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Mr. & Mrs. North #3
A Pinch of Poison
An alternate cover edition of this ISBN can be found here.
At a swanky rooftop restaurant in New York, a pair of husband-and-wife sleuths must find out who spiked a woman’s drink with murder . . .
There’s a stunning view from the top of the Ritz-Plaza Hotel, but it pales in comparison to Lois Winston’s beauty. She arrives on the arm of David McIntosh—an agreeable young man who would marry her if she gave him the chance—to take in the scenery, eat a light supper, and forget the busy world below. Lois’s first cocktail lifts her spirits, helping her dispel the strange sadness that tugs at her soul. But her second drink isn’t so kind. Lois isn’t halfway done with her Cuba libre when her cheeks grow hot, her breath becomes short, and she falls dead to the floor.
Solving the case of this terribly fashionable murder falls to New York Police Department’s Lt. William Weigand, who tackles the investigation with the help of his friends, Jerry and Pamela North. The effervescent couple will catch the killer between cocktails—unless the poisoner targets their glasses next.
At a swanky rooftop restaurant in New York, a pair of husband-and-wife sleuths must find out who spiked a woman’s drink with murder . . .
There’s a stunning view from the top of the Ritz-Plaza Hotel, but it pales in comparison to Lois Winston’s beauty. She arrives on the arm of David McIntosh—an agreeable young man who would marry her if she gave him the chance—to take in the scenery, eat a light supper, and forget the busy world below. Lois’s first cocktail lifts her spirits, helping her dispel the strange sadness that tugs at her soul. But her second drink isn’t so kind. Lois isn’t halfway done with her Cuba libre when her cheeks grow hot, her breath becomes short, and she falls dead to the floor.
Solving the case of this terribly fashionable murder falls to New York Police Department’s Lt. William Weigand, who tackles the investigation with the help of his friends, Jerry and Pamela North. The effervescent couple will catch the killer between cocktails—unless the poisoner targets their glasses next.
200 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1941
75 people are currently reading
173 people want to read
About the author
Frances Lockridge
96 books48 followersFrances Louise (Davis) Lockridge wrote popular mysteries and children's books with husband Richard Lockridge. They also published under the shared pseudonym Francis Richards.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
September 4, 2021
Poisonous Fear!
A beautiful, young social worker is cruelly murdered while enjoying her dinner at a rooftop restaurant.
She has unwittingly stumbled upon a secret that is worth a murder or two.
But who is she? Who killed her? And why would someone want such a nice, young lady dead?
Enter Lieutenant Weigand and his partner Mullins, to solve the crime. Oh, did I forget to mention Mrs. Pamela North?
As usual, Mr. and Mrs. North search for clues, give their advice and get in the way.
Despite this, Weigand continues to plodder along, use his calibrated brain power and eventually solve the crime.
A beautiful, young social worker is cruelly murdered while enjoying her dinner at a rooftop restaurant.
She has unwittingly stumbled upon a secret that is worth a murder or two.
But who is she? Who killed her? And why would someone want such a nice, young lady dead?
Enter Lieutenant Weigand and his partner Mullins, to solve the crime. Oh, did I forget to mention Mrs. Pamela North?
As usual, Mr. and Mrs. North search for clues, give their advice and get in the way.
Despite this, Weigand continues to plodder along, use his calibrated brain power and eventually solve the crime.
April 18, 2019
Jerry and Pam North make me wish I had been around in the early 1940s, and that I could befriend such a fun-loving, sophisticated couple. Mrs. North may not have a particularly scientific mind, but she has a great instinct for sleuthing, and no one understands women as she does.
When Lois Winston is poisoned in the rooftop restaurant of the Ritz-Plaza, the Norths’ friend, Lieutenant Bill Weigand, has no shortage of suspects. It was a joy to see he, trusty Sergeant Mullins, and Mrs. North come at the same problem from different directions. The third book in this series by Frances and Richard Lockridge was nearly as fun as the first two. I can’t wait to get No. 4 from the library!
When Lois Winston is poisoned in the rooftop restaurant of the Ritz-Plaza, the Norths’ friend, Lieutenant Bill Weigand, has no shortage of suspects. It was a joy to see he, trusty Sergeant Mullins, and Mrs. North come at the same problem from different directions. The third book in this series by Frances and Richard Lockridge was nearly as fun as the first two. I can’t wait to get No. 4 from the library!
August 6, 2020
This classic mystery was published in 1941 and is the 3rd in a 26 book series. They are written by a husband and wife team and feature an amateur sleuthing husband and wife. This is the first one I read so I can't compare to others in the series.
The husband and wife team, Mr. and Mrs. North, weren't in the story a great deal. Their detective friend was the main character. This was fine with me. He's a good detective and even talks things over with his friends. There were many funny moments. We get to see the poisoning from the victim's perspective which is sad. Then there is a part from the murderer's perspective that is quite chilling. It was a fun, quick read with charming characters. Also there was a twist on a classic motive.
The husband and wife team, Mr. and Mrs. North, weren't in the story a great deal. Their detective friend was the main character. This was fine with me. He's a good detective and even talks things over with his friends. There were many funny moments. We get to see the poisoning from the victim's perspective which is sad. Then there is a part from the murderer's perspective that is quite chilling. It was a fun, quick read with charming characters. Also there was a twist on a classic motive.
July 5, 2016
"A pinch," Mrs. North told him. "Like a pinch of salt. Only in this case, a pinch of poison." (p. 60)
Lieutenant Bill Weigand starts out quite convinced that the murder in this case has nothing to do with Pam and Jerry North. That his friends won't need to be involved. That Sergeant Mullins won't have to worry about this being another "screwy" one. That Deputy Chief Inspector Artemus O'Malley won't think that his lieutenant is making things more complicated than they need to be. Unfortunately, he's wrong on all counts.
O'Malley glared at Weigand, and said that Weigand looked to him like turning out to be one of the bright boys. "Making things complicated," he said. "Not seeing the noses on their faces."
But the nose on the face this time looks a little too obvious to Weigand. Lois Winston, a young society girl with a conscience, had been volunteering with a children's placement foundation--and doing good work for them and showing a lot of interest in those involved. She also took an interest in her younger brother's (half-brother--as he's quick to point out) affairs. Maybe too much interest. Her decisions in both realms carry a lot of weight and could affect people--for the good, certainly, but some might label her interest as meddling and take offense. Somebody certainly took offense to something, because it looks like somebody took advantage of the time while Lois was dancing on the rooftop of the Ritz-Plaza to add a little something extra to her drink. A little something poisonous.
Little brother was on the rooftop too. And he just happened to wander over to Lois's table while she was dancing. Plenty of opportunity to drop a bit of atropine into her drink. There's the nose that O'Malley thinks is so huge on the face of murder. Except the autopsy can't pinpoint when the poison was administered. And the drinks (thoughtfully gathered up by a crime-enthusiast waiter) don't show any evidence of doctoring. So...how was Miss Wintson poisoned? And who did it?
The Lockridges sped a bit of time educating Weigand (and the reader) about the attributes of atropine. He learns that it doesn't take much (quantity-wise) and the killer could have carried it in a convenient little paper. He learns that it affects people differently and it make take affect in minutes or hours.
It wasn't satisfactory, Weigand decided. Lois might have got the poison before she left home; she might have got it at the restaurant table shortly before she collapsed.
But that's one of the advantages of poison. The killer doesn't necessarily have to be on the spot when death occurs. One can be elsewhere doing completely innocent things. The question Weigand must answer is: did this particular killer have to be on the spot? Was she or he one of the crowd up on the rooftop? Because Lois's little brother wasn't the only suspect hanging out at the restaurant--there are others just as much in the running. Not to mention folks at home who might have set her up with a deadly little drink before she left.
This is another very entertaining entry in the Lockridge series. And once again (just like my previous read, The Norths Meet Murder) Pam & Jerry North are more spectators than participants popping in and out throughout. They appear in fairly substantial bookend scenes--Weigand and his new girl Dorian are having dinner with the Norths when he gets the call in the opening. And Pam and Dorian play a vital role in the denouement with a final wrap-up scene following in the Norths' apartment. But this is ultimately Weigand's book--with helpful assists from Mullins and various supporting policemen. This story has the advantage over the first book because there is no racial commentary--earning this police procedural with a light touch the full ★★★★★ that I gave it when I first read it from the library over 20 years ago.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
Lieutenant Bill Weigand starts out quite convinced that the murder in this case has nothing to do with Pam and Jerry North. That his friends won't need to be involved. That Sergeant Mullins won't have to worry about this being another "screwy" one. That Deputy Chief Inspector Artemus O'Malley won't think that his lieutenant is making things more complicated than they need to be. Unfortunately, he's wrong on all counts.
O'Malley glared at Weigand, and said that Weigand looked to him like turning out to be one of the bright boys. "Making things complicated," he said. "Not seeing the noses on their faces."
But the nose on the face this time looks a little too obvious to Weigand. Lois Winston, a young society girl with a conscience, had been volunteering with a children's placement foundation--and doing good work for them and showing a lot of interest in those involved. She also took an interest in her younger brother's (half-brother--as he's quick to point out) affairs. Maybe too much interest. Her decisions in both realms carry a lot of weight and could affect people--for the good, certainly, but some might label her interest as meddling and take offense. Somebody certainly took offense to something, because it looks like somebody took advantage of the time while Lois was dancing on the rooftop of the Ritz-Plaza to add a little something extra to her drink. A little something poisonous.
Little brother was on the rooftop too. And he just happened to wander over to Lois's table while she was dancing. Plenty of opportunity to drop a bit of atropine into her drink. There's the nose that O'Malley thinks is so huge on the face of murder. Except the autopsy can't pinpoint when the poison was administered. And the drinks (thoughtfully gathered up by a crime-enthusiast waiter) don't show any evidence of doctoring. So...how was Miss Wintson poisoned? And who did it?
The Lockridges sped a bit of time educating Weigand (and the reader) about the attributes of atropine. He learns that it doesn't take much (quantity-wise) and the killer could have carried it in a convenient little paper. He learns that it affects people differently and it make take affect in minutes or hours.
It wasn't satisfactory, Weigand decided. Lois might have got the poison before she left home; she might have got it at the restaurant table shortly before she collapsed.
But that's one of the advantages of poison. The killer doesn't necessarily have to be on the spot when death occurs. One can be elsewhere doing completely innocent things. The question Weigand must answer is: did this particular killer have to be on the spot? Was she or he one of the crowd up on the rooftop? Because Lois's little brother wasn't the only suspect hanging out at the restaurant--there are others just as much in the running. Not to mention folks at home who might have set her up with a deadly little drink before she left.
This is another very entertaining entry in the Lockridge series. And once again (just like my previous read, The Norths Meet Murder) Pam & Jerry North are more spectators than participants popping in and out throughout. They appear in fairly substantial bookend scenes--Weigand and his new girl Dorian are having dinner with the Norths when he gets the call in the opening. And Pam and Dorian play a vital role in the denouement with a final wrap-up scene following in the Norths' apartment. But this is ultimately Weigand's book--with helpful assists from Mullins and various supporting policemen. This story has the advantage over the first book because there is no racial commentary--earning this police procedural with a light touch the full ★★★★★ that I gave it when I first read it from the library over 20 years ago.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
September 6, 2023
Book 3 in the series seemed to have settled into what may the pattern for future books with all the principals in place and working together (more or less). The mystery is solid and the solution made sense of all the events and made a very real observation about how secrets both ensnare and complicate relationships.
January 3, 2022
I cannot put my finger on it
All this books are missing something. I am just not sure what. The mysteries are well done and I am impressed with the detective’s reasoning. But there is still something off. Of course, I will probably keep reading them.
All this books are missing something. I am just not sure what. The mysteries are well done and I am impressed with the detective’s reasoning. But there is still something off. Of course, I will probably keep reading them.
May 19, 2017
1941, #3 Mr. & Mrs. North, Police Lt. Weigand, New York City;
a rich-but-nice young woman who works as a volunteer social worker gets herself poisoned at a posh nightclub, and surprisingly a lot of people wanted her out of the way. Cosy genteel police procedural, four stars.
Lois Winston was a nice young woman who wanted to Make A Difference in the world, and so she studied and worked voluntarily as a social worker for an upscale Foundation that placed foster children and adoptees. As the novel opens she is ruminating about a problem she's having at work and that she's going to have to tell someone in authority about it soon... A bit stagey for a beginning, perhaps, since it's quite obvious from the get-go that poor Lois is doomed, but it's very nicely done. In the short time she's "on stage" we come to like her rather well, and to appreciate the set-up.
While out dancing with her almost-fiancé at a roofgarden that evening, she is poisoned, and there's a goodly supply of suspects with her at the club (each with several motives): her wastrel brother, brother's club-singer girlfriend, a man and wife who might be connected with one of her "cases", and her own boyfriend. Not to mention her family, staff, and friends at home or those at work - it's unclear for much of the novel what the time-frame is for the actual dosing of the poison, as it might have been a slow-acting one, and possibly was given to her earlier that day.
Enter Lt. Bill Weigand, the nice, sharp, and rather funny policeman from the two earlier novels in the series, Pam and Jerry North, friends and amateur detectives (by necessity only...) ditto, and the lovely Dorian Hunt, friends with all three, but Bill would like to modify that designation somewhat. And Mullins, mustn't forget Weigand's devoted Sergeant Mullins - a stolid "foil" for Weigand's more practical brainwork, although he ain't no dope, just a bit slower, is all.
As the clues unspool and the plot thickens, the Lockridges mix things up beautifully, so that while it's extremely convoluted, by the end it all makes good sense, plus they were thoughtful enough to add a last chapter in which the four friends sit and talk together over drinks to finish up the case, going over all the bits and pieces. They've done this in each novel so far. It's not as stagey as a "gather all the suspects" scene, and far more fun for the reader, at least for this reader.
There's nothing particularly dirty or gritty here, all the folks are fairly well-to-do and some are downright rich, the only potential adoptee child we see is shown in only the best light all the time, well-cared for and loved. So it's a fairly pretty picture, well, except for the murders - yes, there is more than one. And a kidnaping, and blackmail, and legal chicanery, and... And it's all done beautifully and written smoothly. Love this series.
BOTTOM LINE:
Another excellent entry from the beginning of a very long "amateur detective" series, what would now-a-days be called "cosy" which, although it's long been remembered as such, isn't - this is a classic Police Procedural, 1940s style, and well-done too. Bill Weigand and his procedures as he works through clues and talks to people, is the center of the novel, as he was in the first two, not The Norths who do participate, but minimally. And that's fine with me - Bill is a wonderful character, not as sweet and "cute!" as Mrs. North sometimes seems to be (and that's rather misleading too...). But more to come in the future for me - next in the series is #4 DEATH ON THE AISLE, 1942, but my library doesn't have that one, so I'll next be reading #5 in this series DEATH TAKES A BOW, 1943.
a rich-but-nice young woman who works as a volunteer social worker gets herself poisoned at a posh nightclub, and surprisingly a lot of people wanted her out of the way. Cosy genteel police procedural, four stars.
Lois Winston was a nice young woman who wanted to Make A Difference in the world, and so she studied and worked voluntarily as a social worker for an upscale Foundation that placed foster children and adoptees. As the novel opens she is ruminating about a problem she's having at work and that she's going to have to tell someone in authority about it soon... A bit stagey for a beginning, perhaps, since it's quite obvious from the get-go that poor Lois is doomed, but it's very nicely done. In the short time she's "on stage" we come to like her rather well, and to appreciate the set-up.
While out dancing with her almost-fiancé at a roofgarden that evening, she is poisoned, and there's a goodly supply of suspects with her at the club (each with several motives): her wastrel brother, brother's club-singer girlfriend, a man and wife who might be connected with one of her "cases", and her own boyfriend. Not to mention her family, staff, and friends at home or those at work - it's unclear for much of the novel what the time-frame is for the actual dosing of the poison, as it might have been a slow-acting one, and possibly was given to her earlier that day.
Enter Lt. Bill Weigand, the nice, sharp, and rather funny policeman from the two earlier novels in the series, Pam and Jerry North, friends and amateur detectives (by necessity only...) ditto, and the lovely Dorian Hunt, friends with all three, but Bill would like to modify that designation somewhat. And Mullins, mustn't forget Weigand's devoted Sergeant Mullins - a stolid "foil" for Weigand's more practical brainwork, although he ain't no dope, just a bit slower, is all.
As the clues unspool and the plot thickens, the Lockridges mix things up beautifully, so that while it's extremely convoluted, by the end it all makes good sense, plus they were thoughtful enough to add a last chapter in which the four friends sit and talk together over drinks to finish up the case, going over all the bits and pieces. They've done this in each novel so far. It's not as stagey as a "gather all the suspects" scene, and far more fun for the reader, at least for this reader.
There's nothing particularly dirty or gritty here, all the folks are fairly well-to-do and some are downright rich, the only potential adoptee child we see is shown in only the best light all the time, well-cared for and loved. So it's a fairly pretty picture, well, except for the murders - yes, there is more than one. And a kidnaping, and blackmail, and legal chicanery, and... And it's all done beautifully and written smoothly. Love this series.
BOTTOM LINE:
Another excellent entry from the beginning of a very long "amateur detective" series, what would now-a-days be called "cosy" which, although it's long been remembered as such, isn't - this is a classic Police Procedural, 1940s style, and well-done too. Bill Weigand and his procedures as he works through clues and talks to people, is the center of the novel, as he was in the first two, not The Norths who do participate, but minimally. And that's fine with me - Bill is a wonderful character, not as sweet and "cute!" as Mrs. North sometimes seems to be (and that's rather misleading too...). But more to come in the future for me - next in the series is #4 DEATH ON THE AISLE, 1942, but my library doesn't have that one, so I'll next be reading #5 in this series DEATH TAKES A BOW, 1943.
November 27, 2020
Another really excellent Mr. & Mrs. North mystery. Death on the Aisle is up next - I'll get to it soon.
May 15, 2019
Free survey reward (loan) | A nicely plotted entry, though I could see where it was headed fairly early | It takes a steady writer to drop the right amount of clues, so that most readers are surprised by the solution, but they don't feel treated unfairly. The Lockridges were good at that, and it's not a reflection on them that I had the core clue noted as soon as it was given. These are not long books, no space is allotted for extraneous information, so the necessary conversation would not have been held if the contents weren't valuable to the solution.
July 8, 2016
See review on another edition
September 10, 2017
The Mr. and Mrs. North series is a must-read for fans of classic American mystery stories. The North's are reputed to be the inspiration for Dashiell Hammett's THE THIN MAN, although in Frances Lockridge's series it is Mrs. North who is the curious and intuitive part of the partnership. Mr. North may be a successful publisher, but he is not much more than a foil for Pamela North in these books.
This, as one of the earlier books in the series, was particularly fun for me because we are observers in the developing romance between a lovely model and the North's best friend, who is a police lieutenant.
I have read six or eight books in the series (and explored DVD's of the 1950's television series) and this is definitely one of my favorite titles so far. It includes all the elements that make Mr. and Mrs. North so much fun:
. . . a great sense of New York during the 1940's
. . . a touch of "high society" and its inhabitants
. . . a complex (but not gruesome) mystery, and
. . . a delightfully, ditsy female sleuth
These books will definitely strike many contemporary readers as tame and slow-paced, but that is their charm for me. They're wonderful period pieces that continue to educate me regarding what life was like when folks dined and danced on New York rooftops on a regular basis, when conversation was entertainment on any given evening, and when there was not a television set in sight.
This, as one of the earlier books in the series, was particularly fun for me because we are observers in the developing romance between a lovely model and the North's best friend, who is a police lieutenant.
I have read six or eight books in the series (and explored DVD's of the 1950's television series) and this is definitely one of my favorite titles so far. It includes all the elements that make Mr. and Mrs. North so much fun:
. . . a great sense of New York during the 1940's
. . . a touch of "high society" and its inhabitants
. . . a complex (but not gruesome) mystery, and
. . . a delightfully, ditsy female sleuth
These books will definitely strike many contemporary readers as tame and slow-paced, but that is their charm for me. They're wonderful period pieces that continue to educate me regarding what life was like when folks dined and danced on New York rooftops on a regular basis, when conversation was entertainment on any given evening, and when there was not a television set in sight.
July 8, 2020
If you've seen a significant number of my reviews, beware this has a lot of the stuff I really don't like: gobs and gobs of supporting character time, especially at the beginning, before we get to our heroes and the story. But, of course, while I don't really enjoy that sort of thing, I certainly don't begrudge the Lockridges for expanding their style and telling their stories in new and fresh ways. The romance between Bill Weigand and Dorian Hunt continue in this one, in case you are wondering. Sure, they may get dropped from the series soon (I have no idea if that will happen at this point), but it hasn't happened yet.
The story is okay, though the Lockridges are really enjoying creating red herrings and overly complicated stories. Because of this, it's a smidge longer than it needs to be. The resolution is somewhat puzzling to modern sensibilities, but you're here because you enjoy The Lieutenant (Acting Captain) Bill Weigand Mysteries with Occasional Special Guests Mr. and Mrs. North, so you'll like it well enough.
The story is okay, though the Lockridges are really enjoying creating red herrings and overly complicated stories. Because of this, it's a smidge longer than it needs to be. The resolution is somewhat puzzling to modern sensibilities, but you're here because you enjoy The Lieutenant (Acting Captain) Bill Weigand Mysteries with Occasional Special Guests Mr. and Mrs. North, so you'll like it well enough.
December 31, 2022
A Pinch of Poison is the first Mr. and Mrs. North book I ever read- I picked up a cheap, bedraggled Pocket Book edition paperback at a used bookstore in Athens, GA, and had trouble reading it before it fell apart completely. I'm happy to revisit in a more durable format, and with a better understanding of the Norths, Weigland, and Mullins after reading the first two novels. The murder setting- a glamorous rooftop bar with plenty of audiences- feels like a faint allusion to the Stanford White murder, though that may be my own bias. There's less Pam North and much more Weigland in this puzzle, but it's nice to spend time with the Captain and Mullins. It's also interesting to see contemporary thoughts on adoption, which, as with most issues in Lockridge novels, is discussed with sensitivity, if not depth. I felt this was a strong addition to the North canon.
January 13, 2021
Great puzzles, charming characters in this series. This is the 3rd in the series and does not disappoint. Mr. and Mrs. North are almost the literary equivalent of the movie versions of Nick and Nora Charles (not the original book version of the couple). There may be added appeal since there is familiarity of place since I have driven the parkways and roads the "Loot" finds himself on. So far, though, this series has provided pleasant diversions.
March 24, 2025
For a novel written in 1941, this feels like it was written in the early 2000s—and I mean that as a compliment. A police procedural with thriller elements, it is a brisk read and, except for an odd plot point that causes the murderer to embark on a destructive course, offers a satisfying conclusion. This is my second Lockridge book and I am impressed so far. I wonder why this author duo isn't more popular today.
September 17, 2013
Third in the Norths mystery series set in late 1930s New York City and war has broken out and revolves around a trio: Jerry North, an editor with Kensington & Brown, Pam is his wife, and William Weigand is a detective.
My Take
The start to this story certainly had me going. I just knew the taxi driver was about to be killed. Whew… Other than this, it's the same low-key approach with odd bits of humor. Part of me is irritated that the Lockridges portray Pam as a dizzy dame, and yet I also like that she's so far ahead of them in terms of solving the crime, although both Weigand and Jerry are bright men. Maybe the Lockridges are simply playing up women's intuition??
The Lockridges take us on twists and turns from the start, dropping tidbits of information as the story progresses. It's very matter-of-fact and very typical police work: investigating people and verifying their stories. The untypical is how seriously Weigand takes what Pam North has to say, and the amount of information he spills to the Norths. The clues are both subtle and not, and I kept going off on tangents, figuring out part of it and still being surprised at the end.
I do love seeing this time period through the Lockridges' story: it's weird that Pam doesn't know how old she is; cops today would be envious of all the cops Weigand can detail off to shadow people; and, the technology of the time is brought home with that inability to communicate as easily as we do today.
I'm suspicious of this brother who doesn't mourn his sister… Why doesn't Pam contact the police station when Michael is found?
The budding romance between Bill and Dorian is building slowly, very slowly which ought to satisfy those of you who hate the insta-love, LOL.
The Story
It appears to be a good life for Lois Winston. Good right up until she no longer has it, and Lieutenant Weigand is pulled into the investigation with Pam in his wake.
It's a plague of secrets with people hiding life-changing events until Weigand and Pam North work it out to be what you'd never expect.
The Characters
The Norths are socially active and spending time with Weigand and Dorian. Gerald "Jerry" is laid back and amused with his wife's, Pam's, intuitive leaps. I never do understand how she makes the connections she does. Pete, their cat, has been on his own unintended vacation.
Now promoted to lieutenant and still an acting captain, William Weigand is seeing Dorian Hunt, the fashion illustrator he met in Murder Out of Turn . Detective-Sergeant Aloysius Mullins also got a promotion and really does like his alcohol; he's starting to infect Weigand with "screwy". Their boss is Deputy Chief Inspector Artemus O'Malley. Dr. Jerome Francis is the assistant medical examiner. Detective Stein is helping.
Lois Wilson is a society girl with a big heart. In spite of her big bucks, she volunteers at the Placement Foundation. Dave McIntosh is the son of James McIntosh, a very wealthy man. He's in love with Lois and wants to marry her. Randall "Buddy" Ashley is Lois' half-brother; his father set up a trust that binds him terribly. Mrs. Ashley is their mother who surprises them all. Anna is Lois' maid; Mary Holden is a housemaid. Madge Ormond, a.k.a., Stella Ormk, is a lounge singer with whom Buddy is enthralled.
Mary Crane is the secretary of the Placement Foundation. Ellen Pickett is the social worker who suspected Lois of taking over her job. Mrs. Eva Halstead is the formidable old woman with whom Michael Osborne was boarded. Richard Osborne is his father; he's dying and wants to ensure a home for his three-year-old son. Barton Halstead is Mrs. Halstead's nephew; a man she takes great delight in making uncomfortable. Margaret Graham is almost desperate to adopt Michael; her husband, John Graham, works at Henri et Paulette, a perfume company. Miss Hand is John's secretary. George Benoit is Margaret's father. Cyrus Graham, John's father, is very ill and trapped in a wheelchair; he has very decided notions about insanity.
Max Fineberg is a taxi driver with a pregnant wife in the hospital. Nicholas is the maître d'hôtel at the Ritz-Plaza. Frank Kensitt is the quick-thinking busboy with his own agenda. Waiter No. 67 saw something. Zepkin is the hotel detective.
The Cover
The cover is a plain linen broken into a one-quarter vertical band of black on the left and the remaining three-quarters a red. The spine is where you'll find the title.
The title tells all, for it was just A Pinch of Poison.
My Take
The start to this story certainly had me going. I just knew the taxi driver was about to be killed. Whew… Other than this, it's the same low-key approach with odd bits of humor. Part of me is irritated that the Lockridges portray Pam as a dizzy dame, and yet I also like that she's so far ahead of them in terms of solving the crime, although both Weigand and Jerry are bright men. Maybe the Lockridges are simply playing up women's intuition??
The Lockridges take us on twists and turns from the start, dropping tidbits of information as the story progresses. It's very matter-of-fact and very typical police work: investigating people and verifying their stories. The untypical is how seriously Weigand takes what Pam North has to say, and the amount of information he spills to the Norths. The clues are both subtle and not, and I kept going off on tangents, figuring out part of it and still being surprised at the end.
I do love seeing this time period through the Lockridges' story: it's weird that Pam doesn't know how old she is; cops today would be envious of all the cops Weigand can detail off to shadow people; and, the technology of the time is brought home with that inability to communicate as easily as we do today.
I'm suspicious of this brother who doesn't mourn his sister… Why doesn't Pam contact the police station when Michael is found?
The budding romance between Bill and Dorian is building slowly, very slowly which ought to satisfy those of you who hate the insta-love, LOL.
The Story
It appears to be a good life for Lois Winston. Good right up until she no longer has it, and Lieutenant Weigand is pulled into the investigation with Pam in his wake.
It's a plague of secrets with people hiding life-changing events until Weigand and Pam North work it out to be what you'd never expect.
The Characters
The Norths are socially active and spending time with Weigand and Dorian. Gerald "Jerry" is laid back and amused with his wife's, Pam's, intuitive leaps. I never do understand how she makes the connections she does. Pete, their cat, has been on his own unintended vacation.
Now promoted to lieutenant and still an acting captain, William Weigand is seeing Dorian Hunt, the fashion illustrator he met in Murder Out of Turn . Detective-Sergeant Aloysius Mullins also got a promotion and really does like his alcohol; he's starting to infect Weigand with "screwy". Their boss is Deputy Chief Inspector Artemus O'Malley. Dr. Jerome Francis is the assistant medical examiner. Detective Stein is helping.
Lois Wilson is a society girl with a big heart. In spite of her big bucks, she volunteers at the Placement Foundation. Dave McIntosh is the son of James McIntosh, a very wealthy man. He's in love with Lois and wants to marry her. Randall "Buddy" Ashley is Lois' half-brother; his father set up a trust that binds him terribly. Mrs. Ashley is their mother who surprises them all. Anna is Lois' maid; Mary Holden is a housemaid. Madge Ormond, a.k.a., Stella Ormk, is a lounge singer with whom Buddy is enthralled.
Mary Crane is the secretary of the Placement Foundation. Ellen Pickett is the social worker who suspected Lois of taking over her job. Mrs. Eva Halstead is the formidable old woman with whom Michael Osborne was boarded. Richard Osborne is his father; he's dying and wants to ensure a home for his three-year-old son. Barton Halstead is Mrs. Halstead's nephew; a man she takes great delight in making uncomfortable. Margaret Graham is almost desperate to adopt Michael; her husband, John Graham, works at Henri et Paulette, a perfume company. Miss Hand is John's secretary. George Benoit is Margaret's father. Cyrus Graham, John's father, is very ill and trapped in a wheelchair; he has very decided notions about insanity.
Max Fineberg is a taxi driver with a pregnant wife in the hospital. Nicholas is the maître d'hôtel at the Ritz-Plaza. Frank Kensitt is the quick-thinking busboy with his own agenda. Waiter No. 67 saw something. Zepkin is the hotel detective.
The Cover
The cover is a plain linen broken into a one-quarter vertical band of black on the left and the remaining three-quarters a red. The spine is where you'll find the title.
The title tells all, for it was just A Pinch of Poison.
May 16, 2017
A tricky mystery, where the obvious suspect turns out to be not-so-obvious, and the solution is a lot more complex than it looks like ... Lois Winston is poisoned as she is out for dinner and dancing with a man who wants to marry her: who did it, how did they do it, and why? And why does Mrs. North insist that an orphan child named Michael is the heart of the mystery?
July 17, 2020
You probably have to be one of us who was alive in the forties to understand why Mr. North gets top billing. Once again, Pam North's instincts lead the way and a twisted criminal is apprehended. Another fun read in this forties series that highlights the foibles of the upper crust, but a very limited insight into the rest of 1940's life. Pam does provide a lot of fun, though.
March 27, 2021
A refreshing visit to the English language
A refreshing visit to the English language
The Lockridge treat us with language, syntax and delightful sentences in their stories. It is a delight to enjoy a mystery and the richness of language they skillfully employ.
A refreshing visit to the English language
The Lockridge treat us with language, syntax and delightful sentences in their stories. It is a delight to enjoy a mystery and the richness of language they skillfully employ.
January 17, 2025
This book was written in the 40s so it had a different vibe; while the protagonist is a police detective, it had kind of a "gumshoe" feel to it. Since it was the 3rd book in a series there were some relationships I didn't have background on, but it didn't interfere with the story.
January 19, 2018
Another in the series found though the library. Sadly they do not have many more....
December 31, 2018
I love the North's! These books are well written mysteries that are a joy to read.
December 18, 2019
Well, 3-1/2 stars. I figured out the mystery. Still great characters.
Want to read
February 17, 2020Synopsis: Art Bourgeau states: Lieutenant Wiegand and friend are having dinner with the Norths when they hear a woman has been poisoned.
May 2, 2020
Kept me guessing until the end! Fun to read!
September 21, 2020
These books make me laugh. The coincidences here are too many to name and should be too many to tolerate but I was apparently feeling very mellow and amused.
December 3, 2020
This book kept showing up in my Recommendations for while and I finally got a copy from my library. It's light-hearted, reminiscent of Georgette Heyer's mysteries, in which there is a taste of pre-war Manhattan. Mrs North is the amateur sleuth whose seemingly random remarks and observations influence the professional detective's perspective of the investigation.
May 24, 2022
How Mrs. North always has insight into murder mysteries is inexplicable. However, her hunches and “illogical logic” help Detective Weigand break the case yet again
May 24, 2022
I love the Norths!!
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