Brett Halliday (1904–1977)

Not great but not boring, either. (And it's short.) I had read one of Halliday's Mike Shayne stories, "The Reluctant Client," in The Great American Detective and enjoyed it enough to seek out this novel. On the basis of that story, however, I was expecting something with a grim hard-boiled atmosphere; what I got was a workmanlike tale about a series of murders in 1940s El Paso, with a cast of tolerable but somewhat corny, clichéd characters. It's very much a book of its time, full of stereotypical small-town cops, yellow journalists and various other seedy types. The story moves quickly and is reasonably entertaining, but there's no atmosphere or mood: nothing that casts a spell on the reader and draws him completely into the book. I can't hold it against the author that Murder Is My Business is not a hard-boiled crime novel in the tradition of Hammett and Chandler; clearly that's not what Halliday set out to write, and the lack of customary private eye trappings doesn't make this a bad book. But I can justly criticize the publisher for packaging it as a hard-boiled novel, since that's obviously the conclusion one is meant to draw from the languid, pistol-toting dame on the cover. It's more Jim Rockford than Sam Spade, though.

Two and a half stars.… (meer)

Private eye Mike Shayne is in the town where I was born, El Paso, Texas, to investigate the death of Private James Brown, who was killed in a traffic accident. Or was he? The private was stationed at Fort Bliss - the base I was born on!
Pretty good noir read! You've got bodies, body doubles, silver mining, the U.S./Mexico border going's on, a mayoral race, and soldiers exchanging clothing! All in a little hard-boiled detective novel/novella (it's a quick read!)! Not quite Raymond Chandler, but good enough to keep me guessing and keep me entertained! I'd read another Mike Shayne mystery based on this book!… (meer)

This was a pleasant discovery. Mike Shayne is a bit more cynical than most, and he certainly makes sure to get paid. But those are not bad traits as he finds out the truth at the end. The story has as scheme to smuggle army deserters into Mexico, something about a silver mine, and murder. These items are certainly a good recipe for a mystery that Mike Shayne slowly unravels. The author does put in a bit misdirection, but if you are an attentive reader you can figure things out as you read along. Then again, as many detective stories, you will find out the real truth at the end, and I have to say, I did enjoy the ending quite a bit. I will certainly keep my eye out for other Shayne mysteries now. Also, the book is a pretty easy read, so if you enjoy hard boiled detective fiction, you will certainly enjoy this one.… (meer)