Safe Return Doubtful

American PulpFiction 1949

Bill Sweeney, under suspension from the Chicago Blade newspaper, sobers up from a three week alcohol binge, to join a small crowd of people staring at the front door of an apartment a beautiful blonde who has a stab wound in the abdomen and is being guarded by her growling and huge dog. As she stands, her robe drops to the floor revealing all. It’s a powerful opening.

Sweeney, who isn’t an alcoholic in his own words, and just has occasional binges, reclaims his job as he is besotted by this woman and wants the story, and just perhaps, the chance to see her again. The woman, it materialises, is a stripper, and the dog, just performing the act of making her naked, as he does in the show.

The stabbing of the stripper though, is a failed attempt at murder by the ‘ripper’, who has claimed two murders already.
This isn’t just a pulp fiction noir, it’s also a whodunnit, with an effective ending which reveals the killer.

It may well be the book that Brown is most famous for, and a good example of his style, which is quite different to his contemporaries; he uses less dialogue, less slang, and though undoubtedly pulp, it is aimed at a more educated audience, with occasional literary references.

Brown wrote science fiction and fantasy also, but it is crime that sold him the most books, though his short stories probably made him more money from the various magazines. His trademarks at his use of humour, and the twist in the ending, as here.

It was filmed in 1970 as The Bird With The Crystal Plummage, with Dario Argeno directing, one of his giallo movies, murder mystery with slasher horror, and usually very bright colours. I’m a fan of course of Argento, but have not seen this yet.