Green Ice

By Raoul Whitfield

Book Overview

Mal Ourney took the rap for Dot when she drunkenly killed someone while behind the wheel. Now he's out and Dot is the first person to show up at his release. But he wants nothing to do with her, gives her the slip, and later hears that she's been shot. Gambler "Angel" Cherulli is next to go. Then Ourney's friend Donner is killed. It's all connected.

The people around Ourney are dropping like flies, and it's obvious that certain folks want something they think he has, something Dot tried to give him. By the time he figures out that there is a handful of emeralds-green ice-involved, Ourney has been threatened, sapped, framed and double-crossed. It's up to him to find the jewels before he becomes the next victim.

Black Gat #82

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0GWFD2T8N
• ISBN13: 9798886011999
• Release Date: May 2026
• Publisher: Stark House Press
• Length: 226 Pages
• Weight: 0.37 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 4.3" x 7.0"

Customer Reviews

EARLY WOOLRICH

This is early Woolrich, setting the stage for what would be become, in my opinion, some of the best 'crime' 'mystery' 'noir' writing in American 20th Century Literature.

A neglected masterpiece.

As I read this fascinating page turner of a novel, I had to keep reminding myself that it was first published way back in 1932. The writing in Manhattan Love Song is so up to date, it could have been crafted last week. I don't want to reveal too much about the plot itself because, just as in all Cornell Woolrich fiction, suspense is a key element. No, it's more than a key element, it is ubiquitous, permeating each page. The narrative starts off as a romance. A "low rent" romance, but a romance nonetheless. It rapidly transitions to a comic romp, albeit one with decidedly sinister undertones. Then it takes the form of a bizarre murder mystery. Throughout all this, Woolrich never misses a beat. He takes the reader from one genre to the next with the greatest of ease. Both the dialogue and the descriptive prose are consistently as smart as could be. The themes addressed are standard Cornell Woolrich fare. The ecstasy and agony of love and the burden of psychic pain so intense it can only be alleviated by "the merciful release of death". Manhattan Love Song is an outstanding novel. A very enthusiastic 5 stars. Don't miss it.