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Mr. & Mrs. North #22
The Long Skeleton
When a television hostess is killed in their hotel, Mr. and Mrs. North investigate the murder of America’s girl next door
From coast to coast, everyone in America knows the smiling face of Amanda Towne. The most celebrated interviewer on television, she’s a beacon of honesty and warmth . . . when the cameras are rolling. Amanda will do whatever it takes to stay at the top of her profession, and she doesn’t mind stepping on the little people—until the day someone stops her in her tracks.
Amanda doesn’t know it, but her decorating advice is the reason Pamela North has decided to repaint her apartment. But when Mr. North comes home and finds the fumes unbearable, the couple checks into the Breckenridge Hotel, whose famous suites are large enough for Pam; Jerry; their cat, Martini . . . and Amanda Towne, whom Jerry finds lying dead on the bed. The story of who put her there is simply unbelievable, even by the standards of primetime television.
The Long Skeleton is the 22nd book in the Mr. and Mrs. North Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.
From coast to coast, everyone in America knows the smiling face of Amanda Towne. The most celebrated interviewer on television, she’s a beacon of honesty and warmth . . . when the cameras are rolling. Amanda will do whatever it takes to stay at the top of her profession, and she doesn’t mind stepping on the little people—until the day someone stops her in her tracks.
Amanda doesn’t know it, but her decorating advice is the reason Pamela North has decided to repaint her apartment. But when Mr. North comes home and finds the fumes unbearable, the couple checks into the Breckenridge Hotel, whose famous suites are large enough for Pam; Jerry; their cat, Martini . . . and Amanda Towne, whom Jerry finds lying dead on the bed. The story of who put her there is simply unbelievable, even by the standards of primetime television.
The Long Skeleton is the 22nd book in the Mr. and Mrs. North Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.
381 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1958
36 people are currently reading
107 people want to read
About the author
Frances Lockridge
95 books48 followersFrances Louise (Davis) Lockridge wrote popular mysteries and children's books with husband Richard Lockridge. They also published under the shared pseudonym Francis Richards.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 6, 2022
Updated original 12/19/10 review for 8/5/22:
The Long Skeleton finds Pam and Jerry taking a hotel room to escape the painters who are redecorating their NYC apartment. They drop off their luggage and their cat, Martini, and go out for dinner and a movie only to return to their room to find something unexpected on their bed. Not a mint on the pillow--but the body of Amanda Towne, a famous television personality known for her ability to get guests on her show to reveal things they might have preferred to keep hidden. Just recently she'd managed to get a prominent judge to drop a few injudicious comments that will probably put paid to his hopes of a lieutenant governorship. But were her interview techniques enough to make someone want to murder her?
And what about our Norths? It soon becomes apparent that finding the body in their hotel room isn't the only link to our murder-magnet couple. There are suggestions that Jerry's most recent best-selling author is involved too. Or maybe the real link is to the past...a past that leads to Chicago and eventually to a suspenseful ending in the hills of Arkansas.
These books are such a delight to me. I enjoy following Pam's illogical logic and watching her make intuitive leaps are always almost, but not quite on target. It's also fun to watch Chief Inspector O'Malley chew through his cigars as he fumes over "those Norths" making everything screwy again. This one has a little more of O'Malley because Captain Bill Weigand is out of town--waiting for Washington D.C. to cough up some information on another case. And O'Malley has had more of the Norths than any Chief Inspector should have to deal with...
"What I want," O'Malley said, "is you to go down there and do the waiting. Get it? And wire Weigand to get the hell back here. Tell him--" O'Malley paused. "Tell him his friends are lousing things. up again. Tell him to get the lead out...Tell him to fly," O'Malley said, and ate half an inch of cigar.
It doesn't matter that Pamela North just wants to help. Her quirky way of explaining everything is enough to drive a poor Chief Inspector up the wall.
Frances & Richard Lockridge created quite a duo when they came up with Pam and Jerry North. And they created mad-cap mystery perfection when they decided to drop them in the middle of suspicious circumstances in book after book. I recommend these mysteries to anyone looking for light and breezy, comic, madcap mysteries
Posted on my blog My Reader's Block.
The Long Skeleton finds Pam and Jerry taking a hotel room to escape the painters who are redecorating their NYC apartment. They drop off their luggage and their cat, Martini, and go out for dinner and a movie only to return to their room to find something unexpected on their bed. Not a mint on the pillow--but the body of Amanda Towne, a famous television personality known for her ability to get guests on her show to reveal things they might have preferred to keep hidden. Just recently she'd managed to get a prominent judge to drop a few injudicious comments that will probably put paid to his hopes of a lieutenant governorship. But were her interview techniques enough to make someone want to murder her?
And what about our Norths? It soon becomes apparent that finding the body in their hotel room isn't the only link to our murder-magnet couple. There are suggestions that Jerry's most recent best-selling author is involved too. Or maybe the real link is to the past...a past that leads to Chicago and eventually to a suspenseful ending in the hills of Arkansas.
These books are such a delight to me. I enjoy following Pam's illogical logic and watching her make intuitive leaps are always almost, but not quite on target. It's also fun to watch Chief Inspector O'Malley chew through his cigars as he fumes over "those Norths" making everything screwy again. This one has a little more of O'Malley because Captain Bill Weigand is out of town--waiting for Washington D.C. to cough up some information on another case. And O'Malley has had more of the Norths than any Chief Inspector should have to deal with...
"What I want," O'Malley said, "is you to go down there and do the waiting. Get it? And wire Weigand to get the hell back here. Tell him--" O'Malley paused. "Tell him his friends are lousing things. up again. Tell him to get the lead out...Tell him to fly," O'Malley said, and ate half an inch of cigar.
It doesn't matter that Pamela North just wants to help. Her quirky way of explaining everything is enough to drive a poor Chief Inspector up the wall.
Frances & Richard Lockridge created quite a duo when they came up with Pam and Jerry North. And they created mad-cap mystery perfection when they decided to drop them in the middle of suspicious circumstances in book after book. I recommend these mysteries to anyone looking for light and breezy, comic, madcap mysteries
Posted on my blog My Reader's Block.
January 13, 2024
Had high hopes that this little vintage book would be like The Thin Man, it involves a devoted couple solving crimes. Great premise: they are having the house painted, so to avoid the fumes, they go to a hotel. They walk to a restaurant for dinner. When they come back, a famous TV personality is lying dead in their bed.
So far so good. But then...a police detective who is all blustery and shouty, a lot of blah-blah... kind of cute that Mrs. North can't seem to finish a thought, so she speaks in half-baked sentences...
I tried. Skipped ahead a bit and checked in... skipped ahead a bit more.
Why am I reading this again? Ugh.
Kind of surprised that this was a fairly popular book for its day. And maybe it still works for someone else. I will confess to having a rough month.
Moving on.
So far so good. But then...a police detective who is all blustery and shouty, a lot of blah-blah... kind of cute that Mrs. North can't seem to finish a thought, so she speaks in half-baked sentences...
I tried. Skipped ahead a bit and checked in... skipped ahead a bit more.
Why am I reading this again? Ugh.
Kind of surprised that this was a fairly popular book for its day. And maybe it still works for someone else. I will confess to having a rough month.
Moving on.
October 17, 2022
I guessed the motive about a third of the way through and the murderer about 3/4th of the way...dramatic climax..
October 11, 2020
What happens if your entire home is being painted? You leave, of course (really? I don't, I open all the windows and hope for the best...) Pam and Jerry North have taken their cat and moved their lives to a hotel. They go out for dinner and a movie and come home to a body in their bed. Normally this wouldn't be an issue but with their good friend Bill Weigand being out of town, it means that Inspector O'Malley, with whom they have a contentious relationship, is in charge. Luckily Bill returns and the team is able to dig into the mystery of why a television personality was killed. Of course, she had some enemies, but they aren't the ones that you would expect in this day and age.
A nice story the killer was easy to spot but the motive unfolded slowly. There were parts where the story dragged a bit but it was, overall, what I expected from a book recommended by the Classic Mysteries podcast.
A nice story the killer was easy to spot but the motive unfolded slowly. There were parts where the story dragged a bit but it was, overall, what I expected from a book recommended by the Classic Mysteries podcast.
November 3, 2019
Artie's worst nightmare comes to life.
Fans of this series know NYPD Deputy Chief Inspector Artemus O'Malley as the boss of Captain Bill Weigand, friend of the mystery-loving Norths. Having achieved a high rank, Artie should be a happy man, but he's beset by nosy reporters on one side and over-educated, namby-pamby young cops on the other. He hates civilians and cats and the involvement of Pam and Jerry North (and Pete, Martini, etc) in the investigation of Manhattan murders has long been a thorn in his ample flesh.
Normally he's a bellowing voice on the end of the wire, but now a popular television hostess named Amanda Towne has been murdered in a classy Manhattan hotel. The press is sure to be all over this one and (wouldn't you know it!) Bill Weigand is in Washington DC prying information out of the FBI. So Artie takes the case himself and is enraged to discover that the body was found in the hotel suite of Mr and Mrs North and Martini the Siamese cat. They've fled their apartment due to painters and returned from dinner to find Martini locked out of the bathroom (which has her litter box) and a dead body on one of the beds.
Artie's blood pressure rises to ominous heights as he deals with Pam North's waffling explanations and a cat snarling at him from behind the sofa. To make matters worse, he has to go toe-to-toe with a steely hotel maid who also likes cats (hers is red and won't eat anything but liver) and who isn't the least bit intimidated by a Deputy Chief Inspector. Showing the mettle that earned his promotions, Artie makes an executive decision, calling Weigand back to New York and retiring to the sidelines. Artie may not have a degree in Criminal Justice, but he knows when to retreat.
I think this book is outstanding because it involves three things Frances and Richard Lockridge knew all about: journalism, novel publishing, and bright young people moving to the Big City. Both Missouri reporters, they moved to New York City and became a successful writing team. Many of their former colleagues weren't so lucky. Journalism is a young man's game and older ones are pushed to the sidelines.
Amanda Townes has left Arkansas in the dust, but her past followed her in the form of three men who were friends and mentors when they all worked on Chicago newspapers. She's married to (and long separated from) one of them. The second one works for her as an announcer. And the third has disappeared into the wilds of the Ozark Mountains where he's supposed to be working on the Great American Novel.
While her older male friends have fallen into obscurity, Amanda has become an interviewer/hostess who manages to be elegant, yet down-to-earth. Audiences and sponsors adore her. Network employees subject to her whims and interviewees she's trapped into making damning statements, not so much. The list of suspects is extensive and some of them are hard to locate.
Meanwhile, North Books, Inc. has a best selling saga penned by a shy young man from Arkansas who can't believe his good luck. His first book a best-seller AND the friendship of wonderful people like Pam and Jerry North. What more could he ask for? Pam is enchanted by his "Aw shucks, Ma'am" charm and Jerry North is just as thrilled, until he re-reads the novel and discovers something that almost makes his heart stop beating. Will North Books, Inc. be brought to bankruptcy by a libel-lawsuit?
The trail leads to an isolated (putting it mildly) spot in the Ozarks. Bill's looking for a man who might be the answer to two murders. Jerry's hoping to avert a legal disaster. Pam's wishing she'd brought boots. And someone's shooting at them!
It's a well-plotted, witty mystery and a charming look back to the 1950's. The economy is booming, big city folks are chomping Milltowns (an early Prozac) and prices are outrageous. A suite at the stately Hotel Breckenridge sets Jerry North back $35 per night. And filling the rental car so they can make it to Top Town, Arkansas costs $5.24. Those were the days, my friend.
Fans of this series know NYPD Deputy Chief Inspector Artemus O'Malley as the boss of Captain Bill Weigand, friend of the mystery-loving Norths. Having achieved a high rank, Artie should be a happy man, but he's beset by nosy reporters on one side and over-educated, namby-pamby young cops on the other. He hates civilians and cats and the involvement of Pam and Jerry North (and Pete, Martini, etc) in the investigation of Manhattan murders has long been a thorn in his ample flesh.
Normally he's a bellowing voice on the end of the wire, but now a popular television hostess named Amanda Towne has been murdered in a classy Manhattan hotel. The press is sure to be all over this one and (wouldn't you know it!) Bill Weigand is in Washington DC prying information out of the FBI. So Artie takes the case himself and is enraged to discover that the body was found in the hotel suite of Mr and Mrs North and Martini the Siamese cat. They've fled their apartment due to painters and returned from dinner to find Martini locked out of the bathroom (which has her litter box) and a dead body on one of the beds.
Artie's blood pressure rises to ominous heights as he deals with Pam North's waffling explanations and a cat snarling at him from behind the sofa. To make matters worse, he has to go toe-to-toe with a steely hotel maid who also likes cats (hers is red and won't eat anything but liver) and who isn't the least bit intimidated by a Deputy Chief Inspector. Showing the mettle that earned his promotions, Artie makes an executive decision, calling Weigand back to New York and retiring to the sidelines. Artie may not have a degree in Criminal Justice, but he knows when to retreat.
I think this book is outstanding because it involves three things Frances and Richard Lockridge knew all about: journalism, novel publishing, and bright young people moving to the Big City. Both Missouri reporters, they moved to New York City and became a successful writing team. Many of their former colleagues weren't so lucky. Journalism is a young man's game and older ones are pushed to the sidelines.
Amanda Townes has left Arkansas in the dust, but her past followed her in the form of three men who were friends and mentors when they all worked on Chicago newspapers. She's married to (and long separated from) one of them. The second one works for her as an announcer. And the third has disappeared into the wilds of the Ozark Mountains where he's supposed to be working on the Great American Novel.
While her older male friends have fallen into obscurity, Amanda has become an interviewer/hostess who manages to be elegant, yet down-to-earth. Audiences and sponsors adore her. Network employees subject to her whims and interviewees she's trapped into making damning statements, not so much. The list of suspects is extensive and some of them are hard to locate.
Meanwhile, North Books, Inc. has a best selling saga penned by a shy young man from Arkansas who can't believe his good luck. His first book a best-seller AND the friendship of wonderful people like Pam and Jerry North. What more could he ask for? Pam is enchanted by his "Aw shucks, Ma'am" charm and Jerry North is just as thrilled, until he re-reads the novel and discovers something that almost makes his heart stop beating. Will North Books, Inc. be brought to bankruptcy by a libel-lawsuit?
The trail leads to an isolated (putting it mildly) spot in the Ozarks. Bill's looking for a man who might be the answer to two murders. Jerry's hoping to avert a legal disaster. Pam's wishing she'd brought boots. And someone's shooting at them!
It's a well-plotted, witty mystery and a charming look back to the 1950's. The economy is booming, big city folks are chomping Milltowns (an early Prozac) and prices are outrageous. A suite at the stately Hotel Breckenridge sets Jerry North back $35 per night. And filling the rental car so they can make it to Top Town, Arkansas costs $5.24. Those were the days, my friend.
March 21, 2020
Murder has a way of finding Mr. and Mrs. North. They have fled the smell and mess of their New York City apartment while it is being painted. A nearby hotel seemed the logical choice for a few days stay. So they left their hotel room for a leisurely dinner and movie that first evening, but when they came back, there was another occupant in their room - a dead woman on a bed! Their friend Bill Weigand is away on another case and his boss, Inspector O’Malley, is sure that this time they have to be involved in the murder. So begins the 22nd book in the Mr. and Mrs. North series!
December 19, 2019
Early Bird Book Deal | Entertaining to have Artie deal with the Norths directly, though I'm glad he brought Weigand back for most of it. | though I could feel the overall shape of the solution early, and who the killer was, this was one of the rare entries in which I wasn't totally sure of all the details until the denouement, which is always a nice bonus.
December 28, 2025
A well-done mystery by accomplished writers. They have a nice, unique style. Will definitely read more. Enough clues to guess, but not necessarily deduce, the solution. A couple of chapters got kind of wordy towards the end but not enough to be boring.
October 7, 2023
Love a mystery from the 50s where commonplace terms from the era need googling now. Ex. Take a Miltown.
December 8, 2025
A fun entry in the North series, featuring painters, authors, and TV personalities, plus two types of martinis (Martini the Siamese cat and many, many ice cold martinis).
September 8, 2014
Reading this after reading an early 1950's McCalls' interview of the Norths, and you understand, possibly, the Lockridges' relationship. She was a bit in her own world, e.g. a world where cats are as important as people (actually, maybe even more important), but he was fine with being the protective father-figure.
Spoiler Alert re this book and Write Murder Down!:
From the two Lockridge books I've read so far--writing a bestseller after toiling in obscurity, in the deep South, can be dangerous for a variety of reasons, e.g.:
1. If your thinking about leaving your current publisher because he's not giving you a very good deal, he might be so invested in your success he will connive a way, dangerous to you, to ensure he gets his hands on your second book; and
2. Someone might try and take the book from you, while its still in manuscript, and present it as their own.
I like the frequent factoids from the world of publishing in 1950's to 1970's New York, that the Lockridge books provide. Also, the chance to walk in the Greenwich Village of the mid-Twentieth Century. But the culprit in The Long Skeleton can be spotted almost from the moment he first appears.
Spoiler Alert re this book and Write Murder Down!:
From the two Lockridge books I've read so far--writing a bestseller after toiling in obscurity, in the deep South, can be dangerous for a variety of reasons, e.g.:
1. If your thinking about leaving your current publisher because he's not giving you a very good deal, he might be so invested in your success he will connive a way, dangerous to you, to ensure he gets his hands on your second book; and
2. Someone might try and take the book from you, while its still in manuscript, and present it as their own.
I like the frequent factoids from the world of publishing in 1950's to 1970's New York, that the Lockridge books provide. Also, the chance to walk in the Greenwich Village of the mid-Twentieth Century. But the culprit in The Long Skeleton can be spotted almost from the moment he first appears.
February 14, 2017
Another fun read.
February 23, 2015
Fun romp of a mystery. The Norths, a couple who repeatedly stumble upon dead bodies evidently, are having their apartment painted so they check into a hotel. They leave their room for awhile and return to find the dead body of a newscaster in one of the bedrooms of their hotel suite. The next day the widower calls them to meet because he has something urgent to tell them but is killed before meeting with them. Naturally they are suspected to be involved by a police captain. Lots of tongue-in-cheek interplay.
June 7, 2010
Another Mr. & Mrs. North mystery. This one involves the death of Amanda Towne, who interviews people for a tv show called "The Person Next Door."
The writing is just fine, however the mystery is pretty easy to figure out. So, if you enjoy the telling of the tale-- this would be fine. I actually like the characters a lot so spending time with them is nice.
The writing is just fine, however the mystery is pretty easy to figure out. So, if you enjoy the telling of the tale-- this would be fine. I actually like the characters a lot so spending time with them is nice.
June 20, 2011
I had a very hard time getting through this book. So incredibly wordy!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews