Sing a Song of Homicide (An Inner Sanctum Mystery)

New York: Simon and Schuster. Near Fine in Very Good dj. 1940. First Edition. Hardcover. (price-clipped) [very light wear to cloth at top and bottom of book, front hinge a little tender at bottom; jacket lightly soiled, tiny tears and/or very slight paper loss at most corners]. Hardboiled murder mystery featuring Sammy and Ethel Abbott, a sort of poor man's Nick and Nora Charles, which served as the basis for the 1942 Paramount programmer NIGHT IN NEW ORLEANS (even though the book itself is set in Los Angeles). The author seems to have already been in Hollywood, per the jacket blurb, which states that one of his many occupations was as an actor: it's stated that he was "doing bit parts, and wrestling -- between 'takes' -- with a second book about Sammy and Ethel Abbott." The bit parts apparently never turned into anything (IMDB turns up no credits for him as an actor), but he did manage to turn out that second whodunit, "A Pocket Full of Clues" (which actually appeared in 1941, before the movie version of this one hit the screens of America). That, apparently, was that, as far as his career as a mystery novelist was concerned -- although he did publish one more book, "High-Fidelity Techniques," in 1950. . (Inventory #: 18395)