George Axelrod (1922–2003)

Blackmailer was first published in 1952 and, if you didn't know that, you wouldn't have guessed it. The plot revolves around a publisher, Dick Sherman, of a small little-known publishing house, who often gets stuck entertaining authors' wives. Jean Dahl visits him and offers to sell him the last unpublished manuscript of a now-deceased but famous author, Charles Anstruther, who appears to be like Hemingway, a big game hunter, a traveler, a legend. Dahl "had thick, honey-colored blonde hair show more that she wore a little longer than this winter's styles dictated." She wore a beaver coat and a little black dress. Sherman thinks the whole thing is quite strange and thinks it over. An agent, Max Shriber, then sends him a letter offering to sell the same book. The whole thing is quite preposterous.
Turns out that Sherman ten years earlier, had dated Janet Whitney, who was now Hollywood's brightest, sexiest star. Between Whitney and Dahl, Sherman's head is spinning around. Ten years earlier, he had fallen for Whitney, but you know even then that she was going to be a big star. "She was a beautiful girl with soft, dark hair, greenish eyes, and a wide, exciting mouth" and "driving, compelling ambition." She had left him behind and never looked back.

It gets even crazier when two hoods follow Dahl to Sherman's apartment and tear the place apart looking for something. Tearing the place apart even includes stripsearching Dahl. With his head still spinning, Sherman sees both Dahl and Whitney at a party thrown at a mansion and bodies and blackmail start flying around.

Although it doesn't necessarily sound like much of a plot, it is a damn good book that is very hard to put down. The voice that Axelrod uses to narrate works quite well, an innocent man who can't quite comprehend what he has gotten mixed up in. Throw in movie starlets, mysterious dames, mean hoods, and rich people who have two-way mirrors and recording devices all over their houses and you have the makings of something real interesting. There are great fight scenes in the book and mysterious parlor games played at parties with the lights out. There is intrigue and mystery here. show less

This book starts strong and ends strong. A little doughy in the middle though, with what felt like a lot of details that were not necessary to the story. And overall, the whole book gave me a sense of deja vu, as though I'd read it before. But I hadn't. Weird.
The story is that of a publisher being offered the posthumous, last ever book by a world-famous author. And he gets that offer twice in the matter of 24 hours! But which offer is real, and is there an actual book written by that actual show more author at all? It's a muddle of a situation that Dick Sherman, the publisher, gets tangled in, and the untangling may very well be his undoing! show less

Some American soldiers are captured in Korea and brainwashed.

Clever story, shot well. The dialog, acting and music are all quite good as well. I wasn't sure what to expect from a Frank Sinatra movie (this is the first I've seen), but I'm pleasantly surprised. The 2004 remake could hardly have been more pointless.

When Dick Sherman is approached by a lovely woman to publish a manuscript by a recently deceased Author, he is not impressed. Shortly after another offer comes in, so he takes up the offer. Soon he is in over his head but will stop at nothing to find out the truth.

A fast paced case crime (story) originally written in 1950, true to the era with all the feels of vintage crime/drama. Likable characters, if a bit flawed, with plot twists and mystery. A great blend to hold your attention until show more the end. I recommend Blackmailer to those who enjoy hard-case crime. show less