Tough Guys and Dangerous Dames

Tough Guys and Dangerous Dames is edited by Robert E. Weinberg, Stefan Dziemianpwicz and Martin H. Greenberg 1566199255

While not up to the level of Otto Penzler’s Big Lizard books of pulp mysteries (face it, what anthology does live up to that standard?), Tough Guys and Dangerous Dames is a pretty decent anthology of pulp mysteries. The stories written from the early 1930s through to the youngest entry by John D. MacDonald in 1950, herald from the famous pulp magazines of the era, Black Mask, Dime Detective, Thrilling Mystery, and Clue, among others.

It includes the legends of pulp mysteries such as Raymond Chandler, Erle Stanley Gardner, Paul Cain, Lester Dent, and Carroll John Daly and some unknowns (to me) as well, such as Ray Cummings, Leigh Brackett and Arthur J. Burks.

Most of the stories were good, as are most of pulp mysteries in general. There were a few ‘off the wall’ stories, such as one with vampires, one taking place in the ‘Oriental Quarter, one with scientifically frozen corpses, etc. But you have to expect those in a medium that ran the gamut from literary fiction (Black Mask), titillating fiction (Spicy Detective) and horror fiction (Thrilling Mystery).

All in all, a fun romp in the pulp mystery field. Worth the few bucks it costs to buy it.