THE characters who inhabit the violent noir universe don't often feel constrained by moral conventions, as these three stories amply demonstrate . . .
(1) "The Set-up."
By Sam Cobb (?-?).
First appearance: Manhunt, January 1953.
Short short short story (3 pages).
Online at SFFAudio (HERE).
Principal characters:
~ The unnamed narrator, Perkins, Francie, Kozlewski, "a mangy character," and his wife.
(2) "Round-Robin with Rifles."
By Ralph Cherry (?-?).
First appearance: Murder, September 1956.
Short short short story (3 pages).
Online at SFFAudio (HERE).
Principal characters:
~ Mike Keller, Jay Maleet, and Nell.
(3) "Sweet Vengeance."
By Lee Harbaugh (?-?).
First appearance: Murder, September 1956.
Short short short story (4 pages).
Online at SFFAudio (HERE).
Principal characters:
~ Frank, Ed, and Ione (in absentia).
Resources:
- We freely admit that we aren't a big fan of noir fiction, preferring characters who at the very least use their heads for more than just punching bags, but if you're interested in the genre, then see the Wikipedia articles "Noir Fiction" (HERE) and "Film Noir" (HERE).
- You might agree that today's tales are not primo noir, but stylistically brilliant virtuosos like Cornell Woolrich don't come around every day. It's for that reason that ONTOS has recognized Woolrich (a.k.a. William Irish) on several occasions: The Leopard Man (HERE), "All at Once, No Alice" (HERE), "Dilemma of the Dead Lady" (HERE), and "Death in the Air" (HERE).
- There is also plenty relating to Woolrich on Steve Lewis's Mystery*File (search page starting HERE).
- Hartford Stage has a short biographical sketch of Woolrich (HERE), and Matthew Schwab fits Woolrich into "The Pulp Fiction Renaissance" (HERE).
The bottom line:
Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.
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