What do you think?
Rate this book
John Putnam Thatcher #2
A Place for Murder: Emma Lathen
ePub version. 2nd of 37 best selling Emma Lathen mysteries featuring SVP of the Sloan Guaranty Trust, John Putnam Thatcher, who gets to the bottom of things by cutting through divorce, carryings on, dog shows, and more to examine the financial motives and nail the killer. A humorous romp for those who like humor and good writing in their mysteries. Called the American Agatha Christie and Nero Wolfe with Portfolio, by the New York Times.
258 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1963
8 people are currently reading
73 people want to read
About the author
Emma Lathen
41 books22 followersAka R.B. Dominic
Emma Lathen is the pen name of two American businesswomen: an attorney Mary Jane Latsis (July 12, 1927 -October 29, 1997) and an economic analyst Martha Henissart (b. 1929),who received her B.A. in physics from Mount Holyoke College in 1950.
http://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/31/boo...
Emma Lathen is the pen name of two American businesswomen: an attorney Mary Jane Latsis (July 12, 1927 -October 29, 1997) and an economic analyst Martha Henissart (b. 1929),who received her B.A. in physics from Mount Holyoke College in 1950.
http://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/31/boo...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
July 10, 2019
John Thatcher has been called away from his office on Wall Street by the president of the Sloan, who needs all the support he can get when his sister announces her divorce. No one is quite sure what happened to the couple's twenty-year marriage and when Thatcher meets all the parties he's puzzled, too. He becomes even more puzzled when one of the parties is murdered in a highly unusual way. Muddying the waters are a dog show, moose antlers, and the seductive owner of New England Inn.
Second in the long-running mystery series about a Wall Street banker who can't resist digging for the truth, this isn't one of my favorites in the series. I think it suffers from too many characters that the reader never really gets to know. Every time I read it I spend the first half of the book trying to remember who Donald is and which son belongs to which couple. I also miss the subtle humor that comes in the later books. Still it's a serviceable story that is better in the second half. And time spent with any Lathen mystery is never a waste. Thatcher is a smart, detached, wry observer of human nature, a widower with almost no social life. No profanity, sex or violence here. Instead these books feel to me much like Agatha Christie novels, with a focus on a few likable characters and the mystery itself. All the clues the reader needs to unwind the puzzle are included but they're pretty deftly hidden. 2.5 stars
The Series in General:
The stories are very well-written, intelligent, and the later ones contain some gentle humor. People are presented in all their strengths and weaknesses, but Thatcher's general kindness keeps them from looking ridiculous. Usually, anyway. Another strength of the series is the variety of settings. The mysteries don't actually take place at the bank, but instead in different businesses the bank has an interest in. Later books give the reader an insider's look into some aspect of business. I really enjoy these forays, as well as the minor characters we meet as the story develops.
A possible complaint is that, despite the fact that the author was actually two highly successful professional women, all the MCs are men. The only females here are wives, daughters and secretaries. This never bothered me, I think because when the women do show up they're generally pretty sharp and independent. Also, times have changed enough that these books feel more historical than contemporary, to me. Still it's too bad no one broke the glass ceiling at Sloan Guarantee and Trust during this series. (Also, it's not like the men are paragons of intelligence or virtue, either. There's a sweetly cynical cast to everyone in these books that I like.)
I've been a fan of this author for decades - I own all of her (their) books, picked up in pre-Internet days from used book stores and library sales. Still, I'm very happy to see the books available on ebook for reasonable prices. You don't always have access to your books, (mine are in storage in another state right now), and it's easier to recommend books to friends if they're actually available to the reader. So, yeah ebooks! (Some Amazon reviews mention terrible typos and other errors. Apparently these have been fixed in the titles I've purchased so far. You can always try an ebook and return it to Amazon if the typos aren't fixed.)
It's not necessary to read the series in order, as each book is very much a stand alone. My favorites are: When in Greece, Murder to Go, Pick Up Sticks, Ashes to Ashes, Murder Without Icing, Going for the Gold and Right on the Money. This author really deserves to be much more widely read. I hope she soon will be.
Second in the long-running mystery series about a Wall Street banker who can't resist digging for the truth, this isn't one of my favorites in the series. I think it suffers from too many characters that the reader never really gets to know. Every time I read it I spend the first half of the book trying to remember who Donald is and which son belongs to which couple. I also miss the subtle humor that comes in the later books. Still it's a serviceable story that is better in the second half. And time spent with any Lathen mystery is never a waste. Thatcher is a smart, detached, wry observer of human nature, a widower with almost no social life. No profanity, sex or violence here. Instead these books feel to me much like Agatha Christie novels, with a focus on a few likable characters and the mystery itself. All the clues the reader needs to unwind the puzzle are included but they're pretty deftly hidden. 2.5 stars
The Series in General:
The stories are very well-written, intelligent, and the later ones contain some gentle humor. People are presented in all their strengths and weaknesses, but Thatcher's general kindness keeps them from looking ridiculous. Usually, anyway. Another strength of the series is the variety of settings. The mysteries don't actually take place at the bank, but instead in different businesses the bank has an interest in. Later books give the reader an insider's look into some aspect of business. I really enjoy these forays, as well as the minor characters we meet as the story develops.
A possible complaint is that, despite the fact that the author was actually two highly successful professional women, all the MCs are men. The only females here are wives, daughters and secretaries. This never bothered me, I think because when the women do show up they're generally pretty sharp and independent. Also, times have changed enough that these books feel more historical than contemporary, to me. Still it's too bad no one broke the glass ceiling at Sloan Guarantee and Trust during this series. (Also, it's not like the men are paragons of intelligence or virtue, either. There's a sweetly cynical cast to everyone in these books that I like.)
I've been a fan of this author for decades - I own all of her (their) books, picked up in pre-Internet days from used book stores and library sales. Still, I'm very happy to see the books available on ebook for reasonable prices. You don't always have access to your books, (mine are in storage in another state right now), and it's easier to recommend books to friends if they're actually available to the reader. So, yeah ebooks! (Some Amazon reviews mention terrible typos and other errors. Apparently these have been fixed in the titles I've purchased so far. You can always try an ebook and return it to Amazon if the typos aren't fixed.)
It's not necessary to read the series in order, as each book is very much a stand alone. My favorites are: When in Greece, Murder to Go, Pick Up Sticks, Ashes to Ashes, Murder Without Icing, Going for the Gold and Right on the Money. This author really deserves to be much more widely read. I hope she soon will be.
July 30, 2018
John Thatcher, vice president at the Sloan, is summoned by Sloan president Brad Withers to support Withers and his sister in the complexities of the sister's divorce. When the Other Woman is found dead, followed by another murder, Thatcher and his team find themselves in a community of the ultra-wealthy, surrounded by all the visiting attendees of a dog show.
Again, it's a matter of following the money. Readers can enjoy not only the puzzle but the satirical renderings of the wealthy community and of the dog show.
Read 2 times
Again, it's a matter of following the money. Readers can enjoy not only the puzzle but the satirical renderings of the wealthy community and of the dog show.
Read 2 times
October 17, 2022
this book was pretty good! i feel like it should be a bit higher than a 4 honestly because 1) i kept getting so engrossed in the high society of it all i forget there would be a crime even though it is clearly a who dunnit and 2) i feel like the outcome genuinely surprised me
July 31, 2017
Very clear and lucid - I like the John Thatcher series a great deal.
May 12, 2019
I read nearly this whole series years ago, and recently reread one of the later ones, so I though I would go back to the beginning and reread them all. I didn't have #1 (getting it soon), but this is #2, so it seemed like a good place to re-start. This is different from most of the others in the series in that it doesn't really deal with a particular business, but rather with the divorce of the Sloan's president's sister. Thatcher has to go up to Connecticut to do some hand-holding, and in the process, solves 2 murders. I surprised myself by guessing whodunnit - I'll have to see if my theory of selecting the murderer holds up in later books.
Read
August 9, 2017Delves deep into dog shows and the enclaves of the wealthy. Enjoyable enough story (though again I feel so-so about the depiction of women). I think it's simply that the story is embedded in the male detective's viewpoint.
February 23, 2021
This is the second in the exploits of John Putnam Thatcher, a senior executive at Sloan Guaranty Trust Company in NYC. Set in the 1960s, I’m enjoying this series. And my rating is actually 3.5 stars.
In this installment, Thatcher is asked to help the President of Sloan Guaranty, Brad Withers, as his sister is getting a divorce and Thatcher is asked to help ensure that all the assets are fairly and equitably distributed. Set in the northwestern part of Connecticut, Thatcher, a NYC resident through and through, finds that he misses his Manhattan lifestyle. Things suddenly get interesting when the woman who was supposed to marry Brad’s brother-in-law is murdered. And a few days later, so is her brother. With ask many suspects with motives, Thatcher gets embroiled in trying to solve this murder.
This was an interesting story and the authors (two women writing under the pen name of Emma Lathen) provide a good amount of humor and social commenting. But I found it a little difficult to follow at times as there are man6 characters. I couldn’t always remember who was who! But it’s fun reading about business during a time when there were no cell phones, no personal computers, no fax machines, etc etc. It’s funny reading about documents being typed and bankers walking around with reams of documents, pads and notebooks.
Overall, an enjoyable read and a series I will continue to read.
In this installment, Thatcher is asked to help the President of Sloan Guaranty, Brad Withers, as his sister is getting a divorce and Thatcher is asked to help ensure that all the assets are fairly and equitably distributed. Set in the northwestern part of Connecticut, Thatcher, a NYC resident through and through, finds that he misses his Manhattan lifestyle. Things suddenly get interesting when the woman who was supposed to marry Brad’s brother-in-law is murdered. And a few days later, so is her brother. With ask many suspects with motives, Thatcher gets embroiled in trying to solve this murder.
This was an interesting story and the authors (two women writing under the pen name of Emma Lathen) provide a good amount of humor and social commenting. But I found it a little difficult to follow at times as there are man6 characters. I couldn’t always remember who was who! But it’s fun reading about business during a time when there were no cell phones, no personal computers, no fax machines, etc etc. It’s funny reading about documents being typed and bankers walking around with reams of documents, pads and notebooks.
Overall, an enjoyable read and a series I will continue to read.
March 21, 2019
I really want to like this series more. It has all the pieces: a unique setting, an amiable hero, details about people and places that are new to me or just amusing, and skillful, literate writing. But they’re just too long. Or rather, there’s not enough action to justify the length.
“A Place for Murder” could easily lose forty pages (of 191 in paperback). So much repetitive detail, long conversations simply meant to illustrate the kinds of people described, repetitive rumination on character and motivation.
I find myself agreeing with the sobriquet “The American Agatha Christie.” So much talk talk talk.
On the other hand, you can safely skip ahead when you get bored. It’s easy to find the important plot elements.
“A Place for Murder” could easily lose forty pages (of 191 in paperback). So much repetitive detail, long conversations simply meant to illustrate the kinds of people described, repetitive rumination on character and motivation.
I find myself agreeing with the sobriquet “The American Agatha Christie.” So much talk talk talk.
On the other hand, you can safely skip ahead when you get bored. It’s easy to find the important plot elements.
July 23, 2019
Not, in my opinion, one of the best in the series. It's still a readable mystery though and for dog-lovers the scenes at the dog show are good measure. Despite being some 50 years or more old this is not a particularly dated book except in relation to monetary figures.
Ken Nicholls met his wife in book 1 of the series. Here, in book 2, they are married and Jane is expecting their first child. Thatcher of course, Gabler, Trinkam and Miss Corsa are all there and bank president Brad Withers plays a more visible and involved role than in other books.
Ken Nicholls met his wife in book 1 of the series. Here, in book 2, they are married and Jane is expecting their first child. Thatcher of course, Gabler, Trinkam and Miss Corsa are all there and bank president Brad Withers plays a more visible and involved role than in other books.
December 3, 2024
I listened to an audio version of this book. What a mistake! The performance, credited to Deaver Brown, was so terrible that I could barely decipher the flow of the story. I had to replay long segments to even make out which characters were speaking and understand their motivations. The setting was well done and the main characters came through very well but this reader was left with many unanswered questions raised by the writers. This is the second time I have been drawn in to listen but have hopefully will never forget to check out the reader BEFORE buying Brown’s terrible narration.
September 8, 2023
The only reason I didn't give this 1 star is that the writing was clever. But the male centered business was insufferably self-important, and there were too many different things going on (for way too long) for me to care about (it's a divorce! No, a nitwit banker visiting his tax loss! Everybody go to the parade! It's an epic journey to get some papers signed! No, it's a dog show!) I couldn't wait to be done, and i didn't care who the murderer was.
April 25, 2021
Tricky mystery. I missed the clues. This is 57 years old and still fun. I learned more financially than from the accountant who did my taxes when I was in business in the 1980s. Unfortunately! Good story, fun characters, subtle humor. Thank heavens women have different lives now. Love this series!
August 12, 2017
I love this book. The story about divorce, kennels, ranching and dog shows is engrossing and I read it in one go. However there is an issue with things such as missing quotation marks and other punctuation. As I have already read this in paperback it wasn't a major issue.
November 20, 2024
A very clever mystery, and a nice change of pace from my generally more-recently-published reading. Not sure whether I'll seek out more in this series (there are a lot), but certainly wouldn't rule it out.
January 5, 2018
carefully crafted and contrived.
October 4, 2018
Sly and witty, with great characters and a fairly run of the mill mystery.
February 24, 2021
John Putnam Thatcher is a Higgins without a Magnum. It was okay but the audiobook I used for this really leaned into the stuffiness that can detract from the overall story in mysteries such as this.
March 29, 2024
Story takes a while to get to the point and then it takes longer to solve the murder. Too much filler but a good overall tales from years ago.
November 30, 2025
Thank goodness that book is done!! Too many characters, such a lack of clarity- I never connected to the story.
December 20, 2019
Trouble at the Sloan and in the Berkshires in Connecticut
Bradford Withers is the President of the Sloan and when he calls, VP John Putnam Thatcher must respond to placate Brad, who is arguably the least intelligent employee at the Sloan. Brad wants Thatcher to help his brother in law, Gilbert Austin, with the division of assets for his divorce from Brad's sister Olivia. Apparently, Gil's fiance wants the Austin's home, Ridge Road Farm in Shaftsbury, Connecticut. Olivia says no way. Brad insists that Thatcher come down to Connecticut to talk to Olivia and also Gil's fiance about divorce and the division of assets.
John Thatcher travels to Connecticut but Gil's fiance, Peggy Lindsay, insists that she wants the property and Olivia cannot keep it. Olivia insists she wants to keep her home. Then Peggy is found dead with a broken neck in a closet at the local inn, holding a elk head, impaled on the antlers, that belong to Brad Withers. Apparently, this murder happened during a parade when everyone was watching the parade.
The sixth floor bankers all end up in Connecticut trying to get Brad to attend to bank business during a dog show and John Thatcher eventually learns enough about what happened in the town to have an insightful moment when he knows who the murderer is and how it was done and why.
One thing that modern readers may question is the police forensics, or lack thereof. This mystery was written in the early sixties before modern forensic techniques have reached their current computerized state.
While good, I like the other mysteries in this series better. However, it was the author's second novel and divorce finances don't offer as much opportunity for bankers to have fun as other financial situations.
Bradford Withers is the President of the Sloan and when he calls, VP John Putnam Thatcher must respond to placate Brad, who is arguably the least intelligent employee at the Sloan. Brad wants Thatcher to help his brother in law, Gilbert Austin, with the division of assets for his divorce from Brad's sister Olivia. Apparently, Gil's fiance wants the Austin's home, Ridge Road Farm in Shaftsbury, Connecticut. Olivia says no way. Brad insists that Thatcher come down to Connecticut to talk to Olivia and also Gil's fiance about divorce and the division of assets.
John Thatcher travels to Connecticut but Gil's fiance, Peggy Lindsay, insists that she wants the property and Olivia cannot keep it. Olivia insists she wants to keep her home. Then Peggy is found dead with a broken neck in a closet at the local inn, holding a elk head, impaled on the antlers, that belong to Brad Withers. Apparently, this murder happened during a parade when everyone was watching the parade.
The sixth floor bankers all end up in Connecticut trying to get Brad to attend to bank business during a dog show and John Thatcher eventually learns enough about what happened in the town to have an insightful moment when he knows who the murderer is and how it was done and why.
One thing that modern readers may question is the police forensics, or lack thereof. This mystery was written in the early sixties before modern forensic techniques have reached their current computerized state.
While good, I like the other mysteries in this series better. However, it was the author's second novel and divorce finances don't offer as much opportunity for bankers to have fun as other financial situations.
November 20, 2012
A raucous mystery, and the second in the series where we find a much more spunky Thatcher. The ladies are having a ball here with their mystery, their characters, and the location.
188 pages of well plotted, and wonderfully written mystery.
The story in a nutshell- The Sloan's President's sister is getting a divorce. She doesn't want a divorce but her husband of 20 years does and then will immediately marry a girl from the same town. Before the divorce can go through some farm needs to be assessed for value. As Thatcher arrives to help out the helpless president... the young lady who awaits her man to be divorced.. is killed. And then there's a dog show scheduled. More death, craziness... and finally, Thatcher is able to put the pieces together.
188 pages of well plotted, and wonderfully written mystery.
The story in a nutshell- The Sloan's President's sister is getting a divorce. She doesn't want a divorce but her husband of 20 years does and then will immediately marry a girl from the same town. Before the divorce can go through some farm needs to be assessed for value. As Thatcher arrives to help out the helpless president... the young lady who awaits her man to be divorced.. is killed. And then there's a dog show scheduled. More death, craziness... and finally, Thatcher is able to put the pieces together.
October 22, 2024
I liked it more on re-reading than when I read it the first time — perhaps because I half-remembered who the killer in this murder mystery is, and it is fun spotting the sparse clues.
The satire on a community of rich gentleman farmers still lacks spice. Bradford Whithers may figure as an acerbic comment on company presidents everywhere, but his good natured bumbling is rather tedious. It reduces Thatcher to being irritable and grumpy, and worse, instead of mischievous. So he is not at his best.
If this were on stage it would be a “doors comedy”. Despite all the characters moving on and off stage, there is a narrow selection of potential victims and of potential murderers… What the plot going for it is the careful build-up of the story to a finale that is both unexpected and logical.
The satire on a community of rich gentleman farmers still lacks spice. Bradford Whithers may figure as an acerbic comment on company presidents everywhere, but his good natured bumbling is rather tedious. It reduces Thatcher to being irritable and grumpy, and worse, instead of mischievous. So he is not at his best.
If this were on stage it would be a “doors comedy”. Despite all the characters moving on and off stage, there is a narrow selection of potential victims and of potential murderers… What the plot going for it is the careful build-up of the story to a finale that is both unexpected and logical.
July 14, 2023
Marginally OK but not compelling enough to want to continue. The characters weren't interesting, the situation wasn't exciting, and it all began to feel like a conversation your parents were having with dull dinner party friends back in 1972 when you were 7 and easily bored by such things. Eventually I realised I still wasn't certain who a couple of characters were (so they aren't exactly leaping off the page with specific vivacity), and decided to read the next Wells & Wong mystery instead. Good choice!
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s).
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s).
April 29, 2020
A Connecticut gentleman farmer, co-owner with his wife of a successful dog breeding kennel, feels obliged to divorce his wife and marry a dog handler he got pregnant. This involves a dispute with his current wife over the property settlement. The dog handler, who realizes the kennel is much more valuable than the wife supposes, is murdered. John Putnam Thatcher of the Sloan Guaranty Trust, brought in to mediate the property settlement, investigates. The dog show is wonderful--dogs replace railroads for Everett Gabler! Cn't tell you how many times I've re-read this for fun!
January 31, 2017
The second Thatcher murder mystery, with Lathen exploring the limits of their character. Thatcher is dragged into the divorce proceedings of the sister of the Bank's president. There is a fight developing about the valuation of some property. Then the "other" woman in the divorce is found dead. Just think of the bad publicity for the Sloan if the sister is found to be the murderer?
September 6, 2007
"A murderous romp through the wealthy rolling Connecticut hills where sedate money (and lots of it) mixes with violent death."
And the dogs are rather amusing in some parts, especially when Everett Gabler arrives.
And the dogs are rather amusing in some parts, especially when Everett Gabler arrives.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews