The First Time He Died is a mystery novel written by Ethel Lina White, who is becoming one of my favorite authors, published in 1935. This has got to be one of the strangest mystery novels I've ever read because there's not much of a mystery to it. Anyone who can read the big words on the front of the novel knows that "he" died twice, and that's pretty much the plot. Charlie Baxter, soon to be known as Chester Beaverbrook, after all, if you go to all the trouble to die and then be alive again, you might as well get yourself a new name, is about to die. The poor guy, you would think dying once would be hard enough, but twice? As for the first time:
NEARLY every one in the small town of Starminster was sorry to hear of Charlie Baxter's death. He was popular with women, while men invariably called him a "decent little chap"—a curious inaccuracy, since he was well over medium height.
A gentle unassuming nature, he stole out of life as unobtrusively as he left a party—when he nodded farewell to his host and slipped away, without any one knowing that he had gone. At the time flu was epidemic. One day, some one mentioned casually that he was ill. The next bit of news was a thunderclap in the billiard-room at the Grapes.
"Poor Baxter's passed out."
There was a chorus of "Poor chap," for Charlie's slate was clean. He paid his bills, subscribed modestly to local charities, and listened to golf stories. Did the usual things, while his game was always a trifle below the standard of his opponent; the drinks were inevitably on him, but he was a cheerful loser.
Everyone liked Charlie it seems, they didn't feel the same about his wife though;
"Damn mistake if they had that old fool Dubarry to attend him," he said savagely. "Another doctor might have pulled him through."
"Mrs. Baxter swears by him," remarked a masculine gossip.
"She would."
The company grunted assent. It was an established fact that Dr. Dubarry had the brains of a stewed mushroom, and allowed nothing to interfere with his personal pleasure; but it had to be admitted in his favour that he had almost entirely ceased to practise, and only took on a case after personal persuasion.
When the matrons of the town heard of Charlie Baxter's death they added a rider to the verdict of medical inefficiency. They hinted that Vera Baxter might have been too casual in her treatment of the patient. Heads were shaken and tongues wagged.
"He always waited on her. It would be a change for her to wait on him. A pity they did not have a trained nurse."
"But Dr. Dubarry said she was wonderful," observed a more charitable tongue.
"He would. She's a pretty woman."
No one liked Vera Baxter. Except the doctor I guess. Vera is slim and pretty, so the town calls her smart and decorative, she is young, but the town says she has shrewd blue eyes. Things like that, and they really don't like the third person living in the house, Puggie Williams. Why anyone would choose the name of Puggie I don't know. I'm assuming his parents didn't name him that, so if he doesn't want to be known by his real name a stand out name like Puggie isn't the one I would pick. Maybe John, or Jim, or Bill, you get the idea. As for Puggie:
He had been a fixture there for several months and was a man of mystery. He wore old well-cut clothes with distinction and his voice betrayed breeding; but he had the red-veined mashed face of a hard drinker, and when he remembered to forget his origin, his manners were appalling.
It was evident, however, that he had begun life in a different social sphere from that of his friends, and had probably met them, when he was sliding down the ladder and they were climbing up, so had clung round their necks, as ballast.
He appeared to be on excellent terms with Charlie and a real friendship seemed to exist between the three. Vera ordered him about as much as she dominated her gentle husband, for she was the type who expected men to be doormats. All the same, the town could not accept Puggie, in connection with Vera, because of his sex.
If we ever find out the reason he is living with them, I can't remember it. Everyone is sad about Charlie, the women because he was an excellent dancer, he would dance with stout matrons, spinsters, and schoolgirls. As for Vera, she danced with Puggie. And so all of the town is sad to see Charles go, except for Vera and Puggie, who are seen by one of the spinsters, laughing while sitting in their kitchen. Then the flowers start arriving, and they find out how much Charlie was loved, and Charlie, who is sitting at the kitchen table while all this is going on, is touched by the love they had for him.
You see, the Baxters had one rich relative—a widowed aunt—whom Charlie was on good terms with. At her death, the family was astonished to learn that Charlie, the member of the family no one would have anything to do with, was the sole member to receive a legacy. While the money lasted, Charlie and Vera had a wonderful time, going to all the right places, Vera in furs and pearls. Then the money ran out and they had to come up with a new way to get money, working apparently was not on the list. It was Puggie that suggested the insurance fraud, so they moved to a small town where no one knew them, rented a small collage, bought some insurance from a local agent, assuring Vera of five thousand pounds at his death. Then two installments into the payments, he died. Poor Charlie, poor Vera, poor Puggie even. Now they nearly starve before they get their money, if they ever do, in fact nothing goes the way they planned it, and from this point on the book took a turn I wasn't expecting. Charlie not only loses his name by dying, but he loses himself and I start seeing Chester isn't the same as Charlie was, and the change isn't for the better and going along with the insurance scam doesn't make you a wonderful person in the first place. But now they once again need money so a second insurance fraud is needed and you'll have to read the book to find out if they manage to get away with this one. I'm on to the next one, but I have to fix the lights in my one village first. Happy reading.