Alfred Hitchcock's a Baker's Dozen of Suspense Stories
Alfred Hitchcock's a Baker's Dozen of Suspense Stories
- published in 1949 in the USA by Dell Publishing (paperback)
- 192 pages
Tagline
- The eerie imaginations of Agatha Christie, Ray Bradbury, Graham Greene, John Steinbeck, and nine other masters of the strange and terrifying
Contents
- Long Live Suspense by Alfred Hitchcock (ghost written)
- The Mask by F. Tennyson Jesse
- Accident by Agatha Christie
- A Day Saved by Graham Greene
- Roman Holiday by Robert Lewis
- Revenge by Samuel Lewis
- The Snake by John Steinbeck
- Long Shadow on the Lawn by Mary Deasy
- The Night by Ray Bradbury
- The Rocking-Horse Winner by D.H. Lawrence
- The Warden by George Carousso
- Leviathan by Ellis St. Joseph
- Breakdown by Louis Pollock
- The Fool's Heart by Eugene Manlove Rhodes
Inner Page
NEVER SAY DIE...
For those who had the courage to come back for more, that generous master of suspense has provided a baker's dozen of the bizarre, a little extra in the way of horror and intrigue. Here is a supreme collection of skin-prickling suspense, cunningly chosen to startle and terrify, by...
ALFRED HITCHCOCK
Introduction
ALFRED J. HITCHCOCK
LONG LIVE SUSPENSE
The story of suspense continues to enjoy widespread favor (thank heaven)! We live in the heyday of the psychological thriller, the narrative of chase-and-pursuit, of lethal hide-and-seek, of the hidden menace and the waiting for the blow to fall. Readers can't seem to get their fill of this kind of tale — Whence another Dell Book collection!
This time we begin — unless you happen to be one of those delightful people who take their anthologies from back to front — with 'The Mask," by F. Tennyson Jesse, the talented great-niece of Alfred Lord Tennyson, It shows that when a woman doesn't want her neighbors to know who is living with her a black mask cut from a length of dress silk can come in handy. Of course, she should be sure whose face is behind the mask — In Agatha Christie's "Accident," Hercule Poirot's creator has an ex-Inspector spot a suspected murderess — but she's only suspected, mind you, and there remains the delicate and dangerous task of saving the prospective next victim from her unwelcome attentions.
In Robert Lewis's "Roman Holiday," an American finds himself unexpectedly tossed to the Fascist lions, and what was to have been a test of skill becomes an agonizing fight for life. "Revenge," by Samuel Bias, shows what may happen when the ancient adjuration, "Vengeance is mine," is disregarded; he who claims that perquisite does so at his own peril. In "The Snake," John Steinbeck's young doctor, who never kills for sport, finds that there are others who do. The girl in Mary Deasy's "Long Shadow on the Lawn" does her best to avoid thought of possible danger — does the escaped "lunatic" really hold a grudge against her? — but there is the suspicion, and the half-acknowledged fear, and the waiting. In "The Night," Ray Bradbury paints an evocative word-picture of childhood fear — big brother is missing at bedtime: is he, can he be, lost in the dark ravine behind the old church?
The pitiful lad in D. H. Lawrence's strange tale, "The Rocking-Horse Winner," wants to be lucky, so he must ride like the wind, and listen, listen, for the answer. A city slicker lost in the woods is an object of scorn to the natives, but when George Carousso's "Warden" loses his own way in the marsh he discovers that all men are brothers (in fear) under the skin. In "Leviathan," Ellis St. Joseph's cuckolded fat man hardly knows why he invites his wife's lover to the beach with them, but once there it all becomes plain enough — to him first, then to the other. A man lies paralyzed, in a convincing replica of death, and he has one slender — oh, so slender! — chance of signaling those about him that he is still alive: that is "Breakdown," by Louis Pollock.
Lastly, a "Western"! Why not, when it carries as powerful a charge of suspense as "The Fool's Heart," by that master of cow-country fiction, Eugene Manlove Rhodes? It tells of as complete a frame-up as one man can possibly devise to trap another; there must be some way out for the innocent victim — there must be! But is there? Here they are : thirteen tales of tension. If they keep you as engrossed as they did me this book's success will be a matter of course.
ALFRED HITCHCOCK
Back Page
The signs are unmistakable — several drops of still-moist blood, two sinister shadows in the night, a half-empty bottle of arsenic... ALFRED HITCHCOCK has been at it again...
Notes
- Breakdown was adapted as an "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" episode in 1955.
- Revenge was adapted as an "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" episode in 1955.
Links
- Open Library - available to borrow as an eBook
- The Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- Casual Debris - An Alfred Hitchcock Anthology Bibliography
