William Campbell Gault (1910–1995)

Shakedown was the very first of Gault's Joe Puma novels, but it has very little to do with the other Joe Puma novels. It seems likely that Gault simply reused the name Joe Puma for his new private eye five years later in End of a Call Girl.

Shakedown is nasty and hardboiled with almost no soft edges. The Joe Puma here is capable of just about anything and little more than a crook, a conman, a conniver, a backstabber, a pimp, a tough guy, a blackmailer, and a witness tamperer. It is the story show more of a rotten unsentimental guy who thinks he knows a way out a frame up and has no loyalty to anyone. It's a narrative told by a tough guy operator from his perspective and it works real well as a hardboiled story. show less

Ex-USC football star, ex-soldier, and present-day jobless loafer Pete Worden punches out a man after a successful craps game and finds himself involved in murder and a host of other complex shenanigans. The cast of characters is huge, Pete's older brother, who controls the family fortune and doles his share out to him at a measly $100 per week until he gets a job, Pete's saintly sister-in-law, Pete's knock-out girlfriend who really wants him to take a job so they can get married, Pete's pulp show more fiction writing neighbor, Nick - the racketeer who says he wants to go straight, Nick's two sons, Jake the bookie, Mary the girl Pete lusted after in high school but never spoke to, a straight arrow police sergeant, and a few more to boot. The male characters are all pretty well fleshed out and complex; the women are described mostly in terms of their looks. This is a book stuck firmly in 1950 Los Angeles, both geographically and attitudinally. Current events--the Korean War, the Rams-Bears game--play a key part in the narrative. It is a story well told and one that engaged me from beginning to end, but it also feels dated and lacks the timeless quality of the best noir fiction, such as Chandler and Hammett. The mystery is good, however, and the ending is well plotted--at least, I didn't guess it. I can't agree, however, with Ed Gorman's assessment that Gault "wrote the best private eye novel of his generation." Nor is this really a private eye novel. Pete Worden is an amateur at best. Still, this was a good read with no real lags or dull moments. Pete's observations as first person narrator aren't always made with the best judgment - but they never fail to entertain. show less

Wayward Widow, which perhaps could have used a more titillating title, is Gault's writing at his best. Well-plotted and perfectly paced, this Joe Puma mystery takes place in San Valdesto, a wealthy playground for the rich gentry northward of Los Angeles, appearing to be Montecito/ Santa Barbara, thinly disguised. Here, Joe Puma finds himself in the middle of a feud between two young vivacious breathtakingly gorgeous widows, both classic femme fatales, one whom left her husband 14 years show more earlier but never made the split legally final and the secretary-confidante who took her place. The old man died and someone is now causing trouble.

Puma finds himself in this ritzy small close-knit town as the outsider who doesn't trust anyone. The action and the dialogue all work here. There's plenty of action too. When Gault was on his game, he could write pulps just as good as anyone. A perfect example of late fifties private eye fare. Really great. show less

Joe Burke has been a cop in L.A. for twelve years. He's good at his job but still can only afford a small apartment with old furniture, until his wealthy aunt dies and leaves him everything. Suddenly Joe can think about making a life where he's not worrying about what he can afford. He quits the force and buys a house in a good neighborhood and a new car. With no career and realizing he doesn't have any close relationships, Joe starts to wander, and quickly throws himself into helping out at show more a small theater. He's sucked into the acting troupe's conflicts and jealousies, and his attraction to both Norah, the sharp-tongued blonde and Sharon, the sultry redhead who can't get along with the other actors. When a well-known producer is murdered outside the theater, everyone in the troupe is a suspect.
A good mystery with plenty of suspects and a theatrical flavor. I had to check on the date of publication (1953), because there's quite a few instances of political bickering. I'd read more from this author. show less