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Time to Kill
In the small New Jersey town of Arden, private eye Mack Barry—war-scarred, cynical, and itching for a new fight—takes on a case that feels like a personal crusade. A grieving father hires him to find the “fat cat” pushing drugs that drove his daughter to suicide. What Barry uncovers is a town rotting from the inside corrupt cops, a crime boss running a drug-fueled nightclub called Helldorado, and women whose every secret threatens to derail him.
Righteous, ruthless, and ready to ignite a one-man war, Barry takes on the pushers, the politicians, and anyone else standing in his way. Time to Kill is a feverish 1950s pulp thriller—steeped in sex, vice, and moral outrage—where every drag of smoke and flicker of desire could spark an inferno.
"Mack also knows how to crack some skulls, and the fight scenes are vividly executed in his one man war against the mafia. Time to Kill is fast-moving, bruising, sincere, and unapologetically thrilling." Paperback Warrior
"Mack Barry, is in the tough, horny, hysterically righteous mode of Mike Hammer. Spain stocks his pool with enough red herrings to keep readers guessing awhile." True Pulp Fiction Blog
"Terry Spain" is one of many pseudonyms for author Ted Stratton (1902-1984). This was his first published novel and sold nearly 200,000 copies before slipping into obscurity.
Righteous, ruthless, and ready to ignite a one-man war, Barry takes on the pushers, the politicians, and anyone else standing in his way. Time to Kill is a feverish 1950s pulp thriller—steeped in sex, vice, and moral outrage—where every drag of smoke and flicker of desire could spark an inferno.
"Mack also knows how to crack some skulls, and the fight scenes are vividly executed in his one man war against the mafia. Time to Kill is fast-moving, bruising, sincere, and unapologetically thrilling." Paperback Warrior
"Mack Barry, is in the tough, horny, hysterically righteous mode of Mike Hammer. Spain stocks his pool with enough red herrings to keep readers guessing awhile." True Pulp Fiction Blog
"Terry Spain" is one of many pseudonyms for author Ted Stratton (1902-1984). This was his first published novel and sold nearly 200,000 copies before slipping into obscurity.
177 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 10, 2025
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January 12, 2026
Now reissued by Cutting Edge, Stratton’s Time to Kill was originally published in 1953. According to Cutting Edge’s bio: “John Theodore Stratton (1902-1984) wrote many shorts stories and novels, many under pseudonyms (including Chet Kinsey, Thomas Stone, and Terry Spain), while working as a teacher and varsity football coach in Ridgewood, New Jersey.”
Time to Kill is a type of all-out war against the drug trade and the corrupt system that looked the other way. The focus of the war is private investigator Mack Barry who is hired by a wealthy man whose daughter Sherry Dalgren, like so many young innocents, got hooked on first marijuana then heroin and suicided. Now old man Dalgren wants someone to break the Parente crime organization and bring him to justice. Barry is a one-man army, scared of no one, and willing to use whatever it takes to get the job done.
Along the way, Barry finds the town of Midwood fully bathed in sin. The Parente house contains corrupt cops and a drunken Elizabeth Parente, who takes a liking to Barry. The town is fully controlled and someone up top – a Fat Cat is pulling the strings. The town has secret nightclubs where drugs are supplied, pictures taken, and anything goes.
Barry is threatened at every stage, beaten, and framed. He is not sure how deep the frame goes or whether the lead prosecutor’s nymphomaniac wife Ruth is going to have his back. It’s one lone guy against an entrenched crime machine (although Barry had one old army buddy Willie local).
Stratton does a great job with this one, keeping it chock full of action from beginning to end. The tension never lets up.
Time to Kill is a type of all-out war against the drug trade and the corrupt system that looked the other way. The focus of the war is private investigator Mack Barry who is hired by a wealthy man whose daughter Sherry Dalgren, like so many young innocents, got hooked on first marijuana then heroin and suicided. Now old man Dalgren wants someone to break the Parente crime organization and bring him to justice. Barry is a one-man army, scared of no one, and willing to use whatever it takes to get the job done.
Along the way, Barry finds the town of Midwood fully bathed in sin. The Parente house contains corrupt cops and a drunken Elizabeth Parente, who takes a liking to Barry. The town is fully controlled and someone up top – a Fat Cat is pulling the strings. The town has secret nightclubs where drugs are supplied, pictures taken, and anything goes.
Barry is threatened at every stage, beaten, and framed. He is not sure how deep the frame goes or whether the lead prosecutor’s nymphomaniac wife Ruth is going to have his back. It’s one lone guy against an entrenched crime machine (although Barry had one old army buddy Willie local).
Stratton does a great job with this one, keeping it chock full of action from beginning to end. The tension never lets up.
Displaying 1 of 1 review