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One for the Road
A small-town reporter must investigate a murder in a motel—before he becomes the story—in this mystery from an Edgar Award winner and “real pro” (The New York Times Book Review).
For his first mystery in two years, Fredric Brown gives us the story of a baffling murder in a small town in Arizona and a young newspaper man's efforts to solve it.
The narrator is Bob Spitzer, newspaperman, for a small weekly newspaper in a small provincial town, the "Weekly Sun" of Mayville, Arizona. One day the owner, administrator, director and editor-in-chief Sydney M. Hetherton, tasks him with looking into a crime that has just occurred in the local motel: A woman named Amy Waggoner has been found naked and stabbed to death on the premises. Bob just wants to marry his girlfriend Doris, get a proper job, and also find out just who stabbed Amy Waggoner, the blonde lush living well beyond her means at the motel. She had only been in town a few weeks. She had little luggage, a not-too-new car, the alimony sent to her by her ex-husband's lawyer, and an insatiable thirst for whiskey.
Amy is already dead when the story begins; it is unclear just what she was doing in such a small and out-of-the-way town in the first place and why anyone would mean her any harm given that she was an apparent stranger to everyone. Apart from drinking through her weekly alimony check, she seems to do little else, returning alone to her motel room every night. She hadn’t made any particular friends or enemies, with the possible exception of local simpleton Herbie Pembrook, who was caught peeping through her bedroom once.
It is the first murder that the inexperienced Bob Spitzer has had to deal with. When the call came from Birdie Edwards, owner of the motel, Bob accompanied the Chief of Police to the scene. As the reporter and the police chief survey the lurid scene, Spitzer reflects on the fact that he once showed a romantic interest in the victim—a fact that could put the spotlight of suspicion directly on him. His only hope for taking the heat off himself is to put his investigative skills to work and locate the elusive murderer — not something he does very often working for a weekly rag in a sleepy little town near the Mexican border . . .
For his first mystery in two years, Fredric Brown gives us the story of a baffling murder in a small town in Arizona and a young newspaper man's efforts to solve it.
The narrator is Bob Spitzer, newspaperman, for a small weekly newspaper in a small provincial town, the "Weekly Sun" of Mayville, Arizona. One day the owner, administrator, director and editor-in-chief Sydney M. Hetherton, tasks him with looking into a crime that has just occurred in the local motel: A woman named Amy Waggoner has been found naked and stabbed to death on the premises. Bob just wants to marry his girlfriend Doris, get a proper job, and also find out just who stabbed Amy Waggoner, the blonde lush living well beyond her means at the motel. She had only been in town a few weeks. She had little luggage, a not-too-new car, the alimony sent to her by her ex-husband's lawyer, and an insatiable thirst for whiskey.
Amy is already dead when the story begins; it is unclear just what she was doing in such a small and out-of-the-way town in the first place and why anyone would mean her any harm given that she was an apparent stranger to everyone. Apart from drinking through her weekly alimony check, she seems to do little else, returning alone to her motel room every night. She hadn’t made any particular friends or enemies, with the possible exception of local simpleton Herbie Pembrook, who was caught peeping through her bedroom once.
It is the first murder that the inexperienced Bob Spitzer has had to deal with. When the call came from Birdie Edwards, owner of the motel, Bob accompanied the Chief of Police to the scene. As the reporter and the police chief survey the lurid scene, Spitzer reflects on the fact that he once showed a romantic interest in the victim—a fact that could put the spotlight of suspicion directly on him. His only hope for taking the heat off himself is to put his investigative skills to work and locate the elusive murderer — not something he does very often working for a weekly rag in a sleepy little town near the Mexican border . . .
Paperback
First published January 1, 1948
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About the author
Fredric Brown
807 books354 followersFredric Brown was an American science fiction and mystery writer. He was one of the boldest early writers in genre fiction in his use of narrative experimentation. While never in the front rank of popularity in his lifetime, Brown has developed a considerable cult following in the almost half century since he last wrote. His works have been periodically reprinted and he has a worldwide fan base, most notably in the U.S. and Europe, and especially in France, where there have been several recent movie adaptations of his work. He also remains popular in Japan.
Never financially secure, Brown - like many other pulp writers - often wrote at a furious pace in order to pay bills. This accounts, at least in part, for the uneven quality of his work. A newspaperman by profession, Brown was only able to devote 14 years of his life as a full-time fiction writer. Brown was also a heavy drinker, and this at times doubtless affected his productivity. A cultured man and omnivorous reader whose interests ranged far beyond those of most pulp writers, Brown had a lifelong interest in the flute, chess, poker, and the works of Lewis Carroll. Brown married twice and was the father of two sons.
Never financially secure, Brown - like many other pulp writers - often wrote at a furious pace in order to pay bills. This accounts, at least in part, for the uneven quality of his work. A newspaperman by profession, Brown was only able to devote 14 years of his life as a full-time fiction writer. Brown was also a heavy drinker, and this at times doubtless affected his productivity. A cultured man and omnivorous reader whose interests ranged far beyond those of most pulp writers, Brown had a lifelong interest in the flute, chess, poker, and the works of Lewis Carroll. Brown married twice and was the father of two sons.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 24, 2024
Frederic Brown’s One for the Road (1962) is set in a small fictional Arizona border town, Mayville. The lead character and first-person narrator is a young wanna-be-reporter, Robert Spitzer, who got suckered into a long-term contract to report for the Weekly Sun, Mayville’s only newspaper, edited by Sidney M. Hetherton. It harkens back to that old time world where reporters actually sat at typewriters and reported the news, not the political spin they are often told to nowadays. Spitzer spends a lot of time at bars when he is not romancing Doris, the telephone operator. It is a small town, especially when it is not tourist season, and boasts a police department of Chief McNulty and two deputies and a jail so small there is no place to house female criminals. One o the deputies is Mexican-American Refugio Herrara and he apparently runs the Hispanic side of town (“Mextown”) like his personal fiefdom.
The events of this story are set in motion when Birdie Edwards, a big, coarse, middle-aged woman who looks for all the world like the madam of a bordello, who now runs a beat-up motel, calls in and tells McNulty that Amy Waggoner, a prime female lush who does little more than spend her weekly alimony check on booze, has not come out of her room and Birdie is suspicious, suspecting the worst. Spitzer tags along with the police chief and finds that Amy Waggoner was there all right, but lying in bed nude with a knife wound to her heart. Upon viewing her corpse, Spitzer notes that her body was suprisingly beautiful. He had come close to putting the moves on her with them both tipsy one night a while back when he was on the outs with Doris, but Amy finally had too much booze that night and passed out. He hopes he doesn’t have to reveal that connection.
Much of the story is filled with Spitzer’s speculation about what happened to her and why, particularly why she came to this small town in the middle of nowhere and did seemingly nothing. While not exactly action-packed, Brown fills this story with just enough intrigue to keep the reader guessing until the end when what really happened to Amy is finally revealed. Using a relative innocent like young Spitzer instead of a hardboiled detective is key to the mood and pace of the story.
The events of this story are set in motion when Birdie Edwards, a big, coarse, middle-aged woman who looks for all the world like the madam of a bordello, who now runs a beat-up motel, calls in and tells McNulty that Amy Waggoner, a prime female lush who does little more than spend her weekly alimony check on booze, has not come out of her room and Birdie is suspicious, suspecting the worst. Spitzer tags along with the police chief and finds that Amy Waggoner was there all right, but lying in bed nude with a knife wound to her heart. Upon viewing her corpse, Spitzer notes that her body was suprisingly beautiful. He had come close to putting the moves on her with them both tipsy one night a while back when he was on the outs with Doris, but Amy finally had too much booze that night and passed out. He hopes he doesn’t have to reveal that connection.
Much of the story is filled with Spitzer’s speculation about what happened to her and why, particularly why she came to this small town in the middle of nowhere and did seemingly nothing. While not exactly action-packed, Brown fills this story with just enough intrigue to keep the reader guessing until the end when what really happened to Amy is finally revealed. Using a relative innocent like young Spitzer instead of a hardboiled detective is key to the mood and pace of the story.
December 27, 2022
A reporter in a small Arizona town finds himself reporting on, and eventually caught up in, the murder of a woman who had only been in town a month. There is no apparent motive, yet the oddities in her killing and those around her begin to become staggering.
I loved the voice of the reporter Robert Spitzer who was the book's protagonist. He's a no nonsense character, yet he is easily identifiable, believable, and relatable to the reader. He also has a moment with the murder victim which had me often wondering if he was being honest with the reader.
The progression through the clues and suspects is believable, though it's only in the end when the killer is revealed that the book slightly stumbled. The identify and reason for the killing is a stretch, yet I was able to roll with it. After the reveal the story also seemed a bit stretched, but, again, it didn't ruin the book for me.
I was unaware of the many other famous books written by this author and will be chasing down other works by him in this genre and others.
I loved the voice of the reporter Robert Spitzer who was the book's protagonist. He's a no nonsense character, yet he is easily identifiable, believable, and relatable to the reader. He also has a moment with the murder victim which had me often wondering if he was being honest with the reader.
The progression through the clues and suspects is believable, though it's only in the end when the killer is revealed that the book slightly stumbled. The identify and reason for the killing is a stretch, yet I was able to roll with it. After the reveal the story also seemed a bit stretched, but, again, it didn't ruin the book for me.
I was unaware of the many other famous books written by this author and will be chasing down other works by him in this genre and others.
October 3, 2017
Another one of Brown's novels where the investigator is a newspaperman in a small town. Unfortunately, this is not one of his better efforts. At a 154 pp it reads like the spiced-up, sexed-up, expanded novelette -- it's based on his "The Amy Waggoner Murder" -- that it is. Lots of background stories of the towns denizens. Expand, expand, expand!!!
There is some surprisingly frank discussion of drugs. And I'm guessing Brown smoked a joint or two in his life.
It wraps up satisfactorily, but there is a better story awaiting over in the story's "Mextown" side of town.
That being said, I really enjoy reading Brown -- he writes the way I think, so the pages turn quickly -- and I very much enjoyed this one.
There is some surprisingly frank discussion of drugs. And I'm guessing Brown smoked a joint or two in his life.
It wraps up satisfactorily, but there is a better story awaiting over in the story's "Mextown" side of town.
That being said, I really enjoy reading Brown -- he writes the way I think, so the pages turn quickly -- and I very much enjoyed this one.
July 3, 2025
You should definitely read THE FAR CRY and HIS NAME WAS DEATH by Fredric Brown first, before reading ONE FOR THE ROAD. It's been years, but I can also remember liking THE WENCH IS DEAD and MADBALL. I'd have to put ONE FOR THE ROAD in fifth place among those five, only for the fact that it's a bit slow 🐌 at the take-off and seemed to be padded with a lot of filler. It's worth considering how many crime novels that stretch to 150 pages might have benefited from only being 120 pages instead. I think this was one of those.
Bob Spitzer works as a newspaper reporter in Mayville, Arizona for a cheap bastard named Sidney Hertherton who has Bob locked into some kind of 2 year contract making way below average pay. At the local hotel a woman named Amy is found murdered by what appears to be a single stab wound through the heart. Amy is an alcoholic, well known throughout town as someone living on alimony with no plans accept to continue drinking (the kind of woman Charles Bukowski often wrote about).
The main reason I felt this could have been better is that the first forty five or so pages are devoted more to giving background to the characters introduced, and to a kind of meandering in general, than to focusing on the murder of Amy. Had it not been for Fredric Brown being a great writer in general I would have been too bored to even continue past page 35.
One of the chapters I really enjoyed involved Bob, who is busy trying to solve Amy's murder, getting stoned with the local bartender, and the descriptions of the high, which are hilarious. There's also the mention of harder drugs, mainly speedball capsules, which are believed to be connected to Amy's murder. These capsules include Morphine, heroin, and cocaine. I'm pretty sure the morphine wouldn't be needed if the mixture already contained heroin, but what do I know.
This book will disappoint if your looking for action. What little there is you have to wait for. The list of suspects is short but I still didn't guess who Amy's murderer was, so there was at least that surprise and the resulting suspence. So, in summary, this is worth a read, but if your new to Fredric Brown, pick one of the others I mentioned
Bob Spitzer works as a newspaper reporter in Mayville, Arizona for a cheap bastard named Sidney Hertherton who has Bob locked into some kind of 2 year contract making way below average pay. At the local hotel a woman named Amy is found murdered by what appears to be a single stab wound through the heart. Amy is an alcoholic, well known throughout town as someone living on alimony with no plans accept to continue drinking (the kind of woman Charles Bukowski often wrote about).
The main reason I felt this could have been better is that the first forty five or so pages are devoted more to giving background to the characters introduced, and to a kind of meandering in general, than to focusing on the murder of Amy. Had it not been for Fredric Brown being a great writer in general I would have been too bored to even continue past page 35.
One of the chapters I really enjoyed involved Bob, who is busy trying to solve Amy's murder, getting stoned with the local bartender, and the descriptions of the high, which are hilarious. There's also the mention of harder drugs, mainly speedball capsules, which are believed to be connected to Amy's murder. These capsules include Morphine, heroin, and cocaine. I'm pretty sure the morphine wouldn't be needed if the mixture already contained heroin, but what do I know.
This book will disappoint if your looking for action. What little there is you have to wait for. The list of suspects is short but I still didn't guess who Amy's murderer was, so there was at least that surprise and the resulting suspence. So, in summary, this is worth a read, but if your new to Fredric Brown, pick one of the others I mentioned
January 19, 2025
An Entertaining Who-Done-It
Brown is a master of both the crime thriller and the mystery, and this is the latter. It opens with the discovery of a murder, and then we follow the narrator, a small town reporter, as he helps the local police investigate the crime. It has all the elements of a good mystery - red herrings, liars, colorful characters, twists and turns - and it’s well written, moving along quickly. One caveat - the book was originally published in 1962 and there are some aspects dealing with a developmentally-disabled character as well as the local Mexican-American population (the novel is set in Arizona) that may offend modern readers.
Brown is a master of both the crime thriller and the mystery, and this is the latter. It opens with the discovery of a murder, and then we follow the narrator, a small town reporter, as he helps the local police investigate the crime. It has all the elements of a good mystery - red herrings, liars, colorful characters, twists and turns - and it’s well written, moving along quickly. One caveat - the book was originally published in 1962 and there are some aspects dealing with a developmentally-disabled character as well as the local Mexican-American population (the novel is set in Arizona) that may offend modern readers.
July 22, 2021
Not the best Freddie out there, but has his knowledge of newspapers on display.
May 29, 2022
le sobra una gran cantidad de páginas, pero Brown escribe muy bien, que se leen rápido.
July 15, 2017
Buen ejemplo de novela negra. Lineal, sencilla, fácil de leer y con una trama que engancha.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews