Homicide West (1963)

Samuel A. Krasney
Pocket Books 6140

Gas station owner finds a stiff in the trunk of a Cadillac parked out front, initiating a police procedural that jumps back and forth between Brooklyn homicide and the gambling underground that more than likely had the guy iced.  Lots of tough-talking cops and hoods, New Yawker style, along with a blond moll who may or may not be involved.  Added complication: the gas station owner who finds the body is African-American, and one of the cops is a stone-cold racist looking to send him up the river regardless of the evidence.


Krasney wrote around 15 or so crime novels in the 1950s and 60s, including a "vice" book called Morals Squad (1957) for Ace.  This this is exactly the type of story television ended up replacing.