Hump's First Case

Hardman #10

by Ralph Dennis, Mel Odom (Introduction)

The tenth unforgettable novel in the legendary crime seriesIt's a bitter, cold night in Atlanta. Ex-cop Jim Hardman walks in on a convenience robbery committed by a youmg woman and two men that leaves an innocent clerk dead. It's an ugly experience Hardman can't shake...and it gets worse when the parents of the female felon want to hire him to find their fugitive daughter before the cops do. Hardman wants nothing to do with the job. But his sometime partner Hump Evans is bored and short on cash... and takes the case. Soon Hump is pursued by a chain-wielding gang of racist bikers and mired in a seedy underworld of drugs, prostitution, and senseless violence that even the tough, ex-NFL player can't handle alone..."Exceptional characterization, strong and vigorous prose, and a glimpse into a place and time that has long since disappeared." Mystery Scene Magazine"Dennis may not have made literature of Hardman, but he damn sure touched on it more than a time or two." Joe R. Lansdale, New York Times bestselling author "A lightning-paced crime story packed with irreverence and loads of action.“ Publishers Weekly"Tough, gritty and funny. The Hardman novels stack up against the best PI fiction. Ever." The Fine Art of Murder“Ralph Dennis has mastered the genre and supplied top entertainment.” The New York Times This new edition includes an afterword by Mel Odom, the award-winning author of The Rover

Genres: Crime

137 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Ralph Dennis was born in South Carolina and had a master’s degree from the University of North Carolina, where he also taught. For mystery fans, Dennis will always be associated with the City of Atlanta, the locale for the twelve novel series about Jim Hardman, former cop and unofficial private eye, all published by Popular Library between 1974 and 1977.

At the time of his death in 1988, he was working at a bookstore in Atlanta and had a file cabinet full of unpublished novels.

Reviews

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars for book 10 in the Hardman series. I have read 11 books in this series(rec'd book 13 from the publisher) and enjoyed every one. This book has Jim Hardman stopping in a 7-11 store for some breakfast supplies a few minutes before 11 pm closing. Jim is an ex Atalanta cop and his cop instincts kick in when he realizes that something is wrong. He has walked in a robbery gone bad. The cashier has been shot dead. Jim sees the 3 robbers leave. He calls the police. He is able to give a description of the 2 men, 1 woman and the car. Ellison, the police detective has never met Jim, but knows that he left the Atlanta police under a cloud. He is hostile towards Jim
The next day there is a brief write up in the paper. Jim's girlfriend Marcy is out of town and he goes bar hopping with his colleague Hump Evans in their unofficial private investigator business.
A quote: "A lot of women had their eyes on Hump. Most of the women looked at me like I carried plague germs." Jim goes home about midnight, leaving Hump to choose a partner. He has finished getting ready for bed when his doorbell rings. A middle aged couple stand there . They learned from the detective that Jim was a witness to the robbery. They believe the description of the woman fits their runaway daughter. They want to hire Jim to find her. They tell Jim that she was probably kidnapped, like Patty Hearst and is innocent. Even though they are from out of town, they know that Jim has an unofficial private investigator business.
Jim believes that this could turn out wrong and refuses their request. The following day Ellison comes to see Jim, and tells him that this is police business and not to get involved. Later that day, Hump comes to see Jim with Rosemary, one of the 2 parents who came to see him the night before.
Hump has told her that he will take her case. He also tries to persuade Jim to help. Rosemary is an attractive woman and Jim realizes that she is willing to do whatever is necessary to convince him.
He does agree to help Hump find her daughter. There are some twists and turns in the plot, but it is a fast read-- under 24 hours for me.
One more quote on Jim's hangover: " It's my head. It feels like a garbage bag full of rocks and broken bottles. It clinks and rattles." You read this book as a stand alone. Recommended to hard boiled mystery/thriller fans.
There is a disclaimer from the publisher, stating that the book was written in 1977 and reflects the cultural and sexual attitudes of the period.
This was a kindle unlimited book.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lost in the City

There was a time when you could go to a newsstand and pick up a thin paperback just the right size, not like the 500-page monsters we have today. There was a time when you could open up your paperback and chill out for a couple of hours, enjoying a good action-packed tale, no moral message, tough, rough, crime stories without suits and ties, no shiny shoes, just a pair of guys with no regular jobs, no reason to get up except to deal with the latest hangover.

Hump's First Case isn't really his first case. He's always been there with his buddy Hardman. It's just that Jim Hardman feels a bit tired and cynical and Hump takes on their latest project- a missing small town girl lost in the big city and she may not be so young or so innocent anymore.

What you get here is what you expect. Nothing fancy. Nothing special ordered. Just good old fashioned fun.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5*

4.5* just to be a dick. Another great entry in the Hardman series.

[Jim A · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm running out of ways to describe the writing of Ralph Dennis. This is book 10 of the Hardman series. I've been taking my time reading them so I can enjoy them individually as opposed to a series. Other than the background of the relationship between Hump and Hardman, each book really can be read as a stand alone. The only recurring characters, other than Hump and Hardman, are Marcy and Malone.

Jump in and enjoy some excellent writing from 40 or so years ago. Keep that in mind, remembering that the series is set in Atlanta of the 70's and not always what contemporary readers would call "PC".

[Aravind · Rating 4 out of 5]

With only a week to go until Christmas and his girl, Marcy, being out of town, Hardman is depressed by all the festive glitz and spends his days loafing around Atlanta’s watering holes with Hump. While on his way home late one night, he enters a seven-eleven to buy bread, his senses dulled enough not to notice anything unusual. As he is done picking up stuff, Hardman sees a girl and two men run out of the door and finds the clerk, a woman in her thirties, shot dead behind the counter. Hardman does his citizenly duty and informs the police, providing the details about all that he has seen. The next night, he gets a couple of visitors who say they are the parents of the girl who could be the one Hardman saw at the seven-eleven and want him to find her. Hardman, disgusted with the girl’s deed, doesn’t want any part of it and turns the couple away. The mother makes another visit the next day, alone this time, and tries to convince Hardman into taking the case without success. But Hump, eager for work and the money it would bring, takes the case – with Hardman’s consent – and, within a few hours of playing the PI, gets himself on the wrong side of a biker gang. Having to rescue Hump from the sticky situation forces Hardman to join the investigation that throws up nasty surprises and, as expected, gets the duo through several dangerous situations.

This tenth instalment of Hardman and Hump’s exploits is similar to the previous ones in respect of Dennis’s lean prose, sharp dialogues, and a taut plot. Despite the title, Hump does not have a larger role to play than Hardman, and the ratio of their contributions is at par with the rest of the series. With only a couple more to go in the series – not counting the thirteenth novel edited and published by Lee Goldberg – I’m already feeling nostalgic about the fun I've had reading these underrated novels.

[K. Counihan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hardman #10 Good Read

Hardman episode 10: Hump Evans is the detective and Hardman is kind of the client. The police detective that catches the case hates Hardman so Hump tries to help out. It is Hardmans eye for detail of what is unusual or does not fit that cracks the case.

[Larry Ehl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another solid entry in the series. My rating is more of a 3.5; I was disappointed in the lack of back story about Hump.

[Tj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty standard Hardman at this point- tough guy busting heads to solve a mystery. Based on the title, I had hopes this would be a Hump POV, but it wasn't. Still fun though

[Sergiu S. Dobre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent!