Deadly Beloved

By Max Allan Collins

Book Overview

TILL DEATH DO US PART Marcy Addwatter killed her husband - there's no question about that. Shot him dead in the motel room where he was trysting with a blonde hooker. Shot the hooker, too. But where... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0843957786
• ISBN13: 9780843957785
• Release Date: January 2007
• Publisher: Hard Case Crime
• Length: 203 Pages
• Weight: 0.24 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.8" x 0.8" x 3.8"

Customer Reviews

Wonderfully done, right down to the Terry Beatty cover

A great deal of the space in my house is given over to printed material, including several decades' worth of comic books. I learned how to read on my own with "Dick Tracy" --- the original, with Chester Gould --- and didn't stop until Gould's successor, Max Allan Collins, retired from the strip. I was already familiar with Collins thanks to Ms. Tree, a female private detective whom he created. Drawn by Terry Beatty, Ms. Tree went through a number of issues and publishers --- in both comic book and original graphic novel form --- but the quality never flagged and to this day the stories hold up well. I had some misgivings when I read that Collins, through Hard Case Crime, was about to publish DEADLY BELOVED, touted as the first Ms. Tree novel. Sequential art characters, for whatever reason, have trouble translating to the narrative page. I needn't have worried. This book is perfect in every way, standing on its own if you have never heard of or read Ms. Tree and capturing perfectly the flavor and spirit of the comic if you're familiar with it. While not sticking precisely to the Ms. Tree mythos established in the comic books and graphic novels that have gone before, the novel is hardly set (to use comic strip terms) in an alternative universe. We are simply blessed with Collins taking a slightly different turn on a character he created --- nothing more, nothing less --- and is wonderfully done, right down to the Terry Beatty cover. DEADLY BELOVED is a tale told mostly in flashback of how Michael Tree came to stand at the helm of the agency that she and her husband (also named Michael) founded on the eve of their marriage, a bond cut tragically and brutally short. Several months after Mr. Tree's death, the agency is retained on behalf of a woman who has murdered her husband, and a prostitute, after catching them in flagrante delicto. It appears, however, that the entire situation was set up by a third party --- one that ultimately may tie into the murder of Mr. Tree. Ms. Tree is relentless, uncovering clues tenaciously, even as she discovers that the trail she is following leads to some very unexpected destinations that are much closer than one would expect. Collins is marvelous, dropping surprises throughout but saving the bombshells for the very end, all the while staying true to the genre that he loves, even as he maintains his acknowledged position as its contemporary grandmaster. DEADLY BELOVED is perfect for fans of the Ms. Tree comics and graphic novels. For those unfamiliar with the character, this is a welcome introduction to her, not to mention an inspiration to catch up on all of her previous stories in an entirely different medium. --- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

OUTSTANDING

This is one of the best books in the Hard Case Crime series. You will not be disappointed. This novel showcases writer Max Allan Collins at his very best. Great story, great fun. Enjoy!

Ms Tree is Marvelous

It's about time Ms Tree made the big jump from comics to novels. Max Allan Collins' splendidly crafted character (even in the comics) is even better in the pulp. "Dearly Beloved" is an attention getter from the first couple of pages and it never stops. Intriguing. Intelligent. Entertaining. Ms Tree is no mystery to me, it's a winner! Terry Beattys' cover is just icing on the cake. Absolutely amazing packaging for a ground breaking book. Tim Lasiuta

Excellent

In Chicago the case looks obvious. An angry cuckolded wife Marcy Addwatter kills her executive husband and his hooker girlfriend when she catches them together in a motel room. Although they have some doubts, the evidence is overwhelming so the police arrest Marcy charging her with the two homicides. Private investigator Ms. Michael Tree looks into the twin killings of the account manager and his afternoon fling. She obviously rejects the outraged wife motive that the police push; besides which the case reminds her of her own personal history. She begins an inquiry and soon finds people wanting to end her investigation as several attempts on her life occur. As Mike keeps digging, she begins to uncover a conspiracy that increasingly looks like a frame with Marcy as the fall gal. Ms. Tree still has it as she makes the transition from graphic comic books to novel with an ease. The story line is fast-paced and somehow contains the graphic in your face perspective that the comic book had yet also reads like a powerful whodunit novel. Max Allan Collins is at his best with the terrific Ms. Michael who kicks butt in any format. Harriet Klausner

The Toughest Female P. I. You'll Ever Meet

Ms. Tree started out as a comic book series back in 1981. Conceived by writer Max Allan Collins and artist Terry Beatty, she began the longest ever career for a lady private investigator in the comics field. She also set some milestones in the publishing world. Much has been said of Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhone and Sara Paretsky's V. I. Warshawski. I've read both those series, as well as Linda Barnes's excellent Carlotta Carlyle books, and can honestly say that none of them have ever been as cold-bloodedly ruthless as Ms. Tree. Of course the name is a tongue-in-cheek joke, but the lady's work isn't. Ms. Tree was written by Collins as a tribute to his friend and mentor Mickey Spillane, who penned the tales of Mike Hammer, who was about as hard nails as tough has ever been. I read all the comics that came out about the character, beginning with the release by Eclipse Comics and finishing up with the run at DC Comics. Those haven't been re-released, but hopefully they won't be long in coming now that interest has once more been stirred. DEADLY BELOVED is a new novel about Ms. Tree. In fact, it is the first - and thus far - only novel about the character. But longtime readers who remember the stories are going to get a feeling a déjà vu. Collins and Beatty recently got an option for Ms. Tree as a television movie, with the intention of potentially adding more movies to the initial one. The book has been published by Hard Case Crime, a line of novels produced by Charles Ardai that is about 50% new material and 50% books that have been out of print as much as fifty years. All of the books are crime novels, and all of the covers offer noir stylings that make my heart beat faster. I can remember reading some of those books back when I was a kid and got them at the secondhand stores. DEADLY BELOVED is a blindingly fast read. Clocking in at a little under 200 pages, Collins spins his story quickly, dipping in and out of two plotlines that he dovetails neatly back into one cohesive whole. The action is intense, the dialogue gripping and constant, and the feeling of the city around Ms. Tree and her colleagues feels true. For me, this was a pleasant walk down memory lane with a few interesting twists and turns thrown in for good measure. I generally like all of Collins's novels, and have re-read several of them over the years. I loved his Mallory series as well as his Nate Heller books. If you haven't met Ms. Tree before, this is the perfect place to do so. The book is lean and mean, and the character steps right off the first page and into your face. And if you have read about her before in one of the comics or graphic novels, it's probably been too long. Pick this one up, put your feet up, and prepare to spend a couple hours in total tough gal noir bliss.