J.T. MacCargo

“What I’m saying is,” Stanik went on, “you give me the word, and I’ll have that little girl protected so tight she could walk through a cathouse naked and come out a virgin. What do you say, Mannix?”


Sometimes these novelizations of television shows can be bland and sketchy, but A Fine Day For Dying, based on the episode bearing the same title, is excellent. Apparently Peter Rabe wrote this under the J.T. MacCargo pseudonym, but it’s also possible it was someone else. I’m going with Rabe, but regardless, this is very well done, capturing the atmosphere of the show to near perfection. It’s especially good at capturing the flavor of the relationship between Mannix and his black secretary, Peggy. On television it was groundbreaking at the time, and here the author really captures the easy banter between them, and the relationship that while never romantic, was very close.

Jenny Cole has been in a coma for a very long time, and was the subject of a hit-and-run case that Mannix never solved. Now she’s out of her coma, and those same things that bothered Mannix way back when, are still bothering him. It seems Eddie Stanik got shot at the same place and time as the hit-and-run, and Mannix can’t help but wonder if something Jenny saw that day got her run down. Trouble is, she can’t remember much about it.

There are some good moments between Lt. Art Malcolm and Mannix, and between Peggy and Mannix. Someone makes an attempt on Jenny’s life, and Mannix knows he has to unravel what happened to Stanik to discover why Jenny has a target on her back. Someone gets murdered by a high-power rifle before Mannix and Lt. Malcolm can discover much, and a re-enactment of the day Jenny was run down goes awry in a big way, leaving Mannix taking the bus!

There is some good stuff here, which reads like an enjoyable episode with a few flourishes because it’s in print rather than on screen. Judging it by how well it captures the flavor of the show, and this particular episode, it couldn’t be better. A very enjoyable read for those who remember Mannix and loved the show as I did, and still do. Well done.… (más)