Black Mask 1: Doors in the Dark - and Other Crime Fiction from the Legendary Magazine Audiobook By Keith Alan Deutsch, Erle Stanley Gardner, Dashiell Hammett, George Harmon Coxe, Frederick Nebel, Lester Dent, Otto Penzler - editor cover art

Black Mask 1: Doors in the Dark - and Other Crime Fiction from the Legendary Magazine

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Black Mask 1: Doors in the Dark - and Other Crime Fiction from the Legendary Magazine

By: Keith Alan Deutsch, Erle Stanley Gardner, Dashiell Hammett, George Harmon Coxe, Frederick Nebel, Lester Dent, Otto Penzler - editor
Narrated by: Eric Conger, Oliver Wyman, Alan Sklar, Pete Larkin, Jeff Gurner
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From its launch in 1920 until its demise in 1951, the magazine Black Mask published pulp crime fiction. The first hard-boiled detective stories appeared on its pages. Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, Erle Stanley Gardner and John D. MacDonald got their start in Black Mask. The urban crime stories that appeared in Black Mask helped to shape American culture. Modern computer games, films, and television are rooted in the fiction popularized by "the seminal and venerated mystery pulp magazine" (Booklist). Never before in audio, these vintage stories are the darkest of the dark, and the best of the best.

Crime fiction fans old and new will delight in rediscovering these taut, character-rich, heart-stopping tales, now on audio for the first time. Includes:

  • Introduction by Keith Alan Deutsch; read by Eric Conger
  • "Come and Get It" by Erle Stanley Gardner; read by Oliver Wyman
  • "Arson Plus" by Peter Collinson (Dashiell Hammett); read by Alan Sklar< /li>
  • "Fall Guy" by George Harmon Coxe; read by Pete Larkin
  • "Doors in the Dark" by Frederick Nebel; read by Pete Larkin< /li>
  • "Luck" by Lester Dent; read by Jeff Gurner

©2010 Compilation by Otto Penzler. Introduction © 2010 Keith Alan Deutsch. (P)2011 HighBridge Company Anthologies Anthologies & Short Stories Crime Crime Fiction Fiction Mystery Noir Heartfelt
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Such small portions! No, seriously, the audiobook version of the gigantic paperback anthology is the one time where the contents have been divided up, resulting in a staggered release in 11 volumes, with 66 physical CDs. Most Penzler anthologies are recorded and released whole.

That said, it's excellent stuff...very of it's time, of course, but the quality of the writing is several cuts above regular pulp, and the performers do it justice.

That the material is of its time

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I enjoyed the selection of stories. The individual readers were good. The beginning of each story gives story and or author history. I found these interesting. I found myself wanting more at the end of book. So I have plans for getting more in series.

A good selection of stories. Warning the beginning introduction is long.

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ARGH! This is supposed to be a book of more than a dozen stories then why the hell does it only have seven chapters. Before each story is an author min-biography, and these aren’t set up as different chapters. Go buy the actual book!

Poorly formatted, no table of contents

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This book wasn???t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

sixty and over

What could the authors have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Make them cut the intro to three or four minutes. But of course they are all probably dead.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Not at all

What character would you cut from Black Mask 1: Doors in the Dark - and Other Crime Fiction from the Legendary Magazine?

The guy who did the introduction.

Any additional comments?

I'm driving 120 miles to deliver stuff for a family get together and started this book.

The introduction included hundreds of people (editors, former editors, their lawyers, their street addresses in New York etc.) History of ownership of various magazines, history of publications during the Civil War and other exciting stuff.

After a half hour of this stuff I reached into cutlery case drew out a knife and stabbed myself in the heart. Unfortunately since I was driving I didn't see what kind of knife it was and I had picked out a butter knife and now I just have painful bruise on my chest.

Stuck a knife in my heart

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