The Oakdale Affair

Mucker #3

by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Short From behind a low bush across the wide lawn a pair of eyes transferred to an alert brain these simple perceptions from which the brain deduced with Sherlockian accuracy and Raffleian purpose...

Genres: Fiction, Adventure, Mystery, Classics, Historical Fiction, Action, Pulp

152 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1917

About the author

Edgar Rice Burroughs was an American author, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan and the heroic John Carter, although he produced works in many genres.

Reviews

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first taste of this author’s work. Very exciting. Not too scary. A clever and completely unexpected twist at the end. Great fun!

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novella almost felt like something Mark Twain might have written. Almost.
In essence, it is a comedy of mistaken identities, except that Burroughs doesn't seem to realize it's a comedy and instead writes it as a straight-forward adventure story. Even as a missed opportunity, it's clever enough to be a great deal of fun, so long as you don't take it too seriously. Realistic and believable it is not.
Technically, THE OAKDALE AFFAIR is considered the third volume in the MUCKER trilogy, but don't let that give you pause. The connection is a weak one, and you won't be confused by reading this out of sequence.
I would love to see the Coen brothers make a movie of this (something along the lines of O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU?) and take advantage of all the comedic potential that Burroughs missed.

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure what ERB was striving for with this book. It's got gothic elements, horror elements, western type elements. He put everything AND the kitchen sink into this one. But it worked and I enjoyed it.

[Tim Schneider · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was another one of those books that felt like it was more of a myth than a reality back in the days when we were all trying to scrounge up any ERB book from the odd used bookstore that we had access to. Not like the utterly impossible books (The Girl From Farris'), but the ones that you knew were out there somewhere...just not where you could get them. Of course age, disposable income, and the internet make these sort of things a lot easier.

This is ostensibly the third Mucker book...but in reality it isn't. The protagonist, Bridge, was a secondary character in The Return of the Mucker, but the connection is incredibly tenuous. This is one of Burroughs' bare handful of contemporary novels and the only one that I'm aware of, that flirts with the mystery genre. For all that, it's full of the kind of coincidences that make Burroughs both a joy and a frustration to read. It also has all the class consciousness that permeates Burroughs' work (except The Mucker) and I mean that in the most pejorative sense of the word permeate. This is by no means Burroughs' worst book...not even close. But it's mostly just competent. It certainly wasn't worth the forty year wait to see what was beyond that Frazetta cover.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great ERB romp which has as one of it's protagonists, Bridge, the friend of Billy Byrne, "The Mucker".
In the small town of Oakdale, Abigail Prim, the daughter of the town banker, disappears on her way to visit with a potential beau. A young boy sneaks into her bedroom and steals Abigail's jewels and cash and finds himself on the run from a group of hobos; a young girl is on the run after witnessing a murder and this all happens on the same night! ERB masterfully pulls it all together with a whimsical ending. I can easily see this as a movie (they actually did make a silent movie of it. One of the few non-Tarzan ERB stories made into a movie).

[Yibbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

So who stole the jewels? Who is the ‘Oskaloosa Kid’? What has happened to the heiress? Who is this tramp? What is dragging chains about in the dark? What happened to the body? Who will save the youth from their folly?
Up until the very end I was really enjoying it. It was well plotted, delightfully twisting, suspenseful, ghostly, charming, warm, murderous, humorous, and melodramatic. I wasn’t entirely sure what genre it is. There are parts that are Horror, Mystery, and Suspense. Burroughs mixes them all into a wonderful adventure. Till -
That ending! I’m afraid it made me laugh. It was just so lame or maybe unbelievable is a better description. I mean really? A young Victorian maiden trots off dressed as a boy and manages to hoodwink dozens of people including detectives sent to find her? Oh, she also had only about four to six hours to transform herself into a ‘man’. Really? It wasn’t until the hero figured out that ‘Oskaloosa Kid’ claimed to have always owned the jewels that he knows ‘he’ is she? I guess it did bring the story to an abrupt halt. Maybe Burroughs was just tired of this story, and wanted it over? Oh well. It was good till then.
Content warning – several curse words.

[wally · Rating 4 out of 5]

mistaken identity. throughout. bridge in his "disreputable soft hat" from the previous "mucker" story, "the return of the mucker," has another role in this one...lots of comic moments...some thing, it, clanging a chain on the steps, outside the door, while those within consider ghosts. and the story has you in the room with them, wondering just wotinell is behind the door making all that racket...a dead man down below, on the first floor..."the guy probably lamped the swag and died of heart failure."

yeah, mistaken identity, start to finish, aided and abetted by a dame or two...then we find out at the end that bridge...well, that'd be a spoiler i spose. a fun read. horror. comedy. whodunnit...three or so murders, some thievin'...one tramp injects morphine...

burroughs take on meaure for measure maybe, much ado about nothing.

[Kenneth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Technically the third volume of ERB's Mucker trilogy; however Billy Byrne, the Mucker himself, does not appear. But his sidekick, Bridge, is one of the main characters. This story begins with the daughter of the wealthiest man in Oakdale running away and her boudoir getting burgled the same night by some kid who runs off with her money and jewelry, who ends up with a group of hoboes who are mostly all criminals. The kid is called the Oskaloosa Kid by one of the tramps and does not deny that it's him, but after they learn about the cash and jewelry, things get mean and the "Oskaloosa Kid" makes a getaway with them in pursuit. Meeting up with Bridge, they take refuge in an abandoned house, the old Squibb place, which has the reputation of being haunted. The story continues at a fast pace with lots of twists and turns, leading to a surprising ending.

"The Oakdale Affair" was originally published in 1918 in Blue Book Magazine and was only printed in book form in 1937, but with the last 173 lines of the magazine original omitted. The Ace edition of 1974 which I read restored that ending.

[David B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bridge, the poetry-spouting hobo from Edgar Rice Burroughs’s Mucker novels, goes out on his own for a solo adventure involving theft, murder, missing persons, mistaken identities, and possible ghosts. This was one of ERB’s few (his only?) mystery stories. The genre is not as suited to his headlong style in which coincidence tends to figure prominently as is his usual territory of the chase and the quest. It all kicks off when an heiress goes missing, her possessions are stolen, and a mysterious figure who goes by the name of the Oskaloosa Kid runs afoul of some murderous tramps. Bridge and the Kid team up and the result, at the risk of spoiling a twist that most will see coming, is simultaneously the most homoerotic and homophobic relationship I have encountered in a book. Check it out for yourself to see what I mean. It’s not among Burroughs best by any stretch of the imagination, but it goes down pretty smooth.

https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This sequel to The Mucker and Return of the Mucker does not have The Mucker in it at all but instead features Bridge, the other primary protagonist of Return of the Mucker. There's a couple of murders and a few robberies all happening the same night here along with a bear and an amateur child detective. Not very believable but a lot of fun.

[Frank McGirk · Rating 1 out of 5]

The best thing about this slim volume is the Frazetta cover...and it kind of gives away one of the plot twists.

The book is an odd mix of grit and farce that really didn't work for me. I did enjoy the writing style for about 20 pages or so, and then that grew tiresome as well.

[Benjamin Chandler · Rating 4 out of 5]

ERB sure packed enough into this slim novella. Part murder mystery, part heist, part haunted house story, with a colorful cast of heroes and villains and a half a dozen twists. To give away details would spoil the surprises. Really fun.

[Cindy B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nicely plotted - a hobo, a murder, a bear and an unexpected end. Well narrated by Ralph Snelling.

[Lynda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Written in 1917 this is a nice little mystery about a theft, multiple deaths, the dangers of mistaken identity, hoboes, and a bear.

[Kirk Dobihal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not his best...

[Julie Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

No Mucker, but we do get an adventure with his pal Bridge, the poetry quoting hobo. And burglars, murderers and a ghost.

[Lexi · Rating 4 out of 5]

An utterly silly and charming romp. Fans of Terry Pratchett might enjoy the nonsensical misunderstanding at every turn. Delightfully goofy and only a bit dated.

[Mark Rabideau · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rather disturbing tale of America when it was great; an America without work, without civil rights and without justice.

[R. Kent · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting detective story with several dead bodies and several crimes being committed at the same time.

[Rob Roehm · Rating 2 out of 5]

A girl who disappeared, a boy thief, a band of hoboes, a murderer, a fixer, and a circus bear. Need I say more?

[Shannon Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

It takes a while to do it, but becomes great fun. I decided to read this after seeing reference to Burroughs philosophy, with no further elaboration. I Knew of nothing other than Tarzan that he had written, And had never read that. So, I found it curious to think he had a philosophy that he was espousing and I wanted to try to see what it was. I saw no philosophy after reading this. It just seemed rather formulaic old-school fun silliness. I really didn't want to read the Tarzan books, but it was looking like I was going to have to do that if I was going to find this philosophy. So I cheated. I looked it up. Turns out he was a eugenicist, and knowing that, I can see a thinly veiled wrapping of his philosophy in this story. With that in mind, it makes me sad that I kind of enjoyed the story. Still, if I'm going to hate every story in which the pauper turns out to be a prince, there will be a lot less lighthearted fun reading for me. And even worse, if I refuse to enjoy every book written by a jackass, there won't be much left to choose from.

[Brackman1066 · Rating 2 out of 5]

When, upon reading, you find a missing heiress, two murders, a jewel heist, a threatened arranged marriage, an outlaw called the "Oskaloosa Kid," a beautiful gypsy, a savage bear, a plot twist that wouldn't surprise anyone who's read even the SparkNotes version of Shakespeare's plays, a haunted house, murderous hobos, thieving lower-class farmers, and a roving aristocrat, then you, Dear Reader, have in your hands a Splendidly Bad Book. Master Bulwer-Lytton himself could scarcely have improved upon it (save by making it far longer).

[for-much-deliberation ... · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Oakdale Affair's original title was Bridge and the Oskalooska Kid and I guess thats exactly what it was about. I think the original title told too much so lets stick to 'The Oakdale Affair'.
A most interesting Burroughs tale, lets see we've got a deserted farmhouse said to be haunted, a thunderstorm, tramps and thieves, a murder, a bear and a gypsy, all the elements for a great classic mystery!

[Rob Roy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This books is a sequel to The Return of the Mucker, a poorly executed book. While the main character of The Return is absent, his side kick here takes center stage. The book is really a mystery, which is convoluted and well crafted. I think this is one of his better non-Tarzan, non-Mars books. If you are a mystery fan you will enjoy it.

[John Lawson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A crime spree shatters the peace of an upscale small town, and local hobos are suspected. The Mucker does not ensue.

Yes, book 3 of THE MUCKER series does not feature the Mucker in any way. Talk about bait and switch!

Nonetheless, an interesting tale of early 20th century road life, with surprising little casual racism. (It substitutes with ample sexism instead.)

[David Meiklejohn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short book, part 3 of the Mucker trilogy, it doesn't feature the Mucker at all, but does his pal Bridge from the second book. It's a sort of thriller, horror, tramp-based mystery, with the most telegraphed plot twist I've read in many a day. Still, it was a good read.

[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Positively amazing story! Loved it! Gripping writing style.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad read, although there were a few too many coincidences.

[John Walkenford · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good read with some twists and turns in the mystery.

[James Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of fun.