Frightened Man

The Frightened Man, first published in 1942, is a fast-paced noir murder mystery set in New York city and featuring private detective Jim Steele. Steele comes upon two murdered bodies and suspicion falls on Steele's good friend Larry Maxwell, part of a wealthy family but who has been threatened by his brother of being cut out of the family will. Dana Chambers was a pseudonym of Albert Leffingwell (1895-1946). Gruesome twosome as Jim Steele finds, and dumps, the body of a bodyguard to a good and frightened friend, Larry Maxwell, and next finds that Larry's father has been hung. The facts that Larry is in love with his brother's wife, that his brother was attempting to have him cut out of his father's will, that he has been spirited away to a mental home along with two decorative nurses, give Steele as much as he can handle. Good decor, good and very fast action, and less flash than previous tales.