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During the 1940s to the mid-1960s pulp fiction was king as many writers tried their hand at writing short stories for newsstand publications in the hope that they would be read and probably lead them to bigger things. Some were successful and became novelists; others have been forgotten until now. Crippen & Landru has reprinted some of those lost stories and brought them together in several books. BANNER DEADLINES features the late author Joseph Commings and his creation, Senator Brooks U Banner. The Democrat is a rambunctious rabblerouser who enjoys the good things in life and has lived a colorful life. A former auctioneer, a sideshow barker, and a comic book enthusiast among other things, Senator Banner uses his vast knowledge to solve all kinds of puzzles. His expertise involved what would be considered the impossible crimes, at least for readers of the time. These are the locked-room puzzles where a murdered body is found inside of a locked room, locked from the inside, with no ways of entrance or exit inside the room. The police are often flabbergasted not knowing how such a feat was humanly possible. The senator lives for this kind of stuff and often gives a hand, which after a few conversations and observations he is able to solve the case before the day is up. BANNER DEADLINES is a short story collection that comes up with next-to-impossible scenarios where someone gets killed in improbable ways. For example, in The Fingerprint Ghost a stabbing takes place during a seance and nobody knows who did it. What is so unusual about that? Well, for starters all of the participants were seated on the floor inside a locked room, each wearing a tight straitjacket, and touching each other with their feet. Yet when the lights go out, someone is fatally stabbed and that is just the beginning. Each one of these stories comes out with creative ways of murder to the delight of pulp readers. Sometimes the simplest answer brings the simplest solution, no matter how improbable it may be. For modern-day readers, most of these short stories could be considered laughable and formulaic now that we are living in a CSI world. This book is good for those craving nostalgia of those publications found at their local drugstore when things were worth less than a dime. BANNER DEADLINES definitely brings something new to the table as well as a change of pace. It is good that they are making a comeback.
Reviewed by Angel L. Soto, December 2004
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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