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The Murderers
Lust plus greed equals murder in this classic Hollywood noir novel by "a real pro" (The New York Times Book Review).
A struggling actor, Willy Griff keeps himself entertained with the wife of a business mogul, but he wants more: He also wants the business mogul's money. The mistress, Doris, likes the idea even more than Willy does, and figures if she helps plan the murder, she can ditch the husband and keep the cash.
It's a dangerous scheme for two low-level, aspiring criminals. But Willy comes up with an ingenious, foolproof plot for pulling it off. At least, he better hope it's foolproof . . .
The Murderers is a gritty tale of crime and passion from Fredric Brown, a master of noir and mystery and winner of the prestigious Edgar Award.
A struggling actor, Willy Griff keeps himself entertained with the wife of a business mogul, but he wants more: He also wants the business mogul's money. The mistress, Doris, likes the idea even more than Willy does, and figures if she helps plan the murder, she can ditch the husband and keep the cash.
It's a dangerous scheme for two low-level, aspiring criminals. But Willy comes up with an ingenious, foolproof plot for pulling it off. At least, he better hope it's foolproof . . .
The Murderers is a gritty tale of crime and passion from Fredric Brown, a master of noir and mystery and winner of the prestigious Edgar Award.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1961
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About the author
Fredric Brown
807 books354 followersFredric Brown was an American science fiction and mystery writer. He was one of the boldest early writers in genre fiction in his use of narrative experimentation. While never in the front rank of popularity in his lifetime, Brown has developed a considerable cult following in the almost half century since he last wrote. His works have been periodically reprinted and he has a worldwide fan base, most notably in the U.S. and Europe, and especially in France, where there have been several recent movie adaptations of his work. He also remains popular in Japan.
Never financially secure, Brown - like many other pulp writers - often wrote at a furious pace in order to pay bills. This accounts, at least in part, for the uneven quality of his work. A newspaperman by profession, Brown was only able to devote 14 years of his life as a full-time fiction writer. Brown was also a heavy drinker, and this at times doubtless affected his productivity. A cultured man and omnivorous reader whose interests ranged far beyond those of most pulp writers, Brown had a lifelong interest in the flute, chess, poker, and the works of Lewis Carroll. Brown married twice and was the father of two sons.
Never financially secure, Brown - like many other pulp writers - often wrote at a furious pace in order to pay bills. This accounts, at least in part, for the uneven quality of his work. A newspaperman by profession, Brown was only able to devote 14 years of his life as a full-time fiction writer. Brown was also a heavy drinker, and this at times doubtless affected his productivity. A cultured man and omnivorous reader whose interests ranged far beyond those of most pulp writers, Brown had a lifelong interest in the flute, chess, poker, and the works of Lewis Carroll. Brown married twice and was the father of two sons.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
May 16, 2023
Frederic Brown’s the Murderers (January 1961) was published late in his career. Set in a beatnik Hollywood world of failed actors, hitchhikers, and hipsters, it relies on a plot device made famous a decade earlier by Patricia Highsmith in novel and Hitchcock in movie form in Strangers on a Train. Yes, we do have two dopes trading murders and alibis here, but it’s a long way to get there and the journey there takes the reader on a far different journey.
Willy Griff lives in a rooming house known as the Zoo where the struggling actors and singers bop into each other’s rooms parting through the night and often sleeping with whoever is available. To practice their craft, Griff and Charlie will dress up like bums and walk around skid row.
Griff has been having an affair with Doris and her husband meets Griff to warn him off. Griff takes it as an opportunity to scam Doris out of six hundred clams and plan her husband’s murder. He promptly loses the money to a stoned out chick who searches his room for reefer sticks and scores his cash. Also amusing is how Griff cases Doris’ house in disguise and us trapped inside when the gardener comes around.
The story turns dark though when Griff agrees to exchange murder victims and alibis with Charlie, but the cost is killing a skid row drunk for practice. There’s no backing out then, although Griff starts to becoming palsy with Doris’ husband which is just plain odd.
Most of the story is about Griff’s attitude as a failing actor and his step by step thoughts about the cops would pick him up and give him the third degree. He acts out the whole interrogation from beginning to end. You gotta know at that point that he’s somewhat off his rocker.
The whole switch your Murder victim thing seems to take a backseat to everything else going on, that is, till the plan, if you can call this mess a plan, starts to play out. All in all, it’s quite a readable novel giving us a flavor of beatnik Hollywood.
Willy Griff lives in a rooming house known as the Zoo where the struggling actors and singers bop into each other’s rooms parting through the night and often sleeping with whoever is available. To practice their craft, Griff and Charlie will dress up like bums and walk around skid row.
Griff has been having an affair with Doris and her husband meets Griff to warn him off. Griff takes it as an opportunity to scam Doris out of six hundred clams and plan her husband’s murder. He promptly loses the money to a stoned out chick who searches his room for reefer sticks and scores his cash. Also amusing is how Griff cases Doris’ house in disguise and us trapped inside when the gardener comes around.
The story turns dark though when Griff agrees to exchange murder victims and alibis with Charlie, but the cost is killing a skid row drunk for practice. There’s no backing out then, although Griff starts to becoming palsy with Doris’ husband which is just plain odd.
Most of the story is about Griff’s attitude as a failing actor and his step by step thoughts about the cops would pick him up and give him the third degree. He acts out the whole interrogation from beginning to end. You gotta know at that point that he’s somewhat off his rocker.
The whole switch your Murder victim thing seems to take a backseat to everything else going on, that is, till the plan, if you can call this mess a plan, starts to play out. All in all, it’s quite a readable novel giving us a flavor of beatnik Hollywood.
November 7, 2024
From 1961
Two men opt to do each other’s murders, and it is just like Strangers on a Train (which came out in 1950, and the Hitchcock film of it 1951). “No one will suspect us, it will be perfect.”
There are parts of this with beatniks, beat chicks. Entertaining and fun.
The book here is going great, but unfortunately the end is abrupt and possibly senseless.
Two men opt to do each other’s murders, and it is just like Strangers on a Train (which came out in 1950, and the Hitchcock film of it 1951). “No one will suspect us, it will be perfect.”
There are parts of this with beatniks, beat chicks. Entertaining and fun.
The book here is going great, but unfortunately the end is abrupt and possibly senseless.
November 18, 2025
This story follows a man who makes an agreement with another to perform each other's murders. Essentially, if you kill someone that someone else wants dead, you don't exactly have a motive to do so, so it's easier to get away with it.
It was a pretty decent standalone from Fredric Brown, but with an ending that felt a bit rushed. This was my first novel of his. I recently purchased a handful of his earlier work, so I'm curious if it's any different than this entry...
It was a pretty decent standalone from Fredric Brown, but with an ending that felt a bit rushed. This was my first novel of his. I recently purchased a handful of his earlier work, so I'm curious if it's any different than this entry...
May 18, 2025
Chef's Kiss
September 13, 2023
The shape of this story is more rewarding than the story itself. That is the writing not the plot is why this crime novel from 1961 is worthy of being placed in a curated volume of crime novels from the 1960s.
This line is typical of the writing: “Why shouldn’t I face the world with arrogance, seeing that it’s a lousy world I never made. I could have done a better job”, and on or about every page the listener (reader) will be rewarded by the writing. Dames are meant to be loved and then forgotten according to the narrator, so perhaps the fairer sex might be forever grateful that we no longer live in 1961.
I found this book because I saw a review in the WSJ (Wall Street Journal) for Crime Novels of the 1960s to me it seemed a must have curated set of nine novels. My preferred way to read books is by listening to them. Amazon had this set available thru Kindle in two volumes, and I would have bought the Kindle version and listened to them that way, but Kindle is clunky to listen to on my Iphone, and I noticed that the first five novels were available on Anna’s Archive, so I downloaded them to my Iphone and listened to them through my preferred voice reading app. I mention this in order to highlight how great this book is when it is read aloud with a computer-generated voice that doesn’t add inflection or emotion that distracts from the reading experience at least for me.
It’s not hard to rate this book five stars because of the snappy writing, listening to it through a synthetic voice makes it even better for listeners like me. If I had just read this book randomly not realizing that it belonged in a curated volume of crime novels from the 1960s, I might have just thought this book was okay, but I didn’t and can easily say this book is a five-star book. (First of nine of the novels from Crime Novels of the 1960s).
This line is typical of the writing: “Why shouldn’t I face the world with arrogance, seeing that it’s a lousy world I never made. I could have done a better job”, and on or about every page the listener (reader) will be rewarded by the writing. Dames are meant to be loved and then forgotten according to the narrator, so perhaps the fairer sex might be forever grateful that we no longer live in 1961.
I found this book because I saw a review in the WSJ (Wall Street Journal) for Crime Novels of the 1960s to me it seemed a must have curated set of nine novels. My preferred way to read books is by listening to them. Amazon had this set available thru Kindle in two volumes, and I would have bought the Kindle version and listened to them that way, but Kindle is clunky to listen to on my Iphone, and I noticed that the first five novels were available on Anna’s Archive, so I downloaded them to my Iphone and listened to them through my preferred voice reading app. I mention this in order to highlight how great this book is when it is read aloud with a computer-generated voice that doesn’t add inflection or emotion that distracts from the reading experience at least for me.
It’s not hard to rate this book five stars because of the snappy writing, listening to it through a synthetic voice makes it even better for listeners like me. If I had just read this book randomly not realizing that it belonged in a curated volume of crime novels from the 1960s, I might have just thought this book was okay, but I didn’t and can easily say this book is a five-star book. (First of nine of the novels from Crime Novels of the 1960s).
March 12, 2011
There's a moment when the narrator recalls the Kenneth Patchen poem "The Murder of Two Men by a Young Kid Wearing Lemon-Colored Gloves" just before he turns left down that twisted road to Endsville. It's a bulls-eye analogy for this novel of kicks and kills among the lowest echelon of actors, musicians and beats in late 50's Hollywood. A fast, fun read by Frederic Brown with a perfect ending.
December 23, 2025
This is a well-written novel and is entertaining, but the plot was foreshadowed by a Patricia Highsmith novel published ten years before. The ending was unexpected. The period the book is set in is the Beat Generation. Can you dig it? There is so much Beat slang that it seemed quaint while reading it now. I would give this book a solid 3 1/2 if I were able. Fredric brown is a wonderful wordsmith.
August 17, 2025
Failing Hollywood actor seeking the end of a girlfriend’s husband does the Strangers on a Train but, minus the Plato and psychopathology plus a skim of LA beatnik culture. The narrator is just a touch too smooth to grab onto; you get the feeling Jim Thompson could have put some real perv energy into him. “Why does hamsteak and eggs in mid-century crime novels always sound so good?” - viral tweet. Baffling and kind of stupid ending but the whole affair is so short I can’t begrudge
November 22, 2024
Fredric Brown’s 1962 crime novel, The Murderers, takes place in Los Angeles around 1960. Willy Griff, a twenty-seven year old struggling actor, lives in the basement of a boarding house known as the Zoo. Griff and his friend Charlie, who lives upstairs, eke out a living with bit parts on TV and in film, plus an occasional television commercial.
The other inmates of the house, as Griff calls them, are mostly beatniks and misfits who have no interest in making a traditional living. They drink, play music, read bad poetry aloud, have sex and generally live the kind of carefree, bohemian life that the squares of the suburbs would never approve of.
Brown doesn’t try to glamorize this life. The characters come off as aimless, ambitionless and adrift. Their party lifestyle actually looks tedious and unfulfilling. Griff himself quietly mocks the pointlessness of his friends’ lifestyle and pretensions, even as he ironically adopts and mocks their language. Chicks are either far out or square. Weed is best blasted in open air. And so on.
Griff does have ambition. He’s sick of living in a basement and struggling to pay his bills. He wants to make a living as an actor. He wants to be able to attend the Hollywood parties with the A-listers, wearing fine clothes to make a good impression, networking with producers to secure continuing work.
That part of his life just isn’t working out. Instead, he relies on Doris Seaton, the young wife of a wealthy businessman, for cash. The young and energetic Griff can give the passionate, dissatisfied wife what her flabby, boring husband cannot. She’s in love with him, though he’s not with her. “Women are to be used,” he says, “not loved.”
Griff and Doris have regular trysts, and she slips him plenty of spending money. Until her husband finds out. One day, Griff finds a detective at his door, who tells him Mr. Seaton would like to have a word.
Seaton, who is middle-aged, weak-willed and remarkably unattractive, tells Griff to stay away from his wife. Forever.
Griff, accurately judging Seaton as a weakling, thanks him for not settling the matter violently and asks to see Doris one more time, to say goodbye and to urge her to re-commit to her husband.
Seaton, a fool desperately in love with a woman who doesn’t care for him, thinks this is a good idea and agrees, but only if he can supervise Griff and Doris’ final meeting. The two men agree to hold the meeting at a local bar. Griff and Doris will talk in one of the rear booths. Seaton will watch from a barstool, where he can see the pair but not hear their conversation.
By this point early in the book, the reader has already begun to sense that Griff is a hollow, amoral character. He has no center, no real core. He simply becomes whatever role he needs to play in a given situation. In his acting parts, he’s often a bad guy who shoots someone and then gets shot himself. None of it is real. It’s just play acting. In his role with Doris, he’s the attentive lover she desires. At bottom though, he’s no one.
At what is supposed to be their final supervised meeting in the bar, Griff floats a proposition to Doris just to see how she’ll react. What if I kill your husband? Then we can be together forever.
To his surprise, she takes it in stride and asks how the plan would unfold. Now Griff finds himself doing improv for the role of a murderer. He lays out the beginning of a plan. Doris should act lovey-dovey with her husband, so he suspects nothing. Griff will case the couple’s house, after Doris slips him the key, and he’ll work out a plan from there.
He also tells her he’ll need six hundred dollars cash to carry out the plan. She agrees to give it to him.
Doris does her part by playing the loving wife. She does it so well, her husband takes her to Mexico for a second honeymoon. While they’re away, Griff studies the house and starts working on a plan. He’s clearly not yet committed to actually carrying out the murder. When he thinks it through, he’s not sure he’s capable of killing a man in cold blood. The thought that really chills him, though, is the fear of the police beating a confession out of him. Reflecting deeply on the matter, he realizes he is and always has been a coward, especially in regard to physical pain.
His fear of interrogation is so strong, he knows he’ll cave as soon as the cops start questioning him, and they will question him, because they’ll know that Mr. Seaton hired a private investigator who found that Griff and Doris were having an affair. That would make Griff suspect number one in the murder.
After these reflections, Griff is about to abandon the plan altogether, content to keep the six hundred dollars that Doris has given him and move on. He goes straight to bed with a new woman, Essie, and then thinks about how angry Doris would be if she found out. “Funny,” he thinks, “that a woman will tolerate murder but not infidelity.”
Just as Griff’s resolve to abandon the plan is firming up, he runs into his fellow actor, Charlie. The two of them get to talking over a bottle of whiskey, and Charlie confides the he has an enemy he’d like to get rid of. Charlie proposes a plan to take care of both murders and Griff decides to go along with it.
Most cops will tell you that most criminals aren’t very bright. They use poor reasoning, or no reasoning at all, to arrive at poor decisions. One of the biggest mistakes a criminal can make is to choose a partner who’s even stupider and more reckless than himself.
It dawns on us slowly that Charlie is this partner, and that Griff doesn’t have the intrinsic motivation to commit a truly awful crime on his own. Having no moral core, all Griff needs is the slightest nudge in the wrong direction, and Charlie is there to provide it at the critical moment.
The two plan everything out to the last detail. They even do a little rehearsal, a sort of practice run, to be sure they’re both ready. When the time comes, everything seems to go according to plan. But the reader, and even Griff himself, begins to wonder if it isn’t all going too smoothly. How long can Griff’s luck hold out? How long can each piece continue to fall perfectly into place?
The tension builds like the calm before the storm. Griff fears some nasty twist is coming, and the reader senses it too, but neither can guess where it will come from.
With two pages left in the book, the reader wonders how in the world the author is going to wrap this up. Everything is in the bag. Every loose end has been tied up. Until the final page. And when things go wrong, they go really wrong. The ending of this one is a doozy.
The other inmates of the house, as Griff calls them, are mostly beatniks and misfits who have no interest in making a traditional living. They drink, play music, read bad poetry aloud, have sex and generally live the kind of carefree, bohemian life that the squares of the suburbs would never approve of.
Brown doesn’t try to glamorize this life. The characters come off as aimless, ambitionless and adrift. Their party lifestyle actually looks tedious and unfulfilling. Griff himself quietly mocks the pointlessness of his friends’ lifestyle and pretensions, even as he ironically adopts and mocks their language. Chicks are either far out or square. Weed is best blasted in open air. And so on.
Griff does have ambition. He’s sick of living in a basement and struggling to pay his bills. He wants to make a living as an actor. He wants to be able to attend the Hollywood parties with the A-listers, wearing fine clothes to make a good impression, networking with producers to secure continuing work.
That part of his life just isn’t working out. Instead, he relies on Doris Seaton, the young wife of a wealthy businessman, for cash. The young and energetic Griff can give the passionate, dissatisfied wife what her flabby, boring husband cannot. She’s in love with him, though he’s not with her. “Women are to be used,” he says, “not loved.”
Griff and Doris have regular trysts, and she slips him plenty of spending money. Until her husband finds out. One day, Griff finds a detective at his door, who tells him Mr. Seaton would like to have a word.
Seaton, who is middle-aged, weak-willed and remarkably unattractive, tells Griff to stay away from his wife. Forever.
Griff, accurately judging Seaton as a weakling, thanks him for not settling the matter violently and asks to see Doris one more time, to say goodbye and to urge her to re-commit to her husband.
Seaton, a fool desperately in love with a woman who doesn’t care for him, thinks this is a good idea and agrees, but only if he can supervise Griff and Doris’ final meeting. The two men agree to hold the meeting at a local bar. Griff and Doris will talk in one of the rear booths. Seaton will watch from a barstool, where he can see the pair but not hear their conversation.
By this point early in the book, the reader has already begun to sense that Griff is a hollow, amoral character. He has no center, no real core. He simply becomes whatever role he needs to play in a given situation. In his acting parts, he’s often a bad guy who shoots someone and then gets shot himself. None of it is real. It’s just play acting. In his role with Doris, he’s the attentive lover she desires. At bottom though, he’s no one.
At what is supposed to be their final supervised meeting in the bar, Griff floats a proposition to Doris just to see how she’ll react. What if I kill your husband? Then we can be together forever.
To his surprise, she takes it in stride and asks how the plan would unfold. Now Griff finds himself doing improv for the role of a murderer. He lays out the beginning of a plan. Doris should act lovey-dovey with her husband, so he suspects nothing. Griff will case the couple’s house, after Doris slips him the key, and he’ll work out a plan from there.
He also tells her he’ll need six hundred dollars cash to carry out the plan. She agrees to give it to him.
Doris does her part by playing the loving wife. She does it so well, her husband takes her to Mexico for a second honeymoon. While they’re away, Griff studies the house and starts working on a plan. He’s clearly not yet committed to actually carrying out the murder. When he thinks it through, he’s not sure he’s capable of killing a man in cold blood. The thought that really chills him, though, is the fear of the police beating a confession out of him. Reflecting deeply on the matter, he realizes he is and always has been a coward, especially in regard to physical pain.
His fear of interrogation is so strong, he knows he’ll cave as soon as the cops start questioning him, and they will question him, because they’ll know that Mr. Seaton hired a private investigator who found that Griff and Doris were having an affair. That would make Griff suspect number one in the murder.
After these reflections, Griff is about to abandon the plan altogether, content to keep the six hundred dollars that Doris has given him and move on. He goes straight to bed with a new woman, Essie, and then thinks about how angry Doris would be if she found out. “Funny,” he thinks, “that a woman will tolerate murder but not infidelity.”
Just as Griff’s resolve to abandon the plan is firming up, he runs into his fellow actor, Charlie. The two of them get to talking over a bottle of whiskey, and Charlie confides the he has an enemy he’d like to get rid of. Charlie proposes a plan to take care of both murders and Griff decides to go along with it.
Most cops will tell you that most criminals aren’t very bright. They use poor reasoning, or no reasoning at all, to arrive at poor decisions. One of the biggest mistakes a criminal can make is to choose a partner who’s even stupider and more reckless than himself.
It dawns on us slowly that Charlie is this partner, and that Griff doesn’t have the intrinsic motivation to commit a truly awful crime on his own. Having no moral core, all Griff needs is the slightest nudge in the wrong direction, and Charlie is there to provide it at the critical moment.
The two plan everything out to the last detail. They even do a little rehearsal, a sort of practice run, to be sure they’re both ready. When the time comes, everything seems to go according to plan. But the reader, and even Griff himself, begins to wonder if it isn’t all going too smoothly. How long can Griff’s luck hold out? How long can each piece continue to fall perfectly into place?
The tension builds like the calm before the storm. Griff fears some nasty twist is coming, and the reader senses it too, but neither can guess where it will come from.
With two pages left in the book, the reader wonders how in the world the author is going to wrap this up. Everything is in the bag. Every loose end has been tied up. Until the final page. And when things go wrong, they go really wrong. The ending of this one is a doozy.
June 6, 2024
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 4.0 of 5
It is the late 1950's/early 1960's and Willy Griff is a down-on-his luck actor in Hollywood. He may not have a lot of luck getting acting jobs, but he has great luck when it comes to women. He is currently making time with a hot little number by the name of Doris. Their attraction for one another is genuine and very, very passionate. Unfortunately, Doris's husband, John Seaton, isn't too keen on the relationship.
John Seaton is a wealthy businessman. Older than Doris, he's suspected his young wife of having an affair and Seaton has had a P.I. following her. Seaton arranges a meeting with Willy and lets him know that he's aware of the affair. Because Seaton is wealthy and connected, he offers to help Willy get acting work if he promises never to see Doris again. If Willy refuses, Seaton will make sure the young actor never works in the town again.
Griff agrees to the wealthy man's terms, but the moment the old man leaves, Willy calls Doris to let her know what's happened and instead of living up to the terms, Griff and Doris decide they want it all - their relationship AND Seaton's money - so they plot to kill the old man. Their plan is perfect ... they'll never get caught ... right?
I love the work of Fredric Brown. I 'discovered' him in the 1970's when I learned that a Star Trek episode was based on one of his short stories and then I started reading his science fiction novels (such as the popular Martian, Go Home). It wasn't until many years later that I learned he had a brilliant career writing mysteries as well as science fiction. I've purchased many but read only a few. This particular book is new to me.
The plot is pretty basic and, frankly, quite reminiscent of 1950's dark, gritty mysteries. What keeps us reading is our curiosity about whether or not Willy and Doris will succeed, and the strength of the characters.
Neither Willie nor Doris are so incredibly charming that we really want to see them succeed, and Seaton isn't supremely villainous, so it's not as though we want to see him get his comeuppance. But these characters are drawn such that they feel like real people (and most people aren't supremely villainous [yes, I know an exception or two] or deserving of their hearts' desires at someone else's expense).
Brown's writing is incredibly fluid and it's really easy to get caught up in the flow of the story and that's a big reason I enjoy reading his works. This little-known work of his was quite delightful.
Looking for a good book? The Murderers by Fredric Brown is wonderful example of 1950's gritty mysteries.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, as part of a collection of novels, in exchange for an honest review.
It is the late 1950's/early 1960's and Willy Griff is a down-on-his luck actor in Hollywood. He may not have a lot of luck getting acting jobs, but he has great luck when it comes to women. He is currently making time with a hot little number by the name of Doris. Their attraction for one another is genuine and very, very passionate. Unfortunately, Doris's husband, John Seaton, isn't too keen on the relationship.
John Seaton is a wealthy businessman. Older than Doris, he's suspected his young wife of having an affair and Seaton has had a P.I. following her. Seaton arranges a meeting with Willy and lets him know that he's aware of the affair. Because Seaton is wealthy and connected, he offers to help Willy get acting work if he promises never to see Doris again. If Willy refuses, Seaton will make sure the young actor never works in the town again.
Griff agrees to the wealthy man's terms, but the moment the old man leaves, Willy calls Doris to let her know what's happened and instead of living up to the terms, Griff and Doris decide they want it all - their relationship AND Seaton's money - so they plot to kill the old man. Their plan is perfect ... they'll never get caught ... right?
I love the work of Fredric Brown. I 'discovered' him in the 1970's when I learned that a Star Trek episode was based on one of his short stories and then I started reading his science fiction novels (such as the popular Martian, Go Home). It wasn't until many years later that I learned he had a brilliant career writing mysteries as well as science fiction. I've purchased many but read only a few. This particular book is new to me.
The plot is pretty basic and, frankly, quite reminiscent of 1950's dark, gritty mysteries. What keeps us reading is our curiosity about whether or not Willy and Doris will succeed, and the strength of the characters.
Neither Willie nor Doris are so incredibly charming that we really want to see them succeed, and Seaton isn't supremely villainous, so it's not as though we want to see him get his comeuppance. But these characters are drawn such that they feel like real people (and most people aren't supremely villainous [yes, I know an exception or two] or deserving of their hearts' desires at someone else's expense).
Brown's writing is incredibly fluid and it's really easy to get caught up in the flow of the story and that's a big reason I enjoy reading his works. This little-known work of his was quite delightful.
Looking for a good book? The Murderers by Fredric Brown is wonderful example of 1950's gritty mysteries.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, as part of a collection of novels, in exchange for an honest review.
September 18, 2025
This 1961 novel is included in the recent Library of America collection, "Crime Novels of the 1960s, Five Classic Thrillers 1961-1964".
Fredric Brown (1906-1972) started having crime short stories published in 1938. His first novel, "The Fabulous Clipjoint" was a big hit in 1947. For the next fifteen years or so he averaged almost two crime novels a year, while still pumping out short stories. His stories moved quickly. They were mostly about guys right on the edge of poverty who were hustling to get by. They were classic 1950s paperback originals.
The plot of this story is combination of "The Postman Always Rings Twice" and "Strangers on a Train". A guy wants to kill his girlfriend's husband. A buddy wants to kill someone who is threatening his business. They agree to do each other's murder while the other guy has a perfect alibi.
The story is narrated by Willy Griff. He is a struggling actor in Hollywood. He is hustling for bit parts of commercials. He lives in a rundown apartment building known as "the Zoo". The tenants are mostly unemployed actors and beatniks.
Brown lived in Los Angeles during this period. He captures the seedy and desperate scene. Parties where people are passing around the wine and reefers and someone is playing a bongo drum or guitar. Everyone is broke, and fifty bucks in cash means you are rich.
Griff plans with his girlfriend to kill her wealthy husband. A buddy of his has sworn to kill a director who is blackballing him from work as an actor. They agree to do each other's murders so there will be no connection between the murderer and the victim.
Griff narrates the story. Brown gives him a deadpan matter of fact style that makes the planning more chilling. The build up to the murders is gripping. I had to keep reminding myself that I should not be rooting for the plan to work.
The ending feels forced, but it is a fun ride.
Fredric Brown (1906-1972) started having crime short stories published in 1938. His first novel, "The Fabulous Clipjoint" was a big hit in 1947. For the next fifteen years or so he averaged almost two crime novels a year, while still pumping out short stories. His stories moved quickly. They were mostly about guys right on the edge of poverty who were hustling to get by. They were classic 1950s paperback originals.
The plot of this story is combination of "The Postman Always Rings Twice" and "Strangers on a Train". A guy wants to kill his girlfriend's husband. A buddy wants to kill someone who is threatening his business. They agree to do each other's murder while the other guy has a perfect alibi.
The story is narrated by Willy Griff. He is a struggling actor in Hollywood. He is hustling for bit parts of commercials. He lives in a rundown apartment building known as "the Zoo". The tenants are mostly unemployed actors and beatniks.
Brown lived in Los Angeles during this period. He captures the seedy and desperate scene. Parties where people are passing around the wine and reefers and someone is playing a bongo drum or guitar. Everyone is broke, and fifty bucks in cash means you are rich.
Griff plans with his girlfriend to kill her wealthy husband. A buddy of his has sworn to kill a director who is blackballing him from work as an actor. They agree to do each other's murders so there will be no connection between the murderer and the victim.
Griff narrates the story. Brown gives him a deadpan matter of fact style that makes the planning more chilling. The build up to the murders is gripping. I had to keep reminding myself that I should not be rooting for the plan to work.
The ending feels forced, but it is a fun ride.
February 29, 2024
Needing a break from more serious reading, and I had just bought an ebook copy of this - so I dove into this quick pulp read.
Barely employed Hollywood actor Willy Griff is the lead character here. He is kind of "straight" (different meaning back in 1961), but also hangs a lot with beatniks. So there is weed, and poetry and a discussion on whether Kerouac can really be a beatnik, given the amount of money he has earned through his writing. And lots of late night parties and drinking and music. If you don't need to be on the set, no reason to get up before noon. And a poem by Kenneth Patchen is even used as part of the plot!
And then there is Tex (kind of a minor character, but who gets a fair amount of time on the page), who wears a cowboy hat, goes job to job across the country - and plays guitar as well as Segovia! Loads of other cultural (low and high) references in this pulpy thing from the prolific Brown.
The plot is kind of "Strangers on a Train" (I'll kill yours if you kill mine!) and a procedural. But the procedural is not the solving of the crime, but rather the planning of it.
It wraps up fast - on the last page a lot happens. And it is all suddenly over. Brown does not go on with what happens next, as he could have - but you just get a sense that Griff is screwed. And he knows it.
Not great stuff, but the whole Hollywood and beatnik background is fun to read. As are all the cultural references Brown throws in. Yeah man, the whole social scene of it all is kind of cool, man. Looking forward to reading some more Brown again.
Let me also mention that the ebook was produced under Otto Penzler's Mysterious Press imprint. Obviously a quick print to metadata/ebook copying. But you would think they could afford to pay an editor for a day's work to clear up the MANY typos in here, Ugh!
Barely employed Hollywood actor Willy Griff is the lead character here. He is kind of "straight" (different meaning back in 1961), but also hangs a lot with beatniks. So there is weed, and poetry and a discussion on whether Kerouac can really be a beatnik, given the amount of money he has earned through his writing. And lots of late night parties and drinking and music. If you don't need to be on the set, no reason to get up before noon. And a poem by Kenneth Patchen is even used as part of the plot!
And then there is Tex (kind of a minor character, but who gets a fair amount of time on the page), who wears a cowboy hat, goes job to job across the country - and plays guitar as well as Segovia! Loads of other cultural (low and high) references in this pulpy thing from the prolific Brown.
The plot is kind of "Strangers on a Train" (I'll kill yours if you kill mine!) and a procedural. But the procedural is not the solving of the crime, but rather the planning of it.
It wraps up fast - on the last page a lot happens. And it is all suddenly over. Brown does not go on with what happens next, as he could have - but you just get a sense that Griff is screwed. And he knows it.
Not great stuff, but the whole Hollywood and beatnik background is fun to read. As are all the cultural references Brown throws in. Yeah man, the whole social scene of it all is kind of cool, man. Looking forward to reading some more Brown again.
Let me also mention that the ebook was produced under Otto Penzler's Mysterious Press imprint. Obviously a quick print to metadata/ebook copying. But you would think they could afford to pay an editor for a day's work to clear up the MANY typos in here, Ugh!
February 14, 2025
Two struggling actors plot to kill each other's obstacles, in Frederic Brown's The Murderers.
Overall, I liked the book. It has a similar tone that other noir crime books have, but is a little lighter than most. I did find the characters to be a little too "matter of fact" about killing people, but the plot and setting were well composed by the author. But in my opinion, the book had one significant flaw. Longer books can have an unsatisfying ending and still be very, very good. But one that is only 130 pages does not have room for error to be considered excellent. I really enjoyed the book, but I thought that the author did not "stick the landing" so to speak. It is very abrupt and goes against the methodical planning the protagonists took to plan their crime. In, short it is not consistent with the rest of the book and seems rushed. As I said earlier, the book had a lighter tone, but at best the ending was a poor attempt to add humor to it. It is still a good book, and I highly recommend it to other readers of crime and mystery. I give it 3.5 stars but am rounding it down to three.
Overall, I liked the book. It has a similar tone that other noir crime books have, but is a little lighter than most. I did find the characters to be a little too "matter of fact" about killing people, but the plot and setting were well composed by the author. But in my opinion, the book had one significant flaw. Longer books can have an unsatisfying ending and still be very, very good. But one that is only 130 pages does not have room for error to be considered excellent. I really enjoyed the book, but I thought that the author did not "stick the landing" so to speak. It is very abrupt and goes against the methodical planning the protagonists took to plan their crime. In, short it is not consistent with the rest of the book and seems rushed. As I said earlier, the book had a lighter tone, but at best the ending was a poor attempt to add humor to it. It is still a good book, and I highly recommend it to other readers of crime and mystery. I give it 3.5 stars but am rounding it down to three.
December 24, 2025
2.5 stars, rounded down for what was pretty clearly an abrupt "I'm really tired of this, let's just get it over with" ending from the author.
When I first saw this title in the Library of America compendium, "Crime Novels" of the 1960's, I thought,
" 'Fredric Brown'? Haven't I read a fair amount of slightly above mediocre science fiction from a Fredric Brown? Could this be the same guy?"
Yes - and that same talent level is on display here. It's not a long book (and it borrows heavily, to put it nicely, from Patricia Highsmith's classic "Strangers on a Train"). Additionally, much of it is spent inside the mind of our protagonist as he meticulously plots out the murder of his lover's husband.
Well, as the old saying goes, "Life is what happens while you're busy making plans." And in this case, those plans serve to deprive this barely-scraping-by actor of a lucrative, steady stream of income, with the promise of much more in the offing.
Mildly interesting, primarily for its look at the lives of struggling actors in old Hollywood as well as for the "beat generation" lingo many of these characters frequently use. Dig?
I could have lived without this one. Now, having read 2 of the 9 novels contained in this collection, I'm beginning to realize that the title was simply "Crime Novels" - not "Greatest Crime Novels" or even "Pretty Good Crime Novels". Oh well, I still have Patricia Highsmith waiting, so I'll hold out hope that the remainder of the collection is better than what I've read so far.
When I first saw this title in the Library of America compendium, "Crime Novels" of the 1960's, I thought,
" 'Fredric Brown'? Haven't I read a fair amount of slightly above mediocre science fiction from a Fredric Brown? Could this be the same guy?"
Yes - and that same talent level is on display here. It's not a long book (and it borrows heavily, to put it nicely, from Patricia Highsmith's classic "Strangers on a Train"). Additionally, much of it is spent inside the mind of our protagonist as he meticulously plots out the murder of his lover's husband.
Well, as the old saying goes, "Life is what happens while you're busy making plans." And in this case, those plans serve to deprive this barely-scraping-by actor of a lucrative, steady stream of income, with the promise of much more in the offing.
Mildly interesting, primarily for its look at the lives of struggling actors in old Hollywood as well as for the "beat generation" lingo many of these characters frequently use. Dig?
I could have lived without this one. Now, having read 2 of the 9 novels contained in this collection, I'm beginning to realize that the title was simply "Crime Novels" - not "Greatest Crime Novels" or even "Pretty Good Crime Novels". Oh well, I still have Patricia Highsmith waiting, so I'll hold out hope that the remainder of the collection is better than what I've read so far.
December 17, 2024
I encountered this novel in the LOA anthology, Crime Novels. The Murderers is a readable and occasionally intriguing novel about an alcoholic Beatnik actor psychopath who decides exchange murders with another alcoholic actor-murderer. It's essentially Charles Willeford's Pick-Up meets Patricia Highsmith's Strangers on a Train.
I enjoyed the ambience of certain sections - like the section where the main character cases the house of his victim - but overall this book became increasingly monotonous and dull over the course of its 200-odd pages. The final few chapters just read like a list of everything the main character does. It was clear Brown wasn't sure how to end it; in any case, the ending is quite anticlimactic.
I regret finishing the book, and I wouldn't read it again, but for aficionados of beatnik-era pulp fiction, this novel could be interesting.
I enjoyed the ambience of certain sections - like the section where the main character cases the house of his victim - but overall this book became increasingly monotonous and dull over the course of its 200-odd pages. The final few chapters just read like a list of everything the main character does. It was clear Brown wasn't sure how to end it; in any case, the ending is quite anticlimactic.
I regret finishing the book, and I wouldn't read it again, but for aficionados of beatnik-era pulp fiction, this novel could be interesting.
March 24, 2024
This is the first entree in the third of the Library of America's slipcased sets of American Crime Novels. The first two LOA sets, featuring novels from the 1940's and 1950's, are pure gold. Every selection was engrossing and fascinating.
I have read several Fredric Brown novels, and they are all much more interesting than The Murderers. This selection by LOA editor Geoffrey O'Brien puzzles me. There are much better Brown novels to choose from.
In this book, Brown's characters are nothing more than chess pieces that he's moved into position for a shock ending. The prose and characters are fairly lifeless, so there's not much to recommend this novel except for the clever build-up to the final twist.
I have read several Fredric Brown novels, and they are all much more interesting than The Murderers. This selection by LOA editor Geoffrey O'Brien puzzles me. There are much better Brown novels to choose from.
In this book, Brown's characters are nothing more than chess pieces that he's moved into position for a shock ending. The prose and characters are fairly lifeless, so there's not much to recommend this novel except for the clever build-up to the final twist.
May 15, 2024
Librarians regard the Library of America series as the creme de la creme of American writing. I'm happy to have the opportunity to read this one. I added all previous volumes of every series they published -- an incredible variety of fine writing -- to the county library collection, but I never had time to read any of them.
Thus far, I've read only the first novel in the first volume — “The Murderers by Fredric Brown” — but it turned out to be one of the best crime thrillers I've read. It's written in the hard-boiled style of the 1930s with the added bonus of beatnik language and characters prominent in the 1950s. The evil that the characters do is simply incredible.
Thus far, I've read only the first novel in the first volume — “The Murderers by Fredric Brown” — but it turned out to be one of the best crime thrillers I've read. It's written in the hard-boiled style of the 1930s with the added bonus of beatnik language and characters prominent in the 1950s. The evil that the characters do is simply incredible.
September 15, 2024
I read this as part of the Library of America collection Classic Thrillers 1961-1964.
This is an entertaining crime novel set in a Hollywood slash beatnik milieu. It takes a little while to start cooking, but it's a satisfying, somewhat unconventional read. Like a lot of old-school "noir" or down-and-outer books, poverty becomes a character. I thought for sure money would be the undoing of the scheme (and the whiff of a possible happy ending) but it was really the phone-booth and scheduled meetings in bars and read the morning paper mode of communication of the day. But people can and do write plenty about bad communication in the smart phone era.
This is an entertaining crime novel set in a Hollywood slash beatnik milieu. It takes a little while to start cooking, but it's a satisfying, somewhat unconventional read. Like a lot of old-school "noir" or down-and-outer books, poverty becomes a character. I thought for sure money would be the undoing of the scheme (and the whiff of a possible happy ending) but it was really the phone-booth and scheduled meetings in bars and read the morning paper mode of communication of the day. But people can and do write plenty about bad communication in the smart phone era.
August 23, 2025
This novel surprised me. I can't think of a single novel I've read and couldn't like the protagonist. This one doesn't have a protagonist. The main character is a completely unlikeable self-centered monster without a conscience, but I really enjoyed the novel. His complete lack of morality was intriguing to me, and the end was a shocker. I want to read more novels by Frederic Brown and plan to do so.
September 2, 2025
A thoroughly enjoyable crime novel. A bit of a twist on the Strangers on a Train formula. The ending is a little sudden, but I liked it as a punchline.
May 14, 2023
Pick this book up as part of the Classic Thriller series. I always like these classic noir novels, and this one was no exception. The characters are well developed, with a great story/pacing. Especially enjoyed the ending, but no spoilers. Will be picking up more books by Fredric Brown.
January 19, 2024
Fairly standard noir plot with a twist stolen from Strangers on a Train. Maybe 3.5 stars because the ending is pretty good.
May 20, 2024
3.75 STARS
June 19, 2024
Palate cleansing dirty deeds in Tinseltown.
March 3, 2025
pretty good crime novel from 1961
August 4, 2023
A couple of beatniks trying to make a living acting in Hollywood decide to swap murders (a plot device originally used by Patricia Highsmith) to eliminate the persons in their respective lives standing in their way toward fulfilling their goals.
Suffice it to say, everything goes smoothly to plan, right up 'til the very last page.
Fredric Brown is one of my favorite authors and one of only a handful whose catalog I haven't yet gotten all the way through.
Suffice it to say, everything goes smoothly to plan, right up 'til the very last page.
Fredric Brown is one of my favorite authors and one of only a handful whose catalog I haven't yet gotten all the way through.
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