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Lieutenant Luis Mendoza #4
Knave of Hearts
Bad enough was Luis' violent quarrel with redheaded Alison Weir, the only woman who had ever given him the remotest thought of settling down. But also on his hands was the case of a rapist murderer who was terrorizing Los Angeles, one of whose crimes had probably already sent an innocent man to the gas chamber.
Alison, meanwhile, through such well meaning friends as Sgt. Hackett and his bride, was subjected to a parade of suitors well meaning, no doubt, but such pallid fare after Luis ....
Then one of Mendoza's famous "hunches" points the way toward a solution to the case but it points too close to home with none other than Alison herself heading inexorably toward disaster.
Alison, meanwhile, through such well meaning friends as Sgt. Hackett and his bride, was subjected to a parade of suitors well meaning, no doubt, but such pallid fare after Luis ....
Then one of Mendoza's famous "hunches" points the way toward a solution to the case but it points too close to home with none other than Alison herself heading inexorably toward disaster.
- GenresMysteryProceduralCrime
Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1962
21 people are currently reading
52 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 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 10, 2019
COUNTDOWN - Mid-20th Century North American Crime
BOOK 224 (of 250)
Hook - 1 star: "So that's all, enough! The same old story...sure....I'll be damned if..." And so it goes, an exceedingly long and boring argument between a couple. I'd have closed the book right there on page 1 had I not read Shannon's "Death of a Busybody" and thought good.
PACE - 1: A snoozefest: pages and pages about cats being cats and headaches and more cats.
PLOT - 2: A man is convicted and sent to the gas chamber for a rape/murder. But then someone comes forward and seems to give that man an alibi. Interesting, but a new character moves into town at the very last minute: Shannon didn't know how to get out of the corner she'd written herself into so she comes up with a last minute solution. You can't even guess at the truth if you don't have that final piece.
CHARACTERS - 3: Mr. Allan Haines is convicted of murder. After being sent to gas chamber, Mrs. Sally Haines, having originally turned in evidence found in a work shed on their property, sends cops letters about other women being killed AFTER Mr. Haines execution. Her motives all along are odd, interesting. There are 4 murder victims: Mary Ellen is the first, then there is Celestine Teitel, an artist killed on a beach, Pauline McCandless leaving a library to go home on a bus, and Jane Piper goes to play bridge with the neighbors. Plus, about 1/3rd of the way through, readers learn 2 other victims haven't been found. You'll have no problem naming the 7th 'victim-to-be'. Good cast, overall.
ATMOSPHERE - 3: If you've lived in Los Angeles or any huge city in which parking is a premium, you'll enjoy this: "Somebody did tell you which garage...It's the next garage down, belongs to Mrs. Markstein next door...She lets Mrs. Andrews [use it]..." Garages are interchanged, rented, sold, and the one in your house might not even be yours because a previous owner had leased it to someone else down the street. So many books I've read set in Southern California and this is the only one addressing this'garage-property' issue.
SUMMARY: 2.0, as the plot goes downhill toward the end of the book, and it's a slog to read, unless you LOVE cats. I don't mind them, I just don't want 1/5th of a crime/mystery novel to talk about cats that have nothing to do with the plot. And the reason I mention this is because in Shannon's "Busybody" (a better book) there is a cat named "Silver Boy" important to the story and very interesting.
BOOK 224 (of 250)
Hook - 1 star: "So that's all, enough! The same old story...sure....I'll be damned if..." And so it goes, an exceedingly long and boring argument between a couple. I'd have closed the book right there on page 1 had I not read Shannon's "Death of a Busybody" and thought good.
PACE - 1: A snoozefest: pages and pages about cats being cats and headaches and more cats.
PLOT - 2: A man is convicted and sent to the gas chamber for a rape/murder. But then someone comes forward and seems to give that man an alibi. Interesting, but a new character moves into town at the very last minute: Shannon didn't know how to get out of the corner she'd written herself into so she comes up with a last minute solution. You can't even guess at the truth if you don't have that final piece.
CHARACTERS - 3: Mr. Allan Haines is convicted of murder. After being sent to gas chamber, Mrs. Sally Haines, having originally turned in evidence found in a work shed on their property, sends cops letters about other women being killed AFTER Mr. Haines execution. Her motives all along are odd, interesting. There are 4 murder victims: Mary Ellen is the first, then there is Celestine Teitel, an artist killed on a beach, Pauline McCandless leaving a library to go home on a bus, and Jane Piper goes to play bridge with the neighbors. Plus, about 1/3rd of the way through, readers learn 2 other victims haven't been found. You'll have no problem naming the 7th 'victim-to-be'. Good cast, overall.
ATMOSPHERE - 3: If you've lived in Los Angeles or any huge city in which parking is a premium, you'll enjoy this: "Somebody did tell you which garage...It's the next garage down, belongs to Mrs. Markstein next door...She lets Mrs. Andrews [use it]..." Garages are interchanged, rented, sold, and the one in your house might not even be yours because a previous owner had leased it to someone else down the street. So many books I've read set in Southern California and this is the only one addressing this'garage-property' issue.
SUMMARY: 2.0, as the plot goes downhill toward the end of the book, and it's a slog to read, unless you LOVE cats. I don't mind them, I just don't want 1/5th of a crime/mystery novel to talk about cats that have nothing to do with the plot. And the reason I mention this is because in Shannon's "Busybody" (a better book) there is a cat named "Silver Boy" important to the story and very interesting.
October 6, 2018
This was an Edgar nominee when it first appeared, and I can see why. It has a lot going for it -- a meticulous police procedural, well-written dialogue which varies appropriately with each speaker, more insight into the character of Luis Mendoza and a chilling depiction of a psychopathic killer.
Mendoza is summarized succinctly somewhere past the middle of the book: "...he didn't give one damn for the law per se, or people in the abstract...he was a realist and a cynic; he wasn't a police officer because he had any high ideals about people or the law...it was the hunt he enjoyed always.
The downside is a plot, which will well orchestrated, is essentially predictable. I also rarely enjoy reading about psychopaths and stalking, and that was the case here, too. It took me a long time to make myself finish this. But Shannon is a talented mystery writer, up there with the best, and I will read further in this series.
Mendoza is summarized succinctly somewhere past the middle of the book: "...he didn't give one damn for the law per se, or people in the abstract...he was a realist and a cynic; he wasn't a police officer because he had any high ideals about people or the law...it was the hunt he enjoyed always.
The downside is a plot, which will well orchestrated, is essentially predictable. I also rarely enjoy reading about psychopaths and stalking, and that was the case here, too. It took me a long time to make myself finish this. But Shannon is a talented mystery writer, up there with the best, and I will read further in this series.
November 1, 2018
I downgraded this one by one star, as opposed to those I read earlier - all 5-star; purely because it had so much inner musings of various people that got a little dull. It got pretty exciting about 25 pages from the end though! It starts with Mendoza and his girlfriend Alison having a major fight primarily because he's afraid she's trying to 'pin him down', and separating. Of course, both of them are now miserable. Mendoza is afraid the wrong man has been executed for a rape/murder, since new evidence has appeared that means the killer may still be on the loose and guilty of the murders of several other women. The newspapers are playing up the "incompetent cops" line for all they are worse, which doesn't improve Mendoza's mood. When a midwestern sheriff comes to town with a possible lead, things get a little more exciting. The story then continues escalating all the way to the end, when Alison finds herself in danger, and Mendoza gives in to his true feelings for her.
March 25, 2023
I really do enjoy these books though I do have a few problems with them. Mendoza is a great character, though it's odd that his girlfriend always seems smack dab in the middle of his cases. Also I enjoy his sergeant, Hackett. The books are written well and this one had a great case with them looking for a serial rapist and murderer. It's even worse since they think they executed the wrong man on one of the women that they think belong to this serial offender they are after.
Recommended, with some reservations, I know there are problems with these. They are wordy and need some cutting even at their 190 or so pages. They have a lot of coincidences, just almost silly amounts at times. However I've read the first four and still just enjoy them, something about them.
Recommended, with some reservations, I know there are problems with these. They are wordy and need some cutting even at their 190 or so pages. They have a lot of coincidences, just almost silly amounts at times. However I've read the first four and still just enjoy them, something about them.
April 12, 2023
This will be the last of the single-case novels in this series, and from here on there will be more focus on the private lives of the police officers.
I have noted that some readers dislike the long, thoughtful musings of various people in the course of the stories--I happen to like them. As I noted previously, Dell Shannon has a good grasp on human nature in general, and is skilled at bringing out the personalities of the individuals. Some also dislike the amount of coincidence that creeps in--well, it's hard to avoid when crafting a story, and besides, coincidence is a regular part of life and living.
This one starts off with a jolt--a violent argument between Mendoza and Alison, ending with his walking out. Alison calms down quickly enough, and can face facts: she knew that he would leave eventually, and his accusation that she was angling to marry him was, in fact, true. Because she cares, she can't hate him for what he is, no matter that that would make their break-up much easier to bear. Her anguish is compounded by a host of well-meaning friends, including the newly married Angel Hackett, who try to set her up with a bunch of nice, well-mannered gentleman. After Luis.
Mendoza faces the fact that he broke it off, not because he was tired of her yet, but because she had come too close. His beloved grandmother, who had raised him from infancy, conspired with him in dealing with his miserly, ogre-on-the-hearth grandfather, worked to get him properly married and settled down with a girl who could bring him back to the church, has recently died, quietly and quickly, but it still hurt terribly, and Alison was a witness to his pain.
His trouble is compounded by a horrifying situation at Headquarters. Nearly a year and half previously, a young college student had been found raped and murdered and buried in a garden shack. All evidence pointed to the man of the house, who had once made a clumsy pass at the girl, and had been seen nearby the day of her disappearance. He unwillingly gave as his alibi the fact that he had had an assignation with a woman he had met in the course of his job--but the woman cannot be found, is not living where he said she lived, and does not respond to any public appeals to come forward. He is arrested, tried, and convicted, and, following a set of failed appeals, goes to the gas chamber.
29 days later, the woman comes forward and verifies the alibi.
During this lengthy period, the man's wife has been persistantly telling the police that the killer is still out there and still killing. She sends in several names of women who had been raped and killed. Of course, all manner of women have been raped and killed in this period, but the difference with these three women is that they are "nice" women. Quiet, respectable (dull) women, who would never be caught dead bar-hopping or wandering the streets alone at night. At this point in time, the concept of "date rape" was far in the future. Rapists were predators, hiding in the shadows, stalking the streets for women foolish enough to come within their reach. So how did these women come to be victims? Clearly, they knew the man, or men, at least enough that they did not perceive a threat.
Shannon does an excellent job of condensing the lengthy, tedious job the police face--gathering together all the sex offenders that resemble the description (tall, thin, brown-haired) and then grimly whittling them down. There is no advanced computer programming to instantly brief them on similar cases--all of these cases were fairly close geographically, yet far enough apart that different police departments dealt with them. There was no one to look at all of them and see the similarities.
We also get a direct view of the killer--a rigid, repressed man who is coping with the fact that he has carnal urges just like anybody else. Naturally, he blames the women for exciting him too much. He is desperate to marry--because it's not a sin if you're married--but of course you can't meet a girl and promptly drag her into the nearest church. These things take time...but he's so impatient...Further on, the idea will come to him that all of this, perhaps, was MEANT. He's cautious about accepting this, because so many crazy people have thought such things...still further on, he becomes convinced that, yes, this is all meant, all these women were wicked and deserved what they got, and neither God nor man will punish him.
And then, with the regrading of a stretch of road, they find a former victim. This one, Julie, wasn't so much of a "nice" girl. Not a pro, but "easy". Her former roommate reveals that Julie had had a strange admirer, one who kept staring at her like "a yokel getting his first eyeful of burlycue". They had noted the fact that he seemed to be a "weekender", because that was the only time they saw him. Presumably he had rented or purchased a beach cottage nearby.
The pursuit continues, clues slowly and painfully gathered. Mendoza is not his usual cold, brilliant self; he's on edge, snappish, not sleeping well, and thoughts of Alison keep creeping in.
The case escalates with the arrival of a vacationing small-time police chief, who sees the stories in the papers and realizes that they might tie into a ghastly murder from his home town several years previously.
The clues gathered in, the focus sharpens, they know who he is...and then he's gone--along with his next victim.
This is a remarkable passage in the book--the chase scene. Chase scenes are properly found in movies, or on television. They're so visual, after all--racing cars, screaming sirens, screeching of brakes and so on. How can mere words compare?
Believe me. They can. Admittedly, I don't read thrillers, or other police procedurals, but I think that this must be one of the all-time great written chases, heart-catching, nail-biting, terrifying.
It starts a little jerkily, because Mendoza, not having a siren in his car, has to requisition a couple cop cars to follow him (and the Lord have mercy on their souls if they lose him!) After that, like Sgt Hackett, all you can do is hang on and pray.
Challenge for you: when you reach this point, where they've arrived at the apartment house and found a horrible mess and the knowledge that he and the girl are an hour ahead of them--Mendoza says, "No." And again, "No". Try reading this aloud from this point. To a friend, to the walls. To your cat. Hear the intensity, the frenzy, the fear. The tire that may or may not burst while going a hundred miles an hour. The abrupt climax.
Wow.
I have noted that some readers dislike the long, thoughtful musings of various people in the course of the stories--I happen to like them. As I noted previously, Dell Shannon has a good grasp on human nature in general, and is skilled at bringing out the personalities of the individuals. Some also dislike the amount of coincidence that creeps in--well, it's hard to avoid when crafting a story, and besides, coincidence is a regular part of life and living.
This one starts off with a jolt--a violent argument between Mendoza and Alison, ending with his walking out. Alison calms down quickly enough, and can face facts: she knew that he would leave eventually, and his accusation that she was angling to marry him was, in fact, true. Because she cares, she can't hate him for what he is, no matter that that would make their break-up much easier to bear. Her anguish is compounded by a host of well-meaning friends, including the newly married Angel Hackett, who try to set her up with a bunch of nice, well-mannered gentleman. After Luis.
Mendoza faces the fact that he broke it off, not because he was tired of her yet, but because she had come too close. His beloved grandmother, who had raised him from infancy, conspired with him in dealing with his miserly, ogre-on-the-hearth grandfather, worked to get him properly married and settled down with a girl who could bring him back to the church, has recently died, quietly and quickly, but it still hurt terribly, and Alison was a witness to his pain.
His trouble is compounded by a horrifying situation at Headquarters. Nearly a year and half previously, a young college student had been found raped and murdered and buried in a garden shack. All evidence pointed to the man of the house, who had once made a clumsy pass at the girl, and had been seen nearby the day of her disappearance. He unwillingly gave as his alibi the fact that he had had an assignation with a woman he had met in the course of his job--but the woman cannot be found, is not living where he said she lived, and does not respond to any public appeals to come forward. He is arrested, tried, and convicted, and, following a set of failed appeals, goes to the gas chamber.
29 days later, the woman comes forward and verifies the alibi.
During this lengthy period, the man's wife has been persistantly telling the police that the killer is still out there and still killing. She sends in several names of women who had been raped and killed. Of course, all manner of women have been raped and killed in this period, but the difference with these three women is that they are "nice" women. Quiet, respectable (dull) women, who would never be caught dead bar-hopping or wandering the streets alone at night. At this point in time, the concept of "date rape" was far in the future. Rapists were predators, hiding in the shadows, stalking the streets for women foolish enough to come within their reach. So how did these women come to be victims? Clearly, they knew the man, or men, at least enough that they did not perceive a threat.
Shannon does an excellent job of condensing the lengthy, tedious job the police face--gathering together all the sex offenders that resemble the description (tall, thin, brown-haired) and then grimly whittling them down. There is no advanced computer programming to instantly brief them on similar cases--all of these cases were fairly close geographically, yet far enough apart that different police departments dealt with them. There was no one to look at all of them and see the similarities.
We also get a direct view of the killer--a rigid, repressed man who is coping with the fact that he has carnal urges just like anybody else. Naturally, he blames the women for exciting him too much. He is desperate to marry--because it's not a sin if you're married--but of course you can't meet a girl and promptly drag her into the nearest church. These things take time...but he's so impatient...Further on, the idea will come to him that all of this, perhaps, was MEANT. He's cautious about accepting this, because so many crazy people have thought such things...still further on, he becomes convinced that, yes, this is all meant, all these women were wicked and deserved what they got, and neither God nor man will punish him.
And then, with the regrading of a stretch of road, they find a former victim. This one, Julie, wasn't so much of a "nice" girl. Not a pro, but "easy". Her former roommate reveals that Julie had had a strange admirer, one who kept staring at her like "a yokel getting his first eyeful of burlycue". They had noted the fact that he seemed to be a "weekender", because that was the only time they saw him. Presumably he had rented or purchased a beach cottage nearby.
The pursuit continues, clues slowly and painfully gathered. Mendoza is not his usual cold, brilliant self; he's on edge, snappish, not sleeping well, and thoughts of Alison keep creeping in.
The case escalates with the arrival of a vacationing small-time police chief, who sees the stories in the papers and realizes that they might tie into a ghastly murder from his home town several years previously.
The clues gathered in, the focus sharpens, they know who he is...and then he's gone--along with his next victim.
This is a remarkable passage in the book--the chase scene. Chase scenes are properly found in movies, or on television. They're so visual, after all--racing cars, screaming sirens, screeching of brakes and so on. How can mere words compare?
Believe me. They can. Admittedly, I don't read thrillers, or other police procedurals, but I think that this must be one of the all-time great written chases, heart-catching, nail-biting, terrifying.
It starts a little jerkily, because Mendoza, not having a siren in his car, has to requisition a couple cop cars to follow him (and the Lord have mercy on their souls if they lose him!) After that, like Sgt Hackett, all you can do is hang on and pray.
Challenge for you: when you reach this point, where they've arrived at the apartment house and found a horrible mess and the knowledge that he and the girl are an hour ahead of them--Mendoza says, "No." And again, "No". Try reading this aloud from this point. To a friend, to the walls. To your cat. Hear the intensity, the frenzy, the fear. The tire that may or may not burst while going a hundred miles an hour. The abrupt climax.
Wow.
September 13, 2019
My favorite so far in the Luis Mendoza series. When a man is wrongly executed, Mendoza and Hackett do their homework to find 5 other women were murdered in the same way. All had been loners who had met a charming, well educated man and were killed shortly afterwards.
It takes a lot of digging and interviewing, checking files and investigating (1962, no internet,no faxing,no computers) before they think they might be on the right track. And if they aren't someone close to Mendoza could be the next victim!
It takes a lot of digging and interviewing, checking files and investigating (1962, no internet,no faxing,no computers) before they think they might be on the right track. And if they aren't someone close to Mendoza could be the next victim!
November 16, 2024
Knave of Hearts by Dell Shannon (1962) is a very solid police procedural featuring LAPD Lieutenant Luis Mendoza. There is a serial killer loose in Los Angles and Mendoza and his fellow officers investigate the cases with the barest of evidence. The book is very serious and very detailed...much more so than any other police procedural from that '50's & '60's era. Pretty exciting too, especially the ending with a race down Sunset Blvd. Now here are few very minor caveats I wanted to mention. Dell Shannon's writing style took more than a few pages for me to get used but I settled in by the half-way point. She also has a habit of dropping a name quickly then digging it back up two chapters later necessitating a review (not a biggie, doing so reinforced the story-line)...And...I'm not sure I'm warmed up to Lieutenant Mendoza yet; but there are many more Mendoza mysteries for me to read! :-) I enjoyed Knave of Hearts very much and give it a solid recommendation especially if you like a good police procedural like I do....4.0 outta 5.0...-The next Noir-vember 2024 book I'm going to read is Case File: FBI by The Gordons (1953)....
March 20, 2017
Luis has a violent quarrel and breaks off with Alison. (Quite frankly his only chance for a soulmate.) Therefore his mood is not good when he is plagued with the increasing amount of evidence that indicate a serial killer has been quietly practicing his trade in Medoza's bailiwick for the last three years.
It was published in the early 1960s and I found it interesting to watch the case being worked "back in the days". A man has already been executed for the death of one of the young women. The arrest, trial, appeal and execution had taken place in less than two years. Today, I think he would have gotten life or at least still be alive on death row. Hunches, guesses and dull, but often helpful, interviewing bring success..
This book concludes with unexciting race across Los Angeles that even then had traffic.
Despite the seriousness of the subject, Shannon's touches of humor and tenderness slip through.
It was published in the early 1960s and I found it interesting to watch the case being worked "back in the days". A man has already been executed for the death of one of the young women. The arrest, trial, appeal and execution had taken place in less than two years. Today, I think he would have gotten life or at least still be alive on death row. Hunches, guesses and dull, but often helpful, interviewing bring success..
This book concludes with unexciting race across Los Angeles that even then had traffic.
Despite the seriousness of the subject, Shannon's touches of humor and tenderness slip through.
April 5, 2024
LAPD Homicide Lieutenant Luis Mendoza is running scared. No, it isn't a criminal that has him spooked, but it is the woman he will not admit that he loves. After a big break-up argument, Luis thinks he is done with serious relationships.
In this police procedural, Mendoza and his fellow officers are after a killer whose next potential victim is none other than Alison Weir, the woman Mendoza is running from.
Yes, he is the ultimate winner...of his lady love. Good story.
In this police procedural, Mendoza and his fellow officers are after a killer whose next potential victim is none other than Alison Weir, the woman Mendoza is running from.
Yes, he is the ultimate winner...of his lady love. Good story.
November 16, 2022
40+ years ago I'd gobble these up!
July 19, 2014
#4 in the Luis Mendoza series. Luis has a violent argument with girlfriend Alison, accusing her of trying to tie him down, and they split up. Meanwhile, Sgt. Hackett has wed Angel, who he met in Extra Kill (1962). Allan Haines has been convicted of and executed for murdering his babysitter. Now a woman with an alibi for him has come forward and Mrs. Haines has pointed out similarities of the baby sitters murder with the recent murders of several other young women. Luis is concerned that the wrong man may have been executed and there is a serial killer on the loose. A journalist is all too happy to declare the police are incompetent.
Luis Mendoza series - Has an innocent man suffered for another's crime? Is there, lurking in the background a cunning maniac killer, selecting his victims carefully in turn? Lieutenant Luis Mendoza has a hunch that could lead him to the killer - but not until his estranged girlfriend Alison finds herself caught in the web, headed for disaster, and a grave close to the sea-shore
Luis Mendoza series - Has an innocent man suffered for another's crime? Is there, lurking in the background a cunning maniac killer, selecting his victims carefully in turn? Lieutenant Luis Mendoza has a hunch that could lead him to the killer - but not until his estranged girlfriend Alison finds herself caught in the web, headed for disaster, and a grave close to the sea-shore
November 25, 2025
What I like is that the crimes are not solved overnight. And the private lives of the detectives feature on the sidelines. Now, if only they aĺl smoked less!
Tense ending.
Tense ending.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews