The Bind

by Stanley Ellin

From a three-time Edgar Award–winning A private eye trails a blackmailer, a missing Florida widow, and a double-indemnity swindler. Freelance private investigator Jake Dekker and his lovely assistant, Elinor, are kicking back in Biscayne Bay as they plan their next move on a new masquerading as newlyweds and insinuating themselves into the confidence of South Miami Beach’s highly respected Thoren family. Only weeks before, patriarch Walter Thoren died in a car accident after taking out a double-indemnity policy for a cool six figures, and the insurance company suspects fraud. They won’t have to pay if Jake can prove it was suicide. Unfortunately for Jake, things don’t add Walter was healthy, sane, and prosperous. And given the particulars of the crash, it couldn’t have been murder. So what exactly are the Thorens concealing? To find out, Jake and Elinor will head down a twisting trail of blackmail, mob connections, kidnapping, family secrets, and sordid sexual indiscretions. But they, too, are being inveigled by a masquerade—and it’s hiding the most shocking scandal under the sun. A dark masterpiece of crime fiction, The Bind was adapted for the 1979 film Sunburn, starring Farrah Fawcett, Charles Grodin, and Art Carney.

405 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

Stanley Bernard Ellin was a mystery writer of short stories and novels. He won the Edgar Allan Poe Award three times and the Grand Prix de Litterature Policiere once, and in 1981 he was awarded with the Mystery Writers of America's highest honor, the Grand Master Award.

Reviews

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book and rate it 3.5 stars. Jake Dekker and his lovely assistant move into a rented house for a month in a wealthy part of Miami Beach in 1968. Jake is a free lance insurance investigator who only gets paid if he saves the insurance company from paying out on a fraudulent claim--in this case $200,000. The policy was for $100,00 with a double indemnity clause in case of an accident. But the insurance company smells a rat and puts Jake on the case. Jake's assistant, Elinor, is a part time actress, who has been hired to play Jake's wife.
There are a lot of different elements in this plot--a fraudulent insurance claim, false identities, blackmail, a bit of romance and organized crime figures. About halfway through the blackmail becomes less believable. I can't explain why without going into spoiler territory.
Some less palatable parts-- blatant prejudice by some characters towards black and Jewish people.
The author bio states that Stanley Ellin lived from 1916-1986 and won several awards.
Some quotes:
Prejudice--"The complication is that his father's been family doctor for the Thorens and us and lot of others around here for years. Fine doctor, nice, level headed guy who knows his place, enjoys a good Yid joke as much as anybody else--now how do you tell a man like that that his son just isn't wanted around here? Certainly not to be a papa to your grandchildren."
Souvenir hunter--"If that body turns up in the bay, do you think they'll let me have any buckshot they dig out of it as kind of a souvenir?"
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me this book.

[Patricia Doyle · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Bind was a very intricately woven story, no doubt. Too many situations, however, had to fall in place throughout the book in order to make it work. There were way too many occasions where Jake needed something done, and, unrealistically, Magnes would fix him up at the drop of a hat with someone to either find out information, send in another guy, or make a boat show up, all with pinpoint timing. Not believable.

Not believable either was the premise that this whole story was built on whether insurance money was or wasn’t due Mrs. Thoren. Thousands of dollars of Jake’s fee were spent along the way for Elinor’s and Magnes’s services, so much so that there would have been very little left.

The love story was lame at best. It’s very one-sided with needy Elinor hanging on Jake – yup, a real eye-roller – and he’s continually brushing her off. He treats her like crap, yet she hangs on, claiming to love him. If Mr. Ellin is trying to give the impression that she’s a ditzy, dumb blond, he is very successful.

The ending seemed very hastily thrown together. I, the reader, am supposed to believe this convoluted and complex story that took 97% of the book and then believe that the ending could be pulled together in a few pages. It didn’t work for me.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Independent insurance investigator, Jake Dekker, is in Miami Beach looking into a possible $200,000 insurance fraud – a suicide claiming to be an accident. As part of his cover, he has hired an actress, Elinor Majeski, to pretend to be his wife, so they seem to be a happily married couple.

But was Jake’s investigation begins to uncover the true identify of the man who committee suicide, he begins to discover a deeper criminal plot – signs of blackmail that go far beyond the dead man.

And as he does, his actress ‘wife’ begins to fall in love with him. The complications multiply in this length but riveting mystery by one of mystery’s Grand Masters.

[David Putnam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It's the kind of book I couldn't wait to get back to. But I'm a big John D. MacDonald fan and this book has a strong flavor of the Travis McGee series. The book was published in 1970 during the peak of John D. and its also set in Florida. I'm a big mystery and thriller fan, its the kind of novel I also write so I study the field extensively. I follow the blogs, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, book conferences, talk to fans. I buy all the books nominated for the awards and read them in order to stay current on the market and find out what the readers like. This keeps me very busy. But at the same time I am always on the alert for someone I missed. And Stanley Ellin is definitely someone I missed, (At least with The Bind. I've ordered his other books). I really don't know how I missed him. He is the recipient of seven Edgar awards. Amazing.
In the book Jake is a strong character, likable and at the same time flawed. There are women in the story very similar to the McGee series as well as a knowledgeable little old man who acts almost like a side kick. Jake is an independent contractor trying to recover fifty percent of a life insurance policy yet to be dispersed. The book has layer after layer of clues and as the story evolves just enough violence. Ellin had me in his grasp as we came to the ending. I thought I knew what was going to happen and on the last page I was a little stunned. Not what I expected at all.
The book is written in third person, even so there is only one point of view, Jake's which puts the book on a more personal level. Ellin uses a clever ploy to give the reader information on the bad guys, Jake bugs several phones that he can listen in on even without a phone being active on a call.
In the story there is a secondary plot line, a romance that is slow to develop-just the right speed.
There is a lot to like about this book. I don't know why some publisher hasn't picked it up and reprinted it.
What didn't like was all the adverbs, tons of them. And they are also used in the dialogue as well which for me is like fingernails on a chalkboard.
Overall a great read.
David Putnam Author of The Bruno Johnson series.

[Lesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Independent insurance investigator, Jake Dekker, is in Miami Beach looking into a possible $200,000 insurance fraud – a suicide claiming to be an accident. As part of his cover, he has hired an actress, Elinor Majeski, to pretend to be his wife, so they seem to be a happily married couple.

But was Jake’s investigation begins to uncover the true identify of the man who committee suicide, he begins to discover a deeper criminal plot – signs of blackmail that go far beyond the dead man.

And as he does, his actress ‘wife’ begins to fall in love with him. The complications multiply in this lengthy but riveting mystery by one of mystery’s Grand Masters.

[Martha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5.

I keep picking up seedy, hard-boiled-ish novels set in 1970s Florida, and they just never reach the level of seediness for which I'm hoping. That is definitely true of The Bind, the story about an independent contractor for an insurance company who, with a stand-in for his usual female assistant/fake!wife, is investigating a suspicious death. The conspiracy is deep and pretty absurd (the mob! Nazis!) and the romance entirely unmotivated and laughable. That said, the fact that the male lead isn't forgiven for his massive, late error in judgement went a long way toward redeeming the whole book for me.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tall glass of juicy pulp from 1970. Very nice.