The Spider Lily

by Bruno Fischer

They were all damned secretive about his wife. So Lily did not show up at the station to greet him. But why that concerted effort to keep him from her? Why did they lie about her?

Genres: Mystery

223 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1953

About the author

Bruno Fischer was the author of 25 novels and more than 300 short stories, a contributor to "Black Mask" and "Manhunt" magazines, and the uncrowned king of the notorious 'weird menace' pulps. He wrote also as Russell Gray and Harrison Storm.

Reviews

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could've been great, but it's overlong and tends to get lost in its own enchantment over the poker/math element. What works best is the core story: guy who might be more than a little tweaked comes back from the army to the wife he knows is probably too fast for him, gets warned by his adopted family that he should leave it be, fails to take the advice, and gets embroiled as the main culprit in not only her murder but a few others. It's pulpy fun, but occasionally frustrating for the choices it makes when less could have been more.

[Orlando Rodriguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book at a mystery bookstore for $2, so I wasn’t expecting much. I was pleasantly surprised to read an engaging murder mystery that keeps you guessing, and surprisingly involves a lot of mental health awareness for its time. I’m giving this more of a 3.5, but not quite a 4. Only reason for that is the way the women are written, and I just didn’t buy the method with which he discovered the killer. Still, very entertaining

[AG Fishman · Rating 4 out of 5]

He loved her and he knew he didn't murder her. But he had a feeling that some old acquaintances of hers, some crooked gamblers, might have. Tense thriller even if a little too reliant on cold hard math...