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Hot Water
“Along with Raymond Chandler, Cornell Woolrich practically invented the genre of noir.” —Newsday
“Critical sobriety is out of the question so long as this master of terror-in-the-commonplace exerts his spell.” - Anthony Boucher, The New York Times Book Review
"No one has ever surpassed Cornell Woolrich for shear suspense, or equalled him for exciting entertainment." - Robert Bloch
"Woolrich can distill more terror, more excitement, more downright nail-biting suspense out of even the most commonplace happenings than nearly all his competitors." - Ellery Queen
"An opus out of the ordinary, highly emotional and suspenseful, with a surprise finish that turns somersaults." - The Saturday Review of Literature on "The Bride Wore Black".
"Revered by mystery fans, students of film noir, and lovers of hardboiled crime fiction and detective novels, Cornell Woolrich remains almost unknown to the general reading public. His obscurity persists even though his Hollywood pedigree rivals or exceeds that of Cain, Chandler, and Hammett.What Woolrich lacked in literary prestige he made up for in suspense. Nobody was better at it." - Richard Dooling
“He was the greatest writer of suspense fiction that ever lived.” — Francis M. Nevins, Cornell Woolrich Biographer
"Hot Water" was first published in Argosy in the December 28th issue of 1935. This was the first time that Woolrich had been published in Argosy which, at the time, would have been considered the most prestigious of the pulp publications. Argosy welcomed stories of adventure, exotic locales and if a little crime, suspense or fast action was thrown in would be good for everyone. As it turns out, it was the last story that Woolrich would publish in 1935 but represented his 13th published pulp in what turned out to be a very good year for Woolrich.
"Hot Water" is set south of the border in a place where movie stars at that time might hide out for a little rest and relaxation. The narrator of the story, Shad, works as a bodyguard to superstar Fay North, who most noticeably resembles Mae West in appearance, a big star during the period Woolrich wrote the story.
During one of Fay North's trips to the resort of Agua Caliente she's kidnapped and taken to the desert with Shad and a quickly assembled posse in pursuit. The story wraps up 1935 very nicely for Woolrich with a great action short.
Cornell George Hopley-Woolrich (4 December 1903 – 25 September 1968) is one of America's best crime and noir writers who sometimes wrote under the pseudonyms William Irish and George Hopley. He's often compared to other celebrated crime writers of his day, Dashiell Hammett, Erle Stanley Gardner and Raymond Chandler.
Woolrich is considered the godfather of film noir and is often referred to as the Edgar Allen Poe of the 20th century, writing well over 250 works including novels, novelettes, novellas and short stories.
He attended New York's Columbia University but left school in 1926 without graduating when his first novel, "Cover Charge", was published. "Cover Charge" was one of six of his novels that he credits as inspired by the work of F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Woolrich soon turned to pulp and detective fiction, often published under his pseudonyms. His best known story today is his 1942 "It Had to Be Murder" for the simple reason that it was adapted into the 1954 Alfred Hitchcock movie "Rear Window"starring James Stewart and Grace Kelly. It was remade as a television film by Christopher Reeve in 1998.
“Critical sobriety is out of the question so long as this master of terror-in-the-commonplace exerts his spell.” - Anthony Boucher, The New York Times Book Review
"No one has ever surpassed Cornell Woolrich for shear suspense, or equalled him for exciting entertainment." - Robert Bloch
"Woolrich can distill more terror, more excitement, more downright nail-biting suspense out of even the most commonplace happenings than nearly all his competitors." - Ellery Queen
"An opus out of the ordinary, highly emotional and suspenseful, with a surprise finish that turns somersaults." - The Saturday Review of Literature on "The Bride Wore Black".
"Revered by mystery fans, students of film noir, and lovers of hardboiled crime fiction and detective novels, Cornell Woolrich remains almost unknown to the general reading public. His obscurity persists even though his Hollywood pedigree rivals or exceeds that of Cain, Chandler, and Hammett.What Woolrich lacked in literary prestige he made up for in suspense. Nobody was better at it." - Richard Dooling
“He was the greatest writer of suspense fiction that ever lived.” — Francis M. Nevins, Cornell Woolrich Biographer
"Hot Water" was first published in Argosy in the December 28th issue of 1935. This was the first time that Woolrich had been published in Argosy which, at the time, would have been considered the most prestigious of the pulp publications. Argosy welcomed stories of adventure, exotic locales and if a little crime, suspense or fast action was thrown in would be good for everyone. As it turns out, it was the last story that Woolrich would publish in 1935 but represented his 13th published pulp in what turned out to be a very good year for Woolrich.
"Hot Water" is set south of the border in a place where movie stars at that time might hide out for a little rest and relaxation. The narrator of the story, Shad, works as a bodyguard to superstar Fay North, who most noticeably resembles Mae West in appearance, a big star during the period Woolrich wrote the story.
During one of Fay North's trips to the resort of Agua Caliente she's kidnapped and taken to the desert with Shad and a quickly assembled posse in pursuit. The story wraps up 1935 very nicely for Woolrich with a great action short.
Cornell George Hopley-Woolrich (4 December 1903 – 25 September 1968) is one of America's best crime and noir writers who sometimes wrote under the pseudonyms William Irish and George Hopley. He's often compared to other celebrated crime writers of his day, Dashiell Hammett, Erle Stanley Gardner and Raymond Chandler.
Woolrich is considered the godfather of film noir and is often referred to as the Edgar Allen Poe of the 20th century, writing well over 250 works including novels, novelettes, novellas and short stories.
He attended New York's Columbia University but left school in 1926 without graduating when his first novel, "Cover Charge", was published. "Cover Charge" was one of six of his novels that he credits as inspired by the work of F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Woolrich soon turned to pulp and detective fiction, often published under his pseudonyms. His best known story today is his 1942 "It Had to Be Murder" for the simple reason that it was adapted into the 1954 Alfred Hitchcock movie "Rear Window"starring James Stewart and Grace Kelly. It was remade as a television film by Christopher Reeve in 1998.
30 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 28, 1935
18 people want to read
About the author
Cornell Woolrich
440 books473 followersCornell Woolrich is widely regarded as the twentieth century’s finest writer of pure suspense fiction. The author of numerous classic novels and short stories (many of which were turned into classic films) such as Rear Window, The Bride Wore Black, The Night Has a Thousand Eyes, Waltz Into Darkness, and I Married a Dead Man, Woolrich began his career in the 1920s writing mainstream novels that won him comparisons to F. Scott Fitzgerald. The bulk of his best-known work, however, was written in the field of crime fiction, often appearing serialized in pulp magazines or as paperback novels. Because he was prolific, he found it necessary to publish under multiple pseudonyms, including "William Irish" and "George Hopley" [...] Woolrich lived a life as dark and emotionally tortured as any of his unfortunate characters and died, alone, in a seedy Manhattan hotel room following the amputation of a gangrenous leg. Upon his death, he left a bequest of one million dollars to Columbia University, to fund a scholarship for young writers.
Source: [http://www.hardcasecrime.com/books_bi...]
Source: [http://www.hardcasecrime.com/books_bi...]
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
June 1, 2021
Not all of Woolrich’s early short stories — in fact, very few — were filled with the romantic fatalism of his later full-length works; most notably, his rightfully celebrated series of novels with “Black” in the title. Some of his short early pulp work is romantic melodrama touched lightly by suspense. Other pulp stories that he wrote for publication were weird menace tales. Still others are of the pulpy whiz-bang variety, and great fun for those who enjoy them with an appreciation for the genre, and the pulp magazines of a bygone era. Hot Water, published in the prestigious Argosy in 1935, definitely falls into the whiz-bang category, and on that level, it is great fun.
During the early days of Hollywood, the bodyguard for a starlet — she calls him Shad, even though that isn’t his name — follows Fay North down to Mexico because she wants to gamble at Aqua Caliente. Gambling is Fay’s only vice, but it’s a lulu. She’s pretty careless with her money, making Shad’s job of watching out for her no easy task.
Because this is a fast-moving whiz-bang, in no time at all the reader is immersed in a theft, a shootout, and an exciting chase through the Mexican desert. Paced like a Norvell Page story, the narrative has a pulpy runaway train feel to it. Plausibility is rarely worth considering in a pulpy whiz-bang, and even less so when the writer is Woolrich, but for those who enjoy a good old-fashioned pulp story, it’s an acceptable trade-off.
Woolrich gives the reader a delightful twist before the wrap up, and a conclusion with considerable charm. If you aren’t into pulp, and only know of this great writer because of the more heralded novels which came later, you might not enjoy this at all, but for those who have an affection for well-written early pulp stories, and the magazines that printed them, you can’t go wrong here.
During the early days of Hollywood, the bodyguard for a starlet — she calls him Shad, even though that isn’t his name — follows Fay North down to Mexico because she wants to gamble at Aqua Caliente. Gambling is Fay’s only vice, but it’s a lulu. She’s pretty careless with her money, making Shad’s job of watching out for her no easy task.
Because this is a fast-moving whiz-bang, in no time at all the reader is immersed in a theft, a shootout, and an exciting chase through the Mexican desert. Paced like a Norvell Page story, the narrative has a pulpy runaway train feel to it. Plausibility is rarely worth considering in a pulpy whiz-bang, and even less so when the writer is Woolrich, but for those who enjoy a good old-fashioned pulp story, it’s an acceptable trade-off.
Woolrich gives the reader a delightful twist before the wrap up, and a conclusion with considerable charm. If you aren’t into pulp, and only know of this great writer because of the more heralded novels which came later, you might not enjoy this at all, but for those who have an affection for well-written early pulp stories, and the magazines that printed them, you can’t go wrong here.
Displaying 1 of 1 review