tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post5688381766491332575..comments2024-03-18T11:01:42.459-05:00Comments on Pretty Sinister Books: FFB: Danger Next Door - Q. PatrickJ F Norrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-29350420327219246672017-02-17T02:37:19.010-06:002017-02-17T02:37:19.010-06:00I have got to dig out my Italian paperback, I real...I have got to dig out my Italian paperback, I really gotta - thanks John. It has been way too long since I read any of the Stagge / Quentin / Patrick books. Thanks for keeping the fires burning (even if just for a little longer).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-16966320596798870342017-02-12T20:10:54.990-06:002017-02-12T20:10:54.990-06:00John – This one sounds too dark to even be called ...John – This one sounds too dark to even be called Noir. And, I agree with you, the 1950s was a terrific decade for crime, mystery and suspense novels. Elgin Bleeckerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08417587392887691664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-89113431625711833132017-02-11T21:20:47.778-06:002017-02-11T21:20:47.778-06:00Good memory! That was The Grindle Nightmare. No an...Good memory! That was <i>The Grindle Nightmare.</i> No animal cruelty or dog murders in this one. Just some scenes of S&M. It's always something. ;^)J F Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-50312217775765354542017-02-11T19:16:32.537-06:002017-02-11T19:16:32.537-06:00Any dead animals in this one? I remember a previou...Any dead animals in this one? I remember a previous Q. Patrick book you talked about, John. It had a dead dog or cat of someone who was poisoning animals. Can't remember. But it was a definite NO-NO! for me. This one sounds very intriguing. At any rate, since I won't be able to find a copy, it doesn't matter. Ha.Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-24071557255634016452017-02-11T13:53:34.345-06:002017-02-11T13:53:34.345-06:00You come up with the damnedest books, John--especi...You come up with the damnedest books, John--especially ones that aren't available. And this one I would like to read!Mathew Pausthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06157135006791553019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-49867785601112515802017-02-11T10:18:22.223-06:002017-02-11T10:18:22.223-06:00As another example of Webb's indulgent morbid ...As another example of Webb's indulgent morbid imagination it is worth reading. It stands alongside <i>Grindle Nightmare</i> and <i>Murder by Prescription</i> for it's Poe-like grotesquerie.J F Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-58782547446343868042017-02-11T10:15:33.783-06:002017-02-11T10:15:33.783-06:00That bit was rather astonishing to me. Considering...That bit was rather astonishing to me. Considering the story was originally written for the pulps in the 1930s it's even more impressive as a feat of imagination. But I wonder if that photographic image manipulation invention was part of the original story. It would be interesting to track down the magazine version of this and compare the two to see what Webb added to expand it into a novel. I'm already on the hunt with a daily search I added to my eBay account.J F Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-19047687970745382242017-02-11T05:41:18.932-06:002017-02-11T05:41:18.932-06:00Fascinating review, John. Definitely a book I'...Fascinating review, John. Definitely a book I'd love to read.Martin Edwardshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16082485795280777670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-73422654420519265012017-02-10T22:43:56.719-06:002017-02-10T22:43:56.719-06:00And, yes, I found it quite suspenseful.And, yes, I found it quite suspenseful.Santosh Iyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02555001344865957852noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-62749184911989608392017-02-10T22:10:04.799-06:002017-02-10T22:10:04.799-06:00Also the author was able to look into the future r...Also the author was able to look into the future regarding invention of process for image manipulation. Nowadays we can easily do it using computer software !Santosh Iyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02555001344865957852noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-16949747947265198442017-02-10T22:06:58.894-06:002017-02-10T22:06:58.894-06:00I enjoyed it for its wackiness as well as the cree...I enjoyed it for its wackiness as well as the creepy ending. Also very easy reading.Of course it is not top-notch. More of a pulpy stuff.<br /> The S&M scenes were handled similar to the English edition. Just violence which can't titillate.Santosh Iyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02555001344865957852noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-10045533550289109702017-02-10T21:51:48.083-06:002017-02-10T21:51:48.083-06:00The last paragraph in Chapter 9 in the original is...The last paragraph in Chapter 9 in the original is this: "He had told her they would work out something. But it was hard to see what could be done -- short of one thing." Simply stated and conveying the same idea. The original English title is more fitting. Laura is the focus of the story and she is repeatedly referred to as "the girl next door." In fact, I thought if it were reprinted that re-naming it <i>The Girl Next Door</i> would be a smart marketing move to capitalize on the trend of "Girl who..." titled thrillers.<br /><br />I thought you were going to chime in on your opinion of the book. Didn't care for it? How were the S&M scenes handled in Italian?J F Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-10841746940909650012017-02-10T19:29:48.313-06:002017-02-10T19:29:48.313-06:00The Italian translation Soluzione Estrema is easie...The Italian translation Soluzione Estrema is easier to get ! Via Libri shows 6 copies starting at 4 dollars plus shipping.<br />Incidentally, the Italian title is taken from the last sentence of chapter 9 : Ma era difficile pensare a cosa si potesse fare...salvo ricorrere alla soluzione estrema. (english meaning: But it was difficult to think what one could do...except to resort to an extreme measure.)Santosh Iyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02555001344865957852noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-37634395616591504342017-02-10T15:27:42.393-06:002017-02-10T15:27:42.393-06:00I must say I have mixed feelings about all this. ...I must say I have mixed feelings about all this. Having finally got hold of a copy of the excellent 'The Crippled Muse', 'Danger Next Door' was more or less top of my list of books wanted...now it seems I haven't been missing that much! Still, somewhere I read that there's a Jonathan Stagge book that was never published, so maybe that will turn up one day.Christopher Greaveshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07920334128279638785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-62388830754545104062017-02-10T15:06:03.869-06:002017-02-10T15:06:03.869-06:00Aha! That explains the pulpy tone and the touches ...Aha! That explains the pulpy tone and the touches of weird menace. It's very much out of league with the rest of the books from the Webb/Wheeler late 40s-early 50s era. It has enough bizarreness that it held my interest. I liked it, but it's not top notch for this duo...or author. It's generally believed that this was one of Webb's solo efforts.J F Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-32432118547489250342017-02-10T14:20:40.495-06:002017-02-10T14:20:40.495-06:00I've been wanting to read this for years but y...I've been wanting to read this for years but your review makes it sound a little disappointing. But then, Q Patrick's 'Danger Next Door' seems to have been published first as a short story in the Street & Smith's Detective Story Magazine way back in May 1937, which might explain why it sounds a lot more melodramatic than the other brilliant Wheeler-authored Patrick Quentin books from the 1950s and 60s.Christopher Greaveshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07920334128279638785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-72892525168372763052017-02-10T09:13:28.828-06:002017-02-10T09:13:28.828-06:00I had a copy of the US 1st edition of CASE FOR FOU...I had a copy of the US 1st edition of CASE FOR FOUR CLOWNS and sold it before I knew it was a true rarity. I didn't like the book and never finished it. Back then I only valued and held onto the scarce books if I liked the story. DANGER NEXT DOOR is keeper for many reasons including its early treatment of what might have been considered taboo subject matter.<br /><br />As much as I have thought about and written about reissuing long out of print mysteries I have lost all interest in starting my own project. Do not look to me to rescue the books you want to read but cannot find. The proliferation of indie presses devoted to vintage mystery reprints has extinguished any excitement I might have left for such a venture.<br /><br />The 1950s have for several years now become my favorite decade for all crime fiction.J F Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-82503545811576355452017-02-10T08:02:20.804-06:002017-02-10T08:02:20.804-06:00I remember this particular title was mentioned on ...I remember this particular title was mentioned on the GAD group, some years ago, as one of the rarer titles by a (relatively) well-known, GAD-period author. If I recall correctly, it was mentioned alongside Leo Bruce's <i>Case with Four Clowns</i>, but that one has since been reprinted. So, who knows, now that you have a copy, you might start getting requests to scan the text to finally get the book reissued. <br /><br />On a side note, I pointed this out in my best of 2016 blog-post, but I keep coming across detective-and crime stories from the 1950s. I always considered that decade to be the twilight years of the Golden Age and never really paid too much attention to what appeared during that decade, but, for more than a year now, I keep stumbling across them. All of a sudden, they seem to be everywhere! TomCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.com