THE CORPSE STEPS OUT John J. Malone, Book 2

Narrator Johnny Heller's fast-paced delivery makes Craig Rice's forties-era genre-bending whodunit more fun than mysterious. Press agent Jake Justus represents popular radio star Nelle Brown, who is being blackmailed by an ex-lover. When Nelle goes to retrieve the incendiary letters, she finds her ex dead. Heller's upbeat narration makes all the characters period-perfect--from Jake's sidekicks, unscrupulous Chicago lawyer John J. Malone and Helene, Jake's love, to the assortment of hard-drinking denizens of the radio world. Malone and Justus rely on old-fashioned detective work--no computers, DNA, or cell phones--yet each time they have a suspect, the suspect turns up dead. Heller splendidly captures every well-crafted plot twist, from disappearing bodies to cheesy disguises, and every corny period wisecrack sprinkled liberally throughout this engaging novel. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2020]