Double Feature (Hard Case Crime)

Double Feature really isn’t a true double feature. The two stories are not equal in length or weight. They are not really related much either. Loosely, both stories are connected to the movie world, the world of pretend, the world of mage believe. They both in a sense revolve around what’s real and what’s pretend.“A Travesty” comprises a full seventy percent of Double Feature. It was eventually turned into a TV movie starring William H Macy and Felicity Huffman (before her scandalous cheating ways became front page news). It is a slower, quieter crime thriller and reeks of Westlake’s famed comedic touch. The plot revolves around a film critic who offs his lover during an argument. A private detective ferrets out what happened and offers to lie in exchange for $10,000.What follows is amusing as the bumbling film critic struggles to come up with the cash for the payoff, emptying out his piggybanks, selling off his prized possessions, and even robbing a bank. But, that’s only where the fun starts because the police detective investigating the murder becomes buddies with the film critic, using the critic’s knowledge of murder mysteries to solve crimes and to brainstorm solutions to Laura’s demise. Of course, in between solving crimes and having dinners with the police detective and his wife, the earnest film critic is bedding the detective’s wife. This novella is Westlake’s private joke, having fun at the whole murder mystery industry which he’s been a part of for so many decades.The second story, which is a novelette not a novella, is Orly. This one’s not even a crime story. It’s an odd little story about the ways in which fame and fortune change a person as Orry discovers that his ex-wife is now the world’s biggest star, but she doesn’t seem much like his memories of her.Both stories are interesting short pieces, although not hardboiled, not pulpy, and not earth-shattering.

This is the newest HardCaseCrime reprint of early work by Donald Westlake—billed as two novellas from the 1970's. The first, "A Travesty" (ca. 180 pp.), concerns a NYC film critic who has accidentally killed his girl friend. Blackmailed by a sleazy PI, the protagonist eventually kills several other people in the process of extricating himself from charges concerning the original crime. Eventually he links up with the detective on the case and becomes his consultant. The plotting is very clever and the actual mystery (will the perp eventually be discovered as such and punished?) is resolved very nicely. The story is filled with comments on the writing industry; many are very funny. This is Donald Westlake at his suave, dry-wit best. The problem is that the protagonist is not a likeable character. Hence we read the story as art rather than page-turning suspense. We watch Donald Westlake at work and it is always amusing and rewarding to watch Donald Westlake at work. There is, however, no urgency in that process, so the story is more a confection than a thriller. I didn't return to it as quickly as I did the other story in the double feature, "Ordo" (ca. 75 pp.).Ordo Tupikos is a sailor who was once married to a (very) young woman from San Diego, Estelle Anlic. Years later, Orry discovers that Estelle has become a Hollywood sex goddess, "Dawn Devayne." Orry takes leave from the Navy and goes to L.A. to find her—not to blackmail her or marry her again, but just to see how she went from being Estelle to being Dawn. Note: this is not a mystery/thriller/suspense/crime novella. It is a story about human relationships. Westlake can't resist lifting the covers and showing us some of the zany elements that make up 'Hollywood' but by and large this is a mainstream story and a very effective one.Though there is always the fear or suspicion that the story could turn dark and return to the expected elements of crime fiction it remains an exploration of the quirks of our common humanity. I found it to be much more engaging than the crime novel preceding it.Bottom line: reliably Westlake, so there's a great deal to like, but ultimately an odd configuration of two very different sorts of stories. Worth the time and attention but not an absolutely-don't-miss.

This book is actually a pair of novellas. Each is different in length and tone. The first, "A Travesty," has the almost lighthearted approach to a murder investigation that marked the best episodes of "Columbo." While people do lose their lives there are some laughs and even the idea that luck plays as big a role in these killings as intention. The second, "Ordo," feels as though it wanted to take itself seriously but gave up halfway through. This tale (more like a long short story instead of a novella) concerns a career Navy man who ventures to Hollywood to look up the major movie star to whom he was briefly married many years before. Both offer a look at what is real and what is make-believe. "Travesty" succeeds because Westlake's tongue is never far from his cheek. He was a master of comic mysteries and it shows here. "Ordo" has no real stakes and not much to expect or hope for from either major character. Three and a half stars, more for "A Travesty" than for "Ordo."

This is really closer to 4.5 stars. Two novellas , the first a comic crime story and the second a mediation on celebrity and who we are and do we change. The first is an entertaining story of the kind we are used to from Westlake. The second is a more sober story about a man meeting his first wife who has become a Hollywood star. Its not the usual Westlake fare but the guy wrote like a dream and the story is unusually moving. Highly recommended.

A reissue of Enough (1977). Not particularly rare. Five star book, of course. I only wish Hard Case Crime included this fact.That said: it's a solid trade paperback - font, binding, cover, etc.

Donald E. Westlake has been a master of mystery for over half a century.

I like the value of a 3 pack

I've been a Donald Westlake fan since the 1970s, but hadn't read either of the two stories in this book before, and what a treat. The first is a typical complex Westlake tale, but not the kind with an invincible hero who wins over the odds, instead the protagonist is a film critic whose easy life is endangered when his girlfriend dies after an argument. Along the way he forms an unlikely alliance with the homicide detective working his case, and solves a few mysteries. Plenty of humour, film references (1960s and 1970s), and a final twist.The second story is a thoughtful and beautifully written account about how life, ambition and stardom can alter someone. Or can it?