One Monday We Killed Them All

One Monday We Killed Them All by MacDonald, John D.. mass_market edition. ISBN: 9780449129371.

One Monday We Killed Them All (1961) is one of John D. MacDonalds stand-alone thrillers. A Fawcett Gold Medal original, the first edition (pictured) has a fantastic cover. Im not sure who the artist is (doesnt look like a McGinnis), but the layout is a masterpiece - skillfully evoking tension. Im also a sucker for big goofy lettering, which this has in spades. The book itself is equally tense (and not, happily, goofy). The story begins with Lieutenant Fenn Hillyer - a model policeman - picking up his brother-in-law from prison. Dwight McAran has spent five years in jail for manslaughter. On one hand, hes lucky - he beat his girlfriend to death in front of a dozen witnesses. On the other, hes not - the woman was related to the most powerful man in town, and McAran has had five long, long years getting tortured in prison.