Jack Webb isn’t a name that gets tossed around much these days, but back in the Fifties and early Sixties, he was a reliable source for sharp, fast-moving crime fiction. A Los Angeles native with a background as varied as his plots—aviary specialist, ad man, Army lieutenant—Webb hit his stride with a memorable run of novels featuring the unconventional team of Father Joseph Shanley and Detective Sergeant Sammy Golden. But his talents didn’t start or end with that duo.
This month, Stark House Press brings Webb back into the spotlight with a new double-novel collection: One For My Dame and The Deadly Combo. These are two of his best standalones, out of print for decades and ripe for rediscovery.
The opener, One For My Dame, is classic L.A. pulp, starring Rick Marlow Jackson, a war-haunted pet shop owner with a menagerie worthy of Doctor Dolittle and a knack for attracting trouble. The story kicks off with a chance encounter between Rick and a redheaded heiress, and from there, it’s a wild ride through Mafia entanglements, police run-ins, and a supporting cast of criminals and oddballs. The plot sometimes veers into the absurd, with coincidences and convenient rescues stacking up, but Webb’s blend of hardboiled action and offbeat humor keeps things humming. Critics of the day called it “lively, fresh and unusual,” and for readers who like their crime fiction with a dash of the unexpected, this one fits the bill.
The second novel, The Deadly Combo, is a more traditional, tightly plotted affair. Here, Webb hands the reins to Mac Stewart, a battered, jazz-loving cop investigating the murder of an aging trumpet player in the smoky clubs of Los Angeles. Webb’s fondness for jazz pulses through every page, and Stewart—scarred, gruff, and oddly magnetic—makes for a compelling lead. The prose is brisk, the atmosphere thick with cigarette smoke and melancholy, and the supporting cast as vivid as anything in Chandler.
For those wanting to dig deeper, check out my essay, “The Redhead in Danger and the Dead Jazzman’s Golden Trumpet,” which serves as an introduction to the collection, offering a closer look at Webb’s career and these two memorable novels.
If you’re after crime fiction that walks the line between tough and offbeat, this double-header is a gift. Both novels have been out of print for decades—now’s your chance to rediscover them. You can purchase the book from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or the publisher.