Out of Control: a Duncan MacLain Mystery

Duncan Maclain Mystery #6

by Baynard H. Kendrick

Murder disrupts a blind PI's honeymoon in this mix of detective novel and psychological thriller from the author of Death Knell.The wife of a wealthy Tennessee mining tycoon, Marcia Fillmore has worked hard to get to where she is in life. She's also a woman with a dark past, one she's put behind her . . . until a man walks into the Black Pigeon in Gatlinburg and takes a seat beside her at the bar. Marcia doesn't take kindly to him threatening her with blackmail, following her home--or seeing her kiss a man who isn't her husband. Everything could fall apart. No, something must be done . . .A former intelligence officer in the army, Capt. Duncan Maclain lost his sight in World War I. Since then, he's honed his other senses and become a successful private detective whose unique skills are sought after frequently. So it's no surprise when he arrives in the Smoky Mountains with his new bride and the sheriff asks him for help investigating a suspicious car wreck. With evidence that points to foul play, the sheriff and Maclain know they've got a killer to catch--but she's not going to go down without a fight . . ."Ingenious." --Kirkus Reviews"The most completely evil and yet interesting woman you've read about in a long time . . . Superlative!" --Chicago Daily News Baynard Kendrick was the first American to enlist in the Canadian Army during World War I. While in London, he met a blind English soldier whose observational skills inspired the character of Capt. Duncan Maclain. Kendrick was also a founding member of the Mystery Writers of America and winner of the organization's Grand Master Award.

Genres: Mystery

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1945

About the author

Also wrote under the pseudonym Richard Hayward

Kendrick was an American lawyer and executive who became a full-time writer in 1932. His first mystery novel, Blood on Lake Louisa was published in 1934.

In 1914 Kendrick was the first American to enlist in the Canadian Army, one hour after that country declared war.

He married Edythe Stevens in 1919 and Jean Morris in 1971, and became an executive and manager of hotels and publishing companies. Kendrick was the organizer and only sighted member of the Blinded Veterans Association.

He was also a founding member of the Mystery Writers of America and held membership #1. In the 1960s he retired to Florida.

Reviews

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

The sixth mystery featuring Captain Duncan Maclain, blinded during the war and who has since refined his remaining senses to become a brilliant detective. His preference is for impossible, near-perfect crimes ("near" because, of course, our hero always solves them). This outing finds Maclain on his honeymoon in the Great Smoky Mountains where he comes up against a killer who uses a perfect murder method one too many times. When Walter Crane is found dead in an apparent auto accident, the local Sheriff asks the famous detective to lend a hand. Maclain soon realizes that it will be difficult to bring the crime home to the villain and devises a clever plan to trap the culprit.

While I generally enjoy Kendrick's mysteries and the character of Duncan Maclain in particular, I found this one less to my taste. I'm not a big fan of the inverted mystery and I was disappointed to discover that we know from the opening chapters who the villain of the piece is. And since this is inverted and we see most of the action from the culprit's viewpoint it means that Maclain enters the story much later than in the previous Kendrick novels I've read. The best I can say for this one is that it is an interesting character study of a person spinning out of control. The murderer is quite sure that they have everything all sewn up even as they proceed to fall apart emotionally and it is fascinating to watch. Those who appreciate a good inverted vintage mystery will most likely rate this higher, but for me--★★★.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting portions of review. Thanks.

[ShanDizzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! The tension was high in this one with a criminal narcissistic psychopath killing whoever got in the way.

[bobg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was probably an exciting book 80 years ago when it was written. Unlikely detective and an insane central character.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

An unusual entry in the wonderful Duncan Maclain series. It doesn't take place in New York or environs but, of all places, Tennessee. And it's not a whodunit: we know from the start who the killer is. I prefer the NY-set traditional mysteries, but this one was very good of its kind.