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A Night for Screaming
The noir classic by the author whom Joe R. Lansdale calls "the king of plot and pace."
With a new introduction by Bill Crider, author of the Sheriff Dan Rhodes series.
Ex-cop Mitch Walker is on the run after being wrongfully accused of murder. So Walker hops a train and ends up in a small town in Kansas, where he signs up to work at a huge farm owned by Barton M. Cassel, the big man in the county.
The farm looks like a good place to hide out from Fred Palmer, his pursuer and former partner, and the local cops, but Walker soon finds himself caught between the jealous battle of his new employer, and Cassel's beautiful wife, Eve. And one way or the other, nobody leaves the farm...
Praise for A Night for Screaming:
"The damned thing is almost on fire, it reads so fast."
Ed Gorman
“I bought the book, went home, and read it in one sitting because, what else could I do? That's the kind of book it is”
Bill Crider
"A Night for Screaming...ranks high among Whittington's finest work."
Bill Pronzini
With a new introduction by Bill Crider, author of the Sheriff Dan Rhodes series.
Ex-cop Mitch Walker is on the run after being wrongfully accused of murder. So Walker hops a train and ends up in a small town in Kansas, where he signs up to work at a huge farm owned by Barton M. Cassel, the big man in the county.
The farm looks like a good place to hide out from Fred Palmer, his pursuer and former partner, and the local cops, but Walker soon finds himself caught between the jealous battle of his new employer, and Cassel's beautiful wife, Eve. And one way or the other, nobody leaves the farm...
Praise for A Night for Screaming:
"The damned thing is almost on fire, it reads so fast."
Ed Gorman
“I bought the book, went home, and read it in one sitting because, what else could I do? That's the kind of book it is”
Bill Crider
"A Night for Screaming...ranks high among Whittington's finest work."
Bill Pronzini
153 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1960
About the author
Harry Whittington
180 books42 followersHe also wrote under the names Ashley Carter, Harriet Kathryn Myers, and Blaine Stevens, Curt Colman, John Dexter, Tabor Evans, Whit Harrison, Kel Holland, Suzanne Stephens, Clay Stuart, Hondo Wells, Harry White, Hallam Whitney, Henri Whittier, J.X. Williams.
Harry Whittington (February 4, 1915–June 11, 1989) was an American mystery novelist and one of the original founders of the paperback novel. Born in Ocala, Florida, he worked in government jobs before becoming a writer.
His reputation as a prolific writer of pulp fiction novels is supported by his writing of 85 novels in a span of twelve years (as many as seven in a single month) mostly in the crime, suspense, and noir fiction genres. In total, he published over 200 novels. Seven of his writings were produced for the screen, including the television series Lawman. His reputation for being known as 'The King of the Pulps' is shared with author H. Bedford-Jones. Only a handful of Whittington's novels are in print today.
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Harry Whittington (February 4, 1915–June 11, 1989) was an American mystery novelist and one of the original founders of the paperback novel. Born in Ocala, Florida, he worked in government jobs before becoming a writer.
His reputation as a prolific writer of pulp fiction novels is supported by his writing of 85 novels in a span of twelve years (as many as seven in a single month) mostly in the crime, suspense, and noir fiction genres. In total, he published over 200 novels. Seven of his writings were produced for the screen, including the television series Lawman. His reputation for being known as 'The King of the Pulps' is shared with author H. Bedford-Jones. Only a handful of Whittington's novels are in print today.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 28, 2020
Harry Whittington was nicknamed the King of the Paperbacks, having penned over 170 of them in his lifetime. He was also one of the greatest of the pulp writers of the fifties and captured the essence of the pulpy feel almost effortlessly. “A Night For Screaming” is without question a five-star read.
It is filled with the sense of desperation, the sense of nowhere to turn to, down on your luck with the whole world turned against you. The backdrop is a hot, dusty, world where the protagonist drifts penniless and with the law after him for a murder he didn’t do, but how the hell is going to prove it. He is just running “like a conditioned mouse in a maze.”
He can’t even bum a quarter from a lady on the main street without having her act like he’s crazy – even when “she looked like the busty, leggy brand of chick that got spoken to by any man with energy enough to open his mouth, which was just about what [he] had left.” “She had the arrogant look of the spoiled babe who has learned to take everything that isn’t freely rendered to her; laughter didn’t come easy to her unless there was a knife in it.” Ouch. This is without doubt a vicious little femme fatale. And that’s before he knows that Eve Cassell is the feudal lord’s wife, waving a whiskey bottle around and dressed in a blue nightgown and that “she’s a dame no ten men could ever satisfy.” And the men in this book. “Nothing organically wrong with them,” but what they “suffered was a virus of the soul.”
This book is a gem. The plot may not be that complex, but Whittington fills it with descriptions of desperation, of meanness, of people struggling to get through each and every day. And, everyone is trapped inside a prison, some with bars, some without bars.
It is filled with the sense of desperation, the sense of nowhere to turn to, down on your luck with the whole world turned against you. The backdrop is a hot, dusty, world where the protagonist drifts penniless and with the law after him for a murder he didn’t do, but how the hell is going to prove it. He is just running “like a conditioned mouse in a maze.”
He can’t even bum a quarter from a lady on the main street without having her act like he’s crazy – even when “she looked like the busty, leggy brand of chick that got spoken to by any man with energy enough to open his mouth, which was just about what [he] had left.” “She had the arrogant look of the spoiled babe who has learned to take everything that isn’t freely rendered to her; laughter didn’t come easy to her unless there was a knife in it.” Ouch. This is without doubt a vicious little femme fatale. And that’s before he knows that Eve Cassell is the feudal lord’s wife, waving a whiskey bottle around and dressed in a blue nightgown and that “she’s a dame no ten men could ever satisfy.” And the men in this book. “Nothing organically wrong with them,” but what they “suffered was a virus of the soul.”
This book is a gem. The plot may not be that complex, but Whittington fills it with descriptions of desperation, of meanness, of people struggling to get through each and every day. And, everyone is trapped inside a prison, some with bars, some without bars.
April 25, 2017
Mitch Walker is on the run from the law. He's been on the run for a while before we meet him as he panhandles around a small Kansas town. He can't prove his innocence so he's on the lam because he's afraid of his torture-loving ex-partner and his penchant for boiling water enemas. Fate leads him to indentured work on a sprawling farm, biding his time, and getting entangled with the farms rich owner and his fun-loving wife.
Harry Whittington was famous for being able to whip up a well-paced story with great plotting, and this book seems to be a good primer for what he can do. I really loved the smooth way that the author exposed Mitch's backstory in bits and pieces exactly when needed and the way that multiple threads of twists and developments built on each other as mounting obstacles around Mitch. A lot of noir stories hinge on hapless protagonists that make bad decisions. It was a breath of fresh air to see that Whittington made Mitch Walker a pretty smart guy. Most of his decisions, relatively so, actually seemed pretty sound. And the ones that were less smart are the ones that his circumstances forced him to make. It's entertaining and fast-moving but the ending was a real let-down to me. But still, it's an impressive little pulp tale that'll prove to be a great read for noir fans.
Harry Whittington was famous for being able to whip up a well-paced story with great plotting, and this book seems to be a good primer for what he can do. I really loved the smooth way that the author exposed Mitch's backstory in bits and pieces exactly when needed and the way that multiple threads of twists and developments built on each other as mounting obstacles around Mitch. A lot of noir stories hinge on hapless protagonists that make bad decisions. It was a breath of fresh air to see that Whittington made Mitch Walker a pretty smart guy. Most of his decisions, relatively so, actually seemed pretty sound. And the ones that were less smart are the ones that his circumstances forced him to make. It's entertaining and fast-moving but the ending was a real let-down to me. But still, it's an impressive little pulp tale that'll prove to be a great read for noir fans.
February 1, 2021
Holy habanero! Reached the point where I couldn't put this one down and had to sneak off somewhere for a couple of hours so I could finish it without being interrupted. Mitch Walker, our noir protagonist, is an ex-cop accused of murder. He can't prove his innocence and is afraid to be interrogated by his sadistic ex-partner who always gets the confession (scalding hot enemas is one of the proven torture techniques that has Mitch on the lam). We pick up the story with Mitch having hopped off a freight train in Kansas and he is quickly in hiding from the local police and his ex-partner. He "escapes" to Great Plains Empire Farm, which is staffed by prison labor and "employed" laborers who might as well be prisoners. Mitch almost immediately realizes he's made a mistake agreeing to take a job at the farm and begins plotting his escape. From that point on Whittington just keeps putting Mitch into more and more trouble and the plot surprises keep coming right up to the ending pages. Just a great fast-paced fun read and a noir thriller that completely delivers.
January 13, 2016
Fast-paced, and a whole lotta fun. The bag guy, feudal farm owner Barton M. Cassel has shades of a Jack Reacher villain about him. If the ending didn't *quite* hit for me, it was a lot of fun getting there. Particularly impressed with the plotting, there were SO many directions this story could have gone. At one point I thought (hoped) we were veering into the realms of horror. I'll be reading more Whittington, for sure.
August 26, 2025
Serviceable pulp thriller; nothing spectacular, but I'll give it credit for always keeping you on your toes and taking big plot swings that you likely won't be anticipating. Whether this is because of authorial intent (probably leading to the stronger parts of the book) or the result of the story being so furiously constructed that plot developments rarely have time to settle and make sense before being suddenly wrenched away and forgotten about (the weaker parts) is unclear.
April 25, 2016
Very strong opening -- the first 25% of novel is lean and suspenseful. What follows is competently executed but more ordinary. The plotting is complex and has some nice surprises but is also contrived. Story would have benefitted from deeper characterizations and a tighter construction.
September 7, 2024
Harry Whittington was the master of the pulp noir novel and he scores again with this 1960 story about Mitch Walker, a man on the run from a crime he didn't commit. Whittington doesn't tell you about the crime right away. He lets it slowly come out as the story goes on, sort of like peeling layers of an onion.
Besides being on the run from his old partner from back when he was on the force, Walker finds he's also the target of local cops who peg him as a drifter and a possible punching bag. To hide out he takes a job at a work farm where in perfect noir fashion one thing leads to another and suddenly he's in deep with possible murder and robbery charges facing him...as well as the boss's hot to trot wife.
I first discovered Whittington way back when he did the very best of the Man From UNCLE Tv novels--"The Doomsday Affair" and have sought more of his writings ever since. I love how his prose just flows effortlessly as he tells his tales. They have never once disappointed me and "A Night for Screaming" was no exception.
Besides being on the run from his old partner from back when he was on the force, Walker finds he's also the target of local cops who peg him as a drifter and a possible punching bag. To hide out he takes a job at a work farm where in perfect noir fashion one thing leads to another and suddenly he's in deep with possible murder and robbery charges facing him...as well as the boss's hot to trot wife.
I first discovered Whittington way back when he did the very best of the Man From UNCLE Tv novels--"The Doomsday Affair" and have sought more of his writings ever since. I love how his prose just flows effortlessly as he tells his tales. They have never once disappointed me and "A Night for Screaming" was no exception.
February 9, 2016
Mitch Walker is on the run for a crime he didn’t commit. As a rookie cop, the last thing he wants is for his partner to beat a confession out of him, so he’s fled to the farmlands of Kansas in hopes of escape. Broke, down on his luck, and with the local police after him for panhandling, Mitch takes a chance and signs on to a local farm as a laborer—a sprawling farmstead that’s half volunteer, half county prison. The farm owner is a rather intense nutjob, his wife is a loose woman, the foreman is oblivious to the racketeering run by the abusive straw-bosses. And stuck right in the middle is Mitch, with his old partner still on his trail…
Whittington’s writing is smooth and unobtrusive; it’s not full of deep metaphor or flashy imagery, but it allows you to read at a mile-a-minute pace to keep up with the plot. It’s the kind of writing that works best because you don’t realize it’s there; it allows you to get into the plot and read away. Not only does the book grab you with its pacing and tension, it doesn’t know how to relent. And man, did Whittington learn how to plot: he pulled a few brilliant surprises that threw me for a loop yet still fit perfectly into the plot.
The plotting is fine-tuned to the point of near-perfection; it brims with tension, pulls off multiple surprise twists with ease, and wraps everything up in one neat package. If you are a reader of classic crime fiction, run-don’t-walk to your nearest book purveyor and pick up this gem.
(Full review found here.)
Whittington’s writing is smooth and unobtrusive; it’s not full of deep metaphor or flashy imagery, but it allows you to read at a mile-a-minute pace to keep up with the plot. It’s the kind of writing that works best because you don’t realize it’s there; it allows you to get into the plot and read away. Not only does the book grab you with its pacing and tension, it doesn’t know how to relent. And man, did Whittington learn how to plot: he pulled a few brilliant surprises that threw me for a loop yet still fit perfectly into the plot.
The plotting is fine-tuned to the point of near-perfection; it brims with tension, pulls off multiple surprise twists with ease, and wraps everything up in one neat package. If you are a reader of classic crime fiction, run-don’t-walk to your nearest book purveyor and pick up this gem.
(Full review found here.)
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews