The Shape of Fear

Pierre Chambrun Mystery #2

by Hugh Pentecost

Summary (From the publisher):
A harmless old man was dead, bashed over the head in his room at the Beaumont, Pierre Chambrun's luxury hotel. Had it been anyone else, Chambrun would have left matters to the police. But Mr. Cardew was the hotel's favorite permanent guest.

The old man had been dangerous to someone.

Maybe it was the dare-devil racing driver who was once acquitted of murder... or the suave and sinister ex-Nazi who was understandably reticent about his past... or the beautiful blonde whose body promised ecstasy, and whose eyes hinted of secret terrors...

Before he learned the murderer's name, Chambrun found himself deep in a deadly drama of illegal drugs, with some of the world's most glamorous and important people high on the list of sinister suspects. One thing was sure, the killer was a privileged guest at the Beaumont!

Genres: Mystery, American

215 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1964

About the author

Hugh Pentecost was a penname of mystery author Judson Philips. Born in Massachusetts, Philips came of age during the golden age of pulp magazines, and spent the 1930s writing suspense fiction and sports stories for a number of famous pulps. His first book was Hold 'Em Girls! The Intelligent Women's Guide to Men and Football (1936). In 1939, his crime story Cancelled in Red won the Red Badge prize, launching his career as a novelist. Philips went on to write nearly one hundred books over the next five decades.

His best-known characters were Pierre Chambrun, a sleuthing hotel manager who first appeared in The Cannibal Who Overate (1962), and the one-legged investigative reporter Peter Styles, introduced in Laughter Trap (1964). Although he spent his last years with failing vision and poor health, Philips continued writing daily. His final novel was the posthumously published Pattern for Terror (1989).

Reviews

[Otto Penzler · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second book in Hugh Pentecost’s light, humorous, Pierre Chambrun mystery series. Containing a colorful cast of characters, the action takes place in the luxurious Hotel Beaumont in New York. In this installment, the sweet old Mr. Cardew, the hotel’s favorite long-term guest, is found dead in his room. Hotel manager Chambrun decides to take matters into his own hands to find the culprit and his/her motive. Among the cast of suspects are a daring racecar driver with a murderous past, a blond knockout with dirty secrets, and a sinister ex-Nazi full of regrets. Charming, exciting, and funny, this is an old-fashioned classic whodunit.

[Monica Willyard Moen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent, lighthearted, cozy mystery well worth exploring. I’m so glad to see that Mysterious Press is making the whole series available to a new generation of readers. This author was well respected in his day, but he has been somewhat forgotten compared to people like Raymond Chandler and Robert B Parker. That’s a shame because his writing is always interesting and always engaging.

[Kathy KS · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this mystery set in what is supposed to be one of the premier hotels in New York City. The mystery is two-, or three-, pronged. One centers around a murder in the past in France. The others are modern day (1960s here) and include the murder of a long-term resident of the hotel and the possibility that drug lords have a big buy planned during a trade conference with many French politicians and business heads, etc., that were also related to the original murder in France.

Sound rather confusing? Well, there are many red herrings and possible suspects here. There's also a love story that stretches over a decade. But it was fun to read. The final reveal may come as a surprise. I will definitely be continuing with others set in the Hotel Beaumont.

Part of what I enjoyed was the entire staff of the Hotel and the way they work so efficiently as a team. Pierre Chambrun is the manager and runs a tight ship. The story is told from the viewpoint of the public relations director. For those enjoying books and shows centered on the life of the employees and guests in a luxury hotel, I think you might enjoy this.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my second Pierre Chambrun novel (and Hugh Pentecost, for that matter). Like the other one (The Gilded Nightmare), it was melodramatic, fast-paced, and thoroughly enjoyable. (In both books, a beautiful woman begs Chambrun clandestinely to help her.) Not all of the actions of the police are convincing (would they really treat a hotel detective like one of their own?) and there seems to be some confusion as to when the book takes place (it's the fall of 1963, but the Kennedy assassination is never mentioned, even though it bears a passing resemblance to one of the concerns of the novel, and the author refers to the airport as Idlewild in an early chapter and JFK in a later one), but I can overlook such things if the book is entertaining enough.

[Marsha L Respess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am re-reading these books and really enjoying them. I love hotels and he describes the Beaumont so well you want to stay there.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid Chambrun mystery as per usual, although I wasn’t as interested in the backstory as much.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have heard of Hugh Pentecost before – what mystery reader hasn’t? – but for some reason never read his books. That was before this reincarnation of his THE SHAPE OF FEAR, an agile mystery seasoned with a bit of foreign intrigue, a gorgeous woman or two, an old lover, a jealous husband, and a murder of a long time revered hotel guest – all of this to create one of his early tales of hotel manager, Pierre Chambrun, that would run to over 20 other mysteries in this series.

THE SHAPE OF FEAR is a page turner delight and a terrific reason to read more tales by this master.

[Michele bookloverforever · Rating 3 out of 5]

Re-read November, 2022 with glee. Absorbing plot. Murder, drugs, espionage!

[Barry · Rating 3 out of 5]

The good old stuff. 50 years old and still an enjoyable read.

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: an old man was dead in his room at the Beaumont, Pierre Chambrun's hotel. He thinks, it has to be a guest.