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Lieutenant Valcour #1
Murder By the Clock
Lieutenant Valcour in his best-known case must solve the murder of a man who was murdered twice. At 8:34 P.M. the body is discovered by police. By midnight the corpse had been revived by the injection of adrenalin into the heart. By one o'clock he had been murdered again. 20TH Century Crime and Mystery Writers says, ". provides, typically for the period, many suspects and false trails. It has, moreover, a very nice twist at the end, the kind that makes one sorry the story must finish." In 1931 Paramount Studios produced the movie of the same name that was directed by Edward Sloman with the screenplay by Henry Myers. The movie starred William Boyd [remember him of later day Hopalong Cassidy fame], and Lilyan Tashman in the leading roles.
288 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 1929
11 people are currently reading
111 people want to read
About the author
Rufus King
125 books2 followersRufus King was an American author of Whodunit crime novels. He created two series of detective stories: the first one with Reginald De Puyster, a sophisticated detective similar to Philo Vance, and the second one with his more famous character, the Lieutenant Valcour.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. This profile may contain books from multiple authors of this name.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. This profile may contain books from multiple authors of this name.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
January 17, 2018
Two and a half stars for the ingenious twists and turns and the organisation of chapters by time over a twenty-four hour period. The twist at the end, I thought detracted from the story. A clever puzzle, but not very engaging or satisfying as a world or narrative,
March 31, 2025
The very definition of an "okay" read. All of the characters went off into tangents that had basically nothing to do with the story, and the plot hangs together by the barest of threads in the end - this has to be the longest 200 pages I've ever slogged through. I prefer stories that are a bit more straightforward, or which have twists that are a bit more clever than this.
September 15, 2025
This book was recently republished in the American Mystery Classic series. It was originally published in 1929.
Philo Vance was the big thing in mystery stories then. Vance was a wealthy, pompous amateur detective who spoke like a fancy know-it-all. This book is in the Philo Vance mode. Lieutenant Valcour of the New York Police doesn't get involved with fingerprints, alibis, gunshot analysis or autopsies. He goes with his psychological instincts.
A wealthy woman calls the police to say she is concerned that her husband is being threatened. Detective Valcourt goes to the house to talk to her. He discovers her husband dead in the closet in his bedroom.
The next part of the plot is odd. Several hours after a doctor has declared him dead, a different doctor performs an operation in his bedroom where he is injected with adrenaline and comes back to life. But, before he regained consciousness, he is killed again by a gunshot. (The secret of that operation has apparently been loss since 1929)
Valcourt interviews a bunch of witnesses. There are multiple suspects including the wife, her maids and house staff, the husband's and wife's lovers, blackmailers and a few others. The plot is very complicated. It didn't seem worth the effort to me.
The writing is Philo Vance elaborate. When Valcourt thinks that a maid wants to tell him something, we hear that he "felt an awareness of an attempt at revelation- an attempt to impart to him some special information.".
When somebody tells him some gossip, we get, "There it is again; that wretched wave of hearsay showing its baffling crest above the placid sea of established fact.".
When he confronts the wife, she says "I shan't lie to you, Lieutenant. I shall tell you the exact truth."
The plot is over complicated. The setting is basic rich people's mansion. The writing is highfalutin. I was disappointed.
Philo Vance was the big thing in mystery stories then. Vance was a wealthy, pompous amateur detective who spoke like a fancy know-it-all. This book is in the Philo Vance mode. Lieutenant Valcour of the New York Police doesn't get involved with fingerprints, alibis, gunshot analysis or autopsies. He goes with his psychological instincts.
A wealthy woman calls the police to say she is concerned that her husband is being threatened. Detective Valcourt goes to the house to talk to her. He discovers her husband dead in the closet in his bedroom.
The next part of the plot is odd. Several hours after a doctor has declared him dead, a different doctor performs an operation in his bedroom where he is injected with adrenaline and comes back to life. But, before he regained consciousness, he is killed again by a gunshot. (The secret of that operation has apparently been loss since 1929)
Valcourt interviews a bunch of witnesses. There are multiple suspects including the wife, her maids and house staff, the husband's and wife's lovers, blackmailers and a few others. The plot is very complicated. It didn't seem worth the effort to me.
The writing is Philo Vance elaborate. When Valcourt thinks that a maid wants to tell him something, we hear that he "felt an awareness of an attempt at revelation- an attempt to impart to him some special information.".
When somebody tells him some gossip, we get, "There it is again; that wretched wave of hearsay showing its baffling crest above the placid sea of established fact.".
When he confronts the wife, she says "I shan't lie to you, Lieutenant. I shall tell you the exact truth."
The plot is over complicated. The setting is basic rich people's mansion. The writing is highfalutin. I was disappointed.
April 7, 2025
A pretty average mystery as far as it goes, I never was super curious about whodunit, although you don't typically have the victim get murdered twice. However, I did like the detective, Lieutenant Valcour. He was rather introspective and full of flights of fancy. He's a different sort entirely, not quite the everyman cop, but not the effete intellectual either. He falls somewhere in between, but yet isn't like either really. I would read more by this author if it includes this detective.
January 22, 2025
Brilliant!
I couldn’t put it down. Masterfully written and beautifully contrived a Mesmerizing and immersive mystery by a most brilliant author. I loved it and will be reading more of Rufus King. It’s incredible this book was written in 1929 yet it could have been today it’s timeless. No wonder it is included as one of Otto Penzlers American Mystery Classics deservedly so.
I couldn’t put it down. Masterfully written and beautifully contrived a Mesmerizing and immersive mystery by a most brilliant author. I loved it and will be reading more of Rufus King. It’s incredible this book was written in 1929 yet it could have been today it’s timeless. No wonder it is included as one of Otto Penzlers American Mystery Classics deservedly so.
May 4, 2025
Well, this one took me a while because it really wasn't enjoyable until the last third or so of the book. The style is very much "Philo Vance" but in the form of an everyday detective. The action all takes place in one horrendously long night, each chapter shows the clock's progression.
Mrs. Endicott is worried about her missing husband, Herbert, who has gone off to see his mistress, Marge Miles, after receiving a threatening letter. She calls the police, who arrive in the form of Lieutenant Valcour. Valcour soon finds the body of Endicott in his closet, however Endicott is not completely dead! As the doctor tries to revive him, he is shot, this time fatally.
So, what do we have? A wife who isn't as upset as she should be, her hateful maid, a vengeful housekeeper, a missing mistress, a "best friend" who tries to kill Endicott, a thief who appears for no apparent reason, and a blackmailing mother. Complicated? Yes, a bit, but mostly it's just Valcour running around with his sly asides and wisecracks while everybody lies to him. It's really a relief when one gets to the end and can take a break!
Mrs. Endicott is worried about her missing husband, Herbert, who has gone off to see his mistress, Marge Miles, after receiving a threatening letter. She calls the police, who arrive in the form of Lieutenant Valcour. Valcour soon finds the body of Endicott in his closet, however Endicott is not completely dead! As the doctor tries to revive him, he is shot, this time fatally.
So, what do we have? A wife who isn't as upset as she should be, her hateful maid, a vengeful housekeeper, a missing mistress, a "best friend" who tries to kill Endicott, a thief who appears for no apparent reason, and a blackmailing mother. Complicated? Yes, a bit, but mostly it's just Valcour running around with his sly asides and wisecracks while everybody lies to him. It's really a relief when one gets to the end and can take a break!
Want to read
March 4, 2019Synopsis: Lieutenant Valcour must solve the murder of a man killed twice. Revived by adrenalin, he is re-murdered an hour later!
October 22, 2018
Major characters:
Herbert Endicott, the victim
Mrs. Endicott, his wife
Mrs. Siddons, their gaunt housekeeper
Miss Roberts, a maid
Dr. Sanford Worth, their personal physician
Nurse Murrow
Nurse Vickers, who chose a bad time to go make coffee
Marge Myles, the other woman
Madame Miramar Velasquez, her mother
Thomas Hollander, the old war buddy, Herbert's only friend
Jerry Smith, Hollander's roommate
Lieutenant Valcour, police detective
Locale: New York City
Synopsis: Mrs. Herbert Endicott fears for her husband Herbert's safety, although he has only been gone two hours - but to see his girlfriend Marge Myles. Mrs. Endicott calls the police and Lieutenant Valcour stops in. He looks around and discovers Endicott's body stuffed in his closet, the door closed. Mrs. Endicott takes it quite calmly, as if it happens every day.
Dr. Sanford Worth is summoned to pronounce him dead, and he attributes the death to his poor heart (but if so, how did he get shut in the closet?). Apparently someone startled him, causing his death. They move the body to the bed. Dr. Worth decides to try to revive him with a shot of adrenaline to the heart, which works.
Endicott's old war buddy, Thomas Hollander, is called in to sit at bedside until Endicott regains consciousness. The police keep a close watch, and Hollander produces a stiletto and begins to approach Endicott with it. The police shoot and wound Hollander. Endicott is found dead - again - this time from a gunshot wound. Hollander didn't have a gun, and it wasn't a police bullet, so what happened?
Review:
Well, this was my first read of Rufus King, and hopefully not my last. This book is a lot of fun with some crazy happenings, plus exquisite use of language:
"There it was again: that wretched wave of hearsay showing its baffling crest above the placid sea of established fact."
and this one wins the Best Simile award: "Her voice was as disagreeable as the clash of dishes in a cheap restaurant."
The entire story takes place over a 24-hour period, as we watch the authorities deal with an investigation instead of getting some sleep. First the police respond to a call from Mrs. Endicott because her husband has been missing for two hours - plus she knows just where he is - with the "other woman" (try that and see what happens). Then Endicott is found dead, revived, and murdered all in the space of a couple hours. His wife isn't too concerned about it anyway, just another day. It takes a long time for the doctor to prepare for the "operation" which consists of giving the dead man a shot; and requires a big cast of nurses and others to administer.
It is enjoyable to follow the thoughts of Lieutenant Valcour, whose mind wanders away a lot. He likes to challenge suspects with made-up explanations just to see their reaction.
The ending is quite ironic and enjoyable, and brings up deja vu for the reader.
The "Murder By The Clock" title only refers to the various time stamps on the chapter titles, and has nothing to do with the plot.
Herbert Endicott, the victim
Mrs. Endicott, his wife
Mrs. Siddons, their gaunt housekeeper
Miss Roberts, a maid
Dr. Sanford Worth, their personal physician
Nurse Murrow
Nurse Vickers, who chose a bad time to go make coffee
Marge Myles, the other woman
Madame Miramar Velasquez, her mother
Thomas Hollander, the old war buddy, Herbert's only friend
Jerry Smith, Hollander's roommate
Lieutenant Valcour, police detective
Locale: New York City
Synopsis: Mrs. Herbert Endicott fears for her husband Herbert's safety, although he has only been gone two hours - but to see his girlfriend Marge Myles. Mrs. Endicott calls the police and Lieutenant Valcour stops in. He looks around and discovers Endicott's body stuffed in his closet, the door closed. Mrs. Endicott takes it quite calmly, as if it happens every day.
Dr. Sanford Worth is summoned to pronounce him dead, and he attributes the death to his poor heart (but if so, how did he get shut in the closet?). Apparently someone startled him, causing his death. They move the body to the bed. Dr. Worth decides to try to revive him with a shot of adrenaline to the heart, which works.
Endicott's old war buddy, Thomas Hollander, is called in to sit at bedside until Endicott regains consciousness. The police keep a close watch, and Hollander produces a stiletto and begins to approach Endicott with it. The police shoot and wound Hollander. Endicott is found dead - again - this time from a gunshot wound. Hollander didn't have a gun, and it wasn't a police bullet, so what happened?
Review:
Well, this was my first read of Rufus King, and hopefully not my last. This book is a lot of fun with some crazy happenings, plus exquisite use of language:
"There it was again: that wretched wave of hearsay showing its baffling crest above the placid sea of established fact."
and this one wins the Best Simile award: "Her voice was as disagreeable as the clash of dishes in a cheap restaurant."
The entire story takes place over a 24-hour period, as we watch the authorities deal with an investigation instead of getting some sleep. First the police respond to a call from Mrs. Endicott because her husband has been missing for two hours - plus she knows just where he is - with the "other woman" (try that and see what happens). Then Endicott is found dead, revived, and murdered all in the space of a couple hours. His wife isn't too concerned about it anyway, just another day. It takes a long time for the doctor to prepare for the "operation" which consists of giving the dead man a shot; and requires a big cast of nurses and others to administer.
It is enjoyable to follow the thoughts of Lieutenant Valcour, whose mind wanders away a lot. He likes to challenge suspects with made-up explanations just to see their reaction.
The ending is quite ironic and enjoyable, and brings up deja vu for the reader.
The "Murder By The Clock" title only refers to the various time stamps on the chapter titles, and has nothing to do with the plot.
May 23, 2025
Murder on the Clock
First time reading a book by this author, though he has been on my radar. The book starts off with Mrs. Endicotte asking for a police man. A detective is sent. The story takes off. The plotting of this book is well done and the mystery has limited suspects and servants. And all had strong opinions about “the victim.” It’s an interesting puzzle for the puzzle lovers.
Valcour, the detective, is a more cerebral and humorous person, who thinks of so many things during his detecting. Some of the philosophizing and analyzing may put some readers off, but it didn’t put me off. I immediately looked to his birth and death dates and as I thought, he was born in 1893. People born around this time period tend to have a bit more flourish to their language than say Mickey Spillane . I have read other stories with this tendency and found it just dragged down the pacing but here the sophistication better and creates an interesting atmosphere.
There are some wonderful points of humor and spot on assessments of people that are made. And of course the end makes you want to just keep going. (You’ll know what I mean if you read the book.)
Reading the reprint- Nice introduction, and gives some idea about the author’s life. The story is 215 pages and the action does move as does the ideas and observations swirling in Valcour’s mind. Very happy this was reprinted. I could see how this was popular when it first came out in 1929.
First time reading a book by this author, though he has been on my radar. The book starts off with Mrs. Endicotte asking for a police man. A detective is sent. The story takes off. The plotting of this book is well done and the mystery has limited suspects and servants. And all had strong opinions about “the victim.” It’s an interesting puzzle for the puzzle lovers.
Valcour, the detective, is a more cerebral and humorous person, who thinks of so many things during his detecting. Some of the philosophizing and analyzing may put some readers off, but it didn’t put me off. I immediately looked to his birth and death dates and as I thought, he was born in 1893. People born around this time period tend to have a bit more flourish to their language than say Mickey Spillane . I have read other stories with this tendency and found it just dragged down the pacing but here the sophistication better and creates an interesting atmosphere.
There are some wonderful points of humor and spot on assessments of people that are made. And of course the end makes you want to just keep going. (You’ll know what I mean if you read the book.)
Reading the reprint- Nice introduction, and gives some idea about the author’s life. The story is 215 pages and the action does move as does the ideas and observations swirling in Valcour’s mind. Very happy this was reprinted. I could see how this was popular when it first came out in 1929.
December 26, 2019
Più che un classico giallo ad enigma, Murder By The Clock, prima avventura per il Tenente Valcour, ha il sapore del noir con tanto di immancabile bionda femme fatale.
La giovane e bella signora Endicott, preoccupata per il marito che non vede da due ore, si rivolge alla polizia e la sua chiamata viene passata al tenente Valcourt. Sebbene le ragioni dei timori della donna siano piuttosto vaghe, Valcourt mostra di prendere sul serio la segnalazione e si reca nel lussuoso appartamento degli Endicott. Un biglietto vagamente minatorio è tutto quello che trova, almeno fino a quando non decide di dare un'occhiata nell'armadio della stanza di Herbert Endicott...
Il tenente Valcourt è un investigatore piuttosto atipico: non è rigidamente ancorato alla logica (anzi, non gli dispiace lasciar vagare la fantasia), e non è neanche lo sbirro scontroso e dai modi bruschi, dato che molte delle informazioni che riesce ad ottenere sono frutto della sua capacità di mettere l'interlocutore a proprio agio, tanto da indurlo a rivelare anche quanto inizialmente avrebbe preferito tacere.
Una lunga notte lo attende a casa degli Endicott, e un succedersi continuo di colpi scena tiene costantemente alta l'attenzione. Niente male l'ambiguo finale che gli fa guadagnare una mezza stellina in più.
Non il mio genere preferito di giallo, ma comunque piacevole.
La giovane e bella signora Endicott, preoccupata per il marito che non vede da due ore, si rivolge alla polizia e la sua chiamata viene passata al tenente Valcourt. Sebbene le ragioni dei timori della donna siano piuttosto vaghe, Valcourt mostra di prendere sul serio la segnalazione e si reca nel lussuoso appartamento degli Endicott. Un biglietto vagamente minatorio è tutto quello che trova, almeno fino a quando non decide di dare un'occhiata nell'armadio della stanza di Herbert Endicott...
Il tenente Valcourt è un investigatore piuttosto atipico: non è rigidamente ancorato alla logica (anzi, non gli dispiace lasciar vagare la fantasia), e non è neanche lo sbirro scontroso e dai modi bruschi, dato che molte delle informazioni che riesce ad ottenere sono frutto della sua capacità di mettere l'interlocutore a proprio agio, tanto da indurlo a rivelare anche quanto inizialmente avrebbe preferito tacere.
Una lunga notte lo attende a casa degli Endicott, e un succedersi continuo di colpi scena tiene costantemente alta l'attenzione. Niente male l'ambiguo finale che gli fa guadagnare una mezza stellina in più.
Non il mio genere preferito di giallo, ma comunque piacevole.
May 27, 2025
First time reading a book by this author, though he has been on my radar. The book starts off with Mrs. Endicotte asking for a police man. A detective is sent. The story takes off. The plotting of this book is well done and the mystery has limited suspects and servants. And all had strong opinions about “the victim.” It’s an interesting puzzle for the puzzle lovers. Valcour, the detective, is a more cerebral and humorous person, who thinks of so many things during his detecting. Some of the philosophizing and analyzing may put some readers off, but it didn’t put me off. I immediately looked to his birth and death dates and as I thought, he was born in 1893. People born around this time period tend to have a bit more flourish to their language than say Mickey Spillane . I have read other stories with this tendency and found it just dragged down the pacing but here the sophistication better and creates an interesting atmosphere. There are some wonderful points of humor and spot on assessments of people that are made. And of course the end makes you want to just keep going. (You’ll know what I mean if you read the book.) Reading the reprint- Nice introduction, and gives some idea about the author’s life. The story is 215 pages and the action does move as does the ideas and observations swirling in Valcour’s mind. Very happy this was reprinted. I could see how this was popular when it first came out in 1929.
April 13, 2019
First of all, as I write this, Amazon shows the following for Rufus King's 1929 novella (probably considered to be a novel back in the day) "Murder by the Clock: A Lt. Valcour Mystery:"
" Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,493,514 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
#56631 in Science Fiction (Kindle Store)
#105410 in Science Fiction (Books)"
I don't know from what universe Amazon's getting that information. But, this book is in no way Science Fiction. It's a pure 1929 Murder Mystery. As that, it's an OK book. The prose gets a bit purple here and there and some of the main actions are ridiculous (bringing a room temperature, 3-5 hour old corpse back to life with a shot of adrenaline). But, it's acceptable. One other side note: the heading of Chapter 1 says "8:37 P.M. -- Spring 3100." That "Spring 3100" is NOT a date. It's a phone number. That, coupled with Amazon's insistence that this is Science Fiction really threw me for a loop.
Anyway, I rate the book at an OK 3 stars out of 5.
" Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,493,514 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
#56631 in Science Fiction (Kindle Store)
#105410 in Science Fiction (Books)"
I don't know from what universe Amazon's getting that information. But, this book is in no way Science Fiction. It's a pure 1929 Murder Mystery. As that, it's an OK book. The prose gets a bit purple here and there and some of the main actions are ridiculous (bringing a room temperature, 3-5 hour old corpse back to life with a shot of adrenaline). But, it's acceptable. One other side note: the heading of Chapter 1 says "8:37 P.M. -- Spring 3100." That "Spring 3100" is NOT a date. It's a phone number. That, coupled with Amazon's insistence that this is Science Fiction really threw me for a loop.
Anyway, I rate the book at an OK 3 stars out of 5.
May 6, 2019
The way to take this novel, I believe, is with one's tongue very firmly in one's cheek.
The author's respect for contemporary (1929) popular crime fiction can be garnered from the following quotations:-
"How pleasant it would be, he [Lt. Valcour] reflected, to come across the perfect imprint of a shoe, or a rubber, or-what was it that was so popular at the moment?-of course: the footprint of a gorilla."
"I hate them mystery cases where the deceased got his go-by from a Chinese blow gun, or some imported snake from Timbuktu, or parts adjacent."
Valcour's approach is very different, as the victim's wife shrewdly says-" I never imagined you as bothering very much with clues. It's people you're more interested in: reading their minds.".
In the old days, one would have said this story was as camp as Christmas, with its hunky young policemen, handsome male characters and brittle, yet steel-cored, women. There is certainly gay sub-text here.
It's all good fun and very enjoyable light reading.
3.5 stars.
The author's respect for contemporary (1929) popular crime fiction can be garnered from the following quotations:-
"How pleasant it would be, he [Lt. Valcour] reflected, to come across the perfect imprint of a shoe, or a rubber, or-what was it that was so popular at the moment?-of course: the footprint of a gorilla."
"I hate them mystery cases where the deceased got his go-by from a Chinese blow gun, or some imported snake from Timbuktu, or parts adjacent."
Valcour's approach is very different, as the victim's wife shrewdly says-" I never imagined you as bothering very much with clues. It's people you're more interested in: reading their minds.".
In the old days, one would have said this story was as camp as Christmas, with its hunky young policemen, handsome male characters and brittle, yet steel-cored, women. There is certainly gay sub-text here.
It's all good fun and very enjoyable light reading.
3.5 stars.
April 16, 2025
If you like early 20th century mysteries or locked room mysteries you will find this quite satisfying! Some of the mystery/resolution mechanics feel slightly hamfisted, but they’re overcome by the witty observations of the central investigator. Like many of my favorite mystery authors, King uses the baseline rhythm of the mystery plot to get off some guitar solo take riffs on random aspects of life at the time.
March 18, 2019
It’s Set in the 1950’s. It’s Written by an Author Born before Electric Typewriters. So if you have the mindset of applying 2019 Expectations To A Book Written In The Last Century, You’re wasting your time! This is a Great Book IF you get into the proper mindset Of Reading It As Someone Living In The 1950’s!!
October 16, 2025
3.5 rounded up. I am enjoying these older books, but I have to keep in mind the difference in writing styles from then to now so I don’t compare them. I did find it rather bizarre from how the corpse was found to who the killer was, but it was original.
I especially liked the ending where we seemed to have gone full circle. It made me rethink the main character.
I especially liked the ending where we seemed to have gone full circle. It made me rethink the main character.
April 21, 2020
Libro ben congegnato, giallo piacevole, ricco di dialoghi. Il racconto si basa su una moglie preoccupata che chiama la polizia par avere notizie del marito, che sarà poi ritrovato “quasi” cadavere dentro ad un armadio.
June 29, 2025
An Impressionistic Painting of a book
A rather unusual classic mystery……..more of a Impressionistic painting, yet with the solid framework and background of a very good detective story. I really enjoyed the psychological angle. Great period piece.
A rather unusual classic mystery……..more of a Impressionistic painting, yet with the solid framework and background of a very good detective story. I really enjoyed the psychological angle. Great period piece.
March 15, 2025
When all is said and done, the story/mystery makes zero sense. Detective Valcour really bumbles along, makes wrong assumptions, blames each character and is ultimately bamboozled.
March 20, 2025
Started off with a nice puzzle but quickly
disintegrated into a big muddle, and finished
off with a very inelegant solution.
Not recommended.
disintegrated into a big muddle, and finished
off with a very inelegant solution.
Not recommended.
April 17, 2025
I listened to this on YouTube. I have no idea what happened and have been searching for a spoiler. It is a good book for putting you to sleep.
May 14, 2025
Mysteries are a true genre for sleuths of all kinds. This story brings the classic sleuthing to a modern age. I enjoyed the quips and figurative language used throughout the book. My mind truly worked the angles and possible motives throughout the story. It took me back to a time when people didn’t think to lock their doors at night. It is a treasure that someone is bringing these classics to light. I hope to read more of them.
September 14, 2025
Just couldn’t get into it.
August 5, 2016
Una edizione interessante di un giallista americano poco conosciuto della prima metà del novecento.
Il romanzo è ambientato in una casa della buona borghesia della New York di inizio secolo. La padrona di casa, preoccupata per le sorti del marito, chiede l'aiuto del tenente Valcour. L'impianto è quello di un whodunnit tradizionale; l'azione non si sposta dalla villa padronale; c'è un certo viavai di poliziotti, medici, conoscenti della vittima, in una ridda di ipotesi investigative.
L'intreccio e i dialoghi riportano alla mente i film noir degli anni Quaranta -- e in effetti da diversi romanzi dello stesso autore sono stati tratti adattamenti per il grande schermo.
Il progetto editoriale, della Polillo, è ben curato, con un certo gusto retrò (la copertina monocroma, i caratteri all'antica...).
Una rinfrescante alternativa ai moderni procedurals, tutti azione e prove scientifiche.
Il romanzo è ambientato in una casa della buona borghesia della New York di inizio secolo. La padrona di casa, preoccupata per le sorti del marito, chiede l'aiuto del tenente Valcour. L'impianto è quello di un whodunnit tradizionale; l'azione non si sposta dalla villa padronale; c'è un certo viavai di poliziotti, medici, conoscenti della vittima, in una ridda di ipotesi investigative.
L'intreccio e i dialoghi riportano alla mente i film noir degli anni Quaranta -- e in effetti da diversi romanzi dello stesso autore sono stati tratti adattamenti per il grande schermo.
Il progetto editoriale, della Polillo, è ben curato, con un certo gusto retrò (la copertina monocroma, i caratteri all'antica...).
Una rinfrescante alternativa ai moderni procedurals, tutti azione e prove scientifiche.
September 23, 2017
Giallo psicologico, tutto giocato sulla notevole tensione che sa creare fra investigatore e protagonista.
February 24, 2025
While I took me forever to read this book, I did really enjoy the story. Because it took me so long to read, the plot was at times hard to recall, but I’m sure the ideas would be more cohesive if read in a shorter time frame. I also really enjoyed different theories being discovered throughout the text.
March 8, 2025
Published in the 1920’s.
Definitely noir and campy. Atmosphere is thick. Characters and dialogue crisply drawn. Humor was sly. I appreciated all these elements. A fun read.
Read this again 5 months later (for my book club).
Enjoyed it even more.
Definitely noir and campy. Atmosphere is thick. Characters and dialogue crisply drawn. Humor was sly. I appreciated all these elements. A fun read.
Read this again 5 months later (for my book club).
Enjoyed it even more.
February 14, 2011
1929 mystery...great concept and humor!
September 29, 2025
For my full review click the link below: https://crossexaminingcrime.com/2025/...
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews