Play Now... Kill Later

Rick Holman

by Carter Brown

The

Antonia, tall and elegant, looking like an Egyptian Pharaoh's dream of bliss after a hard day at the pyramides.
"Any friend of Pop is a friend of mine. If you don't like his plays, let's discuss them in bed. I'm sure I can change your mind!."

Sandy, blond, bountiful in body, a pretty face, and a private eye to boot,
"Twenty-three years old and just one small birthmark strategically located. You've seen the rest already!"

Jackie, mistress of the moment to anyone with the time.
"Nobody says we have to get involved, just research a little and we'll both know if anything zings between us!"

Helen, graying, middle ages and wearing a bullet hole over her left eye. She could have said a lot, but kept silent. Supported by a variety of males, some scared, some stupid, some stoned, and all trouble.

Starting Rick Holman, the most important man to know in Hollywood, especially when you're being blackmailed.

Genres: Pulp

Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1966

About the author

Carter Brown was the pseudonym of Alan Geoffrey Yates (1923-1985), who was born in London and educated in Essex.

He married Denise Mackellar and worked as a sound engineer for Gaumont-British films before moving to Australia and taking up work in public relations.

In 1953 he became a full-time writer and produced nearly 200 novels between then and his retirement in 1981.

He also wrote as Tex Conrad and Caroline Farr.

His series heroes were Larry Baker, Danny Boyd, Paul Donavan, Rick Holman, Andy Kane, Randy Roberts, Mavis Siedlitz and Al Wheeler.

Reviews

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rafe Kendall is a successful playwright who has made millions off his talent and skill to be a renowned and respected person in the entertainment industry, all of which is thrown into jeopardy when a talent agent threatens to expose him as a fraud; with concrete evidence that Kendall has plagiarized one of his most successful plays.

Of course, the allegations could all 'go-away' if Kendall is willing to pay a hefty price to keep his secret safe.

Sounds like blackmail, smells like blackmail...

Enter PI to the stars, Rick Holman; hired by Kendall to locate the blackmailer and clear Kendall's name.

Play Now, Kill Later doesn't feel like the typical Rick Holman novel but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable. The PI to the stars has to literately feel his way around a bevy of females all suspected of playing a part in the allegation against Kendall and all have something to gain by doing so.

Riding / feeling his way through each bump and curve, Rick Holman eventually achieves a climax that is sure to rock the playwrights world.

My rating: 4/5 stars. For the most part, this was a pretty straight forward read and then the whodunit aspect really kicked into high gear making Play Now, Kill Later one of the more enjoyable Carter Brown mysteries.

[Patrick Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A phenomenal 127 paged read from 1966 that has a detective hired to investigate who is blackmailing a successful playwright. The writer's recent play is a smash that will earn him a cool million dollars. He's received a call that someone has proof--a copy of an earlier play--that this smash was plagiarized. If the writer doesn't pay in 72 hours, the press will be contacted.

Rick Holman is a no-nonsense PI who likes the ladies and his liquor, but won't allow either to interfere with him discovering the truth. Every suspect has a reason for blackmailing Rafe Kendall and it seems like a simple case to solve, until someone turns up dead.

This is exactly what I wanted from this novel: a gruff sleuth, a frantic client, and characters with many secrets. The revealed killer makes sense, but the scheming that occurs after the revelation was a sensational twist.

I will be looking for other novels by Carter Brown to read.

[SB · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this in a used bookstore in FW last week after a depo. It's my first Carter Brown and my first Rick Holman. I'm sure I'll read many more of both. I started it just before a haircut on Saturday and finished it mid-afternoon on a Sunday. I like that Holman is a fixer for Hollywood elites (I think) but he isn't given a ton of personality beyond the standard Quasi-Hedonistic Drinker Tough All-Business Sleuth type. Involves a basic plot--a successful playwright is blackmailed with a threat to wrongfully reveal that he's a plagiarist--with a convoluted payoff--the playwright set the plot into motion himself with the goal of (I think) casting suspicious and tension on his friends and extended family because he secretly hates them but can't bring himself to tell them to screw off. The rationale is explained in the final act, but I still don't think it makes much sense. In any event, this has a crime story cliche, albeit one I don't personally see in novels that often (although I know it happens all the time), which is the climactic "get all of the suspects in the room together and announce that the MURDERER IS IN THIS ROOM to smoke him or her out." It was definitely effective, and a fun way to end a quick-paced book with a host of quirky characters. Not sure what I'm reading next. Maybe another Shell? Although I found a city-based noir anthology series today that has a Dallas Noir entry, which i just bought. So maybe that? Heading to Breckenridge in two days, which has an awesome used bookstore I want to spend some time in.