MILO MARCH

Full Name:	Milo March
Nationality:	American
Organization:	Intercontinental Insurance
Occupation	Insurance Investigator

Creator:	M. E. Chaber
Time Span:	1952 - 2020

ABOUT THE SERIES

Milo March is an Insurance Investigator.

Making his home in Denver, Colorado, March is a freelance investigator though the majority of his business comes from the powerful Intercontinental Insurance corporation. He is extremely good at his job, making him the person to call when the big trouble happens but he is also not cheap, a factor that plagues the head of the investigating unit of Intercontinental, but does not worry March any at all because he knows just how good he is at uncovering the truth in even very confusing cases.

A member of the OSS during WWII and a founding member of the CIA for many years, March's talent made him a well respected agent and his easy-going manner and friendly style kept him from gaining too many enemies, except for those on the other side. Eventually, however, he decided settling down was called for and he left for the private sector. Considering the far-flung areas his various assignments would take him, though, settling down never happened.

March never sees a drink that doesn't need sipping or a lovely lady that doesn't need kissing and he is too gallant to refuse either. He is good with a gun and a knife and not bad with his fists but his biggest weapon is his brain which keeps him from having to use either too much.

Milo March is included in this collection because, as a former member of Military Intelligence, the OSS, and the CIA, he is often hired or pressed into service by one government agency or another for cases that take him overseas a lot. It is a good thing he speaks other languages fluently, especially German which comes in handy when East Germany gets involved.

BOOKS

Number of Books:	23
First Appearance:	1952
Last Appearance:	2020

In the individual book listing below, are marked with an [I] for those adventures that are of an insurace investigation nature, [S] for those for the government which are spy stories, and [B] for those which are both, usually starting out as investigation and ending up spy-related.

Note: Regarding the book covers displayed herein, Paperback Library acquired the soft-cover rights to many of the author's novels and published them in its own order, numbering them according to this publishing and not according to the order in which they were written or the chronological order of the stories. In total, 25 books were released. 21 of these were Milo March books and marked as so in the upper right circle with "A Milo March Mystery" while the remaining 4 were marked as by the author of the Milo March mysteries. These other books dealt with another insurance investigator, Brian Brett, written in the mid to late 50s' and published under the pseudonym of Christopher Monig. The character was quite similar in style to March. These books were:

The Burned Man aka Don't Count The Corpses (1956)

Abra-Cadaver (1958)

Once Upon A Crime (1959)

The Lonely Graves (1960)


1			Hangman's Harvest aka Don't Get Caught Written by M. E. Chaber Copyright: 1952 [I] March is the man hired to investigate how deeply a small city had become corrupted by graft.

2			No Grave For March aka All The Way Down Written by M. E. Chaber Copyright: 1953 [S] Military Intelligence asks March to go into the Soviet sector of Germany to hunt for a missing British diplomat.

3			The Man Inside aka Now It's My Turn Written by M. E. Chaber Copyright: 1954 [B] An amateur steals a priceless diamond and heads to the Far East to escape. March follows but begins to wonder if the thief was acting alone or was being forced.

4			As Old As Cain aka Take One For Murder Written by M. E. Chaber Copyright: 1954 [I] A movie company wants to make a film about a small city in Ohio but someone is determined to stop them. March is hired to keep things safe - or get the ones preventing it.

5			The Splintered Man Written by M. E. Chaber Copyright: 1955 [S] Again working for Military Intelligence, March's job is to head into East Germany to kidnap a recent defector who knows too much to be allowed to stay.

6			A Lonely Walk Written by M. E. Chaber Copyright: 1956 [S] In Rome to see if a death was an accident or murder, March finds that Communists, gangsters, and politicians make a very unpleasant set of opponents.

7			The Gallows Garden aka Lady Came To Kill Written by M. E. Chaber Copyright: 1958 [S] March is hired to find a missing college professor who has gone missing in a Caribbean nation while protesting the local government.

8			A Hearse Of Another Color Written by M. E. Chaber Copyright: 1958 [I] When two treasure hunters go missing off the coast of Louisiana, March is sent to help find them or find what happened to them.

9			So Dead The Rose Written by M. E. Chaber Copyright: 1959 [S] March is again in the service of Military Intelligence to head to Berlin and Moscow to find missing classified documents.

10			Jade For A Lady Written by M. E. Chaber Copyright: 1962 [B] The theft of jade jewelry in several separate robberies prompts an insurance company to send March to the Far East to find if it is simple theft or something more.

11			Softly In the Night Written by M. E. Chaber Copyright: 1963 [I] The arson of a mansion took the building and its two wealthy owners. The insurance company thinks it was for hire and wants to know by whom.

12			Uneasy Lies The Dead Written by M. E. Chaber Copyright: 1964 [I] March is brought in when two huge policies on a long-missing union mob boss are ready to come due.

13			Six Who Ran Written by M. E. Chaber Copyright: 1964 [B] March is on the trail of two men and a woman who robbed an armored car and fled to Rio. His job is complicated by a corrupt Brazilian police captain.

14			Wanted: Dead Men Written by M. E. Chaber Copyright: 1965 [S] What started out as a murder for insurance investigation turns trickier as March head to Europe in search of secret formulas with the CIA either helping or hindering.

15			The Day It Rained Diamonds Written by M. E. Chaber Copyright: 1966 [I] Milo March takes on the Syndicate as he tries to retrieve stolen jewels.

16			A Man In The Middle Written by M. E. Chaber Copyright: 1967 [S] A giant smuggling ring of items from the U.S. to Red China has both March's biggest insurance client and the CIA interested enough to pressure him to investigate.

17			Wild Midnight Falls Written by M. E. Chaber Copyright: 1968 [S] Milo is hired by the CIA to go to Russia to find an agent missing for 3 months.

18			The Flaming Man Written by M. E. Chaber Copyright: 1969 [I] The death of a prominent owner of property in L.A.'s ghetto area could cost the insurance company many millions unless March can catch who was behind a series of torchings.

19			Green Grows The Graves Written by M. E. Chaber Copyright: 1970 [S] When a prominent Congressman is assassinated, March is brought in as the suspected killer indicates international intrigue.

20			The Bonded Dead Written by M. E. Chaber Copyright: 1971 [B] The Syndicate is just one of the players in a grand scheme to steal and fence over a million in stolen bonds. The trail leads to Miami and possibly further.

21			Born To Be Hanged Written by M. E. Chaber Copyright: 1973 [I] An investment by the insurance company March works with has gone bad. Literally, a gold mine which seemed to have tapped into a lode, has dried up and things look like a scam.

22			Death To The Brides Written by M. E. Chaber Copyright: 1975 [S] In an exciting adventure in Vietnam after the American forces have left, Milo March arrives in that country under the cover of being a new military attache, all to rescue an Intelligence operative help in the highlands of the North. In this endeavor he will be connected with another American intel operative, Colonel Kim Locke. Note: according to the publishers: "Death to the Brides was completed in 1975 but never released during the author’s lifetime, owing to the publisher’s objection to its politically charged content. So this is the only unpublished Milo March manuscript left by Ken Crossen—now in print for the first time."

23			The Twisted Trap Written by M. E. Chaber Copyright: 2020 For the first time in book form—six stories from vintage men’s magazines (1952–1961) featuring Milo March, the shrewd insurance investigator and brazen secret agent created by M.E. Chaber: The Jelly Roll Heist Hair the Color of Blood The Hot Ice Blues Murder for Madame The Red, Red Flowers The Twisted Trap

NOVELLAS AND SHORT STORIES

Number of Stories:	9
First Appearance:	1952
Last Appearance:	1961


1			The Jelly Roll Heist Written by M. E. Chaber Copyright: 1952 Published in Popular Detective, Sep 1952. Part of the collection The Twisted Trap. "A series of thefts in Denver has the insurance executives biting their nails. Judging by the loss of a belly dancer’s navel gem, it looks like a seducer is preying on ladies with sparkly things. Or is there a more sinister gang behind it?"

2			Assignment: Red Berlin Written by M. E. Chaber Copyright: 1952 Published in Bluebook Magazine, December 1952. A novella-length version of No Grave For March. "Military Intelligence asks March to go into the Soviet sector of Germany to hunt for a missing British diplomat."

3			Hair The Color Of Blood Written by M. E. Chaber Copyright: 1953 Published in Bluebook Magazine, July 1953. Part of the collection The Twisted Trap. "Milo’s on vacation at a swank Santa Monica hotel when he hears a scream. He rushes to save the damsel in distress, and the next thing he knows, he’s waking up in bed with the naked body of a red-haired corpse!"

4			The Hot Ice Blues Written by M. E. Chaber Copyright: 1953 Published in Bluebook Magazine, September 1953. Part of the collection The Twisted Trap. "A new jewel robbery occurs every night, while Milo sits around playing Dixieland platters with a real gone chick. Is the insurance company’s star investigator really goofing off?!"

5			Murder For Madame Written by M. E. Chaber Copyright: 1953 Published in Popular Detective, Fall 1953. Part of the collection The Twisted Trap. "Someone swipes a worthless box, tossing aside the costly pearl necklace that was inside. Now four people are desperate to retrieve the box - five if you count Milo, who can’t resist trying to figure out why."

6			The Man Inside Written by M. E. Chaber Copyright: 1953 Published in Bluebook, December 1953. Later expanded to novel size and published under the same name. "An amateur steals a priceless diamond and heads to the Far East to escape. March follows but begins to wonder if the thief was acting alone or was being forced"

7			The Bodies Beautiful In Rome Written by M. E. Chaber Copyright: 1957 Published in Cavalier, July 1957. A novella-length version of A Lonely Walk. "In Rome to see if a death was an accident or murder, March finds that Communists, gangsters, and politicians make a very unpleasant set of opponents."

8			The Red, Red Flowers Written by M. E. Chaber Copyright: 1961 Published in Bluebook For Men, February 1961. Part of the collection The Twisted Trap. "Major March, U.S. Army Reserve, is sent undercover to Moscow, where a captured American U-2 pilot is on trial. As usual, Milo has no plan but makes it up as he goes along. He will have mere moments to retrieve a coded message and snatch the pilot from the Communists’ hands—but things don’t go exactly as expected."

9			The Twisted Trap Written by M. E. Chaber Copyright: 1961 Published in Bluebook For Men, June 1961. Part of the collection The Twisted Trap. "Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you. A wealthy old policyholder claims that his sexy young wife and her psychiatrist lover have teamed up to poison him with a drug that mimics the symptoms of madness. If he should die “accidentally” as a result of this condition, his wife will get an enormous life insurance payout. Having escaped from a sanatorium, the old man insists that Milo must rescue him. But doing so may cost Milo his own sanity!"

MOVIES

Number of Movies:	1
First Appearance:	1958
Last Appearance:	1958


1			The Man Inside Director: John Gilling Writer: David Shaw Actors: Jack Palance as Milo March, Anita Ekberg as Trudy Hall, Nigel Patrick as Sam Carter Released: 1958 Sam Carter is an English bookkeeper for a jeweler who sees a chance to change his life. He steals a priceless gem, killing a man in the process, and heads to the Continent to life a life he had always wanted. This includes chasing after beautiful women like Trudy Hall. Milo March is brought in to track him down.

MY COMMENTS

It is next to impossible not to like Milo March, either the series or the man. Definitely light-weight in both the private eye and espionage genres, they still earn their keep by being fast paced, easy-to-read, and just fun. March is quick with the quip and faster with the action and he likes to party as well. He has his own code, however, and those that break it learn to regret it.

The author, M. E. Chaber, is a pseudonym for Kendell Foster Crossen who is also in this compendium with the Kim Locke series, a far grittier spy series. Of the two, I like March's easy approach to life.

GRADE

My Grade: B+

Your Average Grade: A-

YOUR OPINIONS

raven4	B+	2020-05-05	I read these eons ago (1960s). Due to my advanced case of CRS i cannot remember any of the plots. However, the Robert McGinnis covers, starring James Coburn ans strring some stunning eye-candy bring back fond memories

DHolloway	A	2021-02-25	This series is being reissued as ebooks by Crossen''s daughter. They''re missing the McGinnis covers, but they have suitable pulp cover art. 12 have been published so far.

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