Friday, May 15, 2015

FFB: The Evil Sleep -- Evan Hunter

A reprint from 10-31-2004 

I'd been looking for this book for many years. I'm not sure Falcon Books were very well distributed in Texas, since I've run across very few of them, and I'd probably never have found this one if it hadn't been for eBay. Sure, the book was reprinted by Fawcett Crest in a slightly revised version as So Nude, So Dead, but I wanted the Falcon. Now I have it, even if it isn't signed, like Richard Moore's copy. I've even read it. It's told from the point of view of a heroin addict who wakes up one morning with a beautiful dead blonde babe in his bed. Not exactly an original idea, except for the addict part. He has to fight his addiction while trying to find the killer. There's a lot of brutality in the book, mostly torture and beatings, and a lot of sex. Ray Stone might be an addict, but he's pretty much irresistible to women. There's some awkward writing. ("Ray," she hissed. "Now!") But the story moves right along, and there's even a mention of Hunter College, which may or may not have been the inspiration for Evan Hunter's last name. Not a great novel, and no fan of Mickey Spillane's will be surprised by the ending, but I'm still glad I finally got my hands on a copy.

6 comments:

Jeff Meyerson said...

Hey, that's my Alma Mater!

People "hissing" words without an "S" in them is my worst "fingernails on the blackboard/pull you out of the story" peeve of the moment.

Jeff

Anonymous said...

You just have to exhale heavily on the other consonants..."Rrrrrray!" she hissed. "Nnnnnnow!"

That sort of detail does remind me of every Hunter (et al.) story I've read by him, ever.

Todd Mason said...

That's odd. I'm not posting as Anon. Todd Mason

Todd Mason said...

Just to reiterate my brilliant and not acually anon. comment (as the previous ome might soon disappear):

You just have to exhale heavily on the other consonants..."Rrrrrray!" she hissed. "Nnnnnnow!"

That sort of detail does remind me of every Hunter (et al.) story I've read by him, ever.

Nik Morton said...

I agree, if you hiss it has to have esses in the word(s). I was told this many many years ago by Ken Bulmer. Also, speech ending in he laughed instead of he said. Tried speaking while laughing? Can't be done, even by multi-taskers. Speak. Period. He laughed. That's my hissy fit over for today, anyway...

mybillcrider said...

I agree, Nik.