Alfred Hitchcock's Suspense Magazine No. 4

[ghannah01]

Hi all. This is another old review from me that I thought may be of interest. Not really the 1960s-70s but some of the authors in this collection became best known in those decades. Saw a post for another Hitchcock book in this forum so thought this might be the best place for it. Glen

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Alfred Hitchcock's Suspense Magazine No. 4 (June 1957)

This crime and mystery digest is a classic of its era and features
several memorable tales that have no doubt been republished in
Hitchcock anthologies or other mystery collections. This particular
copy is an Australian publication, which I imagine is a mirror of the
American original. Although I am only familiar with "Alfred
Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine." Did AHSM evolve into AHMM or were there
originally two separate Hitchcock crime magazines on the news stands
in 1957? (I wonder.)

In the 1950s, Hitchcock was king of all media, with big name movies, a
hit TV series (Alfred Hitchcock Presents) and publications like this
one which carried his name. It's a matter of conjecture as to whether
or not he personally selected the stories that appeared in the
magazines but the stories are not dissimilar to those that were
appearing in the TV series. Whoever was selecting the stories (His
daughter Patricia?) was doing a great job as a Hitch stand in if this
issue is anything to go by.

"The Children of Noah" by Richard Matheson
When a driver is pulled over for speeding in the small town of Noah he
gets more than just a speeding ticket. Many years before he penned
"Duel," Matheson wrote this small gem about the anxieties of driving.
It's a story that takes a U-turn into the "Twilight Zone." (5/5)

"Trade" by Joe Grenzeback
After he trades shoes with a corpse, a man's life takes several
strange turns. A nice mix of black humour and crime. (4/5)

"The Watcher" by Evan Harrington
A stalker is obsessed by a pretty college co-ed. Creepy and tense.
(4/5)

"Station Break" by Rex Raney
A Radio D.J. is visited by a man with murder on his mind. Terrific
story with a sting, that is probably somewhat familiar only because it
has been imitated so often. Still a winner. (5/5)

"Man with a Hobby" by Robert Bloch.
Two Ten pin bowlers meet in a bar and things take an interesting twist
when the talk turns from sport to murder. I often find the impact of
Bloch's stories are blunted by the many imitators who have
familiarised his dark ideas. Such was the case with this macabre tale.
Still bowls you over though. (4/5)

"The Insecticide Murder" by Floyd Wallace.
A Lawyer investigates the death of the father of his ex-fiancee. Good
solid noir murder tale (4/5)

"I'll Make it Look Good" by Logan Swanson
A Father takes his son to see a store Santa as his wife waits in the
car. Behind this suburban scene, a murder plot unfolds. Tense little
suspenser with a wry ending. (4/5)

"No Experience Required" by Rich Sargent
An ex-con finds an honest job but his new life on the straight is
jeopardised by the arrival of another former inmate of the same
prison. Another good crime tale (without a cop or a detective in
sight!) (4/5)

"The Tutor" by Michael Bruen.
A man gets suspicious when his wife learns to drive. Is he imagining
things? Probably the weakest story in the collection but not bad
either. (3/5)

"Proposal of Marriage" by Henry Slezar.
A spinster develops an interest in the boarder in the next room.
Domestic crime with a twist. (4/5)

"Finder's Killers" by Ed Lacy
A standard cop-on-the-beat mystery with a few twists. Good enough.
(4/5)

Overall I'm giving this issue a 5/5. The stories are diverse in style
and content and there are no real stinkers. Hard to go past an issue
with Matheson, Bloch and Slezar in it. Many of these stories would
have made good episodes of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," and I have to
wonder how many were developed into scripts.

Glen Hannah.

[dem]

I adore stories where strangers come to grief in isolated communities and The Children Of Noah has stayed with me since first I read it. I love the unflinching grimness of the thing. The 'Logan Swanson' story is one of Matheson's too. I think he used that particular pseudonym for work he wasn't 100% happy with?