The Evil That Men Do

Pierre Chambrun Mystery #3

by Hugh Pentecost

A gang of jet-setting slanderers cause havoc at the stately Beaumont Hotel

Under the stern eye of manager Pierre Chambrun, life at the Beaumont runs with the efficiency of a Swiss watch. So reliable is the service at New York’s finest hotel that guests could set their timepieces to the movements of its bellhops. But a wrench is about to be thrown into this perfect mechanism—a redhead named Doris Standing. Standing is queen of the jet set, that army of playboys and party girls who tour the world in search of a good time. Lately, she and her gang have found a vicious kind of fun, exposing the misdeeds—real or imagined—of the rich and powerful. When this cruel young woman checks in to the Beaumont, Chambrun and his press man, Mark Haskell, take note. Because where Standing touches down, good men will be destroyed. 

Genres: Mystery

188 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1966

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

[Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

These old mysteries are my favorites. They need thought to solve and the author plays square with the reader. Great fun

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

Doris Standing, the world's second richest girl, has spent her youth looking for kicks. She and her jet-setting friends, known as Doris' Standing Army, enjoy playing cruel practical jokes on prominent members of society--from ruining the comeback of a once great singing star to destroying the political career of a conservative's bid for a governorship to making a fool of a fading romantic leading man. It's all fun and games to them--even when the games lead to heartbreak, madness, or worse. But this time something has happened that Doris can't face. She comes to the Beaumont Hotel under the name of Dorothy Smith and claims that she has no memory of the last three weeks. But she's sure that something dreadful has happened. When her Army shows up at the hotel, the unflappable manager, Pierre Chambrun is determined to keep them from sullying the good name of the Beaumont. But can he defend it against murder?

Someone is killing members of the Standing Army. Has Doris had enough of their cruel humor and decided to free herself from them--permanently. Or could it be that Gary Craig, the man who loves her no matter what she's done, has decided to liberate her from their evil influence? Or perhaps someone injured by one of their cruel tricks has decided to get revenge. Chambrun, his hotel staff, and Lieutenant Hardy from Homicide will have to find out quick...before the killer wipes out the entire Army.

Pentecost gives us an interesting puzzle even as he peoples the mystery with some very unlikeable characters. It's difficult to be very upset when member of the Army are picked off one by one. They haven't exactly had a lot of compassion for the people whose lives they've ruined or much (if any) remorse about those who took their own lives because they couldn't recover from the "joke." But I still enjoyed trying to figure out who is behind the killings. There are a few clues that an observant reader might catch (I didn't), so Pentecost does try to play fair if you're looking for that kind of thing. If you want a mystery that will give you the full flavor of the 1960s and a peek at the running of a high-class hotel, then this is definitely a series for you. Chambrun is the king of his little village and Mark Haskell makes for a good right-hand man in the Archie Goodwin tradition (with a few less wise-cracks). A good solid entry in the series.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.

[Darius Ostrowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had recently found “The Cannibal Who Overate”, the first book in a long-running series featuring Pierre Chambrun, manager of the upper-class Hotel Beaumont in New York City, starting in the early 1960’s. Having really enjoyed this, I have started hunting down further books, “The Evil That Men Do” is the third chapter from Hugh Pentecost.

The Beaumont is the finest hotel in New York City, run like clockwork thanks to the watchful eye and dedication of its manager, Pierre Chambrun. Catering both to residents and guests, Chambrum manages to provide every luxury requested while maintaining the hotel’s dignity and reputation above all else. The narrator is the hotel’s Public Relations Director, Mark Haskell, trying to keep ahead of any breaking stories that might show the Beaumont in a negative light.

We start with the arrival of Doris Standing, the second richest woman in the world, a young heiress with too much money. Whenever Doris arrives her army of rich kids follows, causing mayhem and destruction wherever and whoever they turn their attention towards. But this time she arrives alone, with no luggage, and no memory of where she’s been, what she’s done, or why she can’t remember. It’s a small calm before the storm, because soon Doris’ army will arrive and Chambrun and his staff must batten down the hatches and get prepared.

The jet-set soon arrives, and before too long one of them is dead. Doris’ boyfriend shows up, attempting to rescue her. The police are around every corner. Further attacks, an elusive culprit, all possibly tied up to Doris’ missing memories. Will Doris figure out what her secret is before someone silences her for good?

This chapter was hard to like since the main characters were so reprehensible, but it’s still a good read. There seem to be a lot of parallels to “influencers” of today, people who are rich and famous who do anything for a good time, regardless of who gets hurt. But we get a slice of the glamourous life in the 1960’s, with the workings of a hotel as a backdrop to the mystery adding a layer of depth that makes this a great time capsule. I will continue tracking down the rest of the series.

[l'Inspecteur Malgracieux · Rating 1 out of 5]

Shows it's age both in plot, setting and absence of politically correctness

[Marsha L Respess · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am enjoying these books so much. I know that they are not politically correct and you do wince sometimes but the story is good and justice is done at the end which is very satisfying.

[Donald Harwick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, Fast read.

Very good plot with the ending appearing out of the blue. It read quickly and was spellbinding. Pierre Chambrun is a favorite of mine.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read, although dated, of course. Helped to read most of it in one sitting.

[Kathy KS · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series centered around a luxury hotel in New York City in the 1960s is a comfort read for me. The books are shorter and feature mysteries, usually deaths, through the eyes of the hotel's Public Relations director. The series is named for the manager of the hotel, who is also a prime figure.

Written in the late 60s, there are definitely some ideas that might not be considered appropriate in today's world, but those show how slowly, sometimes, change comes in our society. In this volume, the action centers around a group of "celebrities" that are always doing "jokes," etc., that might not be found funny to the individuals they prey upon (or hotel staff that must deal with their antics). The minute I began this one, it made me think of today's "influencers" that sometimes go for shock value, rather than kindness. One of this crew enjoys pretending he is going to possibly shoot himself with his own Russian roulette antics. He is later found dead of a gunshot in one of the hotel rooms and the action begins. Much more occurs, including other deaths, amnesia, romance, and power plays. I just enjoyed the flow.

I'll be reading the next, of course. If I keep enjoying the stories I can be comforted by the fact that there are twenty-two volumes in the series.

[Michele bookloverforever · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read everything I could find by Mr Pentecost as an older teen and until he stopped publishing. Mr Chambrun was my first book crush back at the start. Reread again this year on my Kindle.