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John J. Malone #12
The Name Is Malone
Ten stories featuring the Chicago attorney-turned-sleuth from “the grand dame of mystery mixed with screwball comedy” (Ed Gorman).
From suburban cocktail parties to music halls to the precarious ledge of a high-rise, Chicago attorney John J. Malone is willing to take on any case—as long as it’ll pay his bar tab.
In this ten-story collection of murder most offbeat, a wedding anniversary party turns deadly for an unlucky housewife; a client’s supposed innocence hangs by a thread after a suicide attempt; a forlorn ballad may contain the key to a mystery; a relatively harmless lady wrestler gets pinned for cracking her husband’s skull; an old flame’s diary reveals a poisonous past; and a surprising obituary forces Malone to investigate his own suspicious death.
The hero of fourteen novels, more than three-dozen short stories, three feature films, a radio show, and a television series, “Malone is an inspired creation . . . [of] deductive brilliance, malaprop speech, diminutive stature, rumpled appearance, fiscal imprudence, and Irish romanticism . . . closer in spirit to John Mortimer’s Rumpole of the Bailey than to his contemporary Erle Stanley Gardner’s Perry Mason, whose clients are always innocent” (Jon L. Breen, Edgar Award–winning author).
From suburban cocktail parties to music halls to the precarious ledge of a high-rise, Chicago attorney John J. Malone is willing to take on any case—as long as it’ll pay his bar tab.
In this ten-story collection of murder most offbeat, a wedding anniversary party turns deadly for an unlucky housewife; a client’s supposed innocence hangs by a thread after a suicide attempt; a forlorn ballad may contain the key to a mystery; a relatively harmless lady wrestler gets pinned for cracking her husband’s skull; an old flame’s diary reveals a poisonous past; and a surprising obituary forces Malone to investigate his own suspicious death.
The hero of fourteen novels, more than three-dozen short stories, three feature films, a radio show, and a television series, “Malone is an inspired creation . . . [of] deductive brilliance, malaprop speech, diminutive stature, rumpled appearance, fiscal imprudence, and Irish romanticism . . . closer in spirit to John Mortimer’s Rumpole of the Bailey than to his contemporary Erle Stanley Gardner’s Perry Mason, whose clients are always innocent” (Jon L. Breen, Edgar Award–winning author).
- GenresMysteryShort Stories
200 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1958
About the author
Craig Rice
101 books57 followersPseudonym for Georgiana Ann Randolph Craig aka Daphne Sanders and Michael Venning.
Known for her hard-boiled mystery plots combined with screwball comedy, Georgiana 'Craig' Rice was the author of twenty-three novels, six of them posthumous, numerous short stories, and some true crime pieces. In the 1940s she rivaled Agatha Christie in sales and was featured on the cover of Time Magazine in 1946. However, over the past sixty years she has fallen into relative obscurity.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_Ri...
Known for her hard-boiled mystery plots combined with screwball comedy, Georgiana 'Craig' Rice was the author of twenty-three novels, six of them posthumous, numerous short stories, and some true crime pieces. In the 1940s she rivaled Agatha Christie in sales and was featured on the cover of Time Magazine in 1946. However, over the past sixty years she has fallen into relative obscurity.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_Ri...
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 6, 2018
Okay semi comedic stories about a lawyer who solves crime.
September 6, 2021
Not as much slapstick without Jake and Helene but still good humorous mystery stories.
May 30, 2025
Ten short stories that follow the exploits of lawyer John J. Malone who "hasn't lost a client yet." He doesn't carry a weapon, does not engage in fisticuffs, but does barge into police investigations with a strong sense of being right, even when he doesn't know everything. As with all short story collections, some stories were stronger than others. I've given the original release date of each in my reviews.
"The Murder of Mr. Malone" (1952): Malone discovers he's been killed on a flight, and someone is still gunning for him. Great sense of urgency and smart reveal. GRADE: A-
"The Tears of Evil" (1953): A friend's wife is killed at their 15 Anniversary part and Malone makes a quick call as to what occurred. Loved this. GRADE: A+
"His Heart Could Break" (1947): A client commits suicide in his jail cell after being told he's getting a new trial. Or did he...? Average and unsurprising. GRADE: C-
"Good-Bye Forever" (1951): A musician has written a cursed piece of music and someone in the band pays the price. Fantastic read. GRADE: A+
"And the Birds Still Sing" (1952): A client is killed with a bullet to head in her apartment. But where did the shot come from? Better than average mystery. GRADE: B
"He Never Went Home" (1957): A woman finds a dead body in her home stabbed to death. This didn't do anything for me. GRADE: D
"Life Can Be Horrible" (1952): Female wrestlers and a missing naked man's body. A hoot, thought the resolution was a letdown. GRADE: B+
"Good-Bye, Good-Bye" (1946): Is the client crazy and trying to commit suicide? This didn't do anything for me either. GRADE: D+
"The Bad Luck Murders" (1947): Is anyone who has dealings with a man doomed to die? Great read and great ending. GRADE: A
"The End of Fear" (1953): A woman on the run, for the wrong reasons? I didn't like this one, either. GRADE: D
More to like than dislike in this collection. I would be open to reading more by Craig Rice.
"The Murder of Mr. Malone" (1952): Malone discovers he's been killed on a flight, and someone is still gunning for him. Great sense of urgency and smart reveal. GRADE: A-
"The Tears of Evil" (1953): A friend's wife is killed at their 15 Anniversary part and Malone makes a quick call as to what occurred. Loved this. GRADE: A+
"His Heart Could Break" (1947): A client commits suicide in his jail cell after being told he's getting a new trial. Or did he...? Average and unsurprising. GRADE: C-
"Good-Bye Forever" (1951): A musician has written a cursed piece of music and someone in the band pays the price. Fantastic read. GRADE: A+
"And the Birds Still Sing" (1952): A client is killed with a bullet to head in her apartment. But where did the shot come from? Better than average mystery. GRADE: B
"He Never Went Home" (1957): A woman finds a dead body in her home stabbed to death. This didn't do anything for me. GRADE: D
"Life Can Be Horrible" (1952): Female wrestlers and a missing naked man's body. A hoot, thought the resolution was a letdown. GRADE: B+
"Good-Bye, Good-Bye" (1946): Is the client crazy and trying to commit suicide? This didn't do anything for me either. GRADE: D+
"The Bad Luck Murders" (1947): Is anyone who has dealings with a man doomed to die? Great read and great ending. GRADE: A
"The End of Fear" (1953): A woman on the run, for the wrong reasons? I didn't like this one, either. GRADE: D
More to like than dislike in this collection. I would be open to reading more by Craig Rice.
July 10, 2024
Malone Works (Mostly) Alone To Solve A Few Lesser Murders
This collection of short stories finds Chicago attorney John J. Malone working quickly and efficiently to solve murders that are much less complicated than the ones he solves in the many novels written about him by Craig Rice. He also solves them without his two constant companions, Jake and Helene Justus (though Helene does lend a hand in one story). Many of his other familiar cronies are on hand, however - his secretary Maggie, Joe the bartender and several others. The stories are clever, engaging and quite entertaining, and you don’t need to have read any of the novels to enjoy them.
This collection of short stories finds Chicago attorney John J. Malone working quickly and efficiently to solve murders that are much less complicated than the ones he solves in the many novels written about him by Craig Rice. He also solves them without his two constant companions, Jake and Helene Justus (though Helene does lend a hand in one story). Many of his other familiar cronies are on hand, however - his secretary Maggie, Joe the bartender and several others. The stories are clever, engaging and quite entertaining, and you don’t need to have read any of the novels to enjoy them.
October 1, 2018
Fun! Not to be taken to seriously, but lots of interesting puzzles
John J. figured out without giving away what clues him in. Perfect for a fun quick read, and some head scratcher problems.
John J. figured out without giving away what clues him in. Perfect for a fun quick read, and some head scratcher problems.
December 5, 2018
My kinda Shamus
I have to admit that I wasn’t expecting short stories, but I’m glad that I got them.
A similar attractive Chicago lawyer. Hooda thunket.
A fun read that you can read a chapter at a time, put it down and have another good story waiting for w.
I have to admit that I wasn’t expecting short stories, but I’m glad that I got them.
A similar attractive Chicago lawyer. Hooda thunket.
A fun read that you can read a chapter at a time, put it down and have another good story waiting for w.
December 23, 2019
Wonderful
There is no one like Craig Rice - the stories are all gems. Also perhaps this is the only book, where it is all Malone, though Helen does make a brief cameo in the last story.
There is no one like Craig Rice - the stories are all gems. Also perhaps this is the only book, where it is all Malone, though Helen does make a brief cameo in the last story.
Want to Read
January 17, 2019Synopsis: several short stories featuring that hard-boiled detective Malone. A touch of humour too.
March 14, 2022
Some great stories but a couple of weak ones 3 1/2
May 12, 2025
Craig Rice’s little lawyer with some fatal flaws is likable and brilliant. Enjoyed every single short story.
February 6, 2024
"It never pays to be a ghost."
Those are odd words for Craig Rice to put in the mouth of her most famous creation - Chicago lawyer John J. Malone. Rice "ghosted" books for several celebrities whose literary ambitions were greater than their writing skills. And there are rumors that she hired ghost writers herself when her schedule as a mystery novelist, magazine writer, and movie script creator got too frenzied. She once sent a telegram to her publisher asking if he'd read her new manuscript. That cynical gentleman replied, "No. Have you?"
There are eleven stories in this book and ten of them are excellent. The second one I'd already encountered in another story collection and It's forgettable, but the rest are fine. All were published in magazines in the 1940's and 1950's and collected after Rice's sudden death in 1957. And all of them feature Mr. Malone.
Malone doesn't look like a hot-shot lawyer, although he tries. He wears expensive suits and Sulka ties, but he's one of those guys who always look rumpled. His habit of sleeping in his clothes after a binge doesn't help. But there's no question that he's a dedicated and usually successful defense attorney. If he can prove a client's innocence by finding the guilty party, so much the better. If it turns out that his client is guilty as hell, he can always use his connections to "persuade" police and judges to be reasonable. It's Chicago.
My favorite is the story of the handsome band leader and his sexy clarinet player. Both are married, but secretly so as not to discourage their adoring female fans. And several women who AREN'T married to them are in love with them and there's also a question of which one actually wrote those hit songs they're famous for. When one of them gets dead, is the other one guilty? Like Malone says mournfully, "It never pays to be a ghost."
Actually, that WAS my favorite one until I read the one about the beautiful young singer who keeps trying to kill herself. But she claims that someone is trying to kill HER. If she's crazy, who's that body in the back yard?
There are beautiful women galore, including two gorgeous lady wrestlers. Either one of them could break Malone in half like a matchstick, but they won't. Malone loves women and they love him back. And as he says hopefully, " Not all fees are paid in cash!"
I love Rice's novel-length mysteries with John J. Malone and his sidekicks Jake Justus and Helena Brand Justus, but these short stories are great fun. If you love Malone, you shouldn't miss them.
Those are odd words for Craig Rice to put in the mouth of her most famous creation - Chicago lawyer John J. Malone. Rice "ghosted" books for several celebrities whose literary ambitions were greater than their writing skills. And there are rumors that she hired ghost writers herself when her schedule as a mystery novelist, magazine writer, and movie script creator got too frenzied. She once sent a telegram to her publisher asking if he'd read her new manuscript. That cynical gentleman replied, "No. Have you?"
There are eleven stories in this book and ten of them are excellent. The second one I'd already encountered in another story collection and It's forgettable, but the rest are fine. All were published in magazines in the 1940's and 1950's and collected after Rice's sudden death in 1957. And all of them feature Mr. Malone.
Malone doesn't look like a hot-shot lawyer, although he tries. He wears expensive suits and Sulka ties, but he's one of those guys who always look rumpled. His habit of sleeping in his clothes after a binge doesn't help. But there's no question that he's a dedicated and usually successful defense attorney. If he can prove a client's innocence by finding the guilty party, so much the better. If it turns out that his client is guilty as hell, he can always use his connections to "persuade" police and judges to be reasonable. It's Chicago.
My favorite is the story of the handsome band leader and his sexy clarinet player. Both are married, but secretly so as not to discourage their adoring female fans. And several women who AREN'T married to them are in love with them and there's also a question of which one actually wrote those hit songs they're famous for. When one of them gets dead, is the other one guilty? Like Malone says mournfully, "It never pays to be a ghost."
Actually, that WAS my favorite one until I read the one about the beautiful young singer who keeps trying to kill herself. But she claims that someone is trying to kill HER. If she's crazy, who's that body in the back yard?
There are beautiful women galore, including two gorgeous lady wrestlers. Either one of them could break Malone in half like a matchstick, but they won't. Malone loves women and they love him back. And as he says hopefully, " Not all fees are paid in cash!"
I love Rice's novel-length mysteries with John J. Malone and his sidekicks Jake Justus and Helena Brand Justus, but these short stories are great fun. If you love Malone, you shouldn't miss them.
October 28, 2018
This character and these stories are part of the hard-boiled noir detective genre, and are fun in the same way. You, as readeer, wonder if you could be as tough and clever as the lead characters are, and still have a heart of gold.
October 9, 2024
The Murder of Mr. Malone--2
The Tears of Evil--3
His Heart Could Break (aka Hanged Him in the Mornin')--2
Good-Bye Forever--3
And the Birds Still Sing--3
He Never Went Home--2
Life Can Be Horrible--3
Good-Bye, Good-Bye!--3
The Bad Luck Murders (aka Dead Men's Shoes)--2
The End of Fear--2
The Tears of Evil--3
His Heart Could Break (aka Hanged Him in the Mornin')--2
Good-Bye Forever--3
And the Birds Still Sing--3
He Never Went Home--2
Life Can Be Horrible--3
Good-Bye, Good-Bye!--3
The Bad Luck Murders (aka Dead Men's Shoes)--2
The End of Fear--2
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews