Dead Rite

Johnny Liddell #21

by Frank Kane

DEADLY RANSOM - A JOHNNY LIDDELL MYSTERY CRIME NOVEL

Set in mid-century U.S., Private Investigator Johnny Liddell is tasked with sorting out the nefarious connections between the show business industry and organized crime that ultimately lead to money laundering, deceit, and murder. The complex and fast moving mystery crime story involves underworld characters from Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. It also includes Liddell’s escapades with beautiful women he meets along the way.

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Paperback

First published May 1, 1962

About the author

Frank Kane, Brooklyn-born and a lifetime New Yorker, worked for many years in journalism and corporate public relations before shifting to fiction writing. At the time he was selling crime stories to the pulps he was also sustaining a career writing scripts for such radio shows as Gangbusters and The Shadow.

In addition to the Johnny Liddells, Kane wrote several suspense novels, some softcore erotica, and (under the pen name of Frank Boyd) "Johnny Staccato", a Gold Medal original paperback based on the short-lived noir television series, starring John Cassavetes, about a Greenwich Village bebop pianist turned private detective.

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Also published as Deadly Ransom. Dead Rite (aka Deadly Ransom) takes Johnny and his gal pal newsreporter/ writer Muggsy to Hollywood where Liddell becomes entangled with a corrupt singer owned by the mob, a money laundering scheme, and more than a couple of corpses. In this novel, Kane switches the narration back and forth between points of view involving Liddell and a bunch of hoods. The parts featuring Liddell are terrific and include action and slinky women. The parts featuring the hoods aren't necessarily as successful. For this reason and because the plot is a bit convoluted, although it is a decent read, it simply isn't the best of the Liddells.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deadly Ransom (also published as Dead Rite) takes Johnny and his gal pal newsreporter/ writer Muggsy to Hollywood where Liddell becomes entangled with a corrupt singer owned by the mob, a money laundering scheme, and more than a couple of corpses. In this novel, Kane switches the narration back and forth between points of view involving Liddell and a bunch of hoods. The parts featuring Liddell are terrific and include action and slinky women. The parts featuring the hoods aren't necessarily as successful. For this reason and because the plot is a bit convoluted, although it is a decent read, it simply isn't the best of the Liddells.