This month, Stark House Press is bringing Robert Martin’s long-unavailable Jim Bennett novels back into print, pairing Just a Corpse at Twilight with Catch a Killer in a double-feature collection. Martin, who grew up in the working towns of northern Ohio, never strayed far from the lives he knew best. His detective fiction, shaped by years in factory offices and small-town routines, stands apart for its quiet authenticity and its subtle, lived-in feel.
The real draw here is Martin’s Cleveland private eye, Jim Bennett—a character as decent as they come. Unlike the era’s typical hardboiled loners, Bennett is grounded, empathetic, and quietly persistent, a man who enjoys poker and martinis but is just as likely to be found fishing or making small talk with his loyal secretary, Sandy Hollis. He’s not flashy or cynical; he’s simply stubborn about doing the right thing, a quality that gives both novels their staying power.