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Scott Jordan #1
Bury Me Deep
One of the best of the hard-boiled detectives, and one of the most neglected, is the fast-living lawyer Scott Jordan. Jordan is the creation of Harold Q. Masur, himself a practicing lawyer, born-and-educated in New York City, who now presents his cases as fiction. The first novel in the series is Bury Me Deep, a great title that definitely sets the mood. It’s a fast-moving murder mystery that begins when Jordan comes home early to find a beautiful but unknown blonde half-dressed and very drunk in his apartment. From then on things get ever more complicated, as murder and intrigue rear their twin heads with Jordan stuck in the middle, trying to solve the crime and clear himself of a murder charge.
192 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1947
3 people are currently reading
73 people want to read
About the author
Harold Q. Masur
78 books9 followersHarold Q. Masur was an American lawyer and author of mystery novels.
He graduated from the New York University School of Law in 1934 and practiced law between 1935 and 1942. Then he joined the U.S. Air Force. In the late 30s he started writing Pulp Fiction. In 1973 he was President of the Mystery Writers of America
He graduated from the New York University School of Law in 1934 and practiced law between 1935 and 1942. Then he joined the U.S. Air Force. In the late 30s he started writing Pulp Fiction. In 1973 he was President of the Mystery Writers of America
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
August 22, 2025
A non-stop whirlwind of a pulpy mystery, with piles of convoluted leads and bodies and a barrel full of red herrings. The narrative is rife with snappy dialogue, shady characters and witty turns of phrase and feels like Perry Mason, sans court room theatrics, with more of a hardboiled edge.
June 17, 2018
"I'll take 'Book titles that would also make a great porn title' for one hundred, Alex".
Bury Me Deep is so hard-boiled you could peel its shell off and eat it with a pinch of salt. We have cops roughing perps up in back rooms, people getting filled with holes and poison, and all sorts of dames (nasty dames, nice dames, dead dames, dangerous dames. Dames that will cook you dinner and dames that will break your jaw with a right hook).
The slang and witty retorts had me in noir heaven. You have to watch out because someone might sneak up behind you and "open a leak in your back". If you get found guilty of murder you might get "slated for the armchair". Also, read these lines in the voice of Humphrey Bogart, and then in the voice of Groucho Marx. They work great either way, and I love it for that:
Girl: "If you ever get married how many children will you have?"
Groucho/Bogart: "About fourteen."
Girl: "So many!"
Groucho/Bogart: "It can't be helped, baby. I have insomnia."
and
Girl: "My perfume comes from Paris. Ten dollars an ounce. It's called 'Disaster'."
Groucho/Bogart: "I don't care if it's called 'Catastrophe'. get up and get dressed."
and
Cab driver: "You! Dumping a dead broad in my cab and giving me a lousy ten bucks to get rid of her."
Groucho/Bogart: "How much did you want--fifteen?"
Besides putting me in noir heaven, it is also a darn good mystery that had me guessing (and guessing wrong) until nearly the last page. There is a large cast of characters and everyone has an equally valid motive for murder. There are also plenty of red herrings to trip you up along the way. Even with such a big cast of dangerous thugs and shady dames, though, the story is still easy to follow and keep up with. I never had a moment where i was like "wait, what's going on?" or "hold on a sec, who is this guy again?".
Finally, Bury Me Deep has an unusual protagnist. Instead of a P.I. or a crook, our dick is a lawyer. This actually puts a neat spin on things because he uses his law knowledge to his advantage. He might promise to keep someone out of jail if they help him, or threaten them with some obscure or minor law if they don't. He also uses his law knowledge to keep himself out of trouble, because the cops are never too far behind and he doesnt exactly do things by the book.
So, if you are looking for a hardboiled noir that moves at a fast pace and never lets up until the end, Bury Me Deep is one that I highly suggest you check out.
Bury Me Deep is so hard-boiled you could peel its shell off and eat it with a pinch of salt. We have cops roughing perps up in back rooms, people getting filled with holes and poison, and all sorts of dames (nasty dames, nice dames, dead dames, dangerous dames. Dames that will cook you dinner and dames that will break your jaw with a right hook).
The slang and witty retorts had me in noir heaven. You have to watch out because someone might sneak up behind you and "open a leak in your back". If you get found guilty of murder you might get "slated for the armchair". Also, read these lines in the voice of Humphrey Bogart, and then in the voice of Groucho Marx. They work great either way, and I love it for that:
Girl: "If you ever get married how many children will you have?"
Groucho/Bogart: "About fourteen."
Girl: "So many!"
Groucho/Bogart: "It can't be helped, baby. I have insomnia."
and
Girl: "My perfume comes from Paris. Ten dollars an ounce. It's called 'Disaster'."
Groucho/Bogart: "I don't care if it's called 'Catastrophe'. get up and get dressed."
and
Cab driver: "You! Dumping a dead broad in my cab and giving me a lousy ten bucks to get rid of her."
Groucho/Bogart: "How much did you want--fifteen?"
Besides putting me in noir heaven, it is also a darn good mystery that had me guessing (and guessing wrong) until nearly the last page. There is a large cast of characters and everyone has an equally valid motive for murder. There are also plenty of red herrings to trip you up along the way. Even with such a big cast of dangerous thugs and shady dames, though, the story is still easy to follow and keep up with. I never had a moment where i was like "wait, what's going on?" or "hold on a sec, who is this guy again?".
Finally, Bury Me Deep has an unusual protagnist. Instead of a P.I. or a crook, our dick is a lawyer. This actually puts a neat spin on things because he uses his law knowledge to his advantage. He might promise to keep someone out of jail if they help him, or threaten them with some obscure or minor law if they don't. He also uses his law knowledge to keep himself out of trouble, because the cops are never too far behind and he doesnt exactly do things by the book.
So, if you are looking for a hardboiled noir that moves at a fast pace and never lets up until the end, Bury Me Deep is one that I highly suggest you check out.
August 18, 2025
Masur has explained that he wrote this novel while in the Army and he wanted Jordan to be the kind of fellow he would like to have been. The original hardcover Inner Sanctum version had Jordan married by the end, but the Pocket Books version insisted that Jordan be a swinging single attorney out to break hearts everywhere.
Masur, who was a practicing attorney, created the Jordan character as an attorney, not a private eye. Jordan often tangles with the District Attorney himself who has taken a dislike to Jordan and aims to put him out of business. Yet, Jordan is more of a stand-in for the irascible solo private eye as there are almost no courtroom scenes in the Jordan books. And, there are certainly no Perry Mason cross-examinations breaking down difficult witnesses.
Jordan’s background: “Before the war Jordan was a postal inspector, studied law at night. Got admitted to the bar a couple of years before he enlisted.” Nola saw my surprise and added dryly, “We learn things fast around here. For example, you were in North Africa, India, China; one of Donovon’s bright lads in the cloak-and-dagger department.”
It is perhaps a sign of how much times have changed that the whole subject of divorce and how difficult it was to obtain occupies an inordinate outline in so many of these books. In New York then, infidelity was the only rationale accepted under the law and unscrupulous attorneys – there were a few – would often stage situations where witnesses would walk in on an amorous fling.
In Masur’s Scott Jordan novels, Jordan often also plays the part of the innocent sucker set up to look like a murderer and he has to often talk his way out of being held in order to investigate the situation and ferret out the real murderer.
This story opens with Jordan coming home to his apartment early after a Miami business trip and finding a delectable young lady in his apartment clad only in her barely there scanties. He tells us- “I stood there, rooted. Her costume had me floored. She was wearing black panties and a black bra and that was all. She sat with one long leg folded comfortably under her and she smiled at me. I had never seen her before in my life,.”
Verna quickly downs a bottle of brandy and “She stood in front of me, trying to speak. Her mouth was working crookedly but no sounds came out. I saw the greenish irises of her eyes rise up very slowly and vanish under the heavy lids, leaving nothing but two balls of mottled white.”
After throwing out a trio who attempt to burst into his apartment, Jordan pours the obviously drunken Verna into a taxi and tells the cab driver to drive her around with the windows open and she sobers up and then take her home only to come back in his apartment and find a knife wielding maniac demanding to know where Verna is and threatening to kill Jordan.
The next thing Jordan knows thes he wakes up and standing over him is “Lieutenant John Nola,” he said quietly. “Homicide Bureau.” Verna is dead, poisoned with arsenic and Jordan piled the corpse into a taxi. Throughout the series. Nola would become Jordan’s one friend in the NYPD, the only one who trusts and believes in Jordan’s innocence.
Well, almost, only- Dulcy makes herself at home with him – and in the original version marries Jordan by the end of the novel.
“Bury me Deep” is an excellent start to a well-written and exciting series.
Masur, who was a practicing attorney, created the Jordan character as an attorney, not a private eye. Jordan often tangles with the District Attorney himself who has taken a dislike to Jordan and aims to put him out of business. Yet, Jordan is more of a stand-in for the irascible solo private eye as there are almost no courtroom scenes in the Jordan books. And, there are certainly no Perry Mason cross-examinations breaking down difficult witnesses.
Jordan’s background: “Before the war Jordan was a postal inspector, studied law at night. Got admitted to the bar a couple of years before he enlisted.” Nola saw my surprise and added dryly, “We learn things fast around here. For example, you were in North Africa, India, China; one of Donovon’s bright lads in the cloak-and-dagger department.”
It is perhaps a sign of how much times have changed that the whole subject of divorce and how difficult it was to obtain occupies an inordinate outline in so many of these books. In New York then, infidelity was the only rationale accepted under the law and unscrupulous attorneys – there were a few – would often stage situations where witnesses would walk in on an amorous fling.
In Masur’s Scott Jordan novels, Jordan often also plays the part of the innocent sucker set up to look like a murderer and he has to often talk his way out of being held in order to investigate the situation and ferret out the real murderer.
This story opens with Jordan coming home to his apartment early after a Miami business trip and finding a delectable young lady in his apartment clad only in her barely there scanties. He tells us- “I stood there, rooted. Her costume had me floored. She was wearing black panties and a black bra and that was all. She sat with one long leg folded comfortably under her and she smiled at me. I had never seen her before in my life,.”
Verna quickly downs a bottle of brandy and “She stood in front of me, trying to speak. Her mouth was working crookedly but no sounds came out. I saw the greenish irises of her eyes rise up very slowly and vanish under the heavy lids, leaving nothing but two balls of mottled white.”
After throwing out a trio who attempt to burst into his apartment, Jordan pours the obviously drunken Verna into a taxi and tells the cab driver to drive her around with the windows open and she sobers up and then take her home only to come back in his apartment and find a knife wielding maniac demanding to know where Verna is and threatening to kill Jordan.
The next thing Jordan knows thes he wakes up and standing over him is “Lieutenant John Nola,” he said quietly. “Homicide Bureau.” Verna is dead, poisoned with arsenic and Jordan piled the corpse into a taxi. Throughout the series. Nola would become Jordan’s one friend in the NYPD, the only one who trusts and believes in Jordan’s innocence.
Well, almost, only- Dulcy makes herself at home with him – and in the original version marries Jordan by the end of the novel.
“Bury me Deep” is an excellent start to a well-written and exciting series.
July 10, 2015
"Μην εμπιστεύεσαι τις ξανθές", εκδόσεις ΒΙΠΕΡ.
Κλασικό αστυνομικό μυθιστόρημα της δεκαετίας του '40, γεμάτο ίντριγκες, δράση και ανατροπές. Είναι το πρώτο βιβλίο της σειράς με ήρωα τον δικηγόρο Σκοτ Τζόρνταν, ο οποίος περισσότερο μοιάζει με τσαμπουκαλή ιδιωτικό ντετέκτιβ παρά με δικηγορίσκο. Και ξύλο ρίχνει και σφαίρες τρώει και στο συγκεκριμένο έτρεχε στους δρόμους για να τα βγάλει πέρα με την υπόθεση που έμπλεξε.
Γυρίζοντας σπιτάκι του, ο Τζόρνταν βρίσκει στο σαλόνι μια άγνωστη πανέμορφη γκόμενα με το νεγκλιζέ της, σε κατάσταση μέθης. Παθαίνει κοκομπλόκο. Πως βρέθηκε εκεί; Όντας κουρασμένος, την βάζει σ'ένα ταξί και την στέλνει στον αγύριστο. Η κοπέλα όμως θα πεθάνει από δηλητήριο μέσα στο ταξί και ο ίδιος θα βρεθεί κατηγορούμενος. Προσπαθώντας να καθαρίσει το όνομα και την υπόληψη του, θα μπλεχτεί σε μια ιστορία κληρονομιάς και εξαπάτησης και θα βρεθεί στο στόχαστρο ενός δολοφόνου. Η συνέχεια γεμάτη μπλεξίματα και πτώματα... Η ιστορία ακολουθεί την κλασική συνταγή των νουάρ της δεκαετίας του '40, όντας γεμάτη μπερδέματα, μυστήριο και ανατροπές. Η γραφή δεν είναι κάτι το ιδιαίτερο, σίγουρα όμως βοηθάει στην γρήγορη ανάγνωση. Ο αφηγητής Σκοτ Τζόρνταν μου φάνηκε ενδιαφέρων και λιγάκι φαφλατάς, δεν συγκρίνεται όμως με τον Φίλιπ Μάρλοου ή τον Λιου Άρτσερ.
Γενικά είναι ένα καλό αστυνομικό νουάρ που δείχνει τα χρονάκια του και απευθύνεται κυρίως σε φανατικούς του συγκεκριμένου είδους. Διαβάζεται ευχάριστα από την αρχή μέχρι το τέλος, αν και κουράζει λιγάκι με τα μπερδέματα σε ορισμένα σημεία της πλοκής. Στην βιβλιοθήκη μου έχω τα επόμενα δυο-τρία βιβλία της σειράς, οπότε σίγουρα θα τον ξαναπετύχω τον φαφλατά δικηγόρο!
Κλασικό αστυνομικό μυθιστόρημα της δεκαετίας του '40, γεμάτο ίντριγκες, δράση και ανατροπές. Είναι το πρώτο βιβλίο της σειράς με ήρωα τον δικηγόρο Σκοτ Τζόρνταν, ο οποίος περισσότερο μοιάζει με τσαμπουκαλή ιδιωτικό ντετέκτιβ παρά με δικηγορίσκο. Και ξύλο ρίχνει και σφαίρες τρώει και στο συγκεκριμένο έτρεχε στους δρόμους για να τα βγάλει πέρα με την υπόθεση που έμπλεξε.
Γυρίζοντας σπιτάκι του, ο Τζόρνταν βρίσκει στο σαλόνι μια άγνωστη πανέμορφη γκόμενα με το νεγκλιζέ της, σε κατάσταση μέθης. Παθαίνει κοκομπλόκο. Πως βρέθηκε εκεί; Όντας κουρασμένος, την βάζει σ'ένα ταξί και την στέλνει στον αγύριστο. Η κοπέλα όμως θα πεθάνει από δηλητήριο μέσα στο ταξί και ο ίδιος θα βρεθεί κατηγορούμενος. Προσπαθώντας να καθαρίσει το όνομα και την υπόληψη του, θα μπλεχτεί σε μια ιστορία κληρονομιάς και εξαπάτησης και θα βρεθεί στο στόχαστρο ενός δολοφόνου. Η συνέχεια γεμάτη μπλεξίματα και πτώματα... Η ιστορία ακολουθεί την κλασική συνταγή των νουάρ της δεκαετίας του '40, όντας γεμάτη μπερδέματα, μυστήριο και ανατροπές. Η γραφή δεν είναι κάτι το ιδιαίτερο, σίγουρα όμως βοηθάει στην γρήγορη ανάγνωση. Ο αφηγητής Σκοτ Τζόρνταν μου φάνηκε ενδιαφέρων και λιγάκι φαφλατάς, δεν συγκρίνεται όμως με τον Φίλιπ Μάρλοου ή τον Λιου Άρτσερ.
Γενικά είναι ένα καλό αστυνομικό νουάρ που δείχνει τα χρονάκια του και απευθύνεται κυρίως σε φανατικούς του συγκεκριμένου είδους. Διαβάζεται ευχάριστα από την αρχή μέχρι το τέλος, αν και κουράζει λιγάκι με τα μπερδέματα σε ορισμένα σημεία της πλοκής. Στην βιβλιοθήκη μου έχω τα επόμενα δυο-τρία βιβλία της σειράς, οπότε σίγουρα θα τον ξαναπετύχω τον φαφλατά δικηγόρο!
July 12, 2020
Bury Me Deep is a classic of the genre, especially if you like your detectives stories with a bit of humor, think Shell Scott, though not as silly, or Bill Crane.
Scott Jordan, the protagonist, is not actually a detective, but a lawyer, who returns home early from a business trip to Miami to find a naked woman on his couch with a bottle of brandy. The story is the unraveling of circumstances that lead to the naked woman being on the couch and later ending up dead after Jordan has her taken home in a cab.
Scott Jordan, the protagonist, is not actually a detective, but a lawyer, who returns home early from a business trip to Miami to find a naked woman on his couch with a bottle of brandy. The story is the unraveling of circumstances that lead to the naked woman being on the couch and later ending up dead after Jordan has her taken home in a cab.
October 26, 2014
Attorney Scott Jordan arrives home from Miami a few days early to find a surprise on his couch: an unknown blonde wearing nothing but black negligee, swirling a glass of brandy in her hand. As Jordan’s apartment becomes host to a succession of unknown, uninvited guests, the irritated and confused Jordan takes action and calls a cab for the girl when she passes out drunk. Unfortunately for him, she wasn’t drunk—she’s dead, as someone poisoned her brandy. And she was the prime witness in a messy court case to boot, with plenty of suspects ready to claim an inheritance based on her testimony… Or lack thereof. Now with a personal stake in the matter, Jordan must navigate between the cops, the court claimants, a veritable sea of suspects, friends, foes, and a killer or two…
There’s many similarities between Scott Jordan and the more famous attorney-detective, Perry Mason, but also a lot of differences. Jordan is a smart and canny attorney, but he’s also a hardboiled investigator. He knows his way around a gun, and isn’t afraid to go out in the field to find things out himself. While the Perry Mason books were more about the finely staged courtroom sequences and puzzle-like mysteries, Jordan is more interested in dredging up evidence without getting shot. And while he likes the ladies, he’s smart enough not to get into hot water… instead leveraging his brusque, confrontational style towards plaintiffs, defendants, and local hoodlums. He’s not quite a tough guy, but he can handle himself if he has to.
Scott Jordan is a nice change of pace: he’s smarter and not as hardboiled as your average private eye, but is more street-savvy and gets into more trouble than your usual lawyer-type. The plot is pure pulp, in that the plot moves like a racehorse and runs a twisty-turny labyrinth of twists and cliffhangers, but also has a cheery optimism no matter how bad things get. The plot is intricate and layered to boot, keeping you guessing up until those last few surprises on the last few pages catch you off guard. Bury Me Deep is a fast and fun novel, Masur’s stylish debut, another lost classic from the pulp era that proves there’s still plenty of gems yet in need of rediscovery. A definite keeper for readers of ’40s-’50s hardboiled noir.
(Full review found here.)
There’s many similarities between Scott Jordan and the more famous attorney-detective, Perry Mason, but also a lot of differences. Jordan is a smart and canny attorney, but he’s also a hardboiled investigator. He knows his way around a gun, and isn’t afraid to go out in the field to find things out himself. While the Perry Mason books were more about the finely staged courtroom sequences and puzzle-like mysteries, Jordan is more interested in dredging up evidence without getting shot. And while he likes the ladies, he’s smart enough not to get into hot water… instead leveraging his brusque, confrontational style towards plaintiffs, defendants, and local hoodlums. He’s not quite a tough guy, but he can handle himself if he has to.
Scott Jordan is a nice change of pace: he’s smarter and not as hardboiled as your average private eye, but is more street-savvy and gets into more trouble than your usual lawyer-type. The plot is pure pulp, in that the plot moves like a racehorse and runs a twisty-turny labyrinth of twists and cliffhangers, but also has a cheery optimism no matter how bad things get. The plot is intricate and layered to boot, keeping you guessing up until those last few surprises on the last few pages catch you off guard. Bury Me Deep is a fast and fun novel, Masur’s stylish debut, another lost classic from the pulp era that proves there’s still plenty of gems yet in need of rediscovery. A definite keeper for readers of ’40s-’50s hardboiled noir.
(Full review found here.)
February 25, 2021
I was looking for a light palate cleanser; a quick read. This is an old pulp/noir novel (originally published in 1947) that was...okay.
Reading old books, especially anything that isn't "literature", is tricky because reading them makes it immediately apparent just how quickly society has actually improved. It is always a bit startling how much casual racism, sexism, misogyny, police brutality, and so on there are in books like these. You've got to be able to overlook that in order to find enjoyment. None of that is really the reason for my 2-star rating; I've read enough pulp to know it comes with territory.
The 2-star rating is because, while the core mystery is actually pretty well-done (), none of the characters have much....character. Scott Jordan is a lawyer (a nice change of pace from the usual private eyes) but other than a few standard noir-tropes I couldn't really tell you anything particularly memorable about him. The police detective is actually competent, mostly friendly towards Scott Jordan, and they actually work together. Again, a nice change of pace from the usual noir tropes. But that's not enough to elevate the book.
The de rigeur noir love interest has some potential to be interesting: she's not a femme fatale, just a normal, lovely girl unrelated to the murder-mystery and (in the original version of the story) they end up happily married by the end of the book. But she's written in such a cringe-inducing way it never delivers on any of the potential. She's 22 and has (apparently) been smitten with him since she was a teenager, though they haven't seen one another in several years. Within a day or two of meeting she's talking about marriage in a weird stalkerish way.
Sidenote: There's a delightful passage where she makes him dinner but it is all freezer-dinners from Birdseye. He can't even tell the difference from homemade and goes on about how amazing they are. I feel like that's a perfect summation of mid-century American culinary levels.
Anyway, the book is okay. It's fine. It's not bad. If you're looking for a mid-century noir book this will hit the spot. Masur and the Scott Jordan series were apparently best sellers in the 1950s (this book sold over 1,000,000 copies in its hey-day) but have mostly been forgotten. I can understand why.
Weird note: When I was a kid I read a collection of short suspense mystery stories that I loved. It was edited by "Alfred Hitchcock". Turns out it was actually Harold Masur using a fake name.
Reading old books, especially anything that isn't "literature", is tricky because reading them makes it immediately apparent just how quickly society has actually improved. It is always a bit startling how much casual racism, sexism, misogyny, police brutality, and so on there are in books like these. You've got to be able to overlook that in order to find enjoyment. None of that is really the reason for my 2-star rating; I've read enough pulp to know it comes with territory.
The 2-star rating is because, while the core mystery is actually pretty well-done (), none of the characters have much....character. Scott Jordan is a lawyer (a nice change of pace from the usual private eyes) but other than a few standard noir-tropes I couldn't really tell you anything particularly memorable about him. The police detective is actually competent, mostly friendly towards Scott Jordan, and they actually work together. Again, a nice change of pace from the usual noir tropes. But that's not enough to elevate the book.
The de rigeur noir love interest has some potential to be interesting: she's not a femme fatale, just a normal, lovely girl unrelated to the murder-mystery and (in the original version of the story) they end up happily married by the end of the book. But she's written in such a cringe-inducing way it never delivers on any of the potential. She's 22 and has (apparently) been smitten with him since she was a teenager, though they haven't seen one another in several years. Within a day or two of meeting she's talking about marriage in a weird stalkerish way.
“Shall I buy some Hindu saris?”
“Huh? What the devil for?”
“In case you take me to India on a honeymoon.” I laughed.
Sidenote: There's a delightful passage where she makes him dinner but it is all freezer-dinners from Birdseye. He can't even tell the difference from homemade and goes on about how amazing they are. I feel like that's a perfect summation of mid-century American culinary levels.
Anyway, the book is okay. It's fine. It's not bad. If you're looking for a mid-century noir book this will hit the spot. Masur and the Scott Jordan series were apparently best sellers in the 1950s (this book sold over 1,000,000 copies in its hey-day) but have mostly been forgotten. I can understand why.
Weird note: When I was a kid I read a collection of short suspense mystery stories that I loved. It was edited by "Alfred Hitchcock". Turns out it was actually Harold Masur using a fake name.
December 25, 2024
Received an audio copy from the narrator to review, this is an honest review. Wonderfully performed by Roberto Scarlato, Bury Me Deep turns into a wild, complex mess of a case that lawyer Scott Jordan gets himself roped into from the moment he finds a sexy woman dressed only on her underwear in his apartment. Definitely a better development than the shitty trip Jordan just returned from. Then things to complete hell after the women suddenly dies and the lawyer is fingered to have killed her; as Jordan races against those bent on silencing him as the man discovers what exactly the dead woman has been involved in, both trust in people Jordan can put his life their hands and informational prove to be the keys to the knee deep shit show Scott Jordan fell into and prays to escape.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
January 9, 2021
Scott Jordan is a New York lawyer caught up in several murders in this quite engaging 1947 PI story. A mysterious woman, near naked in his apartment when he returns from holiday, quickly dies of poisoning. She is soon connected to a divorce case and a nightclub, and a homicide lieutenant helps him link the killing to a will which has seen several deaths and causes a few more before the resolution. Nothing startling but an interesting period piece with both the cop and the lawyer sympathetic characters
May 25, 2024
"I shook him like a pair of dice." Masur has become one of my favorite crime writers. The writing is better than some of today's best-selling authors. Masur wanted to write courtroom crime dramas like ES Gardner, only better - he succeeds! There's some typical 50s attitudes, but not enough to be off-putting. First book in the Scott Jordan series. I scored what looked to be an excellent Pocket Books edition, but the pages have started to fall out, probably glue failure after 77 years!
January 25, 2018
This was a great story, I had a lot of fun reading it. There were quite a few good lines in this book that I had to jot down. The mystery kept me guessing until the end.
Want to read
March 20, 2019Synopsis: lawyer and PI Jordan comes home to find an unknown blonde drunk in his apartment. Murder and intrigue rear their twin heads.
December 4, 2022
Well-above average 40's style hardboiled romp, with lawyer Scott Jordan going through the PI paces surrounding an inheritance hinging on who-died-first.
July 12, 2015
While not as famous as his contemporaries (Chandler, Hammett, Gardner), Mazur was noted in his time for his hard-boiled fiction. Scott Jordan is a lawyer who does his own detective work, especially when an unidentified blonde shows up, first uninvited in his apartment, then dead in the taxi he put her in. A decent story filled with highly descriptive prose, yet somehow mediocre.
The narrator is not a good fit for this kind of novel. His voice is too pleasant, and delivery too bland and relatively emotionless. I feel that he would be well suited to Charles River Editors or University press.
"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com."
The narrator is not a good fit for this kind of novel. His voice is too pleasant, and delivery too bland and relatively emotionless. I feel that he would be well suited to Charles River Editors or University press.
"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com."
February 22, 2016
This first entry in the Scott Jordan series opens with Jordan returning home from a trip, only to find a scantily clad woman in his apartment, eager to make whoopee!
Jordan expels her from the apartment, and she winds up dead in a taxicab. this brings in cops, killers, and conspiracies.
A very good, fast moving novel.
Jordan expels her from the apartment, and she winds up dead in a taxicab. this brings in cops, killers, and conspiracies.
A very good, fast moving novel.
December 3, 2008
Excellent. A twisted little cruller of a mystery novel. The plot was aided by Masur's law degree and it kept me guessing. The protagonist Scott Jordan is kind of a jerk, but this was entirely tempered by his love interest, Dulcy Cambreau.
Pulpish fun.
Pulpish fun.
December 23, 2021
A very good and quick read. Great for the subway/commute ride.
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