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Box 100
Ross Franklin started a new job in the Box 100 section of New York City's Department of Investigation. Box 100 had been set up by the previous mayor. Any citizen could write in to it with a complaint about wrongdoings in the city government.
Ross was a special investigator. And among the first batch of letters he read, there was one from a lady named Ophelia Harm, who said a neighbor of hers, a Mrs. Jones, had cashed a welfare check twice. And had a lover named Bumpy.
Ross went to investigate—and he found himself involved with the office of the Well are Commissioner, and a man named Smedlo, and a girl named Aretha, and a rather nice widow named Roberta. As well as a firm of movers named Kowalski.
He also ran into a gang of extremely rough little children and spent a considerable amount of time in some broken-down tenements in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Ross was a special investigator. And among the first batch of letters he read, there was one from a lady named Ophelia Harm, who said a neighbor of hers, a Mrs. Jones, had cashed a welfare check twice. And had a lover named Bumpy.
Ross went to investigate—and he found himself involved with the office of the Well are Commissioner, and a man named Smedlo, and a girl named Aretha, and a rather nice widow named Roberta. As well as a firm of movers named Kowalski.
He also ran into a gang of extremely rough little children and spent a considerable amount of time in some broken-down tenements in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1972
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 28, 2020
This one was nominated for a Best First Novel Edgar in 1973, where it lost to the equally forgotten SQUAW POINT by R.H. Shimer. Protagonist Ross Franklin is an investigator for "Box 100," a New York City department investigating citizen complaints of of government fraud and malfeasance. A minor case of a woman claiming a 2nd welfare check mushrooms uncovers a major scam run by the real "welfare queens:" caseworkers and contractors. Because it's 1972, there's no shortage of "urban" atmosphere of a city plummeting towards rock bottom and the Catch-22 laden portrait Leonard paints of an unfeeling bureaucracy reeks of inside knowledge. If your definition of noir is broad enough to include Chicago School ethnography, this one is not to be missed.
May 24, 2018
The 100 box is a detective agency which investigates civilians reports. the boss is a retired cop and theres a senior detective who dumps on Ross Franklin the newcomer the old detectives sloppy work that he didnt finish before retiring. Ross has his eye on two letters in particular, one of an old lady contemplating murdering a mentally challenged neighbor who flashes her with her naked body each time she goes to the balcony just to provoke a reaction from her.
The second letter is from a woman who rats on her neighbors who live beneath her that they cash in two of the same checks of social security money saying they lost the first one.
Ross goes to investigate and uncovers a much bigger scale of scam than cashing in a few months worth of government aid…
I gave it 4/5 stars. its one of my grandmothers books and it was exactly what it promised. an entertaining read. i didnt have to think about it hardly and didnt have to unravel personalities of the characters and the writing style flowed me trough it and ive read it within 2 day with 2 sittings. its a very good potential for a travel read when you have to sit on a train or plane for a couple of hours.
The second letter is from a woman who rats on her neighbors who live beneath her that they cash in two of the same checks of social security money saying they lost the first one.
Ross goes to investigate and uncovers a much bigger scale of scam than cashing in a few months worth of government aid…
I gave it 4/5 stars. its one of my grandmothers books and it was exactly what it promised. an entertaining read. i didnt have to think about it hardly and didnt have to unravel personalities of the characters and the writing style flowed me trough it and ive read it within 2 day with 2 sittings. its a very good potential for a travel read when you have to sit on a train or plane for a couple of hours.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews