Edward D. Hoch wrote over a 1000 short stories. For 34 years, each issue of Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine included a clever story by Ed Hoch. Hoch wrote many series featuring colorful characters like thief Nick Velvet (who would only steal worthless things), Captain Leopold, the occult detective Simon Ark, and of course, Hoch’s most famous investigator, Dr. Sam Hawthorne. Crippen & Landru have published five volumes of the Hawthorne stories. And now, they’ve published a volume of Hoch’s female investigators: Susan Holt, Libby Knowles, and Annie Seats. Each woman solves baffling crimes like who would poison a man in prison just before his execution? Why did three people fall to their deaths from hot-air balloons? If you’re a fan of traditional mystery stories that feature locked rooms and impossible crimes, Hoch’s Ladies is a must-buy. Are you a fan of Hoch’s stories? GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
INTRODUCTION by Michael Dirda 7
Featuring Susan Holt (department store promotions manager who finds mysteries where she travels)
A Traffic in Webs 11
A Fondness for Steam 32
A Parcel of Deerstalkers 49
An Abundance of Airbags 68
A Craving for Chinese 84
A Parliament of Peacocks 102
A Shipment of Snow 120
A Shower of Daggers 138
A Bus Load of Bats 157
A Convergence of Clerics 173
A Gateway to Heaven 187
Featuring Libby Knowles (ex-cop and now professional bodyguard)
Five-Day Forecast 199
The Invisible Intruder 214
Wait Until Morning 228
Featuring Annie Seats (California Police Detective)
The Cactus Killer 244
First Blood 254
Baja 271
Sources 284
Not my favorite. There are some good stories, of course, but his cleverest plots went to his best characters, not these minor ones. I particularly disliked the cactus story; surely shooting cacti was not the best way to accomplish what was needed here.
Love the cover, though.
Jeff, I love the cover on HOCH’S LADIES, too.
George, I have read a couple of Edward D. Hoch’s stories in mystery magazines available online, but no more than that. And now you tell me he wrote over a thousand short stories! I did not know that.
Prashant, not only was Edward D. Hoch a prolific short story writer, he also kept the quality of his stories high over those decades of writing.
Here and there but not enough to know his work.
Patti, I used to see Ed Hoch at various BOUCHERCONs. I regret not telling him how much I enjoyed his work.
WordPress changed “Sears” to “Seats” up there, twice.
I am a big fan of Hoch’s work and have all the Crippen & Landru collections. Besides the five Hawthorne volumes, they have published a number of others featuring Ben Snow, Rand, Michael Vlado, Nick Velvet. As Jeff said, this is not his best work, but I think it is still clever and worth reading. The ones I’d read in the past were about half of the Susan Holt stories, which are probably the best ones here.
Jeff, I like the Susan Holt stories. They’re the best of HOCH’S LADIES. I’m hoping Crippen & Landru keep Hoch’s work in print.
A fan of Hoch’s stories, and of the man himself the one time I spoke with him (or, several times at the 2001 Bouchercon). As I’ve mentioned before, he was particularly nappy to note that he was a “discovery” (much like Carol Emshwiller also in the 1950s, and to a lesser extent Stephen King and F. Paul Wilson in the ’60s) of Robert Lowndes and his magazines. I’ve read a number of his stories in EQMM but also in the Lowndes magazines, AHMM, SAINT MYSTERY MAGAZINE (“The Oblong Room” was perhaps his best-remembered early story, and it certainly stuck with me) and a slew of others, as well as his YEAR’S BEST MYSTERY STORIES annuals (he followed Brett Halliday, Anthony Boucher and Allen J. Hubin as editor, and was the last editor of that series after a lengthy run).
Todd, I have a number of Hoch’s YEAR’S BEST MYSTERY STORIES. I plan to read a couple in 2020 for FFB.
Or, even, happy to note. Nappy to hote (which sounds like Hoch or “hoke”…).t
I don’t remember reading Hoch’s stories but he’s on my list of books:
0HOCH EDWARD D
1THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE HAND
1THE FRANKENSTEIN FACTORY
1THE TRANSVECTION MACHINE
I classified these as novels – did I make a mistake there?
No, Wolf. He did write a handful of novels, but most of his work was short stories.
I like his work and liked him a lot! I haven’t bought any of his collections (shame on me) and I prefer novels, but if I stumble over one of his books in a thrift store I’ll pick it up!
Bob, I haven’t seen an Ed Hoch book of any kind in a bookstore or thrift store in years.