The Diary Spelled Death by Susan Richardson Hiley

He soon comes to realize that Velma, too, has a loftier purpose in mind-buying a motel in Las Vegas that she can operate, in order to become 'legit' and no longer feel ashamed of the way she earns money to support her young son, whom she has placed in a boarding school. At first reluctant because of a beating he received in the Army after being caught using altered dice, Danny eventually agrees, hoping to amass enough money to start his own trucking company. Appealing to his greed and his masculinity, she convinces him to use his skills with crooked dice in a confidence game to help her separate convention-goers from their money. Now, a dozen years later, Velma recognizes Danny and renews their acquaintance. A short time later, and unbeknownst to Danny, Velma became pregnant and also left school and their home town. Danny doesn't recognize Velma, but the two of them attended the same high school in a distant city, where they were only casually acquainted.ĭanny was expelled from high school after being caught using loaded dice in an after-school craps game. Where will their greed finally take them? To the fulfillment of their dreams? Or to sudden, violent death?ĭanny Hogan, a truck driver disaffected with his job at Torgus Trucking, meets beautiful Velma Reed in a seedy Los Angeles bar where she has been working as the bartender's shill, enticing lonely men to buy drinks. As a pair they cruise the California convention circuit, hustling suckers and raking in the dough. To Fray's subsequent novel, Come Back for More, refer to The Dice Spelled Murder as a 'best selling' novel.ĭanny is a master with the dice and Velma could con any man into anything. Aside from 'Good Pain', the remainder of the songs are still only officially available on this cassette, although the album is widely available on the internet via download.The Dice Spelled Murder, by American novelist Al Fray, was published in 1957 by Dell Publishing Company, Inc. The track 'Good Pain' was eventually reworked for inclusion on the first Live EP, Four Songs, and their debut album Mental Jewelry. Just 1,000 copies of the album were made, all on cassette, and it is long out of print. The album was released in June 1989, when the band members graduated from high school, via their own label, Action Front Records. An EP titled Divided Mind, Divided Planet followed before the band changed their name to Live. The Death of a Dictionary is the debut album by alternative rock band Public Affection.

The Diary Spelled Death by Susan Richardson Hiley