lee Hayes. A white American himself, Lacy is credited with creating 'the first credible African-American PI' in American fiction, Toussaint "Touie" Marcus Moore. His first novel featuring Moore, 'Room to Swing' (1957) won the 1958 Edgar Award for Best Novel and this clearly marked the high point of his writing career.
His short stories continued to be reprinted in Ellery Queen's Magazine and in var
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 23, 2024
Liking noir this is the real stuff.
Yeah, not bad but the very end is a bit too much. And I really couldn't understand what's going on with Rose. Didn't she come didn't make too much sense unless I'm reading it wrong. She should have been there at the end. Otherwise, pretty good, moved right along.
Yeah, not bad but the very end is a bit too much. And I really couldn't understand what's going on with Rose. Didn't she come didn't make too much sense unless I'm reading it wrong. She should have been there at the end. Otherwise, pretty good, moved right along.
January 15, 2010
I don't know why I've only read one of Lacy's novels. His stories are pulp, that's for sure. The mystery is relatively simple, the plot straight forward. But he's got some interesting characters, and the lives they lead don't always wind up for the best.
In this novel, Dave Wintino is the youngest detective on the New York City Police force. He was once a boxer and had a lot of odd jobs before deciding to become a cop. It was a lucky collar that brought him quickly into the rank of detective, and he gets a lot of gruff for it. Mostly from his wife, an advertising executive who thinks that being a cop is no way for a man to live his life. This is a much different world than the one I live in, where cops are heroes and to decide to be one is a decision not take lightly. It's not glamorous but it's also not something to be ashamed of. Mary Wintino is ashamed of her husband's profession. It's a strain on their marriage, on their life, and it is this strain that frames the novel's mystery.
The mystery itself is all right. It moves fast and when we finally meet the killer it is obvious what he is, even if the detective doesn't see it yet. In fact, when he gets his collar at the end, it's only partly because he worked so hard on his own to get it. He stumbles across it, the same way he stumbled across the man who earned him his detective shield before the novel even opens.
But the plot of the novel isn't what intrigued me. What I enjoyed most was the family drama that played out in the middle of the story of a detective looking for a killer. And most especially the sadness of the ending. The realism of the ending. Lacy reminds me of Jim Thompson in that respect. His novels don't always end well, not with a happy ending, anyway. They end with gritty realism and clawed determination that the characters will continue to fight for their existence in the miserable, dirty world in which they live.
The novel doesn't end with a happy reconciliation. It ends with the dissolution of a marriage and the main character literally alone in his hospital bed recovering from a gunshot wound to the belly. That's realism, gritty pulp fiction. I'll keep reading Lacy, and maybe discover more pulp fiction in the process.
In this novel, Dave Wintino is the youngest detective on the New York City Police force. He was once a boxer and had a lot of odd jobs before deciding to become a cop. It was a lucky collar that brought him quickly into the rank of detective, and he gets a lot of gruff for it. Mostly from his wife, an advertising executive who thinks that being a cop is no way for a man to live his life. This is a much different world than the one I live in, where cops are heroes and to decide to be one is a decision not take lightly. It's not glamorous but it's also not something to be ashamed of. Mary Wintino is ashamed of her husband's profession. It's a strain on their marriage, on their life, and it is this strain that frames the novel's mystery.
The mystery itself is all right. It moves fast and when we finally meet the killer it is obvious what he is, even if the detective doesn't see it yet. In fact, when he gets his collar at the end, it's only partly because he worked so hard on his own to get it. He stumbles across it, the same way he stumbled across the man who earned him his detective shield before the novel even opens.
But the plot of the novel isn't what intrigued me. What I enjoyed most was the family drama that played out in the middle of the story of a detective looking for a killer. And most especially the sadness of the ending. The realism of the ending. Lacy reminds me of Jim Thompson in that respect. His novels don't always end well, not with a happy ending, anyway. They end with gritty realism and clawed determination that the characters will continue to fight for their existence in the miserable, dirty world in which they live.
The novel doesn't end with a happy reconciliation. It ends with the dissolution of a marriage and the main character literally alone in his hospital bed recovering from a gunshot wound to the belly. That's realism, gritty pulp fiction. I'll keep reading Lacy, and maybe discover more pulp fiction in the process.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 6, 2014
Ed Lacy is almost a forgotten writer now.
But he should not be.
To this reader, it seems as if each line is interesting.
He says a lot with few words.
This story is about Dave Wintino. At 21, he is the youngest
detective in the NYPD. He is agressive, crude and hard-driving on
a case.
"When some slob tries to low-rate me, I belt him," he says.
This is not attractive to this reader. It seems brutal and
limited.
But Dave is also capable of feeling.
When a retired cop is gunned down in a senseless killing, the
image stays in his head. He sees himself forty years later, with few
people caring.
His sergeant says "Got news for you, kid. The cemeteries are full
of ex-cops."
But this case gets under Dave's skin.
His wife is a smart college-educated advertising secretary who
wants to move up the corporate ladder. She and Dave butt heads
about their values. She wants to change him.
Dave, with his common sense, knows that this will not work.
Lacy's fine and sure writing lifts this book above the ordinary.
He shows Dave interviewing all those who knew the dead ex-cop.
Lacy shows their dreams and their reality in a wide-ranging and
open style.
As stated, none of this is dull, to this reader.
Dave also champions a Latina woman writer who is trying to expose
corrupt business practices. The companies hire private detectives who
physically shove her around on the street.
Dave steps in and risks his body and his career to protect her.
When one detective uses a harsh racial term about her, Dave
rebukes him. As a man who is Jewish and Italian, he has already
spoken out against racism.
This sounds quite modern to this reader.
But the book was written in 1956.
Lacy's talent seems to make the years fall away.
Lacy was himself Jewish and married to a Black woman. He created
what may be the first Black private eye in his other books.
His heroes always fight racism.
Whenever this reader sees an Ed Lacy book, he buys it.
Every book is a pleasure to read.
---- Frank Hickey, writer of the Max Royster crime novels
of Pigtown Books.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews