Live Bait For Murder by William Herber

Tough-talking Private Eye Johnny Rehm returns from his first adventure in Some Die Slow (1954 aka King-Sized Murder) from Chicago writer William Herber.

On the eve of his wedding, two FBI agents demand Johnny Rehm's services "until no longer required by his country." They didn't know the couple had secretly married earlier that day.

Colonel John Cassidy and Dr. Clefftor of the FBI explain the mission: Russian defense secrets, mobilization, and atomic and hydrogen plans have been stolen. Their head of Secret Police defected but did not arrive in New York alive; the secret papers disappeared. Now an unknown party is offering them to either the US or Russia for 5 million in gold bars. Johnny acts as bait to ferret out the papers, guided by FBI agents nicknamed 'Glasses' and 'Homburg.' Disguised as a swimsuit salesman, he is surrounded by undercover agents—but for which side? There is no going back when he reads his own obituary and attends his own funeral. With a new disguise, on the train to New Orleans, he is surprised with a new FBI partner—his wife! They meet another traveling couple, the Ellinghams, but surrounded by agents (friend and foe) the simplest of meetings can be deadly.

Filled with agents and double-crosses, when Johnny is on the scene, there is plenty of action. The plot is tough and serious, ending in a standoff on an old wharf in the bayou. It's deadly business; the only feminine presence is that of his wife Dorothy, referred to by everyone, including Johnny, as 'the girl'.

A solid subterfuge thriller starring a tough guy spitting such quips as "Why, you dirty" and "Eat the meat out of those nuts, and I'll crack you some more."

I wouldn't hesitate to read his previous thriller Some Die Slow (1954), if I can find it.

1955 / Paperback / 160 pages