Forgotten Books: Murder Plus -- Marc Gerald

I think this one might have shown up on some FFB posts in the past, and it's about time I got around to having a better look at my own copy.  It's an anthology composed of stories from the "true crime" magazines that once were a staple of the American newsstands.  They stuck around for many years, and for all I know, they're still out there, though I haven't seen one in a while.  I haven't seen a newsstand in a while for that matter.

What makes this book interesting for readers of crime fiction is that many of the writers represented here are better known for their fiction than for their articles in the true-crime magazines.  Harry Whittington, Lionel White, Bruno Fischer, Jim Thompson, and Day Keene, for example.  There's even an article by Harlan Ellison.  Hammett's here, too, so the quality of the writing is pretty high.  Whittington's article is about a crime he based one of his novels on (The Devil Wears Wings), so that adds to the interest.

And, as I find myself saying over and over in these comments, the introduction is worth the price of the volume all by itself.  Marc Gerald grew up as a fan of True Detective and went on to edit the magazine.  His informal history of the magazines and the kinds of stories they used is invaluable.  I suspect some of you would get a kick out of this anthology.  Cheap copies abound on the Internet, so check it out.