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Peter Cutler Sargent II #3
Death Likes It Hot
In "Death Likes it Hot," dashing P.R. man Peter Sargeant travels out to a posh beach community to help a wealthy socialite plan an end-of-summer party. His enjoyment of the sun, the surf, and the company of a lovely young fashion reporter is interrupted by the death of the socialite's she mysteriously drowns while swimming on a crowded beach. No one suspects murder until the police find a lethal dose of sleeping pills in her system. As Sargeant watches the police's investigation unfold, he keeps an eye on the grieving socialite; the victim's famous painter husband; a suspiciously cheery brother and sister; and a garrulous tabloid columnist. Now, instead of planning guest lists, wine choices, and menus, Sargeant is faced with a killer unlike he's ever highly sophisticated, devilishly clever, and just as smooth as he is.
151 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1954
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
October 24, 2021
In concluding his trilogy of Edgar Box mysteries, it wasn't really necessary for Vidal to do anything but coast. By Book #3, he had achieved a sort of winning formula that seemed almost to be writing itself. He could have wrapped things up by sort of carbon-copying what he'd just done - and the result would likely have been just as satisfying.
But (thankfully) he decided to out-do himself. And out-do he did.
With his sharp eye now turned on the idle rich of the Hamptons, Vidal set out to disclose that he knew just as much about carefree / careless, moneyed folk as he knew about the worlds of entertainment and politics.
As he once again skewers with the goal of enlightenment, his comparative description remains shrewd and stylish:
Now that I've finished the series, I find I still prefer Book #1 - with its particular blend of bitchy humor and danger - but, hell, the adventurousness of the whole trilogy is marvelous. Now, onward to some of Vidal's more serious books.....
But (thankfully) he decided to out-do himself. And out-do he did.
With his sharp eye now turned on the idle rich of the Hamptons, Vidal set out to disclose that he knew just as much about carefree / careless, moneyed folk as he knew about the worlds of entertainment and politics.
As he once again skewers with the goal of enlightenment, his comparative description remains shrewd and stylish:
Her giggles now rose like pale echoes of Valkyrie shrieks over the dinner table...But here his protagonist - P.R. guy Peter Sargeant - is just as hard-working as the higher-octane novel itself:
Greaves sat in the center of the sofa, looking like an unsuccessful experiment in taxidermy.
She wandered sadly about the world, from center to center, set to set, in a manner reminiscent of a homing pigeon in a trailer.
I decided I was going out of my mind, ascribing significance to everything.This time out, the 'Everybody Is A Suspect' cast of characters is particularly tricky so I was grateful for the occasionally repeated personality traits that helped me keep track of who was who. But I was also aware of the author's main goal: to construct the mystery in a way that hadn't been done before. Not that I'm an old-hand at murder mysteries but there's much here that seemed unique. Throwing the reader off in a bewildering manner can be maddening for the reader (unlike with Books #1 & 2, there were times I had to restrain myself from flipping to the final pages, out of "WHO DID IT?!" fever) but it can also elevate the mystery story to an art form.
Now that I've finished the series, I find I still prefer Book #1 - with its particular blend of bitchy humor and danger - but, hell, the adventurousness of the whole trilogy is marvelous. Now, onward to some of Vidal's more serious books.....
November 7, 2025
Sargeant is a stand-in for the traditional private eye. He gets involved with murder, but he has no official role, other than being involved. Here, we get a kind of take on the Catskills murder mystery in the creepy hotel, but at a mansion in the East Hamptons. The dowager who owns the mansion is throwing a Labor Day Party and wants Sargeant to do the publicity. Who needs publicity for a party? So prior to that party, she invites Sargeant and a bevy of other odd personalities to her home for the weekend which is what you do in the Hamptons.
Before you know it though, the first death takes place and, at first, it appears to be an accident when a woman (said to be a strong swimmer) drowns in a riptide with a dozen witnesses present. But, the police are called in when it is discovered via autopsy that she swallowed four sleeping pills immediately before diving into the water. No one is quite sure that it is murder or an accident, although there had been screams in the night before that morning and bruises on the victim’s neck. The dowager is determined to go on with her party and Sargeant all too willing to indulge her as it means a fat paycheck.
But he is struck down as he returns to the mansion after an all-night rendezvous with an attractive young lady weekending in a nearby mansion. He never sees who struck him and wonders little about it until the next night when he discovers another body cut across the throat and the bodies begin to pile up.
Here, too, Sargeant, though not a real detective, is the one who solves the crime, though he comes close to being the last victim, before he realizes he knows who-done-it.
Before you know it though, the first death takes place and, at first, it appears to be an accident when a woman (said to be a strong swimmer) drowns in a riptide with a dozen witnesses present. But, the police are called in when it is discovered via autopsy that she swallowed four sleeping pills immediately before diving into the water. No one is quite sure that it is murder or an accident, although there had been screams in the night before that morning and bruises on the victim’s neck. The dowager is determined to go on with her party and Sargeant all too willing to indulge her as it means a fat paycheck.
But he is struck down as he returns to the mansion after an all-night rendezvous with an attractive young lady weekending in a nearby mansion. He never sees who struck him and wonders little about it until the next night when he discovers another body cut across the throat and the bodies begin to pile up.
Here, too, Sargeant, though not a real detective, is the one who solves the crime, though he comes close to being the last victim, before he realizes he knows who-done-it.
August 28, 2024
The last of Vidal's three Edgar Box mysteries. Interesting. None of these novels was great fiction or even a great mystery, but all were fun. Interesting to see Vidal's early playfulness and nonconformity, mixed with status.
February 14, 2012
I liked this series because the three books were all entertaining and a very nice trip back to the days of the 1950's. Vidal naturally captured the time beautifully because he was living it but it did bring back memories for me, especially little things like many people taking baths rather than showering. This story also had a nice summer time feel about it.
The murder mystery was pretty much a fair play type although it wasn't too hard to settle on a perpetrator, albeit for the wrong reasons. Vidal was an excellent story teller and once I picked up the book I did not put it down.
The murder mystery was pretty much a fair play type although it wasn't too hard to settle on a perpetrator, albeit for the wrong reasons. Vidal was an excellent story teller and once I picked up the book I did not put it down.
July 18, 2022
The third and sadly final mystery by Box (Gore Vidal) it seemed like the series could have continued if he wanted. This time he is called into be a publicist for a somewhat dimmed "rich" woman who wants to get better play in the social arena. However, the group of guests and hostess have their own myriad of issues. The deaths are a bit of a surprise overall and who was the killer. The size of the party isn't large- and toward the end you had a specific group of suspects that needed some careful looking into to split the hairs and discover the killer.
Many of the reoccurring characters from the previous mysteries are here, adding humor and continuity to the world. In this one there is again a love interest, and people at their oddest as usual. The most interesting thing about this series is the style of the writing, the incredible physical details of the people, their behaviors and homes. Sargent reacting to or accepting all this as just the way life was built. The fact that Sargent always had an active love/sexual interest in each story. You could tell the story was written in the past but with a few tweaks could easily be now.
Worth the read. The stories are more novella in length. There is a bit of a pattern to the stories in terms of events and then the final play where Sargent solves then case... but the telling is actually the most important bit. Very unique voice.
Many of the reoccurring characters from the previous mysteries are here, adding humor and continuity to the world. In this one there is again a love interest, and people at their oddest as usual. The most interesting thing about this series is the style of the writing, the incredible physical details of the people, their behaviors and homes. Sargent reacting to or accepting all this as just the way life was built. The fact that Sargent always had an active love/sexual interest in each story. You could tell the story was written in the past but with a few tweaks could easily be now.
Worth the read. The stories are more novella in length. There is a bit of a pattern to the stories in terms of events and then the final play where Sargent solves then case... but the telling is actually the most important bit. Very unique voice.
August 11, 2016
Death Like It Hot was a fun look at summer in the Hamptons in the 50s, in addition to being a decent mystery. I have to admit I liked Peter Sargeant, even if he was a bit chauvinistic. He was smart and funny and a good observer, an outsider who sees all the quirks and tensions. And the rich and comfortable have a lot of quirks. This is the only one of the three in the series I've read, but it stood on its own well.
The mystery was okay. I think the author played fairly, that we knew most of the clues along with Peter. It felt like a standard mystery, which is fine. I like guest house mysteries, whether they be in the Hamptons or the English countryside. I did guess the killer, but only because it was the best option, not because I had it all figured out.
The book was bit racier than I would have expected, more so than most mysteries I've read from the era. Even though women aren't exactly strong characters, they aren't weak either. They respect social niceties, but aren't necessarily tied to expectations.
Overall, it's an enjoyable story, funny, light and quick, a good summer read.
The mystery was okay. I think the author played fairly, that we knew most of the clues along with Peter. It felt like a standard mystery, which is fine. I like guest house mysteries, whether they be in the Hamptons or the English countryside. I did guess the killer, but only because it was the best option, not because I had it all figured out.
The book was bit racier than I would have expected, more so than most mysteries I've read from the era. Even though women aren't exactly strong characters, they aren't weak either. They respect social niceties, but aren't necessarily tied to expectations.
Overall, it's an enjoyable story, funny, light and quick, a good summer read.
January 19, 2016
Not much of a "punch". Vidal's Agatha Christie imitation seemed to run out mid-novel. Fortunately, his anti-women diatribes were more muted; "fags" remained his mortal enemy. The shrinks can take it from here.
December 11, 2016
Gore Vidal only gets 5 stars from me, on principle. I only recommend this Edgar Box series to hardcore Vidal fans who have already read his most important works. It was fun to see so much of the biting Vidal wit so early in his career
September 14, 2016
An old and dated book by Gore Vidal. Fun read, great characters, droll wit, and I was fooled. I'd recommend.
September 18, 2026
The third in a trio of mysteries written by Gore Vidal under the name of Edgar Box. After his novel The City and the Pillar (1948) which featured descriptions of homosexuality that caused him to be blacklisted by The New York Times, Vidal donned the Box pseudonym and used it to produce the three novels for cold, hard cash. His series stars Peter Cutler Sargeant III, a publicity man turned amateur detective when his business lands him in the middle of three murder cases.
Although I have all three of Vidal's mysteries, I've been tackling them in a somewhat random order. Having previously read Death Before Bedtime, it looks like our author has a fondness for Golden Age-style country house mysteries. Bedtime was focused on the political scene in 1950s Washington D.C. while the current mystery is set at a lavish beach house in the East Hamptons. Sargeant is hired by Rose Veering to give her the right kind of publicity for an upcoming party. Rose is "new money" and has found it difficult to be accepted in the exclusive Hamptons. She hopes that making a nice splash with a party full of society's best and brightest will help boost her standing.
So, Sargeant is invited to an advance weekend gathering where he and the hostess can discuss plans for the upcoming event. Also on hand is Veering's niece Mildred and her painter husband Brexton; Allie and Fletcher Claypoole, a brother and sister pair who seem more like a married couple than siblings; and Mary Western Lung, a garrulous author and book columnist who sticks to Sargeant through the weekend like a limpet. It looks like Sargeant's toughest job will be to escape Lung's clutches. Until...
The group goes to the beachfront and has a front row seat to watch Mildred Brexton drown. Fletcher Claypoole and our hero try to reach her in time, but are just too late. Initially, it seems to be a tragic accident caused by the powerful riptide--but then an autopsy proves that Mildred had a handful of sleeping pills before entering the water. Did the unhappy wife choose a very public suicide or did someone spike her breakfast drink? When Sargeant is slugged over the head upon his late-night return to the house, it begins to look a lot like murder. The PR man has had some previous encounters with murder and decides to lend a helping hand to Detective Greaves, the policeman assigned to investigate. But they won't gather sufficient evidence before another death occurs...will they be able to prevent one more?
This one appealed to me more than my previous Gore Vidal outing. Vidal gives us a better portrayal of the country house mystery. There are plenty of suspects and he muddies the waters well. I also liked Sargeant more than in Bedtime. He seems much more engaged in the mystery and more dedicated to detective. He still wants to show up the local detective but he's more consistent this time around. And--Vidal wins points for keeping me mystified until the end. I definitely did not spot the murderer.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.
Although I have all three of Vidal's mysteries, I've been tackling them in a somewhat random order. Having previously read Death Before Bedtime, it looks like our author has a fondness for Golden Age-style country house mysteries. Bedtime was focused on the political scene in 1950s Washington D.C. while the current mystery is set at a lavish beach house in the East Hamptons. Sargeant is hired by Rose Veering to give her the right kind of publicity for an upcoming party. Rose is "new money" and has found it difficult to be accepted in the exclusive Hamptons. She hopes that making a nice splash with a party full of society's best and brightest will help boost her standing.
So, Sargeant is invited to an advance weekend gathering where he and the hostess can discuss plans for the upcoming event. Also on hand is Veering's niece Mildred and her painter husband Brexton; Allie and Fletcher Claypoole, a brother and sister pair who seem more like a married couple than siblings; and Mary Western Lung, a garrulous author and book columnist who sticks to Sargeant through the weekend like a limpet. It looks like Sargeant's toughest job will be to escape Lung's clutches. Until...
The group goes to the beachfront and has a front row seat to watch Mildred Brexton drown. Fletcher Claypoole and our hero try to reach her in time, but are just too late. Initially, it seems to be a tragic accident caused by the powerful riptide--but then an autopsy proves that Mildred had a handful of sleeping pills before entering the water. Did the unhappy wife choose a very public suicide or did someone spike her breakfast drink? When Sargeant is slugged over the head upon his late-night return to the house, it begins to look a lot like murder. The PR man has had some previous encounters with murder and decides to lend a helping hand to Detective Greaves, the policeman assigned to investigate. But they won't gather sufficient evidence before another death occurs...will they be able to prevent one more?
This one appealed to me more than my previous Gore Vidal outing. Vidal gives us a better portrayal of the country house mystery. There are plenty of suspects and he muddies the waters well. I also liked Sargeant more than in Bedtime. He seems much more engaged in the mystery and more dedicated to detective. He still wants to show up the local detective but he's more consistent this time around. And--Vidal wins points for keeping me mystified until the end. I definitely did not spot the murderer.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.
April 26, 2018
"Death Likes It Hot" is the third mystery penned by Gore Vidal under the pseudonym, Edgar Box. Written in 1953, during his "blackballing" by the New York Times, it was an economic necessity if he was to be published. Taking a page from Dame Agatha Christie, his three mysteries were twisting and turning, included multiple suspects and utilized a thinking man's detective. Of course, taking a page from the very successful Mickey Spillane novels of the time, a bit of gratuitous sex and gender discrimination were also added. As a classic literary murder mystery, it falls short of the mark, but Vidal's excellent wit and polished writing style do come through the sometimes weak plot. A very good read, both for its contribution to the mystery genre and for it's historical uniqueness from one of America's finest modern writers.
July 23, 2025
This third Edgar Box mystery is more enjoyable than the 2nd one, and almost on an equal par with the first one. It's about high society folks misbehaving at a Hamptons beach house and has the same snarky fluffy tone as the other two books. It gets a bit repetitive but it's fun enough to make me wish that Gore Vidal had continued the series. They're not as good as Julian or The City and the Pillar or 1876 but they're better than Myra Breckenridge.
September 1, 2025
Another mildly amusing mystery featuring Peter Sargeant, a carefree publicity man navigating the social and sexual realms of 1950's New York. This was a fun read, set in a summer home on Long Island. One issue I had was that there was too low a number of potential killers. Another is that when Peter figures the whole thing out he just about broadcasts the knowledge (but refuses to give a name), so he is sort of asking to be bumped off himself.
August 21, 2019
In this second Peter Cutler Sargent II mystery novel by Gore Vidal, writing under the name, Edgar Box, Sargent is hired as a public relations officer by an incumbent senator who has aspirations of pursuing a nomination for the presidency. When the senator is murdered during a house party made up of a number of suspicious characters, Sargent sets out to solve the mystery.
February 28, 2018
Fun in the Hamptons
Not great literature, but great fun. A romp in the Hampton's with pixelated dowagers, Bohemian artists, trust fund kids and plenty of booze and murder. Misdirects abound. Great first grad.
Not great literature, but great fun. A romp in the Hampton's with pixelated dowagers, Bohemian artists, trust fund kids and plenty of booze and murder. Misdirects abound. Great first grad.
January 26, 2018
Similar issues to other books. This story was darker. I appreciated there being enough clues in this story for the reader to guess at the murderer.
July 29, 2019
A good, well paced mystery with limited sidelines going on. The focus is on the investigation and not personal things in the characters lives which is the way I like to read a mystery novel.
July 12, 2020
Incredibly good. INCREDIBLY Vidal. An endless and supremely satisfying pleasure in prose.
November 3, 2022
All the characters are interesting.
November 12, 2025
The best of Gore Vidal's Edgar Box novels.
May 6, 2011
Third and last of the Peter Sargeant detective novels theat Gore Vidal secretly wrote under the pen name Edgar Box in the 1950s. The hero, a Harvard grad public relations man in New York City named Peter Sargeant, well networked with Social Register, political, and artistic connections, has a witty and caustic voice that is clearly Vidal enjoying himself at play. The first novel focused on the world of ballet, the second on DC politics, and this last takes a look at the country club set summering in the Hamptons. It started to drag a bit about 70% of the way through, but it picked up towards the end. I also like the way the opening establishes tone and the conclusion sustains it, though the series be over.
April 23, 2009
Synopsis from Fantastic Fiction
When Peter Cutler Sargeant II decided to mix business with a smart weekend in the Hamptons, he wasn't aware that the guest list was loaded. He found himself hobnobbing with a crown of sophisticated weirdos and the scene was anything but congenial. Besides the usual back biting, two timing and triple crossing that passed for fun in the Social Register sun, was someone had invented a trendy new game - and the trend was murder.
When Peter Cutler Sargeant II decided to mix business with a smart weekend in the Hamptons, he wasn't aware that the guest list was loaded. He found himself hobnobbing with a crown of sophisticated weirdos and the scene was anything but congenial. Besides the usual back biting, two timing and triple crossing that passed for fun in the Social Register sun, was someone had invented a trendy new game - and the trend was murder.
October 22, 2013
I read this since I enjoy other Gore Vidal I've read. This isn't really my favorite Genre, but I found it well written. It does drag at some points and I felt sort of claustrophobic reading it with all of them staying at the same house. I would read another book from this series although I wouldn't say I'm rushing out to do so.
January 4, 2012
The last mystery of the Gore Vidal as Edgar Box series. Clever, but the concept became a little worn (all three were similar).
January 19, 2013
This is the first of three books wherein Gore Vidal tries his hand at mysteries. Not bad. Not great but huge fun!
September 30, 2013
Неудивительно, что Гор Видал выпускал детективы под псевдонимом. Довольно расхлябанное чтиво, хотя и не без проблесков фирменного сарказма, написано впопыхах ради гонорара.
July 25, 2015
Only a smidgen of Mr. Vidal's scathing wit and nearly none of social insight can be found in this rather pedestrian whodunit. Good for painlessly killing a few hours, but not much more.
November 13, 2018
i liked it!
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews