The Wrong Case (1975) Signed First Edition Reference
The Wrong Case was published by Random House in 1975 — James Crumley’s first detective novel and the introduction of Milo Milodragovitch, one of American crime fiction’s most memorable protagonists. Milo is a private detective in the fictional town of Meriwether, Montana — a trust-fund baby turned gumshoe who drinks too much, takes too many drugs, and stumbles through cases with a shambling grace that conceals genuine investigative intelligence.
The Book
The novel announces Crumley’s distinctive contribution to the private eye genre: the detective as lovable disaster, the investigation as picaresque journey through a damaged American landscape. Milo’s case — searching for a missing woman at the request of her mother — takes him through Meriwether’s bars, brothels, and trailer parks. The Montana setting is rendered with a specificity that grounds the novel in place and weather rather than the urban anonymity of traditional hardboiled fiction.
First Edition Identification
Publisher: Random House, New York Publication date: 1975 Format: Hardcover in dust jacket
Signed Copy Market Values
- Signed first edition, fine/fine: $500–$1,500
- Inscribed copies: $700–$2,000
- Unsigned first edition: $100–$300
As Crumley’s first detective novel and the introduction of Milodragovitch, The Wrong Case carries debut-novel premiums. First editions are scarce, and signed copies are rarer still.