What do you think?
Rate this book
Stiffs Don't Vote
Original title: Forty Whacks. Cover art by Hy Rubin.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1941
10 people want to read
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
March 29, 2022
There's an election and an ax murder in a small California town.
PI's are hired to find classic pianist, only to learn their secretary already found him. It seems someone cut off his hand with an ax. Then there's the ax murder, and guess who is the primary suspect? The PI's go back to work, and it all figures into the mayoral election.
A good pre-war novel.
PI's are hired to find classic pianist, only to learn their secretary already found him. It seems someone cut off his hand with an ax. Then there's the ax murder, and guess who is the primary suspect? The PI's go back to work, and it all figures into the mayoral election.
A good pre-war novel.
November 7, 2024
I dug this one out of the back of a bookshelf. It seemed appropriate for the season.
The title is a bit misleading; the original title of 'Forty Whacks' is more accurate. The election is a welcome subplot, but it is not the main focus of the murdered woman before she got herself whacked. The murder is lurid, even by today's standards, let alone in 1947. That it happens in a sleepy little town is perfect for the style of the author.
Humphrey Campbell and Oscar Morgan remind me a bit of Archie and Nero. Except that Archie has the legs and the brains. Oscar has the political connections that keep them out of trouble, however, which comes in handy once or twice. The resolution and how Humphrey figures it out is definitely not how Rex Stout did it. Wrapped it up with a bow without ticking off the local cops. The D.A. is not going to be a friend of theirs, however.
Definitely recommended for fans of Pulp, Post-WWII tales, and Detective novels.
Find it! Buy it! READ IT!
The title is a bit misleading; the original title of 'Forty Whacks' is more accurate. The election is a welcome subplot, but it is not the main focus of the murdered woman before she got herself whacked. The murder is lurid, even by today's standards, let alone in 1947. That it happens in a sleepy little town is perfect for the style of the author.
Humphrey Campbell and Oscar Morgan remind me a bit of Archie and Nero. Except that Archie has the legs and the brains. Oscar has the political connections that keep them out of trouble, however, which comes in handy once or twice. The resolution and how Humphrey figures it out is definitely not how Rex Stout did it. Wrapped it up with a bow without ticking off the local cops. The D.A. is not going to be a friend of theirs, however.
Definitely recommended for fans of Pulp, Post-WWII tales, and Detective novels.
Find it! Buy it! READ IT!
November 3, 2020
Well written with more than a decent plot but ultimately disappointing. Geoffrey Homes remains one of my main men so I'll call this one a slip and blame the editor instead of the author. Who knows how it would turn out with Robbie's character dropped (and consequently the book trimmed down for 50 odd pages) and some action sequences added. A few more stiffs wouldn't hurt it either.
More here (review includes spoilers!):
https://a60books.blogspot.com/2020/11...
More here (review includes spoilers!):
https://a60books.blogspot.com/2020/11...
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews