Redheads Die Quickly and Other Stories

this book a reprinting of gil brewers short stories and magazine articles turned out to be all I had hoped for. lots of great violent action and situations from the hay day of dime novel crime writing. I enjoyed almost all of the stories with a couple of them being a bit more gritty and fun than the others. many of them reminded me of an Alfred Hitchcock style in development and content. some had a twist ending that gave the story that much more of a punch. I know he wrote a number of novels and I wish they would re issue these sometime. I would love to own some of the detective magazines that some of these stories were first published in. I am sure they are available someplace out there. I would love to own some of the paperbacks he wrote also. anybody know if any of his original stuff is available anymore? most if not all the stories in this book took place in florida. I think he had moved there back in the fifties so I guess all these stories were written with a florida theme in mind. that being said many of the stories have a hot sultry and steamy feel to them which is ok by me. was not disappointed in my choice of buying this book at all. without doubt if any more of his writings become available I wont hesitate to pick them up. had a great time reading this book!

I'd read Gil Brewer's longer works before, but never been exposed to a long collection of short stories from the 1950's. Although the cover is lurid, and the title provocative, these are really well done stories. The short story format forces an economy of words and plots. Brewer clearly shows himself to be a master of the format.All of these stories are about men and women in the hot Gulf sun, trying to live up to what 1950's morally expects of them when in fact their desires and emotions tug them forcefully in another direction all together. Brewer uses the oppressive heat to melt away inhibitions and the result is almost always mayhem. In some cases, the protagonist finds himself in a very different position than he expected when he decides to let his urges run wild. In other cases, tragic endings are shared by all.I don't think there were more than one or two clunkers in the whole batch of twenty-five stories. Several of them display plotting skilled enough to to be worthy of a Rod Serling Twilight Zone episode.If you're new to Gil Brewer, this is a fine place to start. I'd also recommend A Devil for O'Shaunessy as well.Highly recommended.

In writing short stories for the crime digests of the 1950s, Gil Brewer had greater artistic freedom than when he wrote novels for the paperback houses, so these stories are even more outrageous and unpredictable than the Gil Brewer novels that you (hopefully) already know and love. This book collects the following 25 gems from the 1950s, the glory decade of Gil Brewer's career:"With This Gun--" (Detective Tales, March 1951)"It's Always Too Late" (Detective Fiction, April 1951)"Moonshine" (Manhunt, March 1955)"My Lady Is a Tramp" (Pursuit, May 1955)"Red Twilight" (Hunted, October 1955)"Don't Do That" (Hunted, December 1955)"Die, Darling, Die" (Justice, January 1956)"The Black Suitcase" (Hunted, February 1956)"Shot" (Manhunt, February 1956)"The Gesture" (The Saint Detective Magazine, March 1956)"Home" (Accused, March 1956)"Home-Again Blues" (Pursuit, March 1956)"Mow the Green Grass" (Pursuit, March 1956)"Come Across" (Manhunt, April 1956)"Cut Bait" (Pursuit, May 1956)"Matinee" (Manhunt, October 1956)"The Axe Is Ready" (Trapped, December 1956)"On a Sunday Afternoon" (Manhunt, January 1957)"Prowler!" (Manhunt, May 1957)"Bothered" (Manhunt, July 1957)"Smelling Like a Rose" (Mr., July 1957)"Death of a Prowler" (Trapped, April 1958)"Getaway Money" (Guilty, November 1958)"Redheads Die Quickly" (Mystery Tales, April 1959)"Harlot House" (Mystery Tales, August 1959)

Many once long out of print Gil Brewer's novels have seen a resurgence in recent years; first via publishers like Hard Case Crime and New Pulp Press who have sought out some of the best work and most recently via the eBook revolution. However, up until now, Gil Brewer's often fantastic short crime fiction has been neglected. Editor David Rachels has remedied this having painstakingly documented Gil Brewer's short fiction and collected some of the best and more representative of Gil Brewer's early years. The large paperback volume makes a beautiful and essential addition to any crime fiction aficionado's library but each story has also been available for individual eBook download for those who prefer to try before they buy. I am much looking forward to a promised companion volume which will feature a collection of previously unpublished short fiction from Gil Brewer.

I've given this volume as a gift because it's just perfect for people interested in crime fiction written at a high level. Just great stuff.

great shorts by brewer. some of them are very, very dark. Especially for the 50s.