A Bullet For Cinderella by John D. MacDonald

"A fortune in stolen loot was buried somewhere in that small town - and two men staked their lives on finding it."

Tal Howard first heard about the stolen money in a Korean prison camp. Timmy Warden was losing the fight to stay alive, desperate to right a wrong in his past. In his dying moments, he tells Tal about the money he stole from his brother George, fixing the books at their lumberyard and burying the cash somewhere in Hillston—the only person who could know where is 'Cindy'. Tim wants him to return the money and clear his conscience.

Tal heads to Hillston under the guise of writing a book about the camp, an easy lie that gives him access to the brother and the ex-girlfriends—none named 'Cindy'. Fitzwilliam is also there, another Marine imprisoned in the camp who is one step ahead of Tal. No one likes or trusts Fitz, with good reason.

Working out of a lonely motel, Tal meets the ex-girlfriends, ex-teachers, and ex-friends of Timmy, slowly building a picture of adultery, embezzlement, and possible murder that leads him no closer to discovering the location of the money. One helpful girl is Ruth Stamm, daughter of the local vet, who encourages Tal when she thinks he is writing a book, providing a love interest.

Tal does find the 'Cindy' he was searching for, a tough lady involved in graft with the local underworld; a girl in over her head, a girl who remembers Timmy, and the place he may have hidden the stolen $60,000. By this time, a body has been dumped in his car, and a few other people have been murdered. Tal is adding it up and doesn't like the total.

Fitz proves himself a calculating psychotic, a man not restrained, and on his tail looking for the rumored cash. Tal will have to pull some misdirection if he is going to get to the loot first.

This short thriller was crisply written with a smooth plot that rolled right along, reminding me of Lee Child's Jack Reacher series. A stranger in town, a cold case never solved, corruption exposed, with a violent but justified finale. John D. MacDonald proves once again to be a page-turning novelist, delivering exactly what you want from a thriller like this. Written in 1955, it's timeless, and I had to keep reminding myself this was not transpiring right now. Classic writing.

John D. MacDonald is best known for his Travis McGee detective thrillers, and many bestsellers turned into films such as Cape Fear, The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything, and Condominium. In 1972, he was bestowed the Grand Master Award for lifetime achievement, the highest honor from the Mystery Writers of America. This is widely available in book, ebook, and even free online from Project Gutenberg and Internet Archive.

My other reviews for John D. MacDonald:

The Executioners (Cape Fear)

The Empty Trap

1955 / Paperback / 160 pages