Review: Frank Gruber’s The Buffalo Box (Simon Lash #2)

# What this review covers Bill Pronzini's entry in 1001 Midnights evaluates Frank Gruber's 1941 novel The Buffalo Box, the second Simon Lash private-eye book. The review summarizes plot, situates Lash among Gruber's series characters, and judges the novel's strengths and flaws.

# Plot and setup Simon Lash is a bibliophile private detective who partners with his friend and bodyguard Eddie Slocum. In The Buffalo Box Lash is hired by an old prospector who claims to be Lansford Hastings, author of The Emigrant's Route to Oregon and California, and asks Lash to find the owner of a redwood box carved with an intricate buffalo design. The carved box supposedly ties back to Isaac Ekert, a wealthy Donner Party member who died in the Sierra in 1846.

Lash suspects fraud because he knows the real Lansford Hastings died in 1870. His curiosity leads him to investigate a bookshop where a descendant of Hastings is trying to sell a copy of The Emigrant's Route. Murder soon complicates the case, and Lash's search takes him across the Los Angeles area, to Emigrant Gap and Placerville in the Sierra, and back to Hollywood to confront a killer and uncover the buffalo box's secret.

# Assessment of the novel Pronzini finds The Buffalo Box the best of the three Lash novels. He credits Gruber's knowledge of books and pioneer history, pacing, and cast of eccentric characters for making it an enjoyable read. The story leans on a blend of bibliographic detail and frontier lore, and Gruber's breakneck plotting keeps momentum through investigation and travel.

At the same time, the review notes Gruber's pulp origins show through: some narrative shortcomings and rough edges appear in his series work. Despite those faults, Gruber's storytelling energy and the uniqueness of a bibliophile detective provide entertainment value.

# Gruber's work Pronzini places Simon Lash as one of Gruber's more memorable series creations, alongside Johnny Fletcher (and Sam Cragg) and others. Gruber wrote numerous series and standalone novels and worked extensively in Hollywood as a screenwriter and teleplay writer. Several of his stories and scripts were filmed. Later in his career he returned to standalones—Pronzini highlights Twenty Plus Two, Bridge of Sand, and The Etruscan Bull as examples of novels that show more depth and craft than his earlier series mysteries.

# Read this if

• You want a pulpy, fast-moving mystery that leans on bookish detail and pioneer history.
• You like detectives defined by an unusual professional or personal interest (here, bibliophilia).
• You're curious about midcentury genre writers who bridged pulp fiction, Hollywood screenwriting, and later suspense novels.

# Quick verdict Box is recommended for readers who enjoy brisk, eccentric pulp mysteries with a bibliographic twist. It may show roughness typical of Gruber's early series work, but the novel's premise and pace make it rewarding, and it stands out among the Simon Lash titles.