08.28 No Pockets In A Shroud by Horace McCoy

No Pockets In A Shroud (1937) by Horace McCoy


Not sure where I came up with this little pulp gem but it turned out to be a good find. The story is about a newspaperman in Small city America. JOE is a super principled hard-head reporter who is let go from the paper at the beginning of the book because he wants to write a story that will bother some advertisers. Rather than compromise he turns his energy to starting a small magazine that will serve a twofold purpose. He wants a forum to write freely about the corruption and nepotism in the city but he also wants the magazine to be something of a high society gossip column. One thread of his character in the book is his constant struggle to be a part of the upper class.

Eventually he gets the mag off the ground and begins to write some hard hitting pieces. He exposes all sorts of corruption amongst powerful men in the town leading to some expected violent consequences. Eventually he uncovers a KKK-like organization whose members are the city's elite. A brilliant finale ensues.

This was a really cool book. It was definitely not typical of any novels that I have read from that era.