Books by Gil Brewer

DEATH IS A PRIVATE EYE“The reason these stories are being published only now, rather than 40 or more years ago when they were first written, is that Gil Brewer’s markets have come back to him. Brewer published his first great noir story in 1955, and he kept writing great noir stories for more than 20 years, long after there were magazines eager to buy them. . . . Now, in 2019, with Brewer’s reputation as an important figure in 20th-century American crime writing continuing to grow, the time has come for his later short stories finally to find their audience.”—from the Introduction by David Rachels

REDHEADS DIE QUICKLY Gil Brewer, the frantic master of compulsive noir fiction—the man of whom author/editor Ed Gorman once said, “at his best, he hooked you in the first paragraph and never let you go.”  According to Leonard Cassuto, author of Hard-Boiled Sentimentality: The Secret History of American Crime Stories, “Brewer marinated crime and lust together in the humid Florida heat to produce stories of sexual hunger, obsession, and predation.” Presented here are thirty of his best Florida stories, direct from the pages of Manhunt, Pursuit, Detective Tales and other great mystery magazines of the 1950s and 60s. Brewer contributed prolifically to the pulp outlets of the day, turning out everything from hardboiled crime tales to pornographic fantasies. He published over 100 stories and 50 novels from 1951 to 1976 under his own name and at least 13 pseudonyms (including an Ellery Queen novel). Originally published in 2012 by University Press of Florida, this new Stark House edition of Redheads Die Quickly includes five stories left out of the first edition, including the novelette “Meet Me in the Dark.” They are, as crime writer Dave Zeltserman referenced them, “hard-boiled gems, with each story wilder than the next.”

THE RED SCARF Roy Nichols needs to find some quick cash to keep from losing his motel. The new highway was supposed to go through, providing plenty of business, but now it's been delayed. The bank refuses to help, and his brother turns him down. Desperate and on the way back home, he catches a ride with a bickering couple named Vivian and Teece. They start drinking, then Teece gets spooked, and crashes the car. That's when Nichols discovers that his travelling companions have been carrying a briefcase full of cash. Teece appears to be dead, and Vivian confesses that they have robbed the mob, and begs him to help her escape. But to do that, Nichols will have to lie to his wife Bess…to the cops…and ultimately, to a very dangerous man named Radan. A KILLER IS LOOSE Ex-cop Steve Logan is down on his luck. With a baby on the way, Logan decides to pawn his last pistol to a bartender friend. On his way, he rescues a stranger, Ralph Angers, from being hit by an oncoming bus. Angers is an eye surgeon and a Korean War vet, and he has plans to build a hospital in town. Unfortunately, he is also prepared to kill anyone and everyone who gets in the way of his plans. So when Angers manages to get a hold of Logan's Luger, he also drags his rescuer into a nightmare of murder and insanity. Logan becomes a hostage to Angers' plans, and there will be no mercy to anyone who gets in his way.