Yell Bloody Murder is a 1951 hardboiled mystery novel by American author Joseph Shallit, later reissued as a paperback in 1952. It is the second novel in the Dan Morrison Mystery series. The book was also published in the UK under the title Yell Ruddy Murder.Â
The story follows Dan Morrison, the athletic director of a summer resort, whose relaxing job turns into a violent nightmare after a young girl discovers a dead body. When the corpse disappears, Dan is plunged into a world of mayhem, uncooperative neighbors, and suspicious figures from the city who arrive to investigate.Â
Dan Morrison
The novel’s protagonist, Dan Morrison, is a hardboiled and honest man who finds himself embroiled in violence not by choice, but out of necessity. He also appears as the lead character in most of Shallit’s other novels.Â
Joseph Shallit (1915–1995) was a journalist and fiction writer born in Philadelphia.Â
- He worked as a reporter for the Philadelphia Record and made headlines in 1942 for being arrested after taking a picture of the Liberty Bell in a publicity stunt. The resulting public outcry led to the city changing its policy that restricted photography of the landmark.
- During World War II, Shallit served in the Army Signal Corps.
- After the war, he wrote several mystery novels, including The Billion-Dollar Body (1947), Yell Bloody Murder (1951), and Kiss the Killer (1952).
- He also wrote science fiction and fantasy stories for magazines like Galaxy Science Fiction and Beyond Fantasy Fiction.
- Later in life, he edited the employee magazine for the Pennsylvania Railroad and Conrail.
- Shallit was known for his support of civil rights, which he subtly referenced in his 1952 science fiction story “Education of a Martian”
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