This is the first crime novel ever written by Ed McBain (aka Evan Hunter, aka Richard Marsten). From Wikipedia: Evan Hunter (October 15, 1926 â July 6, 2005) was an American author and screenwriter who also wrote under a number of pen names, most notably Ed McBain, used for most of his crime fiction. Born Salvatore Albert Lombino, he legally adopted the name Evan Hunter in 1952; he also used the pen names John Abbott, Curt Cannon, Hunt Collins, Ezra Hannon, and Richard Marsten, amongst others. His 87th Precinct novels have become staples of the police procedural genre. SO NUDE, SO DEAD was originally published in 1952 as THE EVIL SLEEP! by Evan Hunter. It was reprinted in 1956 as "So Nude, So Dead" under the name Richard Marsten.
The novel delves into the sordid world of a heroin addict. The protagonist, Ray Stone, wakes up craving his next fix but finds that the beautiful woman next to him had been killed by gunshots to her stomach. The woman had provided the H to him from a large supply of 16 ounces she had in a candy tin. But the H is missing, Ray is hurting and needing a shot, and the girl is dead. So who killed her and why? The cops think Ray did it and his picture is plastered on the front of the newspapers with the caption "Killer Addict". So Ray must try to find out who really did it. But can he survive without a fix and will he be able to find the killer?
This was a good early effort by McBain. I'm a fan of his 87th Precinct novels and consider him one of the best in the crime genre. The book was however quite dated and included some terms that are somewhat politically incorrect today like "junkie" and "hophead". But McBain is a master storyteller and his descriptions of the drug scene during the fifties appears pretty accurate.
This reprint also contains a short story called "Die Hard" featuring PI Matt Cordell which also dealt with heroin addiction and its prices. Cordell was also featured in another Hard Case Crime novel called THE GUTTER AND THE GRAVE. I think I have a copy of it that I'll have to read soon.
The novel delves into the sordid world of a heroin addict. The protagonist, Ray Stone, wakes up craving his next fix but finds that the beautiful woman next to him had been killed by gunshots to her stomach. The woman had provided the H to him from a large supply of 16 ounces she had in a candy tin. But the H is missing, Ray is hurting and needing a shot, and the girl is dead. So who killed her and why? The cops think Ray did it and his picture is plastered on the front of the newspapers with the caption "Killer Addict". So Ray must try to find out who really did it. But can he survive without a fix and will he be able to find the killer?
This was a good early effort by McBain. I'm a fan of his 87th Precinct novels and consider him one of the best in the crime genre. The book was however quite dated and included some terms that are somewhat politically incorrect today like "junkie" and "hophead". But McBain is a master storyteller and his descriptions of the drug scene during the fifties appears pretty accurate.
This reprint also contains a short story called "Die Hard" featuring PI Matt Cordell which also dealt with heroin addiction and its prices. Cordell was also featured in another Hard Case Crime novel called THE GUTTER AND THE GRAVE. I think I have a copy of it that I'll have to read soon.
