Review: Mouthpiece By L. Ron Hubbard

Galaxy Press continues its juggernaut monthly reprints of L

. Ron Hubbard's classic pulp fiction with Mouthpiece, a 1934 story originally published in Thrilling Detective. This short crime suspense tale brings to mind the gangster films of the '30s starring Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney and George Raft. It was the era of J. Edgar Hoover's war on crime when the exploits of bank robbers John Dillinger and Pretty Boy Floyd both captivated and frightened a nation. In this splendid story Mat Lawrence returns to the city to investigate his father's death. From the opening paragraphs we are treated to Hubbard's excellent prose. The city here is described as "this world of sound and steel." Such deft, imagistic flourishes always add another level of quality to Hubbard's pulp fiction. In another passage a revolver held to a man's head becomes "a round, hard snarl." This is classic American hard-boiled pulp fiction. Mouthpiece is short, but satisfying. Hubbard's knack for creating likable characters and believable, fast-paced plots is readily evident in Mouthpiece.

Mouthpiece also features three other great crime suspense stories from the golden age. The second story, Flame City, involves a certain Detective-Sergeant Tom Delaney and his investigation into some mysterious fires. Told in three short chapters, the middle section even features a "man trapped in a locked room" which so often was a staple plot device for pulp writers. Hubbard's take on this familiar ploy was to infuse the scene with taut prose and raw action. Brutal without being gory, Hubbard's characters are street toughs with a keen intellect and the savvy required to extricate themselves from trouble. And there's always trouble in one form or another.

In the third story, Calling Squad Cars, police radio operator Jim Collins is framed by gangsters and sets out to clear his name. Collins is a typical Hubbard hero. When Collins is trapped by the gangsters, "It suddenly came to him that he was weaponless, save for his two fists and his wits." My favorite of the selections, Calling Squad Cars pits an average man against impossible odds. Collins uses both his fists and his wits to good effect.

The final entry, The Grease Spot, is about a mechanic named Bill Milan who picks up car crash reports via radio and drives to the crash scene to offer his services as a way of making money. The cops don't like it so much but it's not illegal. Then one night Milan arrives before the police and he's forced to drive some gangsters to safety. The ensuing action is thick with tension as Milan struggles valiantly to turn the tables on a gangster named Carbonelli.

The four stories presented in Mouthpiece are prime examples of the pulp era's best fiction. Hubbard's stories are a joy to read. These stories reminded me why fiction is called "creative writing" when they teach it in colleges and universities. Hubbard's creative talent shines in every story. It doesn't just rain in tales like these; instead a character looking out at the street will pause and note "the rain which skittered across the black pavement." And if a car passes by the "tires sang over the wet asphalt." A car's wrecked taillight will shine "like a wet ruby." Such colorful prose, resourceful characters, action and adventure are all highlights of L. Ron Hubbard's pulp fiction. Mouthpiece is another gem readers will want to pick up fast.

by: Thomas McNulty

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