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Case Files of Sam Flanagan #1
A Method to Madness: The Case Files of Sam Flanagan
It’s January 1943 and things are slow for Sam Flanagan, Detroit private detective. He’s about to call it a day and return to the woman he shares a home with; his eighty two year old grandmother, when in walks Chicago socialite Phyllis Killburn. She’s the daughter of the late tire tycoon, Alden Whitaker, and she’s got troubles. It seems her husband may be stepping out on her with another woman and he’s keeping a big secret as to his involvement with the military. She wants to know what’s going on and she’s willing to pay big bucks for the information. Sam travels to the Windy City and looks up his longtime friend, Harry Blevins, journalist for the Chicago Tribune. With Harry’s assistance, and with the inadvertent ramblings of his grandmother, will Sam be able to put all the pieces together to solve what is happening within the walls of the Whitaker Estate to stop a murder plot? The deeper Sam digs into the case, he uncovers more twists. Does Sam find a method to this madness?
260 pages, Paperback
First published May 13, 2012
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36 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 6, 2012
A Method to Madness: Judith White
Can the appearance of a rich client change your life? Sam Flanagan became a private detective after leaving the police force under difficult circumstances. The year is 1943 and the war has not ended and jobs are scarce and the economy poor. Just when he’s about to chuck it in for the day out of nowhere enters Phyllis Killburn, rich, smart and definitely deceptive in many ways hiring him to follow her philandering husband Edwin Kilburn. Phyllis is the daughter of tire-tycoon Alden Whitaker. With the help of an old newspaper named Harry he hopes to uncover information about his client and her husband. A news article from 1941 provides information about the wedding and several photos that accompany the article would help identify her husband and her father. But, in the wedding announcement she is listed as Phyllis Calvert why?
Staring at Edwin’s photo, assessing him just from his looks both Sam and Harry wonder what he saw in Phyllis and why not go for someone younger? Uncovered is her past marriage explaining the last name and more direct thinking this new husband was just out for her money. So, why did she purchase a gun after leaving Sam’s office? Why did Sam need one for protection?
Meeting the editor of the Chicago Tribune Harry introduces Sam as a reporter from Detroit enabling him to have access to information a press pass and more. Added in as they leave the Tribune they see his client with her bodyguard who just happens to be the same man that he met on the plane ride to Chicago. Just what was Phyllis ranting about and why was she there? Why would Edwin marry someone 20 years his senior? Enlightened by the editor of the Tribune about Edwin and many other facts he learns something about his past and Phyllis too. A father that dominated her life and would not allow her to live it her way or stay married to a man he disapproved of. Divorce was not difficult for her first husband as the payoff was better than the marriage. Enter Edwin for all appearances seems happy with Phyllis but just what is really behind her hiring Sam and this reviewer feels there is much more to her that has not been revealed. But, the plot becomes more intense as Sam decides to follow some leads and learn more about Edwin from several sources. Added in Phyllis summons him to her house to discuss Edwin and implies that he might be trying to eliminate her even though everyone else seems to think he is a great guy.
Author Judy White takes the reader back to Chicago when Capone ruled the streets, mobsters were commonly seen in bars and the war was still on the rise as Churchill and Roosevelt met for the first time when an American President flew overseas. Learning more about Henry Ford and his relationship with Phyllis’s father helps the reader know just what kind of a man Adrian Whitaker was and why his daughter might just be as ruthless. All evidence points to the fact that Edwin is definitely up to something and that he might have been involved with the military. Just what his secret is has not been revealed. With money as no object she hired Sam to dig deep into Edwin’s activities and hopefully with Harry Blevins and his ties to the tribune he might succeed. But, living with his grandmother is a challenge and she often forgets where she is and who Sam is when he calls her.
Enter into the mix Mary the cook and Brigitte the maid who Sam shares some tea with and learns more about an argument between Phyllis and her husband. Tailing him he finds him in the embrace of a young nurse seeming to comfort her. When questioning the owner of a diner that she and Edwin frequent he provides Sam with a first name and nothing more. As things heat up and the tension mounts and the frame of the puzzle starts to fill in some of the missing pieces but the final picture is not complete. A dinner party would change it all as Sam meets many of Phyllis’s friends, the discuss focuses on the war and Patton and then he breaks the news to her about the other woman named Corinne. But, what happens next you just won’t expect as Edwin is seated on the couch and when Brigitte screams what everyone sees will stun them. Someone or something killed Edwin but the reason too soon to tell as the guests react in different ways. From Dr. Harrell and his wife Enid whose expression is cold and unfeeling to the many of the guests who seem more concerned with having another spot of coffee or a drink, you begin to wonder whether anyone cares about the deceased except his wife, Mary and Brigitte. When the police arrive the questions begin but just what are the answers and why would anyone take out Edwin at a dinner party in the plain sight of many witnesses? But the author creates a twist you won’t see coming as the police divulge something about the murder that is not quite what you expect. A martini glass that Edwin drank from with the rim covered in lipstick and the liquid poisoned. Just whom did the glass really belong to and who was meant to die if not Edwin? But, Sam is smart and although he is now back home his thoughts are still with Myra and Harry in Chicago and he can’t seem to shake that he is missing something about Edwin’s death.
But, Sam would not give up and when his grandmother mentions something in passing about Phyllis things start to fit into place and with Sam’s help the real motive for murder and the killer is revealed. Edwin worked with the military to help vets in need of therapy. Just why the killer wanted him dead you have to find out for yourself. How it all comes together so brilliantly is the work and writing skill of author Judith White that keeps you in suspense until the very last chapters when she reveals the truth. Lies, deceits, deceptions and one clever killer that things he/she might get away with it. Sam Flanagan is one great private detective and everyone knows the author has more cases for this man. Throughout the novel you hear the inner most thoughts of Sam told in the first person as he takes you through the case step by step, introduces you the his grandmother who might seem like she rambling but if you listen closely her method of madness just might be totally sane.
Fran Lewis: reviewer
Can the appearance of a rich client change your life? Sam Flanagan became a private detective after leaving the police force under difficult circumstances. The year is 1943 and the war has not ended and jobs are scarce and the economy poor. Just when he’s about to chuck it in for the day out of nowhere enters Phyllis Killburn, rich, smart and definitely deceptive in many ways hiring him to follow her philandering husband Edwin Kilburn. Phyllis is the daughter of tire-tycoon Alden Whitaker. With the help of an old newspaper named Harry he hopes to uncover information about his client and her husband. A news article from 1941 provides information about the wedding and several photos that accompany the article would help identify her husband and her father. But, in the wedding announcement she is listed as Phyllis Calvert why?
Staring at Edwin’s photo, assessing him just from his looks both Sam and Harry wonder what he saw in Phyllis and why not go for someone younger? Uncovered is her past marriage explaining the last name and more direct thinking this new husband was just out for her money. So, why did she purchase a gun after leaving Sam’s office? Why did Sam need one for protection?
Meeting the editor of the Chicago Tribune Harry introduces Sam as a reporter from Detroit enabling him to have access to information a press pass and more. Added in as they leave the Tribune they see his client with her bodyguard who just happens to be the same man that he met on the plane ride to Chicago. Just what was Phyllis ranting about and why was she there? Why would Edwin marry someone 20 years his senior? Enlightened by the editor of the Tribune about Edwin and many other facts he learns something about his past and Phyllis too. A father that dominated her life and would not allow her to live it her way or stay married to a man he disapproved of. Divorce was not difficult for her first husband as the payoff was better than the marriage. Enter Edwin for all appearances seems happy with Phyllis but just what is really behind her hiring Sam and this reviewer feels there is much more to her that has not been revealed. But, the plot becomes more intense as Sam decides to follow some leads and learn more about Edwin from several sources. Added in Phyllis summons him to her house to discuss Edwin and implies that he might be trying to eliminate her even though everyone else seems to think he is a great guy.
Author Judy White takes the reader back to Chicago when Capone ruled the streets, mobsters were commonly seen in bars and the war was still on the rise as Churchill and Roosevelt met for the first time when an American President flew overseas. Learning more about Henry Ford and his relationship with Phyllis’s father helps the reader know just what kind of a man Adrian Whitaker was and why his daughter might just be as ruthless. All evidence points to the fact that Edwin is definitely up to something and that he might have been involved with the military. Just what his secret is has not been revealed. With money as no object she hired Sam to dig deep into Edwin’s activities and hopefully with Harry Blevins and his ties to the tribune he might succeed. But, living with his grandmother is a challenge and she often forgets where she is and who Sam is when he calls her.
Enter into the mix Mary the cook and Brigitte the maid who Sam shares some tea with and learns more about an argument between Phyllis and her husband. Tailing him he finds him in the embrace of a young nurse seeming to comfort her. When questioning the owner of a diner that she and Edwin frequent he provides Sam with a first name and nothing more. As things heat up and the tension mounts and the frame of the puzzle starts to fill in some of the missing pieces but the final picture is not complete. A dinner party would change it all as Sam meets many of Phyllis’s friends, the discuss focuses on the war and Patton and then he breaks the news to her about the other woman named Corinne. But, what happens next you just won’t expect as Edwin is seated on the couch and when Brigitte screams what everyone sees will stun them. Someone or something killed Edwin but the reason too soon to tell as the guests react in different ways. From Dr. Harrell and his wife Enid whose expression is cold and unfeeling to the many of the guests who seem more concerned with having another spot of coffee or a drink, you begin to wonder whether anyone cares about the deceased except his wife, Mary and Brigitte. When the police arrive the questions begin but just what are the answers and why would anyone take out Edwin at a dinner party in the plain sight of many witnesses? But the author creates a twist you won’t see coming as the police divulge something about the murder that is not quite what you expect. A martini glass that Edwin drank from with the rim covered in lipstick and the liquid poisoned. Just whom did the glass really belong to and who was meant to die if not Edwin? But, Sam is smart and although he is now back home his thoughts are still with Myra and Harry in Chicago and he can’t seem to shake that he is missing something about Edwin’s death.
But, Sam would not give up and when his grandmother mentions something in passing about Phyllis things start to fit into place and with Sam’s help the real motive for murder and the killer is revealed. Edwin worked with the military to help vets in need of therapy. Just why the killer wanted him dead you have to find out for yourself. How it all comes together so brilliantly is the work and writing skill of author Judith White that keeps you in suspense until the very last chapters when she reveals the truth. Lies, deceits, deceptions and one clever killer that things he/she might get away with it. Sam Flanagan is one great private detective and everyone knows the author has more cases for this man. Throughout the novel you hear the inner most thoughts of Sam told in the first person as he takes you through the case step by step, introduces you the his grandmother who might seem like she rambling but if you listen closely her method of madness just might be totally sane.
Fran Lewis: reviewer
April 8, 2023
As a fan of the old detective stories in print and film, I enjoyed this novel. It held some surprises along with great descriptions.
December 30, 2022
Flanagan Does It Again
Judith White penned a winner in "A Method to Madness," another from the files of gumshoe detective Sam Flanagan. This time Flanagan is hired by a rich woman from Chicago who claims that her younger husband is cheating on her. Flanagan heads from his base in Detroit to investigate. He calls on a newspaper pal at the Chicago Tribune to help provide background information. Then her husband drops dead from an apparent heart attack. It was it something else? White has populated the 1940s noir novel with a variety of distinctive and entertaining characters along with lively dialogue. White has created an engaging series in the escapades of Sam Flanagan.
Judith White penned a winner in "A Method to Madness," another from the files of gumshoe detective Sam Flanagan. This time Flanagan is hired by a rich woman from Chicago who claims that her younger husband is cheating on her. Flanagan heads from his base in Detroit to investigate. He calls on a newspaper pal at the Chicago Tribune to help provide background information. Then her husband drops dead from an apparent heart attack. It was it something else? White has populated the 1940s noir novel with a variety of distinctive and entertaining characters along with lively dialogue. White has created an engaging series in the escapades of Sam Flanagan.
February 9, 2019
Method to Madness. Judith White must have an inner detective inside her from the 1930's and 1940's. I am not an avid reader, but after Chapter 1, I was in love with Sam Flanagan. All the way through the book, I thought I knew who done it, but not until the very end did I know, and I was wrong. This book was hard to put down. Great clean read made this book more enjoyable to me. Can't wait to read the next one.
November 22, 2020
There is not much I can add that is new to the existing 69 reviews which justifiably give A Method to Madness a 4.6 rating on Amazon (and the 4.39 rating on Goodreads), other than I wish I had written it. Over the pass three months, I have read 40+ crime/detective/murder mystery novels, all written from 1905 to the early 1940s. A Method to Madness stands up very well to those authors who lived in the era in which they wrote, especially considering this was Judith White's first published book.
September 20, 2012
Sam Flanagan is a Private Detective and he lives with his grandmother in Detroit. Tempted by an envelope filled with cash he takes on a case he assumes is going to be as simple as a cheating husband, but soon realises it is much, much more.
This was an odd one for me. The book is set in 1943 and in the beginning I could easily visualise the scene, but as the story moved along I found myself forgetting the era was the 1940’s and I started to picture modern times, I don’t know why, perhaps the descriptions dropped off a bit or maybe I just didn’t pay attention! The plot isn’t complicated, you don’t have to think too hard to follow and to be honest there weren’t any moments for me where I thought ‘oh yeah, that’s why such a thing happened earlier’. That said, it does have an interesting enough storyline and is an easy, entertaining read.
Judith White is a competent writer and there were no noticeable typo’s or editing issues in this book. I think maybe a few more red herrings and more twists and turns would make this more appealing to avid crime readers but for someone who wants an easy crime read this would be ideal.
Copy supplied for review
February 10, 2014
What a fantastic debut novel from author Judith White!! I stepped out of my comfort zone with this as I normally read only romance and books ONLY set in modern times. I like to picture myself as the hero/heroine and find it difficult to do when a book is set in an era I know little to nothing about (I'm a science/math person, NOT history). Judith's use of descriptive language made it easy to put myself in this setting and picture my surroundings. It was an easy read and the story flowed nicely.
I should mention that I didn't actually READ this book, I listened to the audio. The narrator was fantastic. I listen to a lot of audios and there is nothing worse than being distracted by the narrators odd voice that they use for certain characters. This never happened with this story and I easily pictured him.
I found the story line smart and intriguing and the characters were likeable if not downright lovable (Gran and Helen)!! I am pleasantly surprised how much I loved the mystery genre a. I am looking forward to the next installment, can't wait to see what Sam gets into next!
I should mention that I didn't actually READ this book, I listened to the audio. The narrator was fantastic. I listen to a lot of audios and there is nothing worse than being distracted by the narrators odd voice that they use for certain characters. This never happened with this story and I easily pictured him.
I found the story line smart and intriguing and the characters were likeable if not downright lovable (Gran and Helen)!! I am pleasantly surprised how much I loved the mystery genre a. I am looking forward to the next installment, can't wait to see what Sam gets into next!
August 26, 2016
This novella is a true old-fashioned detective since it takes place in the year 1943. The historical aspect makes the story definitely more interesting - imagine fuel is only 15 cents a gallon and bear in mind the rationing due to the war.
Sam lives with his 82-year-old grandmother, who is a hoot and her friend Helen is quite a character. Throughout the story you get to know all of them really well. In that sense the story has all the qualities of a good novel.
One day beautiful Phyllis, a well known lady in high society, walks into Sam's office, Flanagan Investigations and so begins a strange case where nothing is at it seems. Once the case is solved due to unforeseen circumstances Sam returns home, leaving the reader with the feeling that it is not really over yet. The story runs at a leisurely pace, which causes the final denouement feel like an explosion: fast, furious and unexpected.
A relaxed, smooth and enjoyable read!
I was given a copy in exchange for a honest review.
Sam lives with his 82-year-old grandmother, who is a hoot and her friend Helen is quite a character. Throughout the story you get to know all of them really well. In that sense the story has all the qualities of a good novel.
One day beautiful Phyllis, a well known lady in high society, walks into Sam's office, Flanagan Investigations and so begins a strange case where nothing is at it seems. Once the case is solved due to unforeseen circumstances Sam returns home, leaving the reader with the feeling that it is not really over yet. The story runs at a leisurely pace, which causes the final denouement feel like an explosion: fast, furious and unexpected.
A relaxed, smooth and enjoyable read!
I was given a copy in exchange for a honest review.
October 11, 2016
Quirky Entertaining Mystery
This wasn't like my heart stopping suspense thrillers I usually read... But it was a great break for a change to read a different approach to mystery and suspenseful including a team of quirky characters. This SUSPENSE WHO DONE IT .... actually has you laughing, scratching your head and wondering when the Private Investigator is going to get past his love for food and wise up to Some Spot On Investigating.....
This is more along the lines of a Fun Cozy Mystery type read
( LBH )
This wasn't like my heart stopping suspense thrillers I usually read... But it was a great break for a change to read a different approach to mystery and suspenseful including a team of quirky characters. This SUSPENSE WHO DONE IT .... actually has you laughing, scratching your head and wondering when the Private Investigator is going to get past his love for food and wise up to Some Spot On Investigating.....
This is more along the lines of a Fun Cozy Mystery type read
( LBH )
May 21, 2014
Murder mysteries are my favorite genre and I'm always looking for new authors to tantalize my wits, well I found her and her name is Judith White! she did a marvelous job setting the story and 1940s Detroit (my home town), the story flowed nicely and her characters were lovable I have already picked up the next Sam Flanagan book "Sins of the Father" and can't wait to delve into it!!
Read
July 14, 2012My first novel...hope you enjoy!
September 16, 2015
A great Old Time mystery with historical fact.
January 1, 2017
Another winner!
Even though I am reading these out of order it really doesn't matter. The Sam Flanagan stories are always a treat. I might become a mystery genre fan. Bravo!
Even though I am reading these out of order it really doesn't matter. The Sam Flanagan stories are always a treat. I might become a mystery genre fan. Bravo!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews