Murder Comes First

Mr. & Mrs. North #15

by Frances Lockridge, Richard Lockridge

When an old widow is murdered, Mr. and Mrs. North work to prove a trio of aunts innocent of the crime

Jerry and Pamela North have tangled with countless murderers, blackmailers, and thieves, but nothing could prepare them for a weekend with Pamela’s aunts. Thelma, Lucinda, and Pennina sweep into town like hurricanes, and take no notice of the destruction they cause. No amount of martinis can soothe Pamela and Jerry’s rattled nerves, and when the martinis stop working, the Norths are in trouble.
 
The aunts are in town to see their old friend Grace Logan, a widow whose temperament is as cold as iced gin. But while sipping tea, Grace does something terribly out of character. She seizes up, gasps for air, and dies. When the trio of aunts is implicated in her poisoning, it falls to the Norths to clear their names—and get them out of Manhattan forever.
 
Murder Comes First is the 15th book in the Mr. and Mrs. North Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Ebooks

270 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1951

About the author

Frances Louise (Davis) Lockridge wrote popular mysteries and children's books with husband Richard Lockridge. They also published under the shared pseudonym Francis Richards.

Reviews

[Zain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Fun Read!

Murder Comes First is personal for Pamela North. Three aunts come for a visit and one of them is accused of murder.

Pam is not about to take this lying down. She jumps into the investigation when dear Aunt Thelma is accused of killing a dear friend.

As usual, trouble comes with the territory and the murderer has plans on committing more murder.

Will the murderer be stopped? Will Lieutenant Weigand get there in time? What do you think will happen? You have to read it to know.

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Weigand!" Deputy Chief Artemus O'Maley said, in a great voice.
"Sir?" Lieutenant William Weigand, Acting Captain Homicide West, said in a much smaller one.
"The Norths!" O'Malley told him. "Don't you see them?"
***
"I won't have it," O'Malley said. "I've told you a hundred times. You know what happens when you let them in, don't you"
Bill Weigand nodded and looked attentive.
"Gets all screwy," O'Malley said. "Doesn't make any sense. Gets so you don't understand a damn thing."


In Murder Comes First (1951) by Frances & Richard Lockridge, Pamela North's three aunts, the Misses Thelma, Pennina, and Lucinda Whitsett, come to New York City for their annual fall visit on their way south for the winter. In addition to spending time with their favorite niece and her husband Jerry, the aunts always drop in to see Grace Logan, their friend since childhood. They are gathered for tea and reminiscing when Grace takes a vitamin capsule and collapses--apparently from cyanide poisoning. Lt. Bill Weigand and his Chief O'Malley arrive on the scene and it seems that "Arty" has determined that it's an easy one. All sewn up. Because it has been revealed during questioning that Grace Logan stole Thelma Whitsett's beau...25 years ago. But, hey, these dames can get bitter, you know.

Aunt Lucy sneaks a call to her niece and naturally Pam and Jerry come to rescue the aunts. And Pam decides to investigate because somebody has to do something to find the real killer. It's not like there aren't more likely suspects. Grace's son wants to marry the daughter of her [Grace's] companion. But his mother didn't like that idea a bit. She thought Lynn Hickey was a hard, calculating woman--out to change her son and possibly out to marry him for the money he'd one day inherit. Lynn's mother took exception to the disparaging comments about her daughter and quarreled with Grace. But was that enough to inspire murder? Then there's her niece, Sally, and husband who might also have had a mercenary interest in the $50,000 Sally would inherit from Grace...if she died. But Sally disappeared well before Grace was murdered--could she have doctored the vitamins before she left? None of these people liked the way Grace would exert her will and her wishes in their lives, but who resented it enough to substitute a cyanide capsule for a harmless vitamin?

And, of course, it does get screwy. Pam chats up suspects, gets taken out to dinner by a few of them, and finds herself followed by a mysterious "medium" man. She is forced to take refuge in the dressing room of a Fifth Avenue department store and walks out in a new rust-colored dress which allows her to lose her tail. Meanwhile, Aunt Lucy who never forgets a thing she reads [and she read a lot--a woman after my own hear] and gets a sudden inspiration about who and how and why and makes a frantic trip out of the city to prove her theory. Pam & Dorian Weigand (Bill's wife) follow in hot pursuit with Bill and Jerry on their trail and a few FBI men following all of them. They all converge on an isolated cabin for an exciting finish.

This is, perhaps, one of the more outlandish plots in the Lockridge line-up--after all FBI men chasing spies and maiden aunts in pink hats running about the countryside are a bit much. But it's all good fun and I can forgive a lot just for the inclusion of Aunt Lucy who reads as much as I do and loves books and places with books as much as I do too.

...at the very thought of a library she brightened. It had been months, it had been last spring, that she had last been in the New York Public Library, where merely being surrounded by so many books made one tingle exquisitely.

It is entirely appropriate that Aunt Lucy seeks out answers to help her theory in the library. The mystery itself isn't terribly intricate, but I don't really expect that from the Lockridges. I do expect Pam to get into trouble--and she does, taking Dorian along with her. It's easy to see where Pam gets her impulsive nature from--Aunt Lucy is just as bad. I also expect a good peek at vintage New York as well as an exciting finish. The Lockridges deliver on all counts. ★★★ and a half--deducting just a bit for the outlandish plot.

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

[☯Emily Ginder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mr. and Mrs. North are both entertaining. In this book, however, Pam North has the limelight. Her three aunts, all unmarried sisters from Cleveland, come to New York. They visit an old friend who dies in their presence. One of the sisters is arrested, so Pam immediately gets involved.

This book was published in the early 1950's and gives the reader an authentic voice of the times. New York City is where the Norths live, so you get a feel for the city. Some things stay the same (taxi drivers, traffic, Grand Central Station), while others have changed. Many of the hotels and restaurants that the Norths visited no longer exist. The Cold War was ramping up and the fear of spies fills the air. Everyone smokes and drinks without worrying about their health. Amazingly, crimes get solved in just a few days, which is probably not characteristic of either 1951 or 2017.

Overall, a quick and enjoyable read after a year of heavy classics.

[Karen Plummer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pam's three aunts from Cleveland are visiting and end up embroiled in a murder. The aunts are fun, especially bookish Aunt Lucinda...I love her. Another fun read.

[Whistler's Mom · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a previous book in this series, we met Pam North’s Aunt Flora (on her mother’s side) and in this book, we meet her aunts Thelma, Pennina, and Lucinda (on her father’s side.) No danger of confusing the two sets of aunts. Aunt Flora is wealthy, lives in New York City, and is currently married to her sixth husband. The Misses Whitsett live in Cleveland, are of modest means, and none of them has ever been married to anyone.

Thankfully, they are three very distinct personalities, so it’s easy to keep track of them. Thelma Whitsett is the oldest - tall, dignified, and domineering. Pennina is plumb, good-natured, and focused on food. Lucy is intelligent, timid, and of such a waffling turn of mind that she even confuses Pam North - the Queen of Muddled Conversation. Now the three elderly spinsters have shown up in route to Florida. They do a bit of shopping, have dinner with the Norths, and have tea with their childhood friend Grace Logan.

Grace is a wealthy widow who’s delighted to provide a lavish meal for the sisters in her lovely home. The women talk about recent events in their lives, but mostly they reminisce about early days, as old people do. Grace leans toward hypochondria and follows her meal with a vitamin capsule recommended by her doctor. The result is very unfortunate and poor Grace will never have to worry about ill health again.

Then Pam gets a startling call. Aunt Thelma, known for her stern, unyielding morals, is in danger of being charged with murder! As the North’s friend Lt. Bill Weigand of the NYPD explains, somebody put potassium cyanide in the dead woman’s vitamin capsule, causing her death. And the capsules were kept in the bathroom and Miss Thelma Whitsett had visited the bathroom just before the capsules were brought out.

The police have learned that Grace and Thelma were once romantic rivals for the man Grace eventually married. Then they find the proverbial smoking gun in Thelma's suitcase. The District Attorney is satisfied, Chief Inspector Artemus O’Malley is more than satisfied, and that’s that. Bill Weigand has his doubts, but he’s ordered off the case.

Today, of course, the Norths would immediately hire the best defense lawyer in town, but the popular "Perry Mason" television series was several years in the future. The knee-jerk reaction to "lawyer up" in times of crisis had not yet been etched in the minds of Americans. And Thelma Whitsett is allowed to remain in her hotel room on house arrest while investigations in Cleveland are complete, which may have lulled the Norths into complacence.

So no lawyer is hired, but Pam North decides to investigate on her own. She quickly learns that there are several people who have recent grievances against Mrs. Logan and more to gain by her death. Her son is in love, but his mother has forbidden him to marry and she holds the purse-strings. Did young Paul or his determined girlfriend decide to eliminate the obstacle to their marriage?

Grace also has a niece who'll inherit under her will. But the niece has suddenly left her husband and is traveling around the country. She sends frequent letters to her aunt, but the letters are typed. Could they have been forged? Her husband is a biochemist who hoped that his aunt-in-law would finance a lab so he can perfect some inventions he thinks will make a fortune. There's no question he's a respected scientist, but who is that unobtrusive man Pam saw following him?

It’s 1951 and the Cold War is heating up. Hysteria is rising and no one knows who to trust. Is the Swedish maid a communist because she supports labor unions? Could a mysterious relative be working for the FBI chasing spies? If the FBI is involved in some way, does the NYPD have to back off and give the Feds right of way? Even Inspector O’Malley draws the line at that. “Murder” he says firmly, “comes FIRST.”

Soon one of those shadowy men is tailing Pam, who's forced to duck into a department store and buy a new outfit to escape his notice. When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping. But in the end, it’s timid Aunt Lucy who decides to follow up a lead of her own. It lands her in an isolated cabin and it looks like she might not get out alive.

I think this is one of the best in this very good series. The aunts are delightfully believable. The story depicts a time in American history when citizens looked suspiciously at each other. Much of the time, their suspicion was unjustified, but other nations WERE trying to steal our secrets, just like we were trying to steal theirs. And money is a powerful temptation. This book shows the domestic damage caused by the Cold War. And it's a LOT of fun, too.

[Leew49 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This murder mystery, published in 1951, is representative of The Thin Man subgenera and provides an interesting look at that era in the United States. Jerry North is a successful publisher while his wife Pam, who seems at first eccentric and even a bit flighty, is the real detective in the family. The amateur sleuths have a comfortable Manhattan lifestyle revolving around cocktails, fine dining and their three Siamese cats. Their convenient friendship with Bill Weigand, a police inspector, and his wife Dorian allows them to insert themselves into a murder investigation in which Pam's Aunt Thelma is a key suspect. Lucinda, another of Pam's aunts, while seemingly an introverted bookworm, also manages to show some skills as a detective. The success of her efforts gives her the moxie needed to come out from under Thelma's previously dominant personality. Most of the novel proceeds along the lines of an Agatha Christie novel set in the US, with poison as the weapon and most of the characters/suspects behaving in a very polite and civil manner, but there are some un-Christie-like scenes of violence near the end, when Pam is in legitimate danger. Aside from the mystery itself, and the complicated nature of Pam North's personality, it was interesting to look at that time period, when hotels had writing rooms with pens and stationery available to the general public, dwellings had separate spouts for hot and cold water, and $50000 was more than sufficient motive for murder.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was kind of slow starting but then it was hard to put down. Mr. & Mrs. North was a TV series in the 1950s. I’ve watched all of the episodes on DVD and enjoyed them. I thought it would be interesting to read one of the books. The mystery is very interesting and there were a few people who easily could have been the killer. The ending played out well. Two martini lunches and three martini dinners seemed to be the norm for all of the characters. This book was possibly written in an era where people thought that drinking several martinis was cool. The woman didn’t work but shopped. Anyway, I did enjoy this but probably won’t read any more by these authors.

[Matt Hickey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve read a few books written by two co-authors and this was the first one that FELT like it had multiple authors. There are A LOT of digressions—stopping to comment on fashion, food, etc.—that might read as charming to some, but I found schizophrenic. It works on movies like The Thin Man when the dry humor flows from the action, but when characters are musing about what they’ll have for breakfast when a killer’s loose? It makes the plot feel less urgent. I feel bad giving such a harmless book a low rating, but I give it to say maybe this isn’t the best entry point to this series.

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Early Bird Black Friday Deal | Too obvious, but glad to get more Dorian again. | There simply wasn't any question about the killer, or the motive, which made it a bit frustrating to see even Pam not getting it for so long. But in the last few books Dorian hasn't been much of a presence, and I enjoyed having her back.

[Lillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful mystery novel featuring the scatty, but never misses a clue, Pam North and her level headed husband, Jerry, who always seems to show up at just the right time. This particular novel features Pam's three unmarried aunts, one of which becomes the main suspect in a murder involving poison. It is a bit predictable but has some nice twists, turns, and a few red herrings. Nice bit of suspense at the end as well. Very well written and highly entertaining.

[Dogsandbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

So delightful, I'd forgotten what a delightful period piece created by snappy dialogue (although the woman as ditze meme is a bit overdone). Loved this series in the past, joy to be rereading now that evokes released to library. DPL ebook via total boox

[Vicki Gooding · Rating 5 out of 5]

While growing up, my mom told me how wonderful these books are, so I was thrilled to find this. She's definitely right as I enjoyed every bit of the Mr. and Mrs. North book and in this book a wonderful Aunt Lucy.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another fun re-read in this series. E-book from the library.

[Jamie Rosen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is written in a very unusual style. Almost elliptical, at times. But quite fun.

[Judi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spies, little old ladies, a missing wife and a friend who dies from cyanide poisoning. A cozy murder with the Norths and Pam gets in trouble again. Fun reading. Recommended.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typical North book. Nothing special but a nice way to spend a couple of afternoons.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three maiden aunts, a murder by cyanide, typed letters, a pink hat, and innumerable ice-cold martinis. Just another day in the life of Mr. and Mrs. North!

[Yibbie · Rating 1 out of 5]

PG for language.
So I usually scratch out any swear words or misuse of the Lord's name, this one had a word out on every page. Each may not have been a 'bad' word, but they were not needed either. The author didn't have the vocabulary to stretch the dialog out and resorted to profanity.
As bad as the language was, the grammar was worse. I didn't expect an intellectual masterpiece, but this was terrible. The writing was so poor that in places I had to re-read paragraphs and then ended up just guessing at what she was trying to say. Said seemed to be the only word she knew to describe any verbal expression. There was another problem with the dialog. Half way through a conversation, she would quite using the normal form,"...", and just give a synopsis of the rest of it - in passive form!
Mr. North spent the whole book in an alcohol induced fog. Mrs. North liked shopping and drinking. All other characters seemed to have just one character trait and that was beet to death by the end of the book.
In hopes for a good solution to the mystery, I hung in there to the end. What a disappointment that was! It was quite ridiculous. Just in case you would like to torture yourself with it, I won't include any spoilers.
The radio show and the TV show are way better than the book.

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's an older book, first published in 1961. I'm a huge fan of the older style mysteries like Agatha Christie and other British books. For the more modern reader it may not be their" cup of tea", but I loved it! Pam and Gerald North live nice apartment in New York with their 3 cats...Martini, Gin and Sherry. These two are rather like Tommy and Tuppance, putting their noses into a murder investigation. Pam's 3 maiden aunts come for a visit and the trouble (and fun) begin. Enjoy going back in time and living in another decade. Good plot, it really kept me reading.

[C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute

The cultural references were interesting, both clothing and personalities. The story line was just cute, not very exciting or mysterious. I remember this tv s show but had not read the books; at least, not that I remember. Perhaps it was not worth remembering and I generally like period pieces.

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good series of cozy mysteries.

[Jim Hager · Rating 3 out of 5]

A reasonable mystery, but Mrs North's ditzy comments are not as funny in writing as in movies.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the writing ruthum a little difficult to follow at times. I really liked aunt Lucy.

[Jeffrey Marks · Rating 3 out of 5]

It seemed like there were entirely too many points of view in this book, and some of the traits that make these books so enjoyable were gone.