Too Soon Dead

Alexander Brass #1

by Michael Kurland

It is March 1935. The Great Depression is at its peak; Prohibition was recently repealed; and for millions of people across the country, syndicated columnist and sophisticate Alexander Brass is the voice of Manhattan high society and nightlife. When a mysterious man tries to interest Brass in photos of prominent people engaged in questionable acts, Brass is intrigued and has the stranger followed. But the stringer who was following him is murdered, his body found in the offices of an anti-Nazi group in Yorkville, and Brass finds himself in the middle of something far more sinister than simple blackmail. With the help of his aide-de-camp Morgan DeWitt and research assistant Gloria, Brass follows a trail that leads past the rich and famous such as a United States senator and Charles Lindbergh. All too quickly, they discover themselves in the midst of a most dangerous game in which, if they are too late smart, they'll be too soon dead.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery

238 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1997

About the author

aka Jennifer Plum

Michael Kurland has written many non-fiction books on a vast array of topics, including How to Solve a Murder, as well as many novels. Twice a finalist for the Edgar Award (once for The Infernal Device) given by the Mystery Writers of America, Kurland is perhaps best known for his novels about Professor Moriarty. He lives in Petaluma, California.

Reviews

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was just a good mystery. There were no bells and whistles or crazy plot twists, just a small group of reporters trying to solve a friend's murder. The characters were likable and I enjoyed Morgan's jibes at himself regarding his writing.

[Seton Catholic Central High · Rating 3 out of 5]

Michael Kurland's little misadventure, Too Soon Dead, is a wild goose chase of moderately restricted proportions. Columnist Alexander Brass and his small team, when approached by a rather large man with some very interesting pictures (whom also happens into quite a bind later) run from here to there, asking questions, being profound, finding corpses and making witty remarks. They discover all kinds of interesting things about individuals involved in government during their exploratory run, and in the end, uncover a conspiracy that could have very well led to a disaster.
While it's all good fun, it felt as though there was a lack of essential panic, of potential hanging disaster, of that edge-of-your-seat tension that makes stories like this so ridiculously immersive. Brass himself, DeWitt (the main character), and almost every other character that is presented to the reader all indulge in sharp, intelligent, and oftentimes sarcastic humor. The exchanges between DeWitt and many of the people he met left me in giggling fits. The descriptions were all in place, and it was a simply-worded and pleasant story to read.
However, on occasion, the story would wander, or the reader would be introduced to a whole jumbled pile of information with no relevance to the story entirely out of the blue. It would oftentimes tangent and depart from the original plot, ending up somewhere far outside of its anticipated parameters, and these tangents left me confused once or twice. This was the most prominent issue I encountered; more than the majority of the story was largely enjoyable, and I was very glad to have had the opportunity to read it.

[Marty · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love the old Who-Done-its of the 1930s and 1940s, you’ll love this book. The story reminded me of the Dashiell Hammett stories: clever wisecracks but not overdone, smart females, newspaper men, crooked politicians., tired cops. All are found here. The scene is New York, 1935. The story is narrated by the assistant to a smart, popular newspaper columnist. Although he (the columnist) has an office at a newspaper (The New York World) he is quite independent and his column runs in 200 newspapers 6 days a week. In this story, the columnist is brought photos of top politicians in compromising situations but is told little about them. The person presenting the photographs is then found dead. Are the photos part of a blackmail scheme? Where do the Nazis fit in? A fun mystery with snappy dialogue!

[Jonathan Gomez · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5.

One of the books I picked up at the Powell's warehouse sale a while back. Honestly the story was better than I expected, but the writing was a bit strange at times. I also felt like some random details were added for no reason and then other important ones were glossed over. The author did a good job of capturing the time period, but some overtly racist and problematic things could have been omitted for the sake of being written relatively recently and not at all being relevant to the story at hand... Overall it was a decent book, nothing special.

[Cyn McDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alexander Brass has a widely-read syndicated newspaper column and works out of the offices of the New York World. Morgan DeWitt, the narrator, is his assistant. The writing has some of the flavor of Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin stories, but Brass, while equally well-heeled, is an active investigator, and DeWitt definitely has his own voice. I really enjoyed this, am looking forward to the second book, and am already regretting that there aren't more.

[Linda Sprenkle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Its lively voice and take on the 30’s hard boiled world of journalism,politics, clubs , and big city policing makes for a deliciously fun read !

I started this book and entered its world and couldn’t easily leave. It is a delight. Perfect entertainment for an evening’s end.

[Ryan Hoffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a 1930's whodunit set in New York City's. It is toldby Morgan DeWitt who is the assistant of newspaper columnist and our sleuth Alexander Brass. Morgan and Alexander end up on the rough streets after one a friend and one of there own is killed. It was down to mysrery,detective fiction of that era. Very interesting and entertaining to watch the clues line up along with the suspense

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very fun 1930s throwback, with witty, likeable characters and interesting historical tidbits. The main character is an assistant to a quirky, brilliant newspaper columnist, and they manage to get into a fair amount of messes.

[Kirby · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very good book! My only issue is that the vernacular being used was out of my vocabulary range. I did underline and mark words I didn't know. It was certainly a learning experience. Every time a murder showed up, I had an "oh shoot" moment.

[Time Winters · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun characters in a shimmering whodunnit.

Fun characters in a shimmering whodunnit with enough authenticity to keep the perspective in 1930s Manhattan. Mr. Brass is welcome in that realm of detective fiction.

[Victoria Grusing · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good series. I wish there were more than two books. Will send to my friend.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

A generous 3 star rating.

[Bruce Lahr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable

I found the book kept my attention despite incongruities. w. c. Fields was over the top. I. Will keep reading because they keep my poor mind focused.

[Jan Norton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This takes place in 1935 where the newspaper columnist Alexander Brass needs a story. He follows a lead and hunts for a killer

[Patrice Fischer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this quite a bit. Pretty much complies with its own restriction to be “authentically ‘30’s”. Will read the 2nd book in the series.

[Lisa Richards · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just ok, not really my type of book.
Writing was good, though!

[Sheila · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting writing, old style detective story, a lot of sexual content, none of it graphic, mild swearing. wouldn't recommend for teenagers and probably won't read anymore of this series.

[Veronica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this was a new historical mystery- it was the cool cover that drew me - but apparently it's just been republished (original publication in 1998). It's set in 1930s New York and despite being billed as the Alexander Brass mysteries, Brass being a popular syndicated columnist, the story is told through the POV of his male assistant, Morgan DeWitt. The story has some witty dialogue exchanges, the kind you'd expect to see in one of those 1930's black and white movies, but the plot meandered too often into side tangents that had no bearing on the mystery at hand. There was a brief romance but it was so ridiculous it doesn't even bear discussion. All in all, this was a disappointing reading experience.

[Shan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nero Wolfe-ish mystery, set in NYC in the 1930s, with newspaper columnist Alexander Brass in the Wolfe role and his assistant in the Archie Goodwin role. Nicely atmospheric and I enjoyed the geeky humor (lots of wordplay and smart alecky remarks a la Archie Goodwin). The murders and the motives seemed incongruously dark - they would fit better in a noir type mystery; the writing style was too lighthearted for some of the action. To be fair, the jacket did mention Nazis.

This is the first book in a series, apparently reissued when the second book was coming out.

[Tiff Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great plot. I couldn't put this book down. Why three stars...well the ending was a let down. The villain is first mentioned 3/4 into the book. Then the explanation of evil deed sort of backtracks with the side plot of a handful of side characters. It was a bit confusing.
Absolutely adored Morgan DeWitt, Gloria, and Mr. Brass. Great team and dynamic. Would I recommend this book...not to any particular reader, but maybe to my history loving friends?

[Tuck · Rating 2 out of 5]

nice noir lite mystery set in nyc in the 1930's. newpapermen are the flatfoots here.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very enjoyable read. 1930-40's setting. Llight banter, excellent rhetoric, likeable characters. What's not to like?