Charlie Sent Me

Larry Baker

by Carter Brown

Charlie Sent Me! (revised version of “Swan Song for a Siren”) Main Character: Larry Baker ; Signet G2394, first printing, International Edition IE46, May 1965 cover - Grant Roberts - copy of Robert McGinnis cover for SignetG2394

Genres: Pulp

130 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1963

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 2 out of 5]

A discombobulated story where mystery turns into murder, Hollywood turns into horror, and a house turns into a death trap. Nonsensical is apt to describe this surreal and strangely constructed story.

[Drew · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, fast, guilty pleasure.

[James Elkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first Carter Brown book that I have read, but it reads like most in this genre. What I mean by that is, things start pretty slow but once the actual crime occurs it barrels ahead, full-throttle to the inevitable conclusion. I have to admit I figured out the who long before I figured out the why, and even then there were a couple of things I didn't figure out. I know why I didn't figure them out, but that's my own blind spot, and to allude to that character trait in myself would give away that plot point.
I must give credit where credit is due though. There are some wonderful bits of prose, a paragraph or two here and there, but they are soon forgotten by what feels like the writer was just trying to finish the page, scene, chapter and finally book.