DON'T COME CRYING TO ME.
WilliamArd '44. New York: Rinehart, 1954. 214 pp. $2.50.
MR. TROUBLE. By William Ard '44. NewYork: Rinehart, 1954- 250 pp. $2.50.
Bill Ard has just about mastered his formula for a slick, somewhat tough, fast-moving thriller.
In this genre he is just about as good as they come though I wouldn't argue now that he is another Raymond Chandler, but then, who is?
His stories are entertaining; he is a manipulator of clever, and fast-moving plots. His dialogue is crisp and to the point. There is just enough sex to make the story interesting. Characters, conversation and plot keep one wide awake, and I read both of his books at a single sitting.
In Don't Come Crying to Me there is a lovely redhead, a racketeer or two, and an old man who surrounds himself with impenetrable walls and the best bodyguard that money can buy, but Timothy Dane solves this rough-and-tumble with proper aplomb.
In Mr. Trouble (the scene is Las Vegas) his private eye, the aforesaid Mr. Dane, mistaken for somebody else is stalked by a psychopathic killer (Sinatra would be excellent in this role). There is much excitement and mayhem before he ties everything up neatly while "humming a love song that Kathy Lee had sung for him earlier that night." You can take it from there.
