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The Far Cry
[Read by Stefan Rudnicki]
An original and terrifying mystery by noir writer Fredric Brown.
Once upon a time, a girl named Jenny Ames was murdered in a lonely house. No one knew where she had come from, or why she had died, or who killed her. Years later, a man moved into the same house - and discovered that nothing is more seductive than an unsolved murder.
George Weaver was looking for peace and quiet, not murder, when he rented a house ten miles outside the town of Taos, New Mexico. However, murder soon comes to occupy George's sleeping and waking thoughts when he begins to dig out the details of a celebrated, unsolved case which happened years before in the very house he is living in. He finds himself falling in love with the dead girl, Jenny Ames, idealizing her, wishing it were she he'd married instead of Vi, to whom he is so unwillingly and unhappily married.
The Far Cry is another top Fredric Brown job - a most adroit, inventive, and utterly horrifying mystery.
An original and terrifying mystery by noir writer Fredric Brown.
Once upon a time, a girl named Jenny Ames was murdered in a lonely house. No one knew where she had come from, or why she had died, or who killed her. Years later, a man moved into the same house - and discovered that nothing is more seductive than an unsolved murder.
George Weaver was looking for peace and quiet, not murder, when he rented a house ten miles outside the town of Taos, New Mexico. However, murder soon comes to occupy George's sleeping and waking thoughts when he begins to dig out the details of a celebrated, unsolved case which happened years before in the very house he is living in. He finds himself falling in love with the dead girl, Jenny Ames, idealizing her, wishing it were she he'd married instead of Vi, to whom he is so unwillingly and unhappily married.
The Far Cry is another top Fredric Brown job - a most adroit, inventive, and utterly horrifying mystery.
MP3 CD
First published January 1, 1951
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569 people want to read
About the author
Fredric Brown
808 books354 followersFredric Brown was an American science fiction and mystery writer. He was one of the boldest early writers in genre fiction in his use of narrative experimentation. While never in the front rank of popularity in his lifetime, Brown has developed a considerable cult following in the almost half century since he last wrote. His works have been periodically reprinted and he has a worldwide fan base, most notably in the U.S. and Europe, and especially in France, where there have been several recent movie adaptations of his work. He also remains popular in Japan.
Never financially secure, Brown - like many other pulp writers - often wrote at a furious pace in order to pay bills. This accounts, at least in part, for the uneven quality of his work. A newspaperman by profession, Brown was only able to devote 14 years of his life as a full-time fiction writer. Brown was also a heavy drinker, and this at times doubtless affected his productivity. A cultured man and omnivorous reader whose interests ranged far beyond those of most pulp writers, Brown had a lifelong interest in the flute, chess, poker, and the works of Lewis Carroll. Brown married twice and was the father of two sons.
Never financially secure, Brown - like many other pulp writers - often wrote at a furious pace in order to pay bills. This accounts, at least in part, for the uneven quality of his work. A newspaperman by profession, Brown was only able to devote 14 years of his life as a full-time fiction writer. Brown was also a heavy drinker, and this at times doubtless affected his productivity. A cultured man and omnivorous reader whose interests ranged far beyond those of most pulp writers, Brown had a lifelong interest in the flute, chess, poker, and the works of Lewis Carroll. Brown married twice and was the father of two sons.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
February 10, 2023
The Far Cry, first published in 1951, is a quiet, evenly-paced crime story. George Weaver, who essentially becomes a stand-in for a private investigator, has an unhappy marriage, a drinking problem, and a stay in a sanitarium hasn’t set him straight. He heads out from Kansas City to Taos, New Mexico, ahead of his wife, Vi, who stats back to bundle the kids off to camp. He is going to find a quiet place to rejuvenate. It so happens that the primitive cabin he finds for the price of a few repairs was the site of a knife Murder eight years earlier though the killer wasn’t found and no one knows who the victim was other than her name.
Weaver and a screenwriter pal hit on the idea of using the eight year old murder fir a magazine story and Weaver, when he’s not drinking, starts nosing around, interviewing witnesses. Weaver is the star protagonist here and he’s an odd character who wants to live in his own and is rather secretive about everything he does. You wonder if he is going to go completely off the rails and become an axe murderer himself, especially when Vi finally joins him in Taos.
This is a creepy short novel about a creepy guy who skulks around in a dark shed and lies about where he is heading for a few days. Even If it’s not exciting enough, stick with it fir the shocker ending.
Weaver and a screenwriter pal hit on the idea of using the eight year old murder fir a magazine story and Weaver, when he’s not drinking, starts nosing around, interviewing witnesses. Weaver is the star protagonist here and he’s an odd character who wants to live in his own and is rather secretive about everything he does. You wonder if he is going to go completely off the rails and become an axe murderer himself, especially when Vi finally joins him in Taos.
This is a creepy short novel about a creepy guy who skulks around in a dark shed and lies about where he is heading for a few days. Even If it’s not exciting enough, stick with it fir the shocker ending.
July 3, 2024
From 1951
A good desert setting , the main character researching a murder that happened there 8 years ago in order to write a True Crime piece. Frederic Brown is a very interesting writer.
A good desert setting , the main character researching a murder that happened there 8 years ago in order to write a True Crime piece. Frederic Brown is a very interesting writer.
July 16, 2016
The Far Cry is a standalone, mystery/noir fiction novel written in 1951 by author Fredric Brown. It's a story of a man in much need of something to occupy his mind and time, and a local 8-year-old murder mystery does the trick...a little too well though as he becomes a bit obsessed with the case. Mr. Brown incorporated many elements while building the characters, setting, and the mystery itself, and I found it all very engaging. This fairly short novel flows well and allowed me to become easily invested. However, the twist at the end of The Far Cry was a far reach in my opinion. It came out of nowhere and felt very unbelievable after living in this story for several hours. It adds a bit of shock value, I'll give it that. Overall, a good mystery, an excellent audiobook performance (narrated by Stefan Rudnicki), and a solid introduction to a late author I have never read before. Looking forward to checking out more of Fredric Brown's novels.
My favorite quote:
"There are worst things than being bored or a little lonesome occasionally. The constant and unavoidable presence of someone who grates upon you is worst than solitude can ever be - and aren't we all lonely always?"
My favorite quote:
"There are worst things than being bored or a little lonesome occasionally. The constant and unavoidable presence of someone who grates upon you is worst than solitude can ever be - and aren't we all lonely always?"
May 13, 2016
Really good book that just gets more and more riveting as it goes-- I read the whole thing in one sitting and don't think I even glanced up during the last 40-50 pages. But the ending! So bad!!! Just terrible. So stupid! Even if you argue that it's the "right" wrong ending, that the narrator just loses his shit there at the end and makes the wrong final connection and decision (which makes thematic and psychological sense), it's still TERRIBLY WRITTEN, just completely unconvincing as a wrong final decision, totally unfounded, under-described, anti-climactic. God, such an incredible letdown!!!! After such a good book!!!! AAAAAAAARGHHHH
November 5, 2020
I just gotta say, before I read any further, that Brown is doing it to me again. I despise crime fiction, thrillers, dark stuff... but he's just my kind of brilliant. Characters are real people, setting is key, plot grounded in psychology of victim & killer & support staff, there's even a bit of humor (usually ironic). He knows hard and soft sciences, and art, and economics.
And the book doesn't feel dated at all, except for the numbers on the prices of things. The proportion of what things cost to what is paid for them is right, even. Not sexist, racist, or even homophobic... all this for 1951.
I'll add quotes to back up what I'm saying later. Right now I've got to get back into it...
ok done
Well. Just goes to show, they're not kidding when they call this 'noir.' It's actually more horror than thriller. And I'll have to reread it to see how we got to the ending, and to make sure I actually fully understand the ending. Oy.
And I promised some quotes, so here you go:
"And if you get to know any of the Taos Indians, you'll like them; they're real people."
"What, he wondered, was a Lonely Heart murder? Isn't every heart lonely, always?"
"We damn Anglos are prejudiced against any minority group we live with; does us good to be a minority group and get the dirty end of the stick for once."
New to me idiom: "hold thumbs for me" - apparently a synonym for 'cross your fingers for me.'
I do question the rate of deterioration of certain items over a certain length of time; doesn't seem accurate to me... if you read this send me a PM when you're done, please.
And the book doesn't feel dated at all, except for the numbers on the prices of things. The proportion of what things cost to what is paid for them is right, even. Not sexist, racist, or even homophobic... all this for 1951.
I'll add quotes to back up what I'm saying later. Right now I've got to get back into it...
ok done
Well. Just goes to show, they're not kidding when they call this 'noir.' It's actually more horror than thriller. And I'll have to reread it to see how we got to the ending, and to make sure I actually fully understand the ending. Oy.
And I promised some quotes, so here you go:
"And if you get to know any of the Taos Indians, you'll like them; they're real people."
"What, he wondered, was a Lonely Heart murder? Isn't every heart lonely, always?"
"We damn Anglos are prejudiced against any minority group we live with; does us good to be a minority group and get the dirty end of the stick for once."
New to me idiom: "hold thumbs for me" - apparently a synonym for 'cross your fingers for me.'
I do question the rate of deterioration of certain items over a certain length of time; doesn't seem accurate to me... if you read this send me a PM when you're done, please.
January 10, 2015
Slow burn with a creepy twist ending. If you like existential crime novels in which the detective is consumed by his case (he solves it but, it solves him) then check it out.
April 15, 2009
A superb noir mystery. One of my all time favorites. The denoument is truly stunning.
March 3, 2018
While today the science fictional works of author Fredric Brown are perhaps better known than his crime/mystery novels (in particular his short story "Arena", which was adapted into, among others, an episode of the original Star Trek TV show), The Far Cry is perhaps my all-time favorite crime novel.
The plot involves George Weaver, a man recovering from a nervous break down who takes up temporary residence in a small New Mexico town. While there, he stumbles upon a years' old mystery involving a "lonely hearts" killer. This particular mystery proves incredibly engaging to Weaver, and Mr. Brown uses this to paint a picture of a then modern man in serious decline. For George Weaver's life is filled with disappointments both large and small and this unsolved murder proves to be just the obsession he needs to give his empty, bitter life meaning.
As Weaver's obsession grows, so too -deviously- does the readers interest. In typical Fredric Brown fashion, the novel's conclusion is equal parts incredible, unexpected, and shattering.
The plot involves George Weaver, a man recovering from a nervous break down who takes up temporary residence in a small New Mexico town. While there, he stumbles upon a years' old mystery involving a "lonely hearts" killer. This particular mystery proves incredibly engaging to Weaver, and Mr. Brown uses this to paint a picture of a then modern man in serious decline. For George Weaver's life is filled with disappointments both large and small and this unsolved murder proves to be just the obsession he needs to give his empty, bitter life meaning.
As Weaver's obsession grows, so too -deviously- does the readers interest. In typical Fredric Brown fashion, the novel's conclusion is equal parts incredible, unexpected, and shattering.
August 20, 2010
It would be a far cry from the truth to say this wasn't a compelling read.
February 8, 2019
151110: sometimes aristotle is right: plot is everything. short, darkly humorous, stark emotions, not very well written. but a great plot. note: did/do people drink so much in ’51?- one sequence the narrator has 7 or 8 drinks, midday, but at least this knocks him out, though this does not happen other times… this being only perhaps characterization, that he has a drink, shares a drink, in virtually every possible situation. at one point he is telling himself he is not going to be an alcoholic- but maybe just one more…
did-not-finish
July 6, 2016I'm quitting on this because it's not really my thing. It's well written & read, but more of a mood thing all about a somewhat mentally fragile guy who becomes obsessed with a long cold murder. The only reason I tried this was that it was given to me as a gift by the publisher. I think anyone who likes this sort of book would love this one. I'm just not that person. I didn't think I was, but still managed to listen through the first CD into the second.
November 18, 2015
I've said it before and I'll say it again, it is time for a massive renaissance of the noir of Fredric Brown. While this book might not be as perfect as The Screaming Mimi, as avant-garde as Here Comes a Candle or as goofy fun as the Uncle Am and Ed stories, it is truly haunting. Weaver's descent into obsession, alcoholism and, well, whatever you think that is at the end, is unnervy, skin crawly, stuff.
Brown has a brilliant way of making guys who know their place in the world start to lose their grip on it. Assaulted by domestic misery, delusional art, alcohol and desperation, Weaver seems thwarted by his own attempts to make a world that's gone so wrong, seem right. And every step for him is like struggling in quicksand.
A calmer book than a lot of Brown's crime stuff and with occasionally a little too worried of corners, this still has a haunt to it and the last three chapters are a gut punch.
Brown has a brilliant way of making guys who know their place in the world start to lose their grip on it. Assaulted by domestic misery, delusional art, alcohol and desperation, Weaver seems thwarted by his own attempts to make a world that's gone so wrong, seem right. And every step for him is like struggling in quicksand.
A calmer book than a lot of Brown's crime stuff and with occasionally a little too worried of corners, this still has a haunt to it and the last three chapters are a gut punch.
March 7, 2016
An engaging mystery: Who was Jenny Ames? Why was she murdered 8 years ago in an isolated Adobe "shack" outside Taos?
Fredrick Brown constructs an interesting narrative of a realtor down on his luck, who seeks isolation as he recoups from a breakdown, but becomes obsessed with Jenny.
He follows the clues that the police missed. The locale and the 1951 setting are characters in their own rights: Booze, booze, and more booze; lots of cheap gas, and a man and wife, both gone to seed.
Enjoyable, like a drink in a dive can be. But likely to be forgotten and just as ephemeral as that drink.
Good but fleeting.
Fredrick Brown constructs an interesting narrative of a realtor down on his luck, who seeks isolation as he recoups from a breakdown, but becomes obsessed with Jenny.
He follows the clues that the police missed. The locale and the 1951 setting are characters in their own rights: Booze, booze, and more booze; lots of cheap gas, and a man and wife, both gone to seed.
Enjoyable, like a drink in a dive can be. But likely to be forgotten and just as ephemeral as that drink.
Good but fleeting.
April 14, 2015
One of the best mystery books I've listened to (or read). The narration by Stefan Rudnicki was superb. The story itself is incredible, with one of the best twist endings I had ever had the pleasure to experience. This one is really a shocker.
Highest recommendation possible.
Highest recommendation possible.
December 8, 2022
It is a fantastic crime novel with the most shocking ending I have ever read. The story is about a man named George Weaver from Kansas City, Missouri, a realtor, who suffers a nervous breakdown, who is in a very unhappy marriage which is only held together by his and his wife's love for their two children. Under a doctor's advice he is told to rest and start again. George and his wife decide they should go back to Santa Fe, New Mexico where they originally met each other and got married. His wife has friends there.
George proceeds his wife to New Mexico but rather then going to Santa Fe George is convinced by an old friend who is a writer to stay in the the town of Taos, New Mexico. He also promises George money if he can dig up some new facts on a cold murder case for an article he is writing. The friend helps get George set up living rent free for three months in the very house where this murder took place. The house is 10 miles outside of Taos in an isolated area. The murder is referred to as a "Lonely Heart Murder" because the victim and the murderer named Nelson who was an artist met under the guise of a Lonely Hearts Club.
George begins to research the 8 year old murder by interviewing the young boy who was only 10 years old at that time and was peering through the window when the murderer had a knife in his hands attacking Jenny Ames, who he claims was wearing a green dress, who slips out the back door with the murderer chasing her. The young boy tells his father who goes to the police but the Police investigate and find nothing and disbelieve the young boy's story. Two months later a body of a woman that is identified as Jenny Ames is discovered in a shallow grave by a giant cottonwood tree in a blue dress, and when the police go back to question the suspected murderer Nelson has vanished without a trace.
George becomes obsessed with the victim Jenny Ames, even kind of falling in love with her like the Dana Andrews character does with the painting of Laura in the movie Laura. George discovers in the shed adjacent to the house that there are 3 paintings left behind by the murderer. None of these paintings were considered evidence in the case and George strikes upon the original idea to see if those paintings match the style of some artist who might be living elsewhere to perhaps still catch the murderer.
After living in peace away from his wife who he can't stand the time has come for her to move in with him because the kids had finished school and she had placed both daughters in a summer camp. George fixes up that shed so he can live in it while she lives in the house. He describes his wife with this telling quote, ".....drinking and the eternal eating of candy-box after box of it-that had put forty pounds of weight on her since their marriage, forty flabby pounds that made her body, once slender and desirable, almost as gross and bovine as her mind." Needless to say that George and his wife have severe drinking problems due to their loveless marriage and the drinking problem hampers and screws up George's investigation of the murder.
When he is sober George comes upon the idea that the murderer Nelson had buried the luggage of Jenny Ames on the property. He has to find excuses to get his wife into town or get her drunk and get her to sleep because he has told her nothing of the investigation or the money he will get if he gets information. In the luggage George finds a love letter from Jenny Ames to Nelson the artist and he finally figures out what town in California that Jenny is from and decides to go to it. He then finds her real name, why she left her family with no contact with them, and how she has been ostracized from the family. They say she is still alive, but he tries to tell them she is dead.
Things start to happen fast. George finds the buried luggage, he finds the murderer as well but discovers Nelson has died from his affliction. He discovers the motive of the murders and that Nelson was a gay man who married several women from lonely hearts advertisements and had killed them. He killed them to get the money to try to pay for the medical treatment he needed in Arizona to live. Now George realizes that there might be multiple bodies buried around the house. George is under the spell of love for this Jenny Ames.
George keeps reviewing the facts and he is confused with the young boy saying Jenny was in a green dress but they found her dead body and it was a blue dress. He knows Jenny took a bus from Santa Fe where she lived up to Taos to marry Nelson.
It finally dawns on George that the woman found dead in the blue dress was somebody else and that the woman in the green dress might have escaped. The murder happened a few months before he married his wife in Santa Fe.
He then realizes that this Jenny Ames is actually his own wife who took on a different name after her escape from Nelson. The book ends with him grabbing a long knife and chasing his wife out the door in an attempt to kill her like Nelson did so many years before.
It is so dark I busted out laughing because George had made up in his mind that Jenny Ames was the perfect dream woman and not like his intellectually challenged and overweight wife.
Would have been a perfect movie starring Jack Nicholson. So crazy!!!
George proceeds his wife to New Mexico but rather then going to Santa Fe George is convinced by an old friend who is a writer to stay in the the town of Taos, New Mexico. He also promises George money if he can dig up some new facts on a cold murder case for an article he is writing. The friend helps get George set up living rent free for three months in the very house where this murder took place. The house is 10 miles outside of Taos in an isolated area. The murder is referred to as a "Lonely Heart Murder" because the victim and the murderer named Nelson who was an artist met under the guise of a Lonely Hearts Club.
George begins to research the 8 year old murder by interviewing the young boy who was only 10 years old at that time and was peering through the window when the murderer had a knife in his hands attacking Jenny Ames, who he claims was wearing a green dress, who slips out the back door with the murderer chasing her. The young boy tells his father who goes to the police but the Police investigate and find nothing and disbelieve the young boy's story. Two months later a body of a woman that is identified as Jenny Ames is discovered in a shallow grave by a giant cottonwood tree in a blue dress, and when the police go back to question the suspected murderer Nelson has vanished without a trace.
George becomes obsessed with the victim Jenny Ames, even kind of falling in love with her like the Dana Andrews character does with the painting of Laura in the movie Laura. George discovers in the shed adjacent to the house that there are 3 paintings left behind by the murderer. None of these paintings were considered evidence in the case and George strikes upon the original idea to see if those paintings match the style of some artist who might be living elsewhere to perhaps still catch the murderer.
After living in peace away from his wife who he can't stand the time has come for her to move in with him because the kids had finished school and she had placed both daughters in a summer camp. George fixes up that shed so he can live in it while she lives in the house. He describes his wife with this telling quote, ".....drinking and the eternal eating of candy-box after box of it-that had put forty pounds of weight on her since their marriage, forty flabby pounds that made her body, once slender and desirable, almost as gross and bovine as her mind." Needless to say that George and his wife have severe drinking problems due to their loveless marriage and the drinking problem hampers and screws up George's investigation of the murder.
When he is sober George comes upon the idea that the murderer Nelson had buried the luggage of Jenny Ames on the property. He has to find excuses to get his wife into town or get her drunk and get her to sleep because he has told her nothing of the investigation or the money he will get if he gets information. In the luggage George finds a love letter from Jenny Ames to Nelson the artist and he finally figures out what town in California that Jenny is from and decides to go to it. He then finds her real name, why she left her family with no contact with them, and how she has been ostracized from the family. They say she is still alive, but he tries to tell them she is dead.
Things start to happen fast. George finds the buried luggage, he finds the murderer as well but discovers Nelson has died from his affliction. He discovers the motive of the murders and that Nelson was a gay man who married several women from lonely hearts advertisements and had killed them. He killed them to get the money to try to pay for the medical treatment he needed in Arizona to live. Now George realizes that there might be multiple bodies buried around the house. George is under the spell of love for this Jenny Ames.
George keeps reviewing the facts and he is confused with the young boy saying Jenny was in a green dress but they found her dead body and it was a blue dress. He knows Jenny took a bus from Santa Fe where she lived up to Taos to marry Nelson.
It finally dawns on George that the woman found dead in the blue dress was somebody else and that the woman in the green dress might have escaped. The murder happened a few months before he married his wife in Santa Fe.
He then realizes that this Jenny Ames is actually his own wife who took on a different name after her escape from Nelson. The book ends with him grabbing a long knife and chasing his wife out the door in an attempt to kill her like Nelson did so many years before.
It is so dark I busted out laughing because George had made up in his mind that Jenny Ames was the perfect dream woman and not like his intellectually challenged and overweight wife.
Would have been a perfect movie starring Jack Nicholson. So crazy!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 10, 2020
I only have two Frederic Brown books, both of which I bought randomly at yard sales. By coincidence, the first one took place in Milwaukee where I have lived most of my life. This one takes place in New Mexico, which I dearly love and visit frequently. The Far Cry is a reasonably engaging story of a man who gets absorbed in digging into an eight year old murder, that of a young woman who was a complete blank beyond the knowledge that she once existed.
Other reviews had mentioned problems with the ending. It IS kind of contrived, but I have to admit I didnt see it coming. So I'll just leave it at that.
Other reviews had mentioned problems with the ending. It IS kind of contrived, but I have to admit I didnt see it coming. So I'll just leave it at that.
May 15, 2015
After completing this book it left me saying "REALLY?" Not my usual kind of read, but sometimes I like to shake things up a bit. Although I enjoyed the writing style and I was interested and engaged in the book the entire time, I somehow kept feeling it was all just a little too perfect. A tidy little murder mystery wrapped up with a pretty little bow. Then I read the end thinking REALLY, that's how this is going to end?!?!? Not a fan of the last 5 minutes but as I said before, I was interested and engaged.
July 19, 2023
I should not re-read old favourites. And I rarely do. The prime reason I choose not to re-read books a lot is simply because I want fresh experiences, stories I have not read before, and every book I re-read takes time away from anything that is new and different. Even if I have forgotten most or all of a book, it’s in my head somewhere, previously conquered, it will not be an original experience, I did download it to my little grey cells already. There’s also the shock of discovering that beloved old books inevitably have parts that just have not aged well. The Far Cry has parts that have not aged well; I was hoping that would not be the case, but there’s some dubious 1950s narrow-mindedness on display. Some characters with a few lousy attitudes…and yet, if there are degrees of this stuff, it’s interesting that in just about any paragraph in this book where a character thinks or speaks in dated stereotypes that character also reflects on how wrong they may be, and they ponder the other viewpoint. I dunno, it’s a very odd aspect to the book: you’d have to see what you make of the not-aged-well stuff yourself, but Fred Brown at least goes to the trouble of arguing against any crap attitudes that he gives to characters.
Anyway, and getting back to my original train of thought, re-reading has been tempting; I wouldn’t say I’ve got bit by the bug, but Wodehouse, Bob Shaw, and Fredric Brown these days, are getting me to revisit stories I already did. The Far Cry is, at first glance, an odd choice, because I remember the trick, the solution to the Mystery. But I wanted to see the mechanics of it as it led up to the final scene of a guy losing his mind, picking up a knife, and chasing his wife out the kitchen door and out into the desert. Previously, this man had become obsessed with an eight-year-old cold case - and the whole book had been him poking about, trying to discover why a man named Nelson had chased his bride to be out that same kitchen door and killed her.
The twist is that she didn’t die all those years ago. She got away - the corpse found months later was a different woman (that’s a late revelation; my re-read cleared up whether there never was a body buried, though that would be hard to reverse, or did Fred Brown pull some other trick in terms of the “she never did die that day, so the evidence saying she did needs to dissolve, including the body found”? There was a body - cops and newspaper reports from eight years earlier confirmed it - it just wasn’t Jenny Ames. Little twist: our killer Nelson had lured at least one other bride to be out to the lonely cottage and murdered her).
Big Twist: Jenny disappeared and became Vi, and our amateur sleuth, George, is married to her. While he’s been looking into her tragic case, sequestered near Taos, New Mexico, and slowly become obsessed with it, obsessed with the cottage she spent her last night in (George rents it), and obsessed with alcohol. Not a good combination. Fresh from a nervous breakdown, a little unstable and advised to relax and become a fellow who can hold a job again, George does the wrong thing. He tries to solve that old murder, and discovers he is married to the “murder victim”. His marriage to Vi has long been loveless, the two can barely tolerate each other, and soon Jenny/Vi is stuck with a horrible case of knife-wielding deja vu.
Really amazing details:
The slight ambiguity of the reveal and final paragraphs: is Vi really Jenny? George puts some final pieces together just as he’s losing his sanity…but the book ends with him trying to kill his wife, leaving it kind of hanging, whether or not Jenny has become, of all people, Vi. I think this is delicious; we can assume that George has become trapped in a dead marriage with a woman whose “murder” (greatly exaggerated) he has been investigating…buuuuuuut we don’t really know to the point of absolute certainty that Vi was Jenny eight years ago. This is a wonderfully nightmarish aspect to the whole story. Is this just George going mad?!
The little hints and clues that Jenny has survived, and become Vi, and married George (or, uh, probably did all those things!), are put masterfully in place and of course are just circumstantial enough to make the final reveal both shocking, and just ever so slightly questionable.
The closing of the loop: Beginning the book with a flashback of a killer chasing a woman outside with a knife, and ending the book with the same scene, same woman (unless George is just bonkers), different guy eight years later.
This will probably be the only book I spoil this thoroughly, while doing a review. This is an example of how this author’s mind works, and if, in spoiling it, it gets you curious about his work overall, then maybe it was a good move. Maybe this review will be gone soon, and replaced with a non-spoiler review. But for now, the only way I could revel in revisiting this chilling, clever plot was by showing you why I love it, without hedging.
Anyway, and getting back to my original train of thought, re-reading has been tempting; I wouldn’t say I’ve got bit by the bug, but Wodehouse, Bob Shaw, and Fredric Brown these days, are getting me to revisit stories I already did. The Far Cry is, at first glance, an odd choice, because I remember the trick, the solution to the Mystery. But I wanted to see the mechanics of it as it led up to the final scene of a guy losing his mind, picking up a knife, and chasing his wife out the kitchen door and out into the desert. Previously, this man had become obsessed with an eight-year-old cold case - and the whole book had been him poking about, trying to discover why a man named Nelson had chased his bride to be out that same kitchen door and killed her.
The twist is that she didn’t die all those years ago. She got away - the corpse found months later was a different woman (that’s a late revelation; my re-read cleared up whether there never was a body buried, though that would be hard to reverse, or did Fred Brown pull some other trick in terms of the “she never did die that day, so the evidence saying she did needs to dissolve, including the body found”? There was a body - cops and newspaper reports from eight years earlier confirmed it - it just wasn’t Jenny Ames. Little twist: our killer Nelson had lured at least one other bride to be out to the lonely cottage and murdered her).
Big Twist: Jenny disappeared and became Vi, and our amateur sleuth, George, is married to her. While he’s been looking into her tragic case, sequestered near Taos, New Mexico, and slowly become obsessed with it, obsessed with the cottage she spent her last night in (George rents it), and obsessed with alcohol. Not a good combination. Fresh from a nervous breakdown, a little unstable and advised to relax and become a fellow who can hold a job again, George does the wrong thing. He tries to solve that old murder, and discovers he is married to the “murder victim”. His marriage to Vi has long been loveless, the two can barely tolerate each other, and soon Jenny/Vi is stuck with a horrible case of knife-wielding deja vu.
Really amazing details:
The slight ambiguity of the reveal and final paragraphs: is Vi really Jenny? George puts some final pieces together just as he’s losing his sanity…but the book ends with him trying to kill his wife, leaving it kind of hanging, whether or not Jenny has become, of all people, Vi. I think this is delicious; we can assume that George has become trapped in a dead marriage with a woman whose “murder” (greatly exaggerated) he has been investigating…buuuuuuut we don’t really know to the point of absolute certainty that Vi was Jenny eight years ago. This is a wonderfully nightmarish aspect to the whole story. Is this just George going mad?!
The little hints and clues that Jenny has survived, and become Vi, and married George (or, uh, probably did all those things!), are put masterfully in place and of course are just circumstantial enough to make the final reveal both shocking, and just ever so slightly questionable.
The closing of the loop: Beginning the book with a flashback of a killer chasing a woman outside with a knife, and ending the book with the same scene, same woman (unless George is just bonkers), different guy eight years later.
This will probably be the only book I spoil this thoroughly, while doing a review. This is an example of how this author’s mind works, and if, in spoiling it, it gets you curious about his work overall, then maybe it was a good move. Maybe this review will be gone soon, and replaced with a non-spoiler review. But for now, the only way I could revel in revisiting this chilling, clever plot was by showing you why I love it, without hedging.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 25, 2021
I really wish I could give 3.5 stars for this one. I debated on giving 4 stars, but I'll explain
First off, I did enjoy my time with this book. I found the setup genuinely interesting- a guy coming off a recent mental breakdown takes time off out of town to settle his nerves. But he gets obsessed with solving an 8 year old murder cold case.
The pacing is... well it was fine for where I am in my life. I didn't need a thrill a minute but even I can admit that the middle of the book (between the settup and the conclusion- essentially the whole second act) did strain my patience just a bit. I understand that in this type of story, the protagonist needs to be stalled and frustrated so that the later breakthroughs have punch and are exciting. At some points it did feel like stretching an idea to meet a word count. No hate. As a writer myself, I've definitely done it.
The first act was great. Tightly written, good setup. It got me invested. I wanted to see how all this shook out. Some of the red herrings (Pepe and his father disagreed on the color of Jenny Ames dress. The newspaper editor, Callahan, had the same haircut as the killer) were just thrown out there and never mentioned again. I really thought either Callahan or the protagonist, Weaver, were the killer. I was wrong on both counts.
A part of me wants to says the last act felt rushed, but it actually felt about right. As things escalated and everything came to a head, I think the increased momentum worked.
But the VERY end- I'm talking the last page- seemed so underwhelming.
***MAJOR SPOILER***
Okay, so Weaver learns that his wife, Vi, is actually Jenny Ames. The body buried out back was someone else. And so what? He grabs a knife and tries to kill her? So she can recreate the scene the story opens on, like a nice bookend thing? I just didn't buy it
Yes, George Weaver wasn't into his wife. That was well established. But to murder her just because she was Jenny Ames?! I mean seriously, where did that come from? I knew George's mental breakdown and excessive drinking made him unstable, but there was absolutely nothing in his character that suggested he'd be a murderer.
The really disappointing thing is I think that George Weaver being the murderer or Callahan being the murderer would have made for an infinitely more satisfying twist. This book came so close to wowing me, but just dropped it at the end
Final thoughts-
I came into reading this book without expectations. I just wanted to be entertained. And to Frederic Brown's credit, he did entertain me for hours so good on him. I just wish he'd had the time to work out a more satisfying conclusion
First off, I did enjoy my time with this book. I found the setup genuinely interesting- a guy coming off a recent mental breakdown takes time off out of town to settle his nerves. But he gets obsessed with solving an 8 year old murder cold case.
The pacing is... well it was fine for where I am in my life. I didn't need a thrill a minute but even I can admit that the middle of the book (between the settup and the conclusion- essentially the whole second act) did strain my patience just a bit. I understand that in this type of story, the protagonist needs to be stalled and frustrated so that the later breakthroughs have punch and are exciting. At some points it did feel like stretching an idea to meet a word count. No hate. As a writer myself, I've definitely done it.
The first act was great. Tightly written, good setup. It got me invested. I wanted to see how all this shook out. Some of the red herrings (Pepe and his father disagreed on the color of Jenny Ames dress. The newspaper editor, Callahan, had the same haircut as the killer) were just thrown out there and never mentioned again. I really thought either Callahan or the protagonist, Weaver, were the killer. I was wrong on both counts.
A part of me wants to says the last act felt rushed, but it actually felt about right. As things escalated and everything came to a head, I think the increased momentum worked.
But the VERY end- I'm talking the last page- seemed so underwhelming.
***MAJOR SPOILER***
Okay, so Weaver learns that his wife, Vi, is actually Jenny Ames. The body buried out back was someone else. And so what? He grabs a knife and tries to kill her? So she can recreate the scene the story opens on, like a nice bookend thing? I just didn't buy it
Yes, George Weaver wasn't into his wife. That was well established. But to murder her just because she was Jenny Ames?! I mean seriously, where did that come from? I knew George's mental breakdown and excessive drinking made him unstable, but there was absolutely nothing in his character that suggested he'd be a murderer.
The really disappointing thing is I think that George Weaver being the murderer or Callahan being the murderer would have made for an infinitely more satisfying twist. This book came so close to wowing me, but just dropped it at the end
Final thoughts-
I came into reading this book without expectations. I just wanted to be entertained. And to Frederic Brown's credit, he did entertain me for hours so good on him. I just wish he'd had the time to work out a more satisfying conclusion
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 27, 2018
Fredric Brown je u nás známý... no, řekněme spíš dohledatelný... jako autor sci-fi. Stará škola ho zná díky povídkám v knihách Experiment člověk, Pozemšťané a mimozemšťané, či knize Ten bláznivý vesmír. Ale jako každý správný autor té doby psal úplně všechno, co se mu naskytlo. Takže i kriminálky.
The Far Cry je zvláštní mix pomalé psychologické a trochu zastaralé kriminálky s povídkou z nějakého hitchcockovského sborníku (kam Brown samozřejmě taky psal). Hlavní hrdina, který pilně pracuje na svém alkoholismu a léčí se po nervovém zhroucení, se přestěhuje do malého města - do domu, kde před osmi lety zavraždili holku. Pachatel zmizel, totožnost holky je neznámá. A jelikož hrdina nemá do čeho píchnout, (jede tam s představou, že se bude kochat krásou krajiny a západů slunce, jenže kdo viděl jeden západ slunce, viděl všechny... a hory a lesy jsou fajn, ale taky je to jako pořád číst jednu a tu samou knihu stále dokola) začíná zjišťovat, co a jak. I z důvodu, že má od svého kámoše slíbené prachy za to, když mu dodá téma na článek. A do toho samozřejmě čím dál víc pije. A pak přijede jeho manželka, která s ním v pití drží krok. Vůbec je to příběh z doby, kdy byl alkoholismus regulérní náplní života.
A vážně se zdá, že po spoustě slepých uliček přijde s jednou, která vede někam dál... a skutečně i přijde s nějakým vyústěním. Poměrně civilním a věrohodným - aby pak autor na čtenáře vybalil ještě jednu pointu, která sice v rámci celého příběhu nedává moc velký smysl, že je spíš takovou zlomyslností vůči hrdinovi, který se čím dál víc upíná na osobu mrtvé dívky a čím víc nesnáší svou tupou manželku... a ano, dá se omluvit tím, že čím dál víc chlastá, takže už není jasné, co je tak úplně realita a co si prostě sám namlouvá, ale finále tam působí jako přilepené odjinud. I když ano, je to poměrně zábavné.
The Far Cry je zvláštní mix pomalé psychologické a trochu zastaralé kriminálky s povídkou z nějakého hitchcockovského sborníku (kam Brown samozřejmě taky psal). Hlavní hrdina, který pilně pracuje na svém alkoholismu a léčí se po nervovém zhroucení, se přestěhuje do malého města - do domu, kde před osmi lety zavraždili holku. Pachatel zmizel, totožnost holky je neznámá. A jelikož hrdina nemá do čeho píchnout, (jede tam s představou, že se bude kochat krásou krajiny a západů slunce, jenže kdo viděl jeden západ slunce, viděl všechny... a hory a lesy jsou fajn, ale taky je to jako pořád číst jednu a tu samou knihu stále dokola) začíná zjišťovat, co a jak. I z důvodu, že má od svého kámoše slíbené prachy za to, když mu dodá téma na článek. A do toho samozřejmě čím dál víc pije. A pak přijede jeho manželka, která s ním v pití drží krok. Vůbec je to příběh z doby, kdy byl alkoholismus regulérní náplní života.
A vážně se zdá, že po spoustě slepých uliček přijde s jednou, která vede někam dál... a skutečně i přijde s nějakým vyústěním. Poměrně civilním a věrohodným - aby pak autor na čtenáře vybalil ještě jednu pointu, která sice v rámci celého příběhu nedává moc velký smysl, že je spíš takovou zlomyslností vůči hrdinovi, který se čím dál víc upíná na osobu mrtvé dívky a čím víc nesnáší svou tupou manželku... a ano, dá se omluvit tím, že čím dál víc chlastá, takže už není jasné, co je tak úplně realita a co si prostě sám namlouvá, ale finále tam působí jako přilepené odjinud. I když ano, je to poměrně zábavné.
November 30, 2019
"The Far Cry", written by Fredric Brown, is the style of mystery novel where it begins with a protagonist who's only mildly-curious about a woman murdered eight years prior in the very home he's chosen to live in for the summer. The story takes place in a small western American town and ventures around California as our protagonist slowly and then steadily becomes consumed with discovering the truth of what happened the night Jenny Ames was murdered - a woman with no apparent background, no one to remember her - by an equally mysterious abstract painter. The lead character trades information with his reporter friend who turned him onto the case as he interviews locals and scouts out important locations whilst dealing with a wife who's seemingly given up on everything. There's some outdated psychology - homosexuality was, sadly, listed as a disease in the quakery found in the DSM of the day - and familiar ground, but the book, like the central mystery, only becomes more enthralling with each page, and the despair associated with the mystery of the victim, a forgotten and unknown woman, is enough to tear the reader's heart to bits. While the ending would remain nothing new when the book was released and, especially now, it's still a fittingly bizarre ending for our protagonist and his investigation.
An engaging mystery: Who was Jenny Ames? Why was she murdered 8 years ago in an isolated Adobe "shack" outside Taos?
An engaging mystery: Who was Jenny Ames? Why was she murdered 8 years ago in an isolated Adobe "shack" outside Taos?
June 13, 2025
This is a classic 1950’s noir mystery, written by an author with a master hand. It appears at first to be a simple cold case murder from a murder committed eight years in the past, but as the story unfolds, it gets much more complicated—madness, anger, hatred, greed and evil all struggle for first place as a motive to a crime, but at the spin of a dime it changes to a creepy psychological thriller. George Weaver is a man seeking solitude and a break from his wife when he decides to spend the summer in a tiny Texas town and he finds out the house that he is renting was the scene of an eight year old brutal murder.George gets caught up in the mystery of trying to find out the details of who and why someone killed Jenny Aimes. It takes over his life and mind to the point where he can’t think of anything else. Brown has impeccable timing and pacing so that the book takes on a creepy life of its own right up to the end. The ending all by itself is worth the time it takes to read the book. The book is dated with the 1950 prices, and the lifestyle of alcohol and cigarettes and misogyny, but it’s very readable all the same. Intriguing enough for me to pick up other books by this author.
June 14, 2024
Giallo sui generis, molto moderno e originale per l'epoca, dotato di una scrittura scattante e sottilmente ironica. I costanti eccessi alcolici del protagonista, vero marchio di fabbrica dei gialli browniani, non scontano la datatezza da epoca proibizionista di alcuni precedenti romanzi dell'autore (incluso il tanto celebrato La statua che urla) ma risultano funzionali a conferire spessore ai personaggi, risultando peraltro, a posteriori, non gratuiti ai fini della narrazione. Sul romanzo pesa una parte centrale certamente snellibile, ma si riscatta in un finale per una volta realmente beffardo e imprevedibile che, pur al netto di qualche forzatura, spiazza, diverte e rimane impresso nella memoria. Imperfetto ma a suo modo imperdibile, ai vertici della bibliografia gialla dell'autore.
***!
***!
September 9, 2019
It read like an episode of Dateline NBC and only Keith Morrison was missing. A regular guy starts investigating a crime that happened 8 years earlier in the crappy shack that he's renting. The mystery unfolds slowly and pulls you in.
But as everyone else has commented there's a WTF twist at the end which isn't satisfactory enough. I mean, I expected a Shining type of ending because guy stuck with his annoying wife in a crappy shack far from a crappy town with nothing to do but drink whiskey will lead one to craziness and murder.
But as everyone else has commented there's a WTF twist at the end which isn't satisfactory enough. I mean, I expected a Shining type of ending because guy stuck with his annoying wife in a crappy shack far from a crappy town with nothing to do but drink whiskey will lead one to craziness and murder.
January 12, 2020
Not a whodunnit? A Whydunnit? Innit?
A Far Cry is almost a companion piece to The Pledge by Friedrich Durrenmatt. They’re both psychological thrillers about the mental decline and final psychological collapse of men obsessionally searching for the answers to murders that can’t be solved.
Fredric Brown adds his familiar cutting noir narrative to this novel which makes it all the more entertaining and increases the tension and pace of the protagonist’s break down until the unexpected (or expected for fans of Fredric Brown) twist-finale.
A great noir mystery novel. Recommended.
A Far Cry is almost a companion piece to The Pledge by Friedrich Durrenmatt. They’re both psychological thrillers about the mental decline and final psychological collapse of men obsessionally searching for the answers to murders that can’t be solved.
Fredric Brown adds his familiar cutting noir narrative to this novel which makes it all the more entertaining and increases the tension and pace of the protagonist’s break down until the unexpected (or expected for fans of Fredric Brown) twist-finale.
A great noir mystery novel. Recommended.
November 13, 2022
Encore sous le choc de cette lecture.
C’est la première fois que je lis cet auteur et j’ai adoré sa manière de faire avancer l’enquête. Est ce qu’on peut parler du plot twist final aussi ? Ça me fait encore froid dans le dos. J’ai tout de même eu un petit bémol ; les personnages. On ne s’attache pas réellement à eux, c’est plutôt de la pitié qui en ressort du fait de leur alcoolisme, ce qui ne m’a pas mis très à l’aise.
C’est la première fois que je lis cet auteur et j’ai adoré sa manière de faire avancer l’enquête. Est ce qu’on peut parler du plot twist final aussi ? Ça me fait encore froid dans le dos. J’ai tout de même eu un petit bémol ; les personnages. On ne s’attache pas réellement à eux, c’est plutôt de la pitié qui en ressort du fait de leur alcoolisme, ce qui ne m’a pas mis très à l’aise.
July 17, 2023
Fredric Brown is one of the absolutely geniuses in the field of mystery writing. This time around, he tells the story of George Weaver, a man who's recovering from a breakdown and who has been advised to rest. He takes an abandoned house in Taos over, only to discover that it was the scene of an unsolved murder. He finds himself caught up in the story, and desperately wants to find the solution: who killed Jenny Ames? Riveting and very satisfying.
August 13, 2022
This novel is quite slow-moving, but the intensity slowly ratchets up and the ending is clever. It's not a typical mystery or crime novel, because it's about a burnt out real estate broker from Missouri who takes some time off and becomes obsessed with a "cold case" (a murder) that he ultimately solves. Most of the story takes place in Taos, New Mexico, where he's spending a summer.
May 13, 2025
I will be interested to read reviews on this. This is the second book I read by this author, liked the first one better. I forget how came to have this on my "wish to read" list. I do like that the book was only 179 pages or so. It dragged a bit at times. Worth a read I think. The alcohol consumption, made my head spin.
August 1, 2017
I don't know about that ending.
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