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The Hot Beat
A disgraced LA music star faces execution for a crime he didn't commit in the long-lost crime novel of Robert Silverberg, SFF Writers of America Grand Master, available for the first time in over 60 years.
HAD L.A.’S HOTTEST BANDLEADER
BECOME AN INSTRUMENT OF DEATH?
Before his extraordinary career as a grandmaster of science fiction, Robert Silverberg honed his craft as a writer for a variety of pulp magazines, including crime digests with titles like Trapped and Guilty Detective Story Magazine. He also wrote this long-lost novel, which appeared under the pen name “Stan Vincent” in 1960 – and has never been published since.
Meet Bob McKay: once a rising star in the toniest nightclubs of Los Angeles, now a down-and-out denizen of tawdry bars where B-girls hustle drinks and brawls break out nightly. When one hustler winds up strangled, McKay lands on Death Row. Can a starlet and a sympathetic newspaper columnist clear his name before his date with the death chamber?
Featuring a new introduction by the author and three bonus stories from Guilty and Trapped, THE HOT BEAT offers readers a trip through time back to the pulp era, when a future star was making his bones with stories of murder, betrayal, and dangerous desires…
HAD L.A.’S HOTTEST BANDLEADER
BECOME AN INSTRUMENT OF DEATH?
Before his extraordinary career as a grandmaster of science fiction, Robert Silverberg honed his craft as a writer for a variety of pulp magazines, including crime digests with titles like Trapped and Guilty Detective Story Magazine. He also wrote this long-lost novel, which appeared under the pen name “Stan Vincent” in 1960 – and has never been published since.
Meet Bob McKay: once a rising star in the toniest nightclubs of Los Angeles, now a down-and-out denizen of tawdry bars where B-girls hustle drinks and brawls break out nightly. When one hustler winds up strangled, McKay lands on Death Row. Can a starlet and a sympathetic newspaper columnist clear his name before his date with the death chamber?
Featuring a new introduction by the author and three bonus stories from Guilty and Trapped, THE HOT BEAT offers readers a trip through time back to the pulp era, when a future star was making his bones with stories of murder, betrayal, and dangerous desires…
240 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1960
29 people are currently reading
159 people want to read
About the author
Robert Silverberg
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Robert Silverberg is a highly celebrated American science fiction author and editor known for his prolific output and literary range. Over a career spanning decades, he has won multiple Hugo and Nebula Awards and was named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 2004. Inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame in 1999, Silverberg is recognized for both his immense productivity and his contributions to the genre's evolution.
Born in Brooklyn, he began writing in his teens and won his first Hugo Award in 1956 as the best new writer. Throughout the 1950s, he produced vast amounts of fiction, often under pseudonyms, and was known for writing up to a million words a year. When the market declined, he diversified into other genres, including historical nonfiction and erotica.
Silverberg’s return to science fiction in the 1960s marked a shift toward deeper psychological and literary themes, contributing significantly to the New Wave movement. Acclaimed works from this period include Downward to the Earth, Dying Inside, Nightwings, and The World Inside. In the 1980s, he launched the Majipoor series with Lord Valentine’s Castle, creating one of the most imaginative planetary settings in science fiction.
Though he announced his retirement from writing in the mid-1970s, Silverberg returned with renewed vigor and continued to publish acclaimed fiction into the 1990s. He received further recognition with the Nebula-winning Sailing to Byzantium and the Hugo-winning Gilgamesh in the Outback.
Silverberg has also played a significant role as an editor and anthologist, shaping science fiction literature through both his own work and his influence on others. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, author Karen Haber.
Robert Silverberg is a highly celebrated American science fiction author and editor known for his prolific output and literary range. Over a career spanning decades, he has won multiple Hugo and Nebula Awards and was named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 2004. Inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame in 1999, Silverberg is recognized for both his immense productivity and his contributions to the genre's evolution.
Born in Brooklyn, he began writing in his teens and won his first Hugo Award in 1956 as the best new writer. Throughout the 1950s, he produced vast amounts of fiction, often under pseudonyms, and was known for writing up to a million words a year. When the market declined, he diversified into other genres, including historical nonfiction and erotica.
Silverberg’s return to science fiction in the 1960s marked a shift toward deeper psychological and literary themes, contributing significantly to the New Wave movement. Acclaimed works from this period include Downward to the Earth, Dying Inside, Nightwings, and The World Inside. In the 1980s, he launched the Majipoor series with Lord Valentine’s Castle, creating one of the most imaginative planetary settings in science fiction.
Though he announced his retirement from writing in the mid-1970s, Silverberg returned with renewed vigor and continued to publish acclaimed fiction into the 1990s. He received further recognition with the Nebula-winning Sailing to Byzantium and the Hugo-winning Gilgamesh in the Outback.
Silverberg has also played a significant role as an editor and anthologist, shaping science fiction literature through both his own work and his influence on others. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, author Karen Haber.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
September 18, 2022
Silverberg is best known as a classic science fiction writer. However, as he explains in the introduction, during a downturn in the science fiction business, Silverberg turned his pen to crime fiction. Now republished by Hard Case Crime sixty years later, the Hot Beat and three accompanying shorts whisk the reader back to an era of juke joints, jazz clubs, B-girls, and murder.
The title novel recalls the jazz era as a jazz musician, once accustomed to playing the ritziest clubs, loses his battle with the bottle and falls through the rabbit hole to skid row. Unfortunately for him, it leaves him as a convenient fall guy for a dead dancing girl. No one cares to hear his side and it's looking like the gas chamber until two people begin investigating for real what happened, a muckraking reporter and the musician's lost love, now a wannabe Hollywood starlet. Perry Mason though would be proud of the reporter and hid powers of deductive reasoning.
Several much shorter stories from the same era grace the last third of the book. All of these stories give a sense of the late fifties early sixties. They are filled with con artists, with suckers, with naive sailors, with Bobby soxers, and with desperation. Each has a bit of an ironic twist.
The title novel recalls the jazz era as a jazz musician, once accustomed to playing the ritziest clubs, loses his battle with the bottle and falls through the rabbit hole to skid row. Unfortunately for him, it leaves him as a convenient fall guy for a dead dancing girl. No one cares to hear his side and it's looking like the gas chamber until two people begin investigating for real what happened, a muckraking reporter and the musician's lost love, now a wannabe Hollywood starlet. Perry Mason though would be proud of the reporter and hid powers of deductive reasoning.
Several much shorter stories from the same era grace the last third of the book. All of these stories give a sense of the late fifties early sixties. They are filled with con artists, with suckers, with naive sailors, with Bobby soxers, and with desperation. Each has a bit of an ironic twist.
May 27, 2025
As he explains in his new introduction, The Hot Beat is a novel that Silverberg wrote for Magnet Books in the men's adventure/crime adventure genre when the science fiction magazine field imploded a bit under its own weight at the end of the 1950s. It was published under the pseudonym Stan Vincent and is a good, standard example of a noirish detective tale of the time. It's a cautionary tale of alcoholism and has the standard amount of sexist content and police brutality of the time and market. It's the story of successful jazz musician Bob McKay, who falls into a bottle and is framed for a murder, and the former girlfriend and newspaper reporter who try to prove his innocence. I found myself wondering if the title referred to Bob's music or to Ned Lowry's (the journalist) circuit. This edition also contains three short stories that Silverberg wrote for Guilty and Trapped, detective story magazines, in 1958 and '59: Jailbait Girl, Drunken Sailor, and Naked in the Lake. (Yes, the stories live up to the promise of the titles.) The latter was my favorite of the three, due to the mean and clever twisty ending. It's an entertaining change-of-pace read, but I'm very glad that he returned to science fiction.
December 1, 2024
The Hot Beat: more ESG than noir but still a fun read.
Jailbait Girl: per the back cover quote ‘dazzling’, a damn near perfect short noir.
The drunken sailor: honey trap and heartbreak.
Naked in the Lake: tantalizing tale of greed, lust, and murder, dark in all the right places (and the best of a very good bunch)
I could read Silverberg noir short stories all day, great to read the three collected in this volume.
Jailbait Girl: per the back cover quote ‘dazzling’, a damn near perfect short noir.
The drunken sailor: honey trap and heartbreak.
Naked in the Lake: tantalizing tale of greed, lust, and murder, dark in all the right places (and the best of a very good bunch)
I could read Silverberg noir short stories all day, great to read the three collected in this volume.
October 16, 2022
Enjoyable crime fiction! The book also includes three short stories; Jailbait Girl, Drunken Sailor, and Naked in the Lake.
February 28, 2023
An innocent man accused, his friends do everything they can to keep him from being railroaded. It’s an enjoyable read with more heart than you’d expect.
September 3, 2022
When I sat down to start reading The Hot Beat, based on the first chapter I thought I was in for one kind of story, and then, as it progressed it became something much different. Featuring an unlikely pair of leads it really blossomed into a truly engaging read for the rest of the way. This edition also includes three short crime stories that were all incredibly enjoyable, as well as an all-new introduction that made me appreciate Robert Silverberg's crime writing even more.
Special Thanks to Hard Case Crime, Titan Books and Edelweiss Plus for a digital ARC.
Special Thanks to Hard Case Crime, Titan Books and Edelweiss Plus for a digital ARC.
November 8, 2022
I’m always grateful when the old ones published by Hard Case Crime aren’t by the same authors. There are some gems. There are some duds. This falls in the middle. Has moments where the investigation is fun but it’s too predictable and ends too soon, which is something I rarely say for pulp fiction. Some more characterization would’ve made this a decent read.
October 20, 2022
A big thank you to Hard Case Crime, who provided an ARC to me.
The Hot Beat covers most of the book, whilst the other stories are short stories at the end of the book. I give the Hot Beat story itself, a strong 4.9 stars, it is a nice noir-ish story including an innocent jazz musician, a newspaper reporter, a few B-girls, a crooked club owner and a doctor. All play quite well and there is a surprising ending of events.
Moving on, the short stories are real gems. That doesn't overshadow the main story title, but they are strong in their own right and would easily score five stars for their moodiness, their atmosphere and their unique style all thanks to the pen of Silverberg.
Definitely recommended, it is worth checking out at your local store, e-book platform or paperback/hardback.
The Hot Beat covers most of the book, whilst the other stories are short stories at the end of the book. I give the Hot Beat story itself, a strong 4.9 stars, it is a nice noir-ish story including an innocent jazz musician, a newspaper reporter, a few B-girls, a crooked club owner and a doctor. All play quite well and there is a surprising ending of events.
Moving on, the short stories are real gems. That doesn't overshadow the main story title, but they are strong in their own right and would easily score five stars for their moodiness, their atmosphere and their unique style all thanks to the pen of Silverberg.
Definitely recommended, it is worth checking out at your local store, e-book platform or paperback/hardback.
March 16, 2025
I didn't know Silverberg wrote non-SF.
This was brilliant. Early 60s setting was great.
Bonus "tales of the unexpected" stories at the end.
Excellent period piece.
This was brilliant. Early 60s setting was great.
Bonus "tales of the unexpected" stories at the end.
Excellent period piece.
April 15, 2025
A fun crime story paired up with some great noir short stories!
October 20, 2022
This is a re-issue by Hard Case Crime of a 1960 paperback original along with three short stories from the same period.
Silverberg explains in his introduction that he was making a decent living writing science fiction in the 1950s. That field dried up in the late 50s when most of the pulp magazines went under. Silverberg turned to crime stories which he sold to men's magazines like "Rogue" and "Exotic Adventures". This was his first crime novel. He got paid $1,000 for it.
Science Fiction bounced back in the early sixties and Silverberg went on to have a very distinguished and successful career as a science fiction writer. This is the first reprinting of the novel in over 60 years.
It is pretty good. Bob McCay, a successful band leader, goes on the skids because of his drinking and temper. He ends up getting framed by the cops for a murder of a bar girl. Lowry, a tough guy reporter, takes up his case. He recruits a sharp lawyer to represent McCay. Eventually he convinces McCay's old girlfriend, Terry, to help investigate.
The setting is the sleazy bars, crummy apartments and dangerous streets of Los Angeles. The cops are crooked. They routinely beat suspects to get confessions.
Silverberg moves the story along. He is good at tough guy patter. All and all this is a well told interesting story.
The three short stories are basic action magazine tales. "Jailbait Girl" and 'Drunken Sailor" are deeply cynical. "Naked in the Lake" has a good twist at the end.
Silverberg explains in his introduction that he was making a decent living writing science fiction in the 1950s. That field dried up in the late 50s when most of the pulp magazines went under. Silverberg turned to crime stories which he sold to men's magazines like "Rogue" and "Exotic Adventures". This was his first crime novel. He got paid $1,000 for it.
Science Fiction bounced back in the early sixties and Silverberg went on to have a very distinguished and successful career as a science fiction writer. This is the first reprinting of the novel in over 60 years.
It is pretty good. Bob McCay, a successful band leader, goes on the skids because of his drinking and temper. He ends up getting framed by the cops for a murder of a bar girl. Lowry, a tough guy reporter, takes up his case. He recruits a sharp lawyer to represent McCay. Eventually he convinces McCay's old girlfriend, Terry, to help investigate.
The setting is the sleazy bars, crummy apartments and dangerous streets of Los Angeles. The cops are crooked. They routinely beat suspects to get confessions.
Silverberg moves the story along. He is good at tough guy patter. All and all this is a well told interesting story.
The three short stories are basic action magazine tales. "Jailbait Girl" and 'Drunken Sailor" are deeply cynical. "Naked in the Lake" has a good twist at the end.
November 20, 2022
This book feels more like an anthology than an actual novel. The main story ("The Hot Beat") itself is pretty good, but fair warning, some readers may find two of the scenes in the story somewhat disturbing.
"Jailbait Girl" is a short story where the reader can see the ending coming a mile away.
"Drunken Sailor" is the shortest story in the collection. It's a quick and easy read anyone can finish in under fifteen minutes.
"Naked In The Lake" is the second longest story in the book. In my opinion, it was more entertaining than "The Hot Beat"
There is a six page preview to Silverberg's other Hard Case Crime book ("Blood on The Mink") to get you hooked on buying another Silverberg story.
Don't get me wrong. I love HCC and the stories they publish, but when it comes to THE HOT BEAT, you can tell why this story went 60 years without being republished.
"Jailbait Girl" is a short story where the reader can see the ending coming a mile away.
"Drunken Sailor" is the shortest story in the collection. It's a quick and easy read anyone can finish in under fifteen minutes.
"Naked In The Lake" is the second longest story in the book. In my opinion, it was more entertaining than "The Hot Beat"
There is a six page preview to Silverberg's other Hard Case Crime book ("Blood on The Mink") to get you hooked on buying another Silverberg story.
Don't get me wrong. I love HCC and the stories they publish, but when it comes to THE HOT BEAT, you can tell why this story went 60 years without being republished.
November 8, 2022
Pour yourself a highball of whiskey, put on some jazz, and enter a lost world of vintage pulp noir. A world of floozies, drunks, and blackmailers; of crooked cops and false confessions; of fat studio moguls pawing over the smooth flesh of young girls…
“If this is the way it is with human beings, will somebody please tell me what it’s all worth?”
Bob McKay used to be the hottest swing band leader in Los Angeles. Weekend crowds packed the swankiest clubs to hear his boys play, but he could not control his addiction to the bottle or the violence within himself. So, he lost it all-- the band, the girl, the money, and his self-respect.
“Grasp beauty while it’s here, and don’t mourn when it fades.”
Bob’s girlfriend Terry is out of money and time. She has sunk to wooing a studio boss, letting him grope and paw her every night, inching ever closer to the casting couch to land a Hollywood screen test…
Now Bob spends his time in seedy bars and flop houses. He is picked up by the cops one night, fingered in a rigged line up, and arrested for the strangulation of a local B-girl…
“You aren’t very smart, McKay. You’re only asking for more of the same. More and more and more. We’ll break you down, though. We’ve broken down stronger men than you. You’re just a weakling. A punk who’s been on the skids so long he doesn’t know which way is up anymore, and you think you’re going to hold out against us. Well think again…”
Bob's only hope is a liberal beat writer with a soft spot for losers and broken down men. Along with Terry, maybe the two of them can find some witness or clue to clear Bob's name…
Robert Silverberg is one of my favorite all-time authors. This book is not his best work, not by a long shot, but it does evoke an unfailingly strong sense of mood and place. The plot may be bumpy at times, but the resolution of the mystery is cleverer than expected.
There are also three bonus short stories included:
"Jailbait Girl" (1959) -- A seductive young con artist must choose between her loutish boyfriend/partner and the handsome but cruel mark who turned her own scam against her.
"Drunken Sailor" (1958) -- Marty is a Navy ensign looking to pick up his first woman on shore leave. Tony is the older mentor advising him where to go, what sort of woman to look for, and what to do with her when he finds her. Marge is the brunette just sitting at the bar looking lonely… but which of them is really a predator on the prowl this fateful Manhattan night?
"Naked in the Lake" (1958) -- Mike's fling with pretty little Peggy has serious repercussions when she winds up pregnant. Peggy thinks they are in love, but no way is Mike giving up his marriage to the millionaire daughter of a steel baron. Silverberg packs an entire James M. Cain novel into just 30 pages of sex, lies, blackmail, and murder.
Hard Case Crime has given this reprint a gorgeous new cover by Claudia Caranfa. Bob McKay and his clarinet in dark silhouette at the top, sultry-eyed Terry at a teakwood bar, and the fiery palette of oranges and blacks fits the moody jazz-noir atmosphere; it's much better than the original 1960 cover of a fish-white blonde in a garish red bikini gyrating on a dance floor.
“If this is the way it is with human beings, will somebody please tell me what it’s all worth?”
Bob McKay used to be the hottest swing band leader in Los Angeles. Weekend crowds packed the swankiest clubs to hear his boys play, but he could not control his addiction to the bottle or the violence within himself. So, he lost it all-- the band, the girl, the money, and his self-respect.
“Grasp beauty while it’s here, and don’t mourn when it fades.”
Bob’s girlfriend Terry is out of money and time. She has sunk to wooing a studio boss, letting him grope and paw her every night, inching ever closer to the casting couch to land a Hollywood screen test…
Now Bob spends his time in seedy bars and flop houses. He is picked up by the cops one night, fingered in a rigged line up, and arrested for the strangulation of a local B-girl…
“You aren’t very smart, McKay. You’re only asking for more of the same. More and more and more. We’ll break you down, though. We’ve broken down stronger men than you. You’re just a weakling. A punk who’s been on the skids so long he doesn’t know which way is up anymore, and you think you’re going to hold out against us. Well think again…”
Bob's only hope is a liberal beat writer with a soft spot for losers and broken down men. Along with Terry, maybe the two of them can find some witness or clue to clear Bob's name…
Robert Silverberg is one of my favorite all-time authors. This book is not his best work, not by a long shot, but it does evoke an unfailingly strong sense of mood and place. The plot may be bumpy at times, but the resolution of the mystery is cleverer than expected.
There are also three bonus short stories included:
"Jailbait Girl" (1959) -- A seductive young con artist must choose between her loutish boyfriend/partner and the handsome but cruel mark who turned her own scam against her.
"Drunken Sailor" (1958) -- Marty is a Navy ensign looking to pick up his first woman on shore leave. Tony is the older mentor advising him where to go, what sort of woman to look for, and what to do with her when he finds her. Marge is the brunette just sitting at the bar looking lonely… but which of them is really a predator on the prowl this fateful Manhattan night?
"Naked in the Lake" (1958) -- Mike's fling with pretty little Peggy has serious repercussions when she winds up pregnant. Peggy thinks they are in love, but no way is Mike giving up his marriage to the millionaire daughter of a steel baron. Silverberg packs an entire James M. Cain novel into just 30 pages of sex, lies, blackmail, and murder.
Hard Case Crime has given this reprint a gorgeous new cover by Claudia Caranfa. Bob McKay and his clarinet in dark silhouette at the top, sultry-eyed Terry at a teakwood bar, and the fiery palette of oranges and blacks fits the moody jazz-noir atmosphere; it's much better than the original 1960 cover of a fish-white blonde in a garish red bikini gyrating on a dance floor.
August 23, 2023
Almost the exact plot of Conell Woolrich’s The Black Angel except without any of the atmosphere or character development.
The biggest issue is the all the misogyny and racism. Granted, I’ve read worse, but it still made the reading more difficult.
Silverberg starts with a non-linear narrative, but then stops by the sixth or so chapter and goes along like a traditional story, which was a little disappointing.
There’s a lot of sexual harassment and sexual assault scenes, which goes into too much detail. The only time Silverberg decides to elaborate are during these assault scenes, which is another ick.
Silverberg adds one element of moral ambiguity and pulp noir morality, but doesn’t go far enough. So what you have is police corruption and brutality, but then all the “bad” guys are lecherous and violent.
You have Lowry, the White Knight.
You have McKay, the pitiful Gary Stu.
You have Terry, the gorgeous virgin who wants to comfort and mother her ex-lover despite his physical abuse.
In fact, Terry risks her body and her life for no other reason than she had a fling with this mediocre and abusive guy.
The moral dichotomy is juvenile, and the corrupt police detectives do not move the needle towards ambiguity.
Half the time I was wondering if I was reading some kind of Batman erotica with all the villains and groping.
I can’t think of anything redeemable about this story.
The biggest issue is the all the misogyny and racism. Granted, I’ve read worse, but it still made the reading more difficult.
Silverberg starts with a non-linear narrative, but then stops by the sixth or so chapter and goes along like a traditional story, which was a little disappointing.
There’s a lot of sexual harassment and sexual assault scenes, which goes into too much detail. The only time Silverberg decides to elaborate are during these assault scenes, which is another ick.
Silverberg adds one element of moral ambiguity and pulp noir morality, but doesn’t go far enough. So what you have is police corruption and brutality, but then all the “bad” guys are lecherous and violent.
You have Lowry, the White Knight.
You have McKay, the pitiful Gary Stu.
You have Terry, the gorgeous virgin who wants to comfort and mother her ex-lover despite his physical abuse.
In fact, Terry risks her body and her life for no other reason than she had a fling with this mediocre and abusive guy.
The moral dichotomy is juvenile, and the corrupt police detectives do not move the needle towards ambiguity.
Half the time I was wondering if I was reading some kind of Batman erotica with all the villains and groping.
I can’t think of anything redeemable about this story.
January 1, 2025
Originally published in 1960 by Magnet Books. This crime story about a jazz musician getting railroaded for the murder of a B-girl has elements of Silverberg's sixties "sleaze" paperbacks that he'd go on to publish after the science fiction market slowed down. Smoky bars, jazz clubs, sexy dames, desperate losers and tough cops. All the standard ingredients here. It's about what one would expect from a drugstore PBO of the time. The sex scenes are a bit more graphic than what you'd find in a Gold Medal book but tame compared to books from the 70s or 80s. The story itself is just as good as anything you'd find in Gold Medal however. Silverberg was a pro and knew exactly what readers for this genre expected. I've really been enjoying Silverberg's often brilliant science fiction novels from the late sixties in the past few years, so I wasn't surprised at the quality of writing found here. This is my first go with one of his crime novels. This edition features a short introduction by Silverberg explaining how he came to write THE HOT BEAT and other crime stories at the time. Also included are three short stories from both GUILTY DETECTIVE STORY and TRAPPED DETECTIVE STORY. The short stories included are a ton of fun, especially "Naked in the Lake" published in 1958. Hard Case Crime has been consistently excellent in bringing classic and neo noir to new readers. And their painted covers are always stellar. This cover was painted by Claudia Caranfa.
March 20, 2023
The Hot Beat is genuine of-its-time pulp fiction. Carefully detailed sexual pawing, sometimes verging on rape, is inserted into the story whenever possible, as part of a generally unhealthy obsession with women's breasts. No doubt that's what readers expected. Along with some sadistic violence. The plot is basic: our heroes try to prove their friend innocent of murder while the police railroad and repeatedly beat the suspect. The police don't come off too well. On their way to the big finale there are a couple of twists with clues subtly placed, but none of the characters are impersonating Sherlock Holmes. Ultimately, for me this raised the question of disposable entertainment: what's the difference between a book you'd want to read again and again, and one you'd never think of picking up again (like this). Both Raymond Chandler and Jane Austen are still in print long after their sell-by date, so both have something on offer beyond simple enjoyment. Also notable is that a science fiction grandmaster wrote pulp noir back in the day (during a downturn in the science fiction market), which is the only reason The Hot Beat was resuscitated. The book also includes three short stories by Silverberg: "Naked in the Lake" (1958), the longest of the three, is basic and predictable (I expected the twist to be better than the one Silverberg gave us); "Drunken Sailor" (1958), again predictable and just a few pages long with a trick ending that could be seen coming halfway through; and "Jailbait Girl" (1959), again just a few pages long with an unsurprising twist at the end. The stories are just brief entertainments, written well enough but with little depth or anything other than historical interest. The Hot Beat is a good diversion while riding the train or waiting in a doctor's office, but won't compel you to reread it later in life. On the other hand, a throwaway book from 63 years ago was just republished, so what do I know? [3★]
December 17, 2023
This is a one hundred and fifty paged novella printed up with three short stories to expand it to a two-hundred and thirty-two paged book.
The Hot Beat concerns a washed out jazz musician who's accused of murder. The police beat him in jail, trying to get him to confess, but he won't do it. A reporter friend starts poking his nose around and finds the accused is innocent. Helping is the musician's former girlfriend, who still holds a torch for him and gets herself in some of the more seamier situations of this novel. The conclusion was outstanding and clever. GRADE: B+
"Jailbait Girl": A young couple blackmail men to pay them $500 bucks after becoming intimate with the woman, who looks seventeen but is actually twenty-three. Their scheme looks to always work until challenged by a man who knows the girl is not as young as she looks. Surprise ending came off as unbelievable. GRADE: D
"Drunken Sailor": A young sailor docks in the big city and wants to spend his money on a good time with girl. Sadly, he meets the wrong woman. An average, predictable tale. GRADE: D
"Naked in the Lake": A husband's affair takes a turn when his lover reveals she's pregnant. His rich wife will never understand, so he decides to take matters into his own hands and kill his dalliance at the lake. A great tale of one mistake followed by another. GRADE: B
The Hot Beat concerns a washed out jazz musician who's accused of murder. The police beat him in jail, trying to get him to confess, but he won't do it. A reporter friend starts poking his nose around and finds the accused is innocent. Helping is the musician's former girlfriend, who still holds a torch for him and gets herself in some of the more seamier situations of this novel. The conclusion was outstanding and clever. GRADE: B+
"Jailbait Girl": A young couple blackmail men to pay them $500 bucks after becoming intimate with the woman, who looks seventeen but is actually twenty-three. Their scheme looks to always work until challenged by a man who knows the girl is not as young as she looks. Surprise ending came off as unbelievable. GRADE: D
"Drunken Sailor": A young sailor docks in the big city and wants to spend his money on a good time with girl. Sadly, he meets the wrong woman. An average, predictable tale. GRADE: D
"Naked in the Lake": A husband's affair takes a turn when his lover reveals she's pregnant. His rich wife will never understand, so he decides to take matters into his own hands and kill his dalliance at the lake. A great tale of one mistake followed by another. GRADE: B
January 22, 2023
Four stories in this book. The main one, the title story, is about an alcoholic ex-musician who is falsely accused of murder. A kindhearted newspaper columnist investigating the case believes in the man’s innocence and works to get him cleared.
The second, much shorter story, is titled “Jailbait Girl”. It’s a couple running a statutory rape scam that has worked four out of four times. But the fifth…
The third story is “Drunken Sailor”. It’s about a young sailor in big, bad ol’ New York City, looking for a woman to help him for his ‘first’ time.
Story number four is “Naked in the Lake”. It begins with a great first line - “So I was going to have to kill Peggy.” Peggy being the married narrator’s pregnant mistress. But murder isn’t always the ‘easy’ solution that it seems to be!
I have to say, I enjoyed the three short stories more than the longer first one! But I still feel like the whole book was worth the read!
The second, much shorter story, is titled “Jailbait Girl”. It’s a couple running a statutory rape scam that has worked four out of four times. But the fifth…
The third story is “Drunken Sailor”. It’s about a young sailor in big, bad ol’ New York City, looking for a woman to help him for his ‘first’ time.
Story number four is “Naked in the Lake”. It begins with a great first line - “So I was going to have to kill Peggy.” Peggy being the married narrator’s pregnant mistress. But murder isn’t always the ‘easy’ solution that it seems to be!
I have to say, I enjoyed the three short stories more than the longer first one! But I still feel like the whole book was worth the read!
March 13, 2023
Lidi v Hard Case Crime rádi objevují staré a zapomenuté kusy od známých autorů… věci, o kterých už možná i sám autor zapomněl, že existují. Třeba teď servírují první detektivní pokusy Rexe Stouta, byly ranné kriminálky od Zelaznyho, samozřejmě McBaina, všechno, co našli v šuplících Donalda Westlakea a tak dále. Něco z toho patří mezi ztracené klenoty, něco je zajímavé, když člověk vidí autorovy začátky (v podstatě to samé, co teď je u nás s Velinského kompletem)… a někdy je to prostě jen holá rutina. A do toho patří i Silverbergův The Hot Beat. Hudebník a alkoholik obviněný z vraždy, novinář, který se mu snaží zachránit krk… a hudebníkova přítelkyně, která mu v tom pomáhá. Nic extra komplikovaného, taky je to vyřešené během nějakých sto normostránek a doplněné ještě pár povídkami. Rozhodně si myslím, že Silverberg udělal dobře, když přešel do SF.
January 12, 2023
I was really excited about this book. I've always enjoyed Robert Silverberg. On the whole, I found the book good. Silverberg could clearly channel the hard-boiled noir feel with the best of them, and he definitely sets up a great yarn complete with compelling characters and a great hook. That being said, the pacing didn't grab me and the novel portion wasn't my favorite, although I liked the three short stories also included. I'd definitely read more mysteries from this writer, even if I found this story to be just a tad too convoluted for such a short length.
December 8, 2022
This is a short novel followed by three short stories. The main story, "The Hot Beat" is pretty easy reading once you get past the obligatory ogling and groping of the woman in the story. As soon as the reader meets all the characters the story takes off & gets wrapped up quickly.
The short story, "Naked in the Lake" was the highlight for me. This story was a page turner & I wish it had been fleshed out more.
The short story, "Naked in the Lake" was the highlight for me. This story was a page turner & I wish it had been fleshed out more.
March 14, 2023
I have read almost all of the books from Hard Case Crime and this is far from one of their better selections. Maybe there is a reason why this is the "First Publication in 60 Years!" Not well written or organized. Somewhat verbose for a 162 page book, not counting the three short stories after it.
About half way through it and will probably finish it. Seems to be getting a little better, but still 2 stars at best.
About half way through it and will probably finish it. Seems to be getting a little better, but still 2 stars at best.
August 18, 2023
2.5 stars. Not bad.
I love Robert Silverberg's science fantasy.
However, not so much his crime stories, which I never knew about before, and indeed (in this case) have been out of print for 60 years.
It's sort of Raymond Chandleresque.
Things ain't so swell for the dames in this book - the men are horrible, etc.
I suppose it is a product of its era.
Silverberg was prolific in writing stories and getting them published, and, at the time of this book, he'd branched out into stories for crime magazines, as the sci-fi magazines had gone out of business. He published this under his 'Stan Vincent' nom de plume.
The main story is about an LA musician who is accused of murder he didn't commit. Or did he?
I love Robert Silverberg's science fantasy.
However, not so much his crime stories, which I never knew about before, and indeed (in this case) have been out of print for 60 years.
It's sort of Raymond Chandleresque.
Things ain't so swell for the dames in this book - the men are horrible, etc.
I suppose it is a product of its era.
Silverberg was prolific in writing stories and getting them published, and, at the time of this book, he'd branched out into stories for crime magazines, as the sci-fi magazines had gone out of business. He published this under his 'Stan Vincent' nom de plume.
The main story is about an LA musician who is accused of murder he didn't commit. Or did he?
April 29, 2023
Didn’t think much of it. Video review
https://youtu.be/sdpv6i6qeM0
https://youtu.be/sdpv6i6qeM0
January 4, 2024
Met. At least it was short
December 21, 2025
Top notch noir! Down on his luck musician, wrongly accused…beautiful starlet with a heart of gold… hardened journalist with a mission… crooked cops… a great crime novel!
January 21, 2023
Very enjoyable and unique read. The jazz club setting and use of a newspaper reporter as the main character was pretty cool. The women were realistic and the general plot pacing was solid.
June 21, 2023
This is a book of its time. A noir novel (plus three short stories) that doesn't try to be any more than that. Give different circumstances - Silverberg goes into these in the Introduction - this could be a great example of noir.
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