A Risky Way to Kill: An Inspector Heimrich mystery

Captain Heimrich #19

by Richard Lockridge

"What a horse throws its rider into a wall, Inspector Heimrich thinks it may be A Risky Way to Kill...presents Heimrich at his best, unraveling the twisted turnings that obscure the facts when people have murder in mind."

Genres: Mystery

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1969

About the author

An American writer of detective fiction, Richard Lockridge's frequent collaborator was his wife Frances Lockridge, who co-wrote the Mr. and Mrs. North mystery series and other popular books.

The couple also published under the shared pseudonym Francis Richards.

Reviews

[Amy Winsand · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first Richard Lockridge mystery, and I liked it a lot! It was a steady build-up of puzzling clues surrounding the tragic death of a young woman who was thrown from her horse. She hit a rock wall which the horse refused to jump, though she AND the horse, of course, had jumped it hundreds of times. This had happened a YEAR before the story even begins.

The tragedy resurfaces when two strange classified ads are published in the weekly local newspaper, the "Citizen." The man's name typed on the pages mailed in is NOT the man who sent in the ads, but he IS the stepfather of the young woman who was killed exactly a year earlier. The newspaper editor is suspicious because, I guess, in the late '60's, it's "tacky" to sell a "wedding dress, never worn" along with another ad for a ".25 caliber Winchester rifle, telescopic sight." This editor is a suspicious sort of guy with an investigative bent who, along with a young reporter, get Inspector Heimrich involved.

In the beginning, Heimrich doesn't know if any sort of crime could be involved since it's not illegal to place a want ad using another person's name. But he has a suspicious mind, too, and when he learns that the 20-year-old woman was about to come into an inheritance worth over a million dollars soon after marrying a young writer, he can't let go of this puzzle.

I really like the Inspector and his low-key humor, his loving, patient, wife, Susan, and his persistence to find the truth. Even if the young woman IS murdered, the murderer certainly couldn't guarantee that she'd die from a fall off her horse. It would be "A Risky Way to Kill" - which is what I loved about the book. One wonders about that throughout the story, but the ending ties it all up, and I had to finish this book sooner, than later, to get to the very satisfying conclusion. A very good read!

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Early Bird Book Deal | Familiar setting of Van Brunt and an unusual starting set-up, but pretty standard for the series | I actually quite enjoy that the books in the Heimrich series seem to all have one early throw-away sentence that, if picked up on, tells the reader whodunit. Makes for a closer read, to be sure of not missing it. In this one it really was a tossed-off line, but it did the trick, the who was never really in much doubt but that sentence confirmed it and gave me the how. Some racist dicks in this one, though not like the previous book, and a couple uses of the N-word. Lockridge always showed those attitudes as being abhorrent--he wasn't co-signing on them, just being realistic--but it's still upsetting.

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Richard isn't the same without Francis... I can't put my finger on it, but the writing is just not up to what was achieved when they both co-authored their books. Not a bad read, but very little surprise in the solution. Still plenty of alcohol consumption...

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Racked up another book from 1969 this evening by reading Richard Lockridge's A Risky Way to Kill. Richard and Frances Lockridge started several series together (Mr. & Mrs. North, Inspector Heimrich, Bernie Simmons, and others). When his wife died, Richard Lockridge went on with the writing. The stories are crisp, yet homey. Sometimes madcap, but never over-the-top. The Pam & Jerry North books beat Nick & Nora Charles hands down as best mystery series couple. And Inspector Heimrich is a delight as a New York State Trooper...a State Trooper who sees himself as an ungainly hippopotamus.

In this one, two advertisements placed in the local newspaper stir up questions about a young girl's death. The ads are for: Wedding dress, size 10, never used and Bay stallion, trained hunter, reasonable; also .25 caliber Winchester rifle, telescopic sight. A year ago from the date the ads are placed a 20 year old, soon-to-be married, seasoned rider was killed when her horse refused a jump and she hit the wall the horse would not take. But is that what really happened? Heimreich initially tells the editor of the newspaper (who feels his paper has been used for a cruel joke--raking up painful memories for the girl's mother) that there's nothing in it for the police. But the longer he thinks about it the more he digs....and as he digs someone gets mighty uncomfortable.

I love these breezy mysteries. They are fun and quick to read. But I also like them for the interactions between the characters: between Heimrich and his wife, Susan; between Heimrich and Lt. Forniss (his right-hand man); and between the Heimrichs and their animals. Yes, Mite (a black cat) and Colonel (a huge, Eeyore-like, Great Dane) are just as much real characters as the humans. The Lockridges had a special gift for writing about animals in an endearing way without being overly cute or giving the cats and dogs in their stories too much in the way of human characteristics.

[Lisa Kucharski · Rating 4 out of 5]

An ad is placed in a local paper for a gun, a horse and a un-used wedding dress for a specific date. The ads are meant as a jab at an event that someone felt... was possibly murder. The ads do have effect and another murder is committed. Heimrich studies the "wisps" from the past as well as the people of the present to solve the crime. Some light involvement from familiar characters- Forniss & Crowley. Some new characters as well. Stronger writing in this story, more scope of the world both physical and social. A favorite quote as Heimrich works in the office:

"Reading and initialing papers. Telling Charlie Forniss that the mysterious disappearance of one Ruth Anderson, reported by her husband, was his case and to use whoever he needed on it; agreeing with Forniss that the blood stains found in the Anderson car needed more explanation than Anderson could offer. Anderson said his wife was all the time cutting herself, mostly when she was opening cans. Heimrich agreed that an automobile in its own garage was an odd place in which to open cans."

These are the kind of passages that the series is peppered with and makes the stories so fun to read.

[Helen Fleischer · Rating 4 out of 5]

cozy, almost sketchily told but apt to the plot, interesting