County Kill

Brock 'The Rock' Callahan #6

by William Campbell Gault

Brock Callahan doesn’t have many fans left from his glory days on the gridiron. As a matter of fact, Warren Temple Lund III may be the last one. So how can Callahan refuse his request for help? It doesn’t matter that Warren is not quite twelve with assets totaling thirty-two dollars.

Callahan may have a soft spot for kids, but when he sets out to find his client’s missing father, things get nasty indeed. Nobody - not the local police, the rich mother, nor her live-in-love - wants Callahan mixing in. And if he doesn’t watch his step, Callahan may find himself in a county morgue with a tag tied to his big toe . . .

Genres: Mystery

255 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1963

About the author

William Campbell Gault (1910–1995) was a critically acclaimed pulp novelist. Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he took seven years to graduate from high school. Though he was part of a juvenile gang, he wrote poetry in his spare time, signing it with a girl’s name lest one of his friends find it. He sold his first story in 1936, and built a great career writing for pulps like Paris Nights, Scarlet Adventures, and the infamous Black Mask. In 1939, Gault quit his job and started writing fulltime.

When the success of his pulps began to fade in the 1950s, Gault turned to longer fiction, winning an Edgar Award for his first mystery, Don’t Cry for Me (1952), which he wrote in twenty-eight days. He created private detectives Brock Callahan and Joe Puma, and also wrote juvenile sports books like Cut-Rate Quarterback (1977) and Wild Willie, Wide Receiver (1974). His final novel was Dead Pigeon (1992), a Brock Callahan mystery.


Series:
* Brock 'The Rock' Callahan
* Joe Puma

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gault's Brock Callahan, private eye, is in reality ex Los Angeles Rams football star Brock "the Rock" Callahan. Other than the fact this detective is often a recognizable retired athlete with a longstanding fan base, this is a typical pulp-era detective series which the lone detective is operating by himself.

Here, the clever bit is that Brock's client is a teenage boy who idolized Brock and wants him to find his missing father. Much of the action takes place in Santa Barbara's thinly disguised Montecito district which boasts old money wealth even the Kardashians couldn't match. Of course, finding a missing dad also involves a twisted murder, dive bars, and plenty of distrust from anyone Callahan deals with in a racially and economically divided town where he is a complete outsider.

I found it to be a smoothly written and enjoyable read, but not that pulpy or hardboiled. A good read, but nothing to rave about.

[John Marr · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why do mysteries set in Santa Barbara always suck?

[Chris Stephens · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really, really underrated series,
very class conscious,
takes on 50-60s racism head on,
throwback morality on marriage and fidelity,
Gault was of the best imo.

[Kenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brock Callahan on the trail of a murderer. Interesting characters, plot moves along steadily and I did not guess the ending. Callahan meets some interesting ladies in this one and the plot is intricate. Highly recommended.