What do you think?
Rate this book
Al Wheeler #18
The Stripper
Leather Binding on Spine and Corners with Golden Leaf Printing on round Spine (extra customization on request like complete leather, Golden Screen printing in Front, Color Leather, Colored book etc.) Reprinted in 2019 with the help of original edition published long back [1900]. This book is printed in black & white, sewing binding for longer life, Printed on high quality Paper, re-sized as per Current standards, professionally processed without changing its contents. As these are old books, we processed each page manually and make them readable but in some cases some pages which are blur or missing or black spots. If it is multi volume set, then it is only single volume, if you wish to order a specific or all the volumes you may contact us. We expect that you will understand our compulsion in these books. We found this book important for the readers who want to know more about our old treasure so we brought it back to the shelves. Hope you will like it and give your comments and suggestions. - English, Pages 131. EXTRA 10 DAYS APART FROM THE NORMAL SHIPPING PERIOD WILL BE REQUIRED FOR LEATHER BOUND BOOKS. COMPLETE LEATHER WILL COST YOU EXTRA US$ 25 APART FROM THE LEATHER BOUND BOOKS. {FOLIO EDITION IS ALSO AVAILABLE.}
- GenresPulp
129 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1961
1 person is currently reading
22 people want to read
About the author
Carter Brown
556 books52 followersCarter 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.
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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 1, 2012
The best thing about Carter Brown's 'The Stripper' is the Marilyn Monroe-like cover art with a hint of burlesque. I had high hopes for this Al Wheeler investigation following the highly entertaining opening by which he attempts to save an attractive woman from jumping off a building ledge only to fall short. As with any first up death in a PI novel, the facts and gut instinct of the hardboiled allude to there being something out of place. Naturally, the suicide-minded turned out to be drugged and was actually making her way back inside prior to slipping and subsequently falling to her death.
Enter the burlesque dancer, a dating agency, and a night club owner, followed by another death and you've got the hallmarks of a true to form whodunit with interesting characters who live on the wrong side of the law. The investigation is colourful and pulp all the way, though Al Wheeler does show some restraint and hints at a more mature side (hints only, mind you, this is a Carter Brown book) only to fall back into his hi-fi and women loving ways.
On the surface this reads very well yet there was a distinct lack of emotion and depth to the characters. Apart from 'Deadpan Dolores' the support cast isn't mentioned much aside from in-passing, even the cast of suspects are two dimensional and feel much like cardboard cutouts rather than menacing murderers. That said, Cater Brown did deliver on a couple of nice twists (one being the death of a middle aged male rather than the typical hot blonde - not a spoiler, its mentioned on the back cover) that I had sorta picked but wasn't convinced until they eventuated.
As far as pulp goes, 'The Stripper', written in 1961 is the true penny dreadful; enjoyable to read, well paced, junk food for the brain that will satisfy a craving but leave you hungry shortly thereafter. Not the best of the Carter Brown books but not the worst. 2.5 stars.
Enter the burlesque dancer, a dating agency, and a night club owner, followed by another death and you've got the hallmarks of a true to form whodunit with interesting characters who live on the wrong side of the law. The investigation is colourful and pulp all the way, though Al Wheeler does show some restraint and hints at a more mature side (hints only, mind you, this is a Carter Brown book) only to fall back into his hi-fi and women loving ways.
On the surface this reads very well yet there was a distinct lack of emotion and depth to the characters. Apart from 'Deadpan Dolores' the support cast isn't mentioned much aside from in-passing, even the cast of suspects are two dimensional and feel much like cardboard cutouts rather than menacing murderers. That said, Cater Brown did deliver on a couple of nice twists (one being the death of a middle aged male rather than the typical hot blonde - not a spoiler, its mentioned on the back cover) that I had sorta picked but wasn't convinced until they eventuated.
As far as pulp goes, 'The Stripper', written in 1961 is the true penny dreadful; enjoyable to read, well paced, junk food for the brain that will satisfy a craving but leave you hungry shortly thereafter. Not the best of the Carter Brown books but not the worst. 2.5 stars.
Read
December 12, 2024The Stripper (1961) (Wheeler # 21) returns Wheeler to his solo adventures (without Mavis Seidlitz). It is surprisingly about a stripper, Deadpan Dolores, who strips without expression, thus deadpan. The novel is also unique among the Brown novels as the creator of Rocky Horror Picture Show made it into a musical!
Then whole idea that this detective caper would be put to song and dance is amazing!
In any case, the story begins with Pine City Police Lieutenant Al Wheeler trying to talk a jumper down from a ledge on the fifteenth floor. He almost succeeds but Patty Keller’s knees buckle and she goes splat. Dyrangely, the autopsy shows Patty was hyped up on something that caused her to act out on the ledge. Wheeler pays a visit to Patty’s only relative, who happens to be Deadpan Dolores, the headliner at a strip club, who mentions that Patty had been a member of a dating service, the Arkheim Happiness Club operated by two odd birds, Sarah and Jacob Arkwright. Wheeler dates their receptionist sherry who he takes to the strip club – a great idea for a first date. There, he finds further connections between the strip club and the dating service. Wheeler sends Annabelle Jackson in to the dating service as an undercover operative only to have her disappear.
It’s fairly obvious to most casual readers that something rotten is at hand, but it takes Wheeler almost until the novel’s end to figure it out. The body count stands at four and Wheeler’s conquests include Sherry.
Then whole idea that this detective caper would be put to song and dance is amazing!
In any case, the story begins with Pine City Police Lieutenant Al Wheeler trying to talk a jumper down from a ledge on the fifteenth floor. He almost succeeds but Patty Keller’s knees buckle and she goes splat. Dyrangely, the autopsy shows Patty was hyped up on something that caused her to act out on the ledge. Wheeler pays a visit to Patty’s only relative, who happens to be Deadpan Dolores, the headliner at a strip club, who mentions that Patty had been a member of a dating service, the Arkheim Happiness Club operated by two odd birds, Sarah and Jacob Arkwright. Wheeler dates their receptionist sherry who he takes to the strip club – a great idea for a first date. There, he finds further connections between the strip club and the dating service. Wheeler sends Annabelle Jackson in to the dating service as an undercover operative only to have her disappear.
It’s fairly obvious to most casual readers that something rotten is at hand, but it takes Wheeler almost until the novel’s end to figure it out. The body count stands at four and Wheeler’s conquests include Sherry.
September 3, 2011
Carter Brown (whose real name was Alan Geoffrey Yates) may well be the biggest-selling Australian author of all time, with sales reckoned in the tens of millions or possibly even hundreds of millions. He was also one of the most prolific writers in history, with 317 novels to his credit.
He was born in Britain but moved to Australia in 1948 and became an Australian citizen. He wrote in most pulp genres but is best known for his crime novels. They were set in the US but this was a US that the author only knew from movies and books. In some ways this makes them more fun.
He was rather similar to the British crime writer Peter Cheyney in that he enjoyed immense success in Europe. He was not quite so successful in the United States but still managed to sell a lot of books there. He also resembled Cheyney in his distinctly tongue-in-cheek approach to the hardboiled genre.
Police detective Al Wheeler, working for the Sheriff’s department in a fictional California town, was one of his most popular heroes. The Stripper combines a lurid title with equally lurid subject matter. An apparent suicide leads Wheeler to a burlesque joint and a lonely hearts club. A girl called Pattie Keller jumps to her death from an office building but the strange thing is she’d already decided not to jump when she seemed to fall. And a huge quantity of a powerful analgesic is found in her body, a quantity sufficient to cause extreme nausea and dizziness. The death starts to look potentially suspicious.
Pattie’s sister is Deadpan Dolores, a famous and very successful strip-tease artiste. Pattie had been a member of a lonely hearts club and when it turns out that both the dating agency and the burlesque club are owned by the same person Wheeler decides this is too much of a coincidence.
Pattie’s last date arranged by the agency had been with a shy awkward florist but then Wheeler spots the florist in the burlesque joint doing some serious partying with two very glamorous strippers. The investigation will lead Wheeler to a white slaving racket. It will also lead him to the beds of a assortment of beautiful women. Al Wheeler has no problem combining business with pleasure.
There’s plenty of delightful hardboiled dialogue and a certain amount of sleaze. This is not a story we’re mean to take too seriously. The emphasis is on fun. Like Cheyney’s books it treads a fine line between light-hearted crime action and outright parody. It’s all very very pulpy and fairly entertaining.
He was born in Britain but moved to Australia in 1948 and became an Australian citizen. He wrote in most pulp genres but is best known for his crime novels. They were set in the US but this was a US that the author only knew from movies and books. In some ways this makes them more fun.
He was rather similar to the British crime writer Peter Cheyney in that he enjoyed immense success in Europe. He was not quite so successful in the United States but still managed to sell a lot of books there. He also resembled Cheyney in his distinctly tongue-in-cheek approach to the hardboiled genre.
Police detective Al Wheeler, working for the Sheriff’s department in a fictional California town, was one of his most popular heroes. The Stripper combines a lurid title with equally lurid subject matter. An apparent suicide leads Wheeler to a burlesque joint and a lonely hearts club. A girl called Pattie Keller jumps to her death from an office building but the strange thing is she’d already decided not to jump when she seemed to fall. And a huge quantity of a powerful analgesic is found in her body, a quantity sufficient to cause extreme nausea and dizziness. The death starts to look potentially suspicious.
Pattie’s sister is Deadpan Dolores, a famous and very successful strip-tease artiste. Pattie had been a member of a lonely hearts club and when it turns out that both the dating agency and the burlesque club are owned by the same person Wheeler decides this is too much of a coincidence.
Pattie’s last date arranged by the agency had been with a shy awkward florist but then Wheeler spots the florist in the burlesque joint doing some serious partying with two very glamorous strippers. The investigation will lead Wheeler to a white slaving racket. It will also lead him to the beds of a assortment of beautiful women. Al Wheeler has no problem combining business with pleasure.
There’s plenty of delightful hardboiled dialogue and a certain amount of sleaze. This is not a story we’re mean to take too seriously. The emphasis is on fun. Like Cheyney’s books it treads a fine line between light-hearted crime action and outright parody. It’s all very very pulpy and fairly entertaining.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews