Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler may be the architects and set the unbeaten standards of the tough but caring detective, it is clearly Cornell Woolrich who has set the standard for the psychological thriller. He was a mainstay of the Mystery/Thriller pulp magazines of the 1930s and 1940s.

According to Wikipedia (which I hate to quote), “His biographer, Francis Nevins Jr. [a respected pulp writer in his own right], rated Woolrich the fourth best crime writer of his day, behind Dashiell Hammett, Erle Stanley Gardner and Raymond Chandler. A check of film titles reveals that more film noir screenplays were adapted from works by Woolrich than any other crime novelist, and many of his stories were adapted during the 1940s for Suspense and other dramatic radio programs.” And while I’d consider him a ‘crime writer’, his writing was in a class by itself…Hammett and Chandler on one branch of a Mystery Tree and Woolrich on another branch.

The Cornell Woolrich Omnibus contains Rear Window (which lacks the romantic aspect of the movie version) and other short stories as well as two novels, I Married a Dead Man and Waltz into Darkness and it is in these novels where his talent shines.

He is a master at allowing his protagonists to get what they desire but, the question is, at what cost? Woolrich is an artist who paints a scene, then another and then another, all the while moving the story forward, inch by sometimes excruciating inch. In Waltz into Darkness, particularly, I didn’t know whether to root for the main characters, Lou and Julie/Bonny Durant, love them or hate them or feel sorry for them. My feelings changed by the page and at one point I was tempted to read the last page to see how the story ended. But I”m glad I didn’t, because it would have ruined the suspense.

The two novels take place in two different times, I Married a Dead Man in the 1940s when the story was written, and Waltz into Darkness in 1880s New Orleans and he does each time period justice. In the latter, readers feel like they are in New Orleans, he sets the stage so well.

I’ve read various Cornell Woolrich stories and novels (Rendezvous in Black) and I haven’t cracked the surface of his works. There are definitely going to be more in my future.

If you are into reading the best of a genre, then Cornell Woolrich is a must read for every mystery fan. His works are well written and suspenseful.

P.S. A biography of Woolrich might be in order as well, as his life would have made a great Woolrich story. ( )

Let me start by saying how much I love Cornell Woolrich's writing. He has a way with words that stops me dead. I am serious, I will be reading along and suddenly he will write something that makes me literally stop reading and re-read (and possible re-re and re-re-re-read) a line. Here's an example from the short story "Rear Window" which is included in this collection.

"Seconds went by in packages of sixty."

(And, as a quick aside, looking for this one passage, I stumbled across four or five more that were worth quoting – but I won't bother you with those right now. Oh yeah, I'll also mention that this isn't the first time I've quoted passages in my reviews of his books. They are just too good.)

I have one quibble with most of what I've read so far. That is, the point of view of the protagonists seem too naive. Now, I am not sure if that is a function of the times they were written or Woolrich's approach. But there is usually a point early on when I'm not sure I'm going to buy the premise. "No one acts that way." Yet, in praise of the writer's skill – I soon forget that issue and just revel in the words and the story. And if I again finding myself wondering if anyone would react that way, I quickly dismiss the question because I want to keep moving.

I mention that because the same issue raised its head as I read this collection. This is a compilation of three works – Rear Window and Other Stories, I Married a Dead Man, and Waltz Into Darkness. And with the two novels, as well as some of the short stories, there was always a time when I wasn't sure I believed the naiveté of the protagonist or other's within the story.

However, as I've already said, that quickly dissipated as the story and the writing took over.

Since it is the start of the omnibus, let's start with the collection of short stories. "Rear Window" is everything you could hope for. Even if you have seen Hitchcock's version, you will be riveted by the story of a man spying on his neighbors while immobilized in his room, only to see something he probably shouldn't. The remaining stories go from good to really good. They are noir, they twist, and they are full of writing that will knock your socks off. Honorable mention for "Three O'Clock" which manages to blend noir with Edgar Allan Poe. And it is also worth mentioning "Momentum", a story of how, once events begin taking place, we no longer have control regarding the conclusion. Yes it is a good story. But, as the final story of the collection, it sets a theme for the next two novels which also have the feel of inevitability that the protagonists cannot control.

I Married a Dead Man is the story of a young woman who has no options. She is pregnant (not married – for the time, a more damning situation than it is today) and has been given the money to leave town on a train across the country. She meets a couple (the wife also pregnant) and becomes their friend. (Small spoiler follows – though you will guess it easily enough.) There is a train accident. The couple dies, the young woman gives birth, and she wakes up in a hospital room. There she finds that the young man's family has mistaken her for the wife and the child as their grandchild. From there, a web of lies is spun that begins to come unwound when the child's father comes to town expecting money. The story itself is good. But what makes this story go beyond the ordinary are the last few pages. No spoilers here; suffice to say that some people knew more than they said, and others are not happy with what this all reveals about themselves.

The plot of Waltz Into Darkness is relatively easy to tell. Set in the late 1800's, a man meets a woman he has wooed long distance. (No internet, so it is through a picture and correspondence.) She isn't what he expected, but they get married. (Another spoiler here – but, again, not a big surprise.) He soon learns she is not really the woman she claims to be. The novel is then story of their time together, their time apart, and of their time back together as he becomes completely subsumed by the woman. The evolution (or should I say devolution) of the gentleman is fascinating as he finds himself unable to tear away from someone he knows is not right for him. There is too much schmaltz at the end of this tale for my tastes, but that does not really detract from the inability to turn away from the man's train wreck of a life.

The fascinating thing about these stories (in fact, of any of Woolrich's stories that I have read so far) is that it would be easy to think they are quick reads – something you blow through and then move on to something else. Quick reads? Yes. Moving on? Not so much. The people and the stories keep coming back.

And, of course, there is that writing. You will seldom see words put together so effectively. I've said it before, I'll say it again: Read Cornell Woolrich and you will be amazed. ( )