This Hard Case Crime reprint of Oakley Hall’s 1950 novel, So Many Doors, features a new cover painting by Robert McGinnis. Working from never before seen reference photographs from iconic paperback cover artist Robert Maguire, McGinnis creates a classic painting suggestive of the 1950s style of artwork.
So Many Doors tells the story of Jack Ward, a hard-working construction laborer, and the women in his life. Jack meets Vassilia Caroline Baird, known as V, and a torrid affair begins. But, their relationship is rocky. Jack marries Gene Geary, but he’s still in love with V. V marries old, but rich Roger Denton. But both Jack and V lust after each other despite their marriages. This novel of betrayal, lies, and obsessive love erupts with a powerful, tragic conclusion. If you’re in the mood for moody novel reminiscent of John Steinbeck at his best, give So Many Doors a try. GRADE: B+
I have this coming Tuesday from Amazon. Hall’s western Warlock is a favorite of mine. I like McGinnes’s artwork but his women always seem to have very large feet.
Steve, you will enjoy SO MANY DOORS. I have a copy of WARLOCK but haven’t read it yet.
Glad to see McGinniss is still going strong. I’ve never read Hall, though I remember the movie version of WARLOCK. He also wrote THE DOWNHILL RACERS, later filmed with Robert Redford. I didn’t know that.
Jeff, I’m glad HARD CASE CRIME reprinted SO MANY DOORS. Oakley Hall is an underrated writer.
I’ll second the recommendation of “Warlock”, certainly among the best westerns I’ve read. Finally saw the movie (on TCM), which seems to have a good reputation, but I found it slow and boring.
Michael, once again I have a book (WARLOCK) that’s been on my shelf for 20 years or more. Clearly, I need to read it. I never saw the movie version, but I see it advertised on TCM from time to time.
I have So Many Doors (somewhere) in its original paperback edition. Think I saved it because i liked it. As for Warlock, I also have had a paperback for decades, but have never read it. Probably in a box in my garage. I still have The Downhill Racer, which I did read. Didn’t Hall write some historical mysteries later?
Kent, Oakley Hall wrote a series of historical mysteries featuring Ambrose Bierce. Here’s Hall’s bibliography:
Westerns
“Warlock” (Legends West, 1958)
“The Adelita” (1975)
The Bad Lands (Legends West, 1978)
“The Children of the Sun” (1983)
“The Coming of the Kid” (1985)
“Apaches” (Legends West, 1986)
Ambrose Bierce series
Ambrose Bierce and the Queen of Spades (1998)
Ambrose Bierce and the Death of Kings (2001)
Ambrose Bierce and the One-Eyed Jacks (2003)
Ambrose Bierce and the Trey of Pearls (2004)
Ambrose Bierce and the Ace of Shoots (2005)
Other novels
“Murder City” (as O.M. Hall, 1949)
“So Many Doors” (1950)
“Corpus of Joe Bailey” (1953)
“Too Dead to Run” as Jason Manor (1953)
“The Red Jaguar” as Jason Manor (1954)
“The Pawns of Fear” as Jason Manor (1955)
“Mardios Beach” (1955)
“The Tramplers” as Jason Manor (1956)
“The Downhill Racers” (1963)
“The Pleasure Garden” (1966)
“A Game for Eagles” (1970)
“Report from Beau Harbor” (1971)
“Lullaby” (1982)
“Separations” (1997)
“Love and War in California” (2007)
Non-fiction
The Art and Craft of Novel Writing (1995)
How Fiction Works (2000)
Doesn’t sound like anything I’d read, but of course I’ll have to have the book. I don’t know whose idea it was to marry a Maguire model to McGinnis’s brush, but it
was a neat inspiration – a collaboration between two illustrator giants of the paperback era & genre that HCC celebrates. I know the photo came from Maguire’s daughter Lynn, who inherited his paintings, sketches & photos. Thanks to her, I own a couple of photo/sketch pairs and a color rough.
Art, I think Santa will bring you a copy of SO MANY DOORS.
P.S., I get Oakley Hall confused with Wheatleigh Hall, a Dizzy Gillespie bebop tune.