Femme Fatale novels are generally not my bag, but I trust the selections of Penzler Publishers implicitly, and I wasn’t disappointed.

This is the first of Woolrich’s “Black” novels, which are loosely related but not truly a series in the typical sense.

Like most noirish mysteries, this is a lot creepier in the early going before you figure out more of what is happening, but the sense of atmosphere is so well crafted that it lingers even after the plot starts to reveal itself.

There are some interconnectivity (for lack of a better way of putting it) issues with the plot here that become apparent toward the end of the novel, but this didn’t lessen my enjoyment of the story too much. There’s a twist of sorts toward the end that isn’t entirely unexpected, but fun and fitting just the same.

I’m not certain this motivated me to read more through Woolrich’s Black novels, but I enjoyed this one on its own.

I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. This was a great mystery that I really enjoyed.

Who in the heck...what in the heck, is this deliciously beautiful,wicked woman, who can transport herself into a sort of chameleon, and then vanish into thin air after she murders a man? Witnesses at the crime scenes can't seem to agree from one description to the next. The one thing that all witnesses and crime scenes apparently have in common, is that no one knows who this woman is, where she came from, and why she has murdered a man. In fact, the death count is rising, with no apparent reason or similarities between the victims. What is the MOTIVE for her killing all these men? A police detective seeks the rationale between seemingly-unrelated murders, connected only by the appearance of a beautiful woman each time. Manner of death is always different.

This is a fairly fast paced mystery that had me anxious to keep turning the next page as I savored what was on the last one. And then, BAM!! Part way through the story, I thought I figured it out, but I love a great TWIST, and there you have it - BOOM!! I NEVER SAW that twist coming! I adore a book that can deliver like that!

Absolute pure candy to read- what a treat. It focused on the chameleon stages of the woman, and then, her victim's various lifestyle and personality. (All different, with no seeming common threads.) Then there is the post-mortem talk after the deed is done, and the detective dialog after the crime re-examining the evidence and trying to make sense of it all.

No foul language, no sex, no graphic gore. If you're a fan of Agatha Christie, this is probably right up your alley. A cerebral mystery.

Wholeheartedly recommended. My profound thanks to NetGalley, and the Publisher, for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Woolrich has been a wonderful. exhilarating discovery - despite its sardonic tone, it is so adept and witty - the rich Mr Bliss, younger than he thinks he is, gets irretrievably entangled despite his intentions (and desires) and we take off like a flash from there.

I am thrilled to discover that there are more of his books and soon more to be in print - this is a great discovery. - thanks to the smart publisher!

This book is an absolute noir classic. I had not read it in years, so I was thrilled to reread this new edition with its excellent forward by Czar of Noir and creator of Noir City film festival, Eddie Mueller. The new introduction provides an excellent background on Cornell Woolrich, who as a real-life person is just about as close to the noir stereotype as you can get - crazy family history, absolutely over the top alcoholic, possibly murderous. And more. But just an absolutely gifted thriller writer. Mueller also wonders (as I often have as well) why Woolrich is not as well-known in the film noir canon as as James Cain, Dashiell Hammett or Raymond Chandler. Woolrich was more prolific, and, among others, wrote the story for the famous Hitchcock movie you will know as Rear Window. Woolrich is a great writer and one of my favorites of the era. Some find him more “pulpy” and less literary than his aforementioned contemporaries. For my money, his plots are the greatest and most twisted and degenerate. (That’s a compliment.) I mean, this dude practically invented the femme fatale.

I think I should say as little about the plot of this classic as possible, but will just emphatically say that if you love a good, compulsively readable, shocking thriller, you should read Woolrich, and this book and its quasi-sequel Rendezvous in Black (which is even better) in particular. Some have criticized the ending but it did not lessen my enjoyment of the book one bit.

Five stars for a completely escapist, thrilling, classic noir read, and another five stars also to the great Penzler Publishers for reviving this classic with such a great new introduction. I had to seek out a used copy of this book from the noir era when I first read it, but hopefully this publication will re-introduce Woolrich to a whole née generation of thriller readers.

4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 stars for the joy of reading it and the great introduction. Thanks to Penzler Publishers and NetGalley for the ARC of this noir classic!

I first read Cornell Woolrich as a teenager, after finding a few of the wonderful 1980s Ballantine paperback reissues of some of his books in my local library. I immediately feel in love with his mastery of suspense and the dark vibe of his books. He was, by all accounts, an incredibly troubled individual, unable to come to terms with his sexuality and dependent on alcohol as a result. That desperation comes across in his work. In spades. His work has long been out of print, so it’s great to see his books finally starting to turn up on Kindle and in print again.
‘The Bride Wore Black’ is a classic revenge tale, with a mysterious woman murdering a seemingly unconnected series of men. Her crimes are tracked by a detective, amusingly called Wanger, who doggedly refuses to give up on the victims. The book is rigid in its structure. The killer stalks and then kills a victim, giving some kind of clue to her motives right before the murder. The detective investigates but gets nowhere. Rinse and repeat.
What makes it work so well is just how dark it feels. The murderess inserts herself into everyday, often domestic situations with ease. She even makes the victim’s young son complicit in one of the murders. In each case you know what the end will be, but not the means and there is a sick delight and tension in trying to guess the murder weapon before the figurative axe falls. That darkness is only deepened by the horrific denouement, which casts all that has gone before it in a totally different light.
Woolrich wasn’t the best writer in the world, his prose is sometimes so purple it would delight emperor:
An indistinctly outlined, pearly moon seemed to drip from the sky like a clot of incandescent tapioca thrown up against the night by a cosmic comic.
But his ideas and pacing are first rate. I enjoyed this just as much as I expected to, and am delighted to see this new edition, which also includes an excellent foreword.

Who is the beautiful female that enter these men's lives for such a short period, but leaves when they are dead. Ken Bliss is one of them and his death is investigated by policeman Lew Wanger. Are they random killings or does she have a motive, and if she does is it acceptable.
An entertaining and well-written historical mystery
Originally published in 1940
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Bride Wore Black is a seminal addition to the American mystery noir genre, and the first crime novel written by Cornell Woolrich. Originally published in 1940, this re-formatting and re-release as part of the American Mystery Classics series is due out 5th Jan 2021. It's 288 pages and will be available in hardcover format (other editions available in other formats).

The American Mystery Classics series has unerringly plucked important but potentially lesser known crime gems and presented them (with expert introductory content and commentary) to new generations of crime fiction readers. Although I had read much of Cornell Woolrich's oeuvre previously and was familiar with his work from the pulps (he was incredibly prolific), I had never read The Bride Wore Black.

The writing is top notch, tense and powerful. Other reviewers have done a much better job than I providing precis, so I'll just say that the entire book was an evocative and diverting read. My only disappointment with the book was with the ending which I felt was flawed and "gotcha" (and very pulp-ish in my opinion). It didn't ruin the book for me, but it did feel somewhat tacked together and outside the bounds of fair play.

That being said, however, the writing and plotting are classic early noir and very well done. I would recommend it for lovers of noir, American crime, as well as a support text for allied scholastic examination (modern American literature, etc). The erudite and informative introduction by Eddie Muller was a highlight for me. Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Four men encounter a mysterious, young and beautiful woman in different circumstances. What do they have in common? They are each found murdered in different ways. A police detective, Wanger, investigates these murders but has a theory that they are connected. Are they connected? Who is this woman? If she is committing this murders, what is her motive for doing so?

I did not know much about this book when I picked it up. When I did a quick Google search, I realise that the author, Cornell Woolrich, actually published this book back in 1940 and the writing style and pace is typical of a book noir genre - dark, mysterious, crime thriller - inspiring Francois Truffaut's film of the same title and Tarantino's iconic films, Kill Bill. I read this quickly as the pace is fast and tense and I liked that each murder is told through the same structure in the book - description of the woman entering into the lives of the men, the event leading to the death of the men and then a post-mortem by the police detective. This adds to the mystery and then the finale twist at the end was unforeseen, which I couldn't have guessed!

This is clearly written from an American perspective given use of colloquial language, style, and reference, which I didn't at times always follow. This didn't, however, detract from overall enjoyment of this book.

I haven't read a lot of crime thrillers but this was entertaining and it kept me guessing until the end. Despite it being written a while ago, this is a quick read to get your teeth into!

Thank you NetGalley and Penzler Publishers for approving this advance reading copy.

First published in 1940, this was the first in the author's "Black" series.

It is a stylish and suspenseful mystery concerning obsession and murder, with a great final twist.

While admiring the plot and the style, I found it quite a difficult read. I do like early "noir' but just found this a little over the top.

It is, despite my personal reservations, thoroughly recommended as a most excellent and well-written example of the genre.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penzler Publishers for the digital review copy.

If you like your noir very old school and quite dark, this is the book for you. "The Bride Wore Black" by Cornell Woolrich is the first in his "black" series of novels, written in 1940, a classic tale of revenge. One by one, we are shown a snippet of a young man’s life: one is getting engaged, another is looking for the perfect woman, another is married with a child, one is an artist looking for his next inspiration, and so forth. Mr. Woolrich introduces us to the man, takes us through his humdrum daily routines, and then enters a woman – mysterious, beautiful, exciting. One by one, these men meet her, one by one they die. The only common thread – a beautiful, mysterious woman.

But is it the same woman? Each time she looks different. The only one who thinks so is Detective Wanger. After each death Detective Wagner comes on the scene, searching for clues, trying to understand what these seemingly random men have in common, looking for the common thread that will allow him to save the next victim. It is obviously about revenge, for the murderer goes out of her way to protect the innocent, the bystanders. Will Wagner catch her before she finishes her plot and disappears forever?

The atmosphere and style of this book are so much fun. Each scene is set-up as a separate story – we get the background, we see the woman make her way onto the stage, we see the kill, and after she is gone the detective makes his way to try to piece together what happened, and where she is going next. The ending is a little too coincidental but does offer one last dark twist that puts a bow on this fabulous noir story.

I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Penzler Publishers via NetGalley. Thank you!

Down these mean streets, even a woman must go. In the forties, a woman’s only power over men was her sex appeal. In The Bride Wore Black, Julie is a beautiful woman. What evil lurks within her? Because in classic noir, it’s always about the dame.

As a child, whenever I saw Cornell Woolrich’s name on the cover of a Ellery Queen of Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, I would snatch it up! That one story alone would make the price of the magazine worth it. Thus began my lifelong love affair with mysteries.

I’m sure I read this book years ago in my preteens when I was obsessed with noir. However, I got more enjoyment out of it now with my more world weary perspective. Whether you watch noir films on TCM or love classic Hitchcock movies, you will adore the even darker noir of The Bride Wore Black. In fact, The Bride from Tarantino’s Kill Bill series is said to be based on this book. 5 stars and a tip of my drink to a master author!

Thanks to American Mystery Classics, Penzler Publishers and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Today’s review contains more than one first. This is my first experience of reading a reprint from the American Mystery Classics series, and it is also my first encounter with Woolrich’s work, though I have known about him for a while. Eddie Muller writes the introduction for this reprint and he sums the novel up well:
‘Woolrich was the most noir writer in the mystery genre, as The Bride Wore Black amply proves. It contains all the requisite elements: the obsessive protagonist on a murderous quest, the latticework of dreadful coincidence, the relentless (and sometimes strangely exhilarating) spiral into madness, the denouement that twists the knife an extra turn.’
He also brings up the book’s unusual dedication to a typewriter and “CHULA”. However, I felt Muller’s tone became a bit inappropriate at his juncture:
‘His relentless use of Remington Portable No. NC69411, the incessant pounding and cajoling of its keys, was the most intimate relationship in the poor, lonely bastard's life.’
I’m not sure if it is cultural thing, or whether it is just a me-specific issue, but I didn’t think it seemed right to describe a writer, in an introduction, as a ‘lonely bastard.’ I found it a bit off putting.
Anyways moving on to The Bride Wore Black. In a nutshell this mystery is centred on a serial killer, a woman hell-bent on revenge. Her motivations for her course of action become clearer the more deaths she accomplishes. Why are her targets only men? Is it men in general she has something against, or is there something particular about these specific men? At times her actions implicate others, though she also seems to ensure no one is wrongfully arrested for any of her crimes. Instead she creates quite the headache for the police adding ever more cases to their unsolved pile. Will they ever be able to track her down?
Overall Thoughts
I have to be honest I did not find the first 20 or so pages of this book particularly engaging. My attention definitely wandered, and it all seemed rather bleak. I even put off continuing the book for a few days, as I feared it would be rather dull and bit of a drudge.
So I was very happily surprised to find that the rest of the book did not meet this negative expectation and instead the plot suddenly became much more interesting.
Initially this is the sort of narrative in which you can’t really be sure where it is going, as just when a particular thread emerges, the text abruptly changes tack and moves on to something else. However, as these changes continue a pattern begins to formulate.
We follow the mystery woman’s murderous career as she moves from victim to victim, disappearing like a phantom once the deed has been achieved. I found that as she goes on each death becomes tenser and more sinister. The first death occurs in the blink of an eye: ‘It must have been a spark in his darkening mind for a moment that went out as he went out.’ Whereas the subsequent killings are more involving, the third is probably the most poignant. The killer is at her sneakiness in this case, in the way she inveigles her way into the life of the victim, using his own son as part of her scheme. It is also in the later deaths that we see the story teasing the reader, throwing up possible means of death, only to show they are not going to be used, only to then reveal the method the murderer has decided to adopt.
The seasoned mystery reader is likely to figure out the criminal’s backstory before the end, but I think the ending as a whole is far more twisty and unexpected. It certainly took me by surprise, with all the elements pleasingly dovetailing together.
If you like your mysteries to have mighty strong stings in their tail, then is definitely the book to place at the top of your to-be-bought list.
Rating: 4.25/5
Source: Review Copy (American Mystery Classics via Netgalley)

My thanks to Penzler Publishers for a digital edition via NetGalley of ‘The Bride Wore Black’ by Cornell Woolrich in exchange for an honest review.

This is part of Penzler’s series of American Classic Mysteries and was originally published in 1940. I hadn’t heard of Cornell Woolrich and his contribution to pulp fiction and crime noir, so appreciated the Introduction by Eddie Muller, the founder and president of the Film Noir Foundation.

This was a gem of a novel. In it Police Detective Wanger seeks to understand the link between a series of seemingly-unrelated murders. The only connection is the appearance of a beautiful woman just before the victims had met their untimely ends. At first he isn’t even sure if it’s the same woman or just a coincidence...

This was pure pulp fiction and very entertaining. Woolrich was a very prolific writer. In the Introduction Muller writes: “Literary critics, of course, were always disdainful of Woolrich. His stories are not conducive to analysis or interpretation. He was not an elegant writer. You don’t reread him for the beauty of the prose. His work should not be intellectualized—it should be consumed, in a feverish rush.“

This seems a very astute analysis as it was certainly the kind of novel that I felt totally caught up in and eager to find out what would happen next.

It is a novel of its time so there are sexist remarks made about women, even though the titular character is clearly highly intelligent and focused upon her task.

‘The Bride Wore Black’ was filmed in 1968 by Francois Truffaut and while Quentin Tarantino denies it was an influence for his Kill Bill films, it was easy to see how people would make that link given that QT’s protagonist is The Bride.

Following this I am interested in reading more of Woolrich’s titles, if available, and also seeking out other titles in the American Classic Mysteries series.

On a side note the cover art for this new edition, featuring the femme fatale bride, is gorgeous.

What a treat to read this reissue of a book originally published in 1940 and made into a film in 1967. It's held up nicely and made for a fast and entertaining read. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I like reading Cornell Woolrich (in small doses). His plots are improbable, some of his metaphors are absurd, and his writing just isn’t up to the level of Dashiell Hammett or Raymond Chandler, but that man knew how to ratchet up the tension in his cheap noir potboilers.

The Bride Wore Black follows a fairly typical Woolrich plot of a group of seemingly unrelated people being killed off one by one while a police officer tries to discover and stop whatever is going on. The author’s usual steadily building suspense is definitely there, though not quite as much as in Rendezvous in Black or The Night Has a Thousand Eyes. He varies how much he shows us of the planning and execution of each murder, which keeps things from becoming too repetitive (and he has a trick or two up his sleeve as well). The final explanation comes a bit out of left field (and if it weren’t for the book’s title it would be even more so), but it (mostly) makes sense and provides a satisfactory noir ending.

As far as this new edition from Otto Penzler, there’s not much to say. The only new material is a competent introduction by Eddie Muller who extolls Woolrich without getting too hero-worshippy and without major spoilers. It’s a nice uncluttered edition of a pulp classic.

Grand Central Station. A one-way ticket to Chicago, a ploy. "The woman who had gone away forever seized her valise...exited to street level at Twenty Fifth Street...as though this was the end of the trip instead of the beginning...her valise so recently packed for a trip of fifty blocks...".

Soon to be engaged Ken Bliss confided to his friend, "it's getting so a young guy ain't safe any more living by himself. I think I'll get myself married off and get hold of some protection!" Charlie, the night doorman at Bliss's apartment had just informed him that a blond, blue eyed looker, "just a right armful" , seemed to want to go upstairs and wait for Bliss in his apartment. "I'm pretty sure you don't know her because she didn't know you herself", said Charlie.

Engagement party of Marjorie Elliot and Ken Bliss. "A girl...in tiered, wide-spreading black, a gossamer black wimple...A dimple of ...possible derision-at the corner of her mouth". Bliss is alone...they are strangers...an accident...why did she disappear so quickly? Detective Wanger is stumped. Why would Bliss, in death, be clutching a mysterious woman's black scarf? Wanger is uncertain whether a crime was committed. The case remained unsolved.

"She was beautiful...red hair...a dark velvet wrap...like a nymph out of a seashell". Mitchell was a shiftless, slob, behind in his rent at the Helena Hotel. A crimson ticket to the Elgin Theater, a Loge seat for tonight's performance arrives. The usher was convinced that Mitchell and the mystery woman, a late arrival, were strangers. They did not greet each other. Detective Wanger would soon find a "complete lack of discoverable motive...[however both crimes] feature a woman who disappears immediately after without a trace".

A young, pretty woman, severely pinned back hair, "innocent soap and water freshness", a little storage space behind a staircase. According to Detective Wanger, "One thread by itself is not much good. Two crossed threads are that much stronger. Cross a few more together at the same place, and you're beginning to get something that'll hold weight. It's the way nets are made".

"The Bride Wore Black" by Cornell Woolrich is the first in his "black" series of novels. It is an atmospheric novel of revenge. Each murder seems distinct, reading like a short unsolved mystery replete with character descriptions of the victim and suspect, the crime, and the post mortem analysis by Detective Wanger. Bucking all obstacles from his superiors, Wanger is doggedly determined to find connections between different "modus operandi" used by a mysterious culprit. Highly recommended.

Thank you Penzler Publishers/ American Mystery Classics and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Bride Wore Black is a classic noir crime novel. There is no flawed/emotional/sensitive detectives involved. Just pure straight forward, no bs crime solving, which is quite refreshing compared to the crime novels from nowadays.

My thanks to the publishers for providing me with a review copy of this very welcome publication of one of Cornell Woolrich’s best known ‘Black’ stories. He is an amazing writer - somewhere between Edgar Allen Poe and Raymond Chandler - and, to my mind, a literary giant when it comes to presenting the mounting tension and growing dread of noir nightmares. Hitchcock made quite a number of films based on his stories and, indeed, Francois Truffaut made a film based on this book, but the book is much better than the film.

There are so many memorable scenes in this unsettling tale. I particularly enjoyed the description of the room and Miriam, who is cleaning Mitchell’s room before unwittingly encountering his nemesis doing her research. And then the way Mrs Moran tries to distract herself as she endures a nightmare bus journey worrying about her mother.

I fear to extoll other passages in case I spoil plot elements for new readers. If you have not encountered this marvellous writer before, you will be in for a treat. And the good news is that there are loads more disturbing stories to enjoy by this remarkable and much neglected writer. I do hope this publisher brings more of them back to life.

I received this from Netgalley.com.

A police detective seeks the rationale between seemingly-unrelated murders, connected only by the appearance of a beautiful woman each time. "The really clever woman is all things to all men. Like the chameleon, she takes her coloring from his ideal of her." She is written in such an incrediblely cunning and crafty way.

Good story. The mystery is immediately presented, so we know 'the who'. The story is then worked backwards as we figure out 'the why'.

Originally published in 1940.
3.25☆