James Earl McKimmey was born in Holdrege, Nebraska in 1923. After serving in the
102nd Infantry Division of the U.S. Army during World War II, he graduated from
the University of San Francisco in 1950 and worked in various sales-related
jobs. During the '50s, he wrote numerous short stories. His first crime novel, The
Perfect Victim, was published by Dell in 1958, and he's written fifteen
subsequent novels. He cites influences as varied as Ray Bradbury, William
Saroyan, and John D. MacDonald. McKimmey himself had many admirers in the
writing community, including Mr. MacDonald who once commented that,
"(McKimmey) can manipulate tension ...in ways that are beginning to alarm
me." Another notable fan was Philip K. Dick. In fact, Dick once invited
McKimmey to move in with him in Berkeley, offering McKimmey the use of his
typewriter!
For
those unfamiliar with McKimmey's oeuvre, Pulp Originals is publishing one of his
greatest works, Squeeze Play, as an e-offering, available for download right
here (or click on either cover) for just three dollars and thirty cents. Written in the style of a modern thriller, the
book begins with working drone Jake Wade awaking in a drunken stupor in a
strange hotel room. Later, in his car, he hears on the radio that his wife was
murdered and that he is the prime suspect. Then the plot backtracks to the
previous eight days, chronicling the events which led to his wife's killing and
Wade's attempt to prove his innocence. The novel has many of the elements of the
classic noir thriller – the
femme fatale, the lush wife, the hapless protagonist – and
is told in seamless, breathtaking prose. In particular, the depiction of the
Tahoe casino is dead-on. But what sets Squeeze Play apart from many pulp
novels of its era is its astounding depth. Behind the classic crime plot, we
discover real characters with real emotions. With apparent ease, McKimmey
accomplishes what few writers can –
he thrills us and writes well. While keeping us at the edge of our seats,
he tugs at our emotions, describing the tragedy of a couple losing a child,
depicting a man's longing for love and true happiness, and giving us a
Cheveresque vision of suburban America of the early sixties. Squeeze Play
is not only a great crime novel, it's a great novel, period. And, yes, despite
what the ivory tower literati seem to think, great fiction is allowed to have
great plotting.It's truly a crime that all of McKimmey's novels aren't in print. It's almost as if the crime fiction community suffers from a collective amnesia, snapping out of it from time to time to remember a great novelist, only to forget the writer again while thousands of newer, lesser novels get into print each year. Now, thanks to the folks at Pulp Originals, McKimmey's work will get some long overdue attention, and many readers will finally get their first taste of this remarkable American writer.