Long Live The Dead
by Hugh B. Cave

Review by Robert D. Wheadon

Hugh B. Cave is a literary icon. Now, you may think I'm overstating the thing, but, it's true. Since the early 1920's, Hugh B. Cave has been writing fiction. Good fiction. Stories of murder, horror, detectives and mystery are his trade. It's the stuff that makes pulp fiction what it is. A great collection of Mr. Cave's pulp fiction work that was published in Black Mask Magazineis now to be found in Long Live The Dead, (Crippen & Landru 2001). It is a small but stellar representation of Hugh B. Cave's litany of some of the characters that he has produced over his writing career.

The stories contained in Long Live The Dead showcase tales from the years 1934 through 1941. "Too Many Women" begins as what appears to be a straight-forward detective yarn. Dead bodies, a stubborn cop and deviant artists spill from the pages. The ending is not what the reader is expecting, though. "Dead Dog," is a tale of a detective who is an animal lover. When his dog is killed, the main protagonist is motivated to find the killer of his pet, as well as the killer of a local nightclub. The pugilistic world is the canvas for the story, "Shadow," where a rookie cop goes undercover to reveal a murderer of a local street person known to be a little crazy. The title story, "Long Live the Dead," stars a crippled magician who is accused of a brutal murder that he didn't commit. Now he must prove his innocence and produce the real killer, as well.

That is just a sampling of some of the stories found in this collection. Long Live The Dead, contains ten great pulp tales. If you enjoy a thrilling detective story with cynical cops, brazen bad guys and beautiful dames then this book is for you. The added bonus is that the stories were written by an author who never fails to deliver a great story: Hugh B. Cave.