Trouble-Chaser by Paul Cain

Originally published 1934 in Black Mask; this edition 1995

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Collected in: Hard-Boiled: An Anthology of American Crime Stories (ed. Bill Pronzini & Jack Adrian)

M

(D, S, V, L)

Drug Use (PG) {Characters drink, off-screen heroin use plays a role in the plot}

Sexual References (PG) {No specifics, nothing on screen, just relationships, affairs, jealousy and fears of perceived impropriety}

Violence (M) {Only once, discreetly depicted, but tense}

Coarse Language (PG) {Barely a word}

Representations

Gender:

More women have lines than in any previous story in this anthology, but none with each other. At least several do display agency.

Sex:

People's heterosexual liaisons and jealousy over same is the whole of the story.

Race & Ethnicity:

One character described as Italian, implied as engaged in criminal business. A black woman is employed as a servant, speaks with a thick, stereotyped accent.

Disability, Physical Diversity and Health:

None noticed.

Awards

None found.

Notes

Another one I liked. Apart from the opener this was the first one that felt like a proper mystery, in that a crime was committed, and the story followed its unravelling. I think a big factor in the stories I especially like so far is a detective I can get a feel for and root for. Even though there is a Chekhov's Ex Machina at the end. >_>