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Lieutenant Luis Mendoza #15
Kill with kindness
Lieutenant Luis Mendoza is laid low with measles and the Homicide Squad of Los Angeles Police Department has to manage without its Chief of Detectives. There are several off-beat cases to occupy them, like the man tied to a railway and decapitated by a passing train. But, Mendoza does not take his convalescence lying down and he is soon unofficially investigating a case that his colleagues are already pursuing...
- GenresMystery
250 pages, Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1968
23 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
About the author
Dell Shannon
154 books23 followersPseudonym of Elizabeth Linington.
Barbara "Elizabeth" Linington (March 11, 1921 – April 5, 1988) was an American novelist. She was awarded runner-up scrolls for best first mystery novel from the Mystery Writers of America for her 1960 novel, Case Pending, which introduced her most popular series character, LAPD Homicide Lieutenant Luis Mendoza. Her 1961 book, Nightmare, and her 1962 novel, Knave of Hearts, another entry in the Mendoza series, were both nominated for Edgars in the Best Novel category. Regarded as the "Queen of the Procedurals," she was one of the first women to write police procedurals — a male-dominated genre of police-story writing.
Besides crime, Linington also took interest in archaeology, the occult, gemstones, antique weapons and languages. Linington was also a conservative political activist who was an active member of the John Birch Society
Barbara "Elizabeth" Linington (March 11, 1921 – April 5, 1988) was an American novelist. She was awarded runner-up scrolls for best first mystery novel from the Mystery Writers of America for her 1960 novel, Case Pending, which introduced her most popular series character, LAPD Homicide Lieutenant Luis Mendoza. Her 1961 book, Nightmare, and her 1962 novel, Knave of Hearts, another entry in the Mendoza series, were both nominated for Edgars in the Best Novel category. Regarded as the "Queen of the Procedurals," she was one of the first women to write police procedurals — a male-dominated genre of police-story writing.
Besides crime, Linington also took interest in archaeology, the occult, gemstones, antique weapons and languages. Linington was also a conservative political activist who was an active member of the John Birch Society
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 28, 2023
Yet another enjoyable read from Shannon, with a twist.
Before going into the story, I would like to comment on some complaints I have read. Dell Shannon is writing about a group of cops; naturally she has their best interests at heart, and it shows. This doesn't mean that all cops are perfect. They have their various foibles, and in fact, we will in a later book hear (in passing) about a small group of cops who had been pulling robberies on their days off. Scandalous. As mentioned in an earlier novel, there are cops and cops.
As far as the rights of the citizens are concerned, she has made that perfectly clear. The laws that are so carefully made to protect the innocent must also, perforce, guard the not-so-innocent, and no doubt the cops do frequently feel "hamstrung" by those laws. Quite often when they solve a case, they are perfectly aware that the lawyers may well plea-bargain it down to nothing, so that their hard work feels wasted, but those are the breaks.
As for the characters of the criminals--there are doubtless some brilliant evildoers out there, but they are few and far between (and keep themselves mostly for the private-eye thrillers, not police procedurals.) As a matter of fact, this particular book does have a remarkably intelligent (and very evil) criminal.
There was also a comment about Shannon referring to the deaths of elderly people as "a happy release". This was a misreading. Mendoza was being sarcastic when he spoke of the murders of poor, solitary, elderly people, viewing it the way the killer would view it: few people around to worry about them, and if they did think of it, oh, well, they were old, sick, in pain...probably all for the best, after all.
The homicide department is having it's usual run of hard cases, run-of-the-mill cases, nothing-but-the-tedious-paperwork cases, etc, when suddenly Fate intervenes, in the person of Alison's friend and fellow artist, Sally Mawson.
Sally has new neighbors who have twins, and wouldn't it be oh-so-cute to have both sets of twins at a party together? Alison is relieved to find that the neighbors are likeable enough, if a little silly, and her twins are a little better behaved.
And then the phone call: "Have the twins had their shots for measles? Because....
Mendoza, never sick a day in his life, simply cannot accept the fact that he is not feeling well...until he collapses in Federico's. Measles can be lethal for an adult, so he's in the hospital for some time, and then faces a lengthy (and boring) recuperation at home. Naturally he seizes eagerly on Mrs. MacTaggert's little mystery, little knowing how much it is going to cost him in time and expense. The more he digs into it, the more horrifying the story becomes....
Meanwhile, the department is dealing with what they think is a child rapist-killer. Just about the time they decide to throw it in Pending, another one comes along, this one a young woman, and it occurs to them that the twelve-year old victim actually looked rather mature for her age, so they start focusing on all violent sex-offenders. They will come up with a strong suspect, but the case will not be resolved just so easily.
There's a rather ghastly case of a good citizen unexpectedly found tied to the railroad tracks. I was a little surprised when the coroner told them that the body was too mutilated to tell if he had been drugged or drunk. Surely they find that sort of thing out through blood tests? Perhaps chemical forensics wasn't that far along back then?
The case of a poor schnook who visited the big city for a day and promptly got mugged and murdered, gets a totally unexpected boost from a bystander wishing to pay his respects to the dead.
They have the case of a "minister" getting beaten to death in his own church. All the police can see that the whole thing is a con, but it goes over pretty will. ("Come to our church...we have cookies....") One thing that I noticed: Hackett and Angel discuss this case at home, with Hackett wondering what sort of people would go in for this sort of exotic religion. Neither he nor Angel mention the fact that Angel's own mother had been involved with an even more exotic sect. The police are in the habit of sending someone to attend the funerals of murder victims, even though 99.9% of the time it's a waste of manpower. But in this case, something decidedly unusual takes place.
On the lighter side, Higgins is humbly rejoicing in his good fortune at marrying Mary Dwyer. He can't quite believe that she is his wife, that he now has a house to come home to and children to spoil. He has a tendency to stare dreamily out the windows when he should be thinking about cases. Piggott, who has recently joined his church choir, has discovered a pretty soprano named Prudence (who, by the way will abruptly become an alto in a later book). And Mendoza, that settled family man, learns that he needs to be careful about using naughty words at home.
Mendoza's private case becomes public with a vengeance. The resulting jolt to his system cannot have been good for his recuperation, but it doesn't prevent him from returning to work as planned.
Before going into the story, I would like to comment on some complaints I have read. Dell Shannon is writing about a group of cops; naturally she has their best interests at heart, and it shows. This doesn't mean that all cops are perfect. They have their various foibles, and in fact, we will in a later book hear (in passing) about a small group of cops who had been pulling robberies on their days off. Scandalous. As mentioned in an earlier novel, there are cops and cops.
As far as the rights of the citizens are concerned, she has made that perfectly clear. The laws that are so carefully made to protect the innocent must also, perforce, guard the not-so-innocent, and no doubt the cops do frequently feel "hamstrung" by those laws. Quite often when they solve a case, they are perfectly aware that the lawyers may well plea-bargain it down to nothing, so that their hard work feels wasted, but those are the breaks.
As for the characters of the criminals--there are doubtless some brilliant evildoers out there, but they are few and far between (and keep themselves mostly for the private-eye thrillers, not police procedurals.) As a matter of fact, this particular book does have a remarkably intelligent (and very evil) criminal.
There was also a comment about Shannon referring to the deaths of elderly people as "a happy release". This was a misreading. Mendoza was being sarcastic when he spoke of the murders of poor, solitary, elderly people, viewing it the way the killer would view it: few people around to worry about them, and if they did think of it, oh, well, they were old, sick, in pain...probably all for the best, after all.
The homicide department is having it's usual run of hard cases, run-of-the-mill cases, nothing-but-the-tedious-paperwork cases, etc, when suddenly Fate intervenes, in the person of Alison's friend and fellow artist, Sally Mawson.
Sally has new neighbors who have twins, and wouldn't it be oh-so-cute to have both sets of twins at a party together? Alison is relieved to find that the neighbors are likeable enough, if a little silly, and her twins are a little better behaved.
And then the phone call: "Have the twins had their shots for measles? Because....
Mendoza, never sick a day in his life, simply cannot accept the fact that he is not feeling well...until he collapses in Federico's. Measles can be lethal for an adult, so he's in the hospital for some time, and then faces a lengthy (and boring) recuperation at home. Naturally he seizes eagerly on Mrs. MacTaggert's little mystery, little knowing how much it is going to cost him in time and expense. The more he digs into it, the more horrifying the story becomes....
Meanwhile, the department is dealing with what they think is a child rapist-killer. Just about the time they decide to throw it in Pending, another one comes along, this one a young woman, and it occurs to them that the twelve-year old victim actually looked rather mature for her age, so they start focusing on all violent sex-offenders. They will come up with a strong suspect, but the case will not be resolved just so easily.
There's a rather ghastly case of a good citizen unexpectedly found tied to the railroad tracks. I was a little surprised when the coroner told them that the body was too mutilated to tell if he had been drugged or drunk. Surely they find that sort of thing out through blood tests? Perhaps chemical forensics wasn't that far along back then?
The case of a poor schnook who visited the big city for a day and promptly got mugged and murdered, gets a totally unexpected boost from a bystander wishing to pay his respects to the dead.
They have the case of a "minister" getting beaten to death in his own church. All the police can see that the whole thing is a con, but it goes over pretty will. ("Come to our church...we have cookies....") One thing that I noticed: Hackett and Angel discuss this case at home, with Hackett wondering what sort of people would go in for this sort of exotic religion. Neither he nor Angel mention the fact that Angel's own mother had been involved with an even more exotic sect. The police are in the habit of sending someone to attend the funerals of murder victims, even though 99.9% of the time it's a waste of manpower. But in this case, something decidedly unusual takes place.
On the lighter side, Higgins is humbly rejoicing in his good fortune at marrying Mary Dwyer. He can't quite believe that she is his wife, that he now has a house to come home to and children to spoil. He has a tendency to stare dreamily out the windows when he should be thinking about cases. Piggott, who has recently joined his church choir, has discovered a pretty soprano named Prudence (who, by the way will abruptly become an alto in a later book). And Mendoza, that settled family man, learns that he needs to be careful about using naughty words at home.
Mendoza's private case becomes public with a vengeance. The resulting jolt to his system cannot have been good for his recuperation, but it doesn't prevent him from returning to work as planned.
May 29, 2019
My rating is as high as it is only because I finished the book, but I did not like it much. As usual, there are multiple cases handled by the homicide precinct, and a couple are pretty bizarre. For a while it looked like there were even more than four, but a number of incidents interconnect.
As usual, I am frustrated by Shannon's belief that all cops are good guys and all criminals are bad human beings and/or stupid. I would accept that most of each group fit the stereotype, but I have trouble with categorical characterizations. And as usual, I find her total lack of support for the rights of the accused to be un-American. Due process of law is a fundamental value in this country, and one which separates us from much of the rest of the world.
In addition, there is a shrill condemnation of the rise in the use of drugs at the time this was written. I am not in any sense an expert on the effects of marijuana or LSD, but the ones this story depicts seem extreme and inaccurate.
And some small things. The police eat in good restaurants at lunch, and more often than not have cocktails. It seems they had to use their own cars at work, which is really odd though I can accept that it may have been policy back then. And I got awfully tired of Shannon referring to the death of someone elderly as :the happy release." The phrase is used at least half a dozen times, and really rankles me.
As usual, I am frustrated by Shannon's belief that all cops are good guys and all criminals are bad human beings and/or stupid. I would accept that most of each group fit the stereotype, but I have trouble with categorical characterizations. And as usual, I find her total lack of support for the rights of the accused to be un-American. Due process of law is a fundamental value in this country, and one which separates us from much of the rest of the world.
In addition, there is a shrill condemnation of the rise in the use of drugs at the time this was written. I am not in any sense an expert on the effects of marijuana or LSD, but the ones this story depicts seem extreme and inaccurate.
And some small things. The police eat in good restaurants at lunch, and more often than not have cocktails. It seems they had to use their own cars at work, which is really odd though I can accept that it may have been policy back then. And I got awfully tired of Shannon referring to the death of someone elderly as :the happy release." The phrase is used at least half a dozen times, and really rankles me.
October 23, 2018
I recently unearthed several Lt. Mendoza books dating from the early 1970s from my shelves, and am enjoying them again for the first time in years. This one is fairly well along in the series, as Mendoza already has two children (who begin the story by giving him the measles!) During his enforced absence from work, he hears a story from their all-purpose help Mairi about an old woman whose friends are worried about her. She has a practical nurse, and appears to be deteriorating rapidly. When Mendoza hears that the nurse is working for a ridiculously low salary, he is intrigued, and begins to spend his time looking into it. In the meantime, his crew is holding down the fort at headquarters, with various crimes (rapes, murders, muggings) popping up every day. Their progress with the crimes is interwoven with Mendoza's search to find out about the nurse. Eventually, a relationship appears, and the manner in which this is handled is quite fascinating. Even after Mendoza is convinced that the nurse is killing her victims to get their property, he is frustrated by the fact that there is only circumstantial evidence; not enough proof to bring charges. When Mairi and Mendoza's wife get involved, it gets pretty exciting. I read it all in less than one day - couldn't put it down!
May 12, 2024
This LAPD Luis Mendoza police procedural novel begins on a personal note. Mendoza's young twins return home from a birthday party with unwanted gifts: measles. Naturally, Mendoza proudly announces that he is never sick. Oops.
Even though his doctor gives him a shot, Luis Mendoza is felled one day at work. A month's recovery from the measles doesn't sit well with him, but nurserymaid Mairi MacTaggart comes to the rescue.
She has just returned to the Mendoza household from two months of caring for her sister. An interesting story she relates soon becomes "Mairi's little problem." It immediately catches Mendoza's interest.
Little does he know that something as simple as a nurse who charges too little for her services to Mairi's sister's neighbor will ultimately connect to various crimes his department is working to solve without him.
As Dell Shannon's novels continue, they weave more of the home life of her detectives into the meat of crime solving. This makes the books more interesting and more fun to read.
Even though his doctor gives him a shot, Luis Mendoza is felled one day at work. A month's recovery from the measles doesn't sit well with him, but nurserymaid Mairi MacTaggart comes to the rescue.
She has just returned to the Mendoza household from two months of caring for her sister. An interesting story she relates soon becomes "Mairi's little problem." It immediately catches Mendoza's interest.
Little does he know that something as simple as a nurse who charges too little for her services to Mairi's sister's neighbor will ultimately connect to various crimes his department is working to solve without him.
As Dell Shannon's novels continue, they weave more of the home life of her detectives into the meat of crime solving. This makes the books more interesting and more fun to read.
May 8, 2022
This is a mystery set in Los Angeles, published in 1968. It is a police procedural, featuring LAPD detective Luis Mendoza.
I love the Luis Mendoza books. The characters are great, the settings make you feel like you are there, the books show the many, many cases that the detectives have to deal with every day, and a lot of family and other human interest events go on at the same time. Some Spanish phrases and sentences get thrown in every once in a while, so you can practice your Spanish.
However, you have to be willing to accept that these books are dated.
For instance, it seems that everybody smokes. And it seems that women are less capable than men!!!!!!!!! At least in some ways.
I love the Luis Mendoza books. The characters are great, the settings make you feel like you are there, the books show the many, many cases that the detectives have to deal with every day, and a lot of family and other human interest events go on at the same time. Some Spanish phrases and sentences get thrown in every once in a while, so you can practice your Spanish.
However, you have to be willing to accept that these books are dated.
For instance, it seems that everybody smokes. And it seems that women are less capable than men!!!!!!!!! At least in some ways.
July 1, 2021
Another fun outing for Lieutenant Mendoza. This time his twins come down with the measles and wouldn't you know it, Luis catches it from them. He becomes seriously ill, collapses and has to go to the hospital. After a few days, he's sent home and told he must not be involved with work. The rest of the story details how the squad deals with his absence and how Mendoza deals with boredom by taking on a little puzzle which soon grows into a major mystery. Recommended.
April 30, 2018
Read several of these enjoyable Luis Mendoza police novels back in the 80s. Enjoyed them all!
June 30, 2008
Another Luis Mendoza book, as he is struck down with the measles, a serious disease in one over forty, and left with nothing but a neat little mystery to occupy his bored mind. Enjoyable.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews