Bargain with Death

Pierre Chambrun Mystery #10

by Hugh Pentecost

"J. W. Sassoon, head man of the biggest oil conglomerate in the world, was found dead in his rooms in the plush Hotel Beaumont. Murder, the police said, and Pierre Chambrun, the imperturbable hotel manager, has only hours to find the answers to some lethal questions. Who was the missing lady who had left the filmy black underwear on the floor next to the victim’s bed? Why was the Arab diplomat so terrified that someone would find his top secret documents among Sassoon’s effects? What role in the crime did the dead tycoon’s mysterious emissary play, a man no one had ever seen? And who was responsible for the disappearance of Sassoon’s playboy son, Johnny? Then the murderer struck a second time, and Chambrun realized that until he could unmask his ruthless adversary, the hotel would be a deathtrap."

Genres: Mystery

218 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

Hugh Pentecost was a penname of mystery author Judson Philips. Born in Massachusetts, Philips came of age during the golden age of pulp magazines, and spent the 1930s writing suspense fiction and sports stories for a number of famous pulps. His first book was Hold 'Em Girls! The Intelligent Women's Guide to Men and Football (1936). In 1939, his crime story Cancelled in Red won the Red Badge prize, launching his career as a novelist. Philips went on to write nearly one hundred books over the next five decades.

His best-known characters were Pierre Chambrun, a sleuthing hotel manager who first appeared in The Cannibal Who Overate (1962), and the one-legged investigative reporter Peter Styles, introduced in Laughter Trap (1964). Although he spent his last years with failing vision and poor health, Philips continued writing daily. His final novel was the posthumously published Pattern for Terror (1989).

Reviews

[M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The sordid death of a billionaire is the first in a chain of events that sends Pierre Chambrun's beloved Hotel Beaumont into chaos. Chambrun, his public relations man Mark Haskell, his assistant Miss Ruysdale and many more hotel regulars are pushed to the limit as they try to manage the madness while ferreting out a killer.

Once again the story is told from the point of view of Mark Haskell, who gets more than his share of the aforementioned chaos in this tale. Mark is easily likeable, and the story being told from his perspective gives depth to the other characters. The setting of the Beaumont is as always luxurious and the building is almost a character in itself. The mystery plot is brimming with suspense, the characters are mostly interesting and Pentecost thankfully keeps the language clean and avoids detailed descriptions of gore. There are also a few nice surprises in the denouement (some of which will be anticipated by sharp readers).

One thing I'll point out is the cover. I so miss the painted covers of the 1970s, where publishers hired artists to draw a collage of elements from the story. These painted covers graced both hardcovers and paperbacks, and acted as an enticement for the reader akin to a movie trailer. I have many favorites on my bookshelf, and gazing at one brings back memories of a book well enjoyed. The majority of today's books have covers that are far less imaginative; they are sparse and basic and do little to give the reader an idea of what lies within. But publishers opt for them because they are cheap (and they look it).

[Monica Willyard Moen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wealthy hotel owner is found dead in his bed. The staff aren’t sure what to make of it. Then a rash of murders and thefts begin, convincing the staff of the hotel that they must act before it’s too late. The author of this series is a master of plot twists and mystery puzzles.

[Terry Halligan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very fast Moving Thriller. I just love reading these Pierre Chambrun Mysteries. I have never stayed in such a luxurious hotel as the one that Pierre Chambrun manages but I live in hope that one day I will!

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another fine Chambrun mystery. I guessed one of the twists, but the book was still enjoyable.

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

A curiously un-involving entry in the Chambrun series. I found it to be not very suspenseful in the parts that should have been so. This is the first of the 11 or 12 in the series that I have read that didn't hold my interest, although that may be a good ratio for me.

[Michele bookloverforever · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read these voraciously when they were published. So long ago now. Re-read November 2022.