Phantom Lady

Rating:
Summary: the best from Cornell Woolrich?
Review: 'Phantom Lady' by Cornell Woolrich (as William Irish) is an extremely enjoyable pulp fiction read. While the author is known for his storytelling abilities rather than literay skills (prose/characterizations), and he has written plenty of shoddy and ridiculous stuff, 'Phantom Lady' is a classic page-turner. I personally rate this on par with his excellent 'Waltz Into Darkness' as his best (..or at least among the dozen Woolrich novels I've read, plus many more short stories).

In 'Phantom Lady' we have a man wrongly accused of murder (of his wife) sitting on death row. The only person who can verify his alibi is a nameless and non-descript woman he shared an otherwise forgettable evening with. As the clock ticks towards his final hour we are entertained with a mad chase to find this woman. Believable? Let's just say it's all barely plausible, which was enough to keep this reader thoroughly entertained.


Bottom line: a real treat for Woolrich fans. A must read.

Rating:
Summary: Another Great Reading Experience From Woolrich
Review: Even if this one is not quite as powerful as "I Married A Dead Man", and the ending doesn't pay off quite as fully as you might hope, it is still a very involving and typically stylish piece of storytelling that grabs you in chapter one and holds on tight till it's done with you. It also contains one of the most powerful single chapters I've ever read- a set piece in which a mysterious woman stalks a bartender simply by staring at him and following him until his nerves begin to crumble- which could stand alone as a short story superior to the novel as a whole. As a reading experience, this is a genuine treat, and the book itself- a faithful facsimile of the first edition- is beautiful to look at and a great pleasure to own. A bargain at the original price and a steal on sale. Thank you again, Otto Penzler.

Rating:
Summary: My First Woolrich Book.......Won't Be My Last
Review: I am making my way through noir writers, starting with one of each by Goodis, Gil Brewer, Peter Rabe and now Woolrich. This book was a pleasant suprise and I'll come back around to read more by Woolrich, one of the fathers of the genre.The previous reviewer gave a good description of the story-all I'll add is that the writing is good, the story timeless, the plot suspenseful and the book is just an all around good read.

Rating:
Summary: A Desperate Search
Review: When you see an opening chapter of a book titled 'The Hundred and Fiftieth Day Before the Execution', as this one is, you get an immediate impression of what lies ahead, as well as a sense of inevitable doom. I found this to be a very clever method of piquing the interest, compelling me to read on.

The man facing execution is Scott Henderson, and we meet him as the story opens when he picks up a girl in a bar based solely on her outrageous hat. For some reason he's in a foul mood and pays her little attention, even though he takes her out to dinner, a theatre show and then back to the bar. When he gets home to his apartment he is greeted by the police...and the body of his strangled wife. Things start getting really interesting from here on out.

We find the story revolving around the careful recounting of Scott Henderson's movements on that night as he desperately tries to establish an alibi. As the title of the book suggests, the lady he was with that night has disappeared, leaving him in deep trouble. Chapter by chapter the clock ticks down building tension and adding an enormous feeling of desperation to the search. Three people, each of whom is willing to put themselves in danger to see that justice is served, conduct the search for that elusive alibi. Firstly, Henderson's girlfriend / mistress gets herself deeply involved, at times placing herself in extreme danger. The second person is an old school friend who Henderson calls, in the belief that he is the only person who would care enough to help. And thirdly, and most surprisingly, is the police officer that was instrumental in seeing Henderson convicted. He begins to hold grave misgivings about his guilt and provides the impetus behind their quest.

Cornell Woolrich expertly weaves an exhausting tale as lead after lead is explored in an all out effort to save Scott Henderson's life. As can be expected, given the nature of the chapter titles, the story culminates in a nail-biting ending, making it a most satisfying reading experience.

Rating:
Summary: A Desperate Search
Review: When you see an opening chapter of a book titled `The Hundred and Fiftieth Day Before the Execution', as this one is, you get an immediate impression of what lies ahead, as well as a sense of inevitable doom. I found this to be a very clever method of piquing the interest, compelling me to read on.

The man facing execution is Scott Henderson, and we meet him as the story opens when he picks up a girl in a bar based solely on her outrageous hat. For some reason he's in a foul mood and pays her little attention, even though he takes her out to dinner, a theatre show and then back to the bar. When he gets home to his apartment he is greeted by the police...and the body of his strangled wife. Things start getting really interesting from here on out.

We find the story revolving around the careful recounting of Scott Henderson's movements on that night as he desperately tries to establish an alibi. As the title of the book suggests, the lady he was with that night has disappeared, leaving him in deep trouble. Chapter by chapter the clock ticks down building tension and adding an enormous feeling of desperation to the search. Three people, each of whom is willing to put themselves in danger to see that justice is served, conduct the search for that elusive alibi. Firstly, Henderson's girlfriend / mistress gets herself deeply involved, at times placing herself in extreme danger. The second person is an old school friend who Henderson calls, in the belief that he is the only person who would care enough to help. And thirdly, and most surprisingly, is the police officer that was instrumental in seeing Henderson convicted. He begins to hold grave misgivings about his guilt and provides the impetus behind their quest.

Cornell Woolrich expertly weaves an exhausting tale as lead after lead is explored in an all out effort to save Scott Henderson's life. As can be expected, given the nature of the chapter titles, the story culminates in a nail-biting ending, making it a most satisfying reading experience.