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Timothy Trant #8
Familienschande
Originaltitel: Family Skeletons
- GenresMystery
First published January 1, 1964
About the author
Patrick Quentin
132 books16 followersPatrick Quentin, Q. Patrick and Jonathan Stagge were pen names under which Hugh Callingham Wheeler (19 March 1912 – 26 July 1987), Richard Wilson Webb (August 1901 – December 1966), Martha Mott Kelley (30 April 1906–2005) and Mary Louise White Aswell (3 June 1902 – 24 December 1984) wrote detective fiction. In some foreign countries their books have been published under the variant Quentin Patrick. Most of the stories were written by Webb and Wheeler in collaboration, or by Wheeler alone. Their most famous creation is the amateur sleuth Peter Duluth. In 1963, the story collection The Ordeal of Mrs. Snow was given a Special Edgar Award by the Mystery Writers of America.
AKA:
Πάτρικ Κουέντιν (Greek)
AKA:
Πάτρικ Κουέντιν (Greek)
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 23, 2012
An intriguing and complicated tale of a young man who gets embroiled in the murder of a pianist found in his apartment. As he endeavours to find out the truth, he uncovers many a lie within his own family that he never suspected. Pushed along by his wife and under pressure from the police, the situation rapidly goes from bad to worse to disasterous. A good read that keeps you guessing and changing your mind to the very end.
July 27, 2026
Always dreamed of being adopted into a wealthy family? Re-think.
Of the three post-WWII Lt Trant mysteries, this one is the most fun. Lewis Denham's relatives aren't just rich and snooty. They're flamboyant. One of them even has a title. Maybe.
Lewis Denham's parents died in an accident when he was a child. (A technique this author uses too often for comfort.) He was taken in by his rich Uncle Eugene Denham and encouraged to live up to the family name. It wasn't easy, but he tried.
He even married a girl the family picked out for him. Beth was the kind of well-connected young socialite who was a credit to the family. Not as dazzling as Cousin Hugo's wife, Tanya. Tanya is a "White Russian" princess - meaning her family was part of the Russian aristocracy booted out by the Red Russians. Her grandparents live in a tiny apartment in Switzerland, but Uncle Gene is always thrilled to finance their visits to the U.S. What could be more delightful than showing off your titled in-laws to friends who don't have any.
Lew wasn't wildly happy or unhappy with Beth. He simply accepted her as part of the deal. Then a family trip on Uncle Gene's sailboat turned tragic when Beth was swept overboard. Now Lew has vacationed in Mexico and met a beautiful young Englishwoman named Virginia. They know nothing about each other, but they know they're in love and they get married. Now they must break the news to Lew's relatives.
The reaction is what he expected. Before they know Lew is already married, they spread rumors that she was a prostitute in Europe and a jailbird to boot. Once they know the marriage has already taken place, they tone down the rhetoric, but it's plain they plan to get rid of Virginia as soon as possible. And one of them hatches a brilliant plan to make that happen.
Not that Uncle Gene's family doesn't have its skeletons. Aunt Peggy is a world-class lush, although no one ever admits it and her oddities are swept under the rug as slight illnesses. Then there's family friend Sheila Potter - a wealthy widow who's found a new companion. He's handsome and young enough to be her son, but she's only helping him get his writing career launched so THAT'S OK.
A high-flying banker, Uncle Gene can afford to keep the lid on anything he doesn't want to become public and he does. Enter the Bad Guy. Oscar Olsen is a red-haired pianist who's playing at a low dive when Lew and Virginia go slumming one night and (surprisingly) run into Mrs Potter and her young protege. Lew notices that Virginia makes herself scarce and wonders why. Then Olsen turns up dead in Lew and Virgina's apartment.
For reasons of his own, this author is fond of having his characters find dead bodies in their apartments, panicking, and disposing of them. Disposing of bodies may be OK if you have experience in that area, but Virginia and Lew are novices and it shows. When the body's found, Lew's name and address is on a paper in the pocket and Virginia's distinctive cigarette case is in another pocket. And the dead guy's coat and hat are in their closet. NOT an efficient job.
Lt Trant comes calling and Lew realizes how little he knows about his new wife. Turns out she knew Olsen very well, which makes her a prime suspect. And she DOES have some skeletons in her closet and lacks the money to keep them there. Lew wants to trust her, but years of dealing with his relatives have left him shell-shocked.
Should he stick with his wife and try to prove her innocence or admit he made a bad mistake and ditch her? If Virginia didn't kill Olsen, who could have? Someone with a key to their apartment and knowledge of the gun in Beth's bedside table. In other words, one of the Denhams or someone very close to them.
Olsen is a blackmailer. All of this author's Bad Guys are blackmailers. He writes about wealthy people and there's no percentage in blackmailing poor ones. They might want to keep their secrets private, but they can't afford pay-off money.
One by one, Lew examines one relative/family connection after another. Who has a secret and is willing to do anything to keep it secret? And who had the brilliant idea of blaming the murder on Virginia, killing two birds with one stone? Lew doesn't like accusing people he knows of murder, but he likes the idea of Virginia being the fall guy even less. So he keeps going and Lt Trant is an interested on-looker. Uncle Gene has squared things with his good buddy the police commissioner, but Trant isn't going to stand for the wrong person being blamed for a murder.
The end is clever, but plausible. People who've lived their whole lives intent on impressing others don't let their dirty secrets out without a fight. Especially when they have such a convenient fall guy. It's good entertainment.
Of the three post-WWII Lt Trant mysteries, this one is the most fun. Lewis Denham's relatives aren't just rich and snooty. They're flamboyant. One of them even has a title. Maybe.
Lewis Denham's parents died in an accident when he was a child. (A technique this author uses too often for comfort.) He was taken in by his rich Uncle Eugene Denham and encouraged to live up to the family name. It wasn't easy, but he tried.
He even married a girl the family picked out for him. Beth was the kind of well-connected young socialite who was a credit to the family. Not as dazzling as Cousin Hugo's wife, Tanya. Tanya is a "White Russian" princess - meaning her family was part of the Russian aristocracy booted out by the Red Russians. Her grandparents live in a tiny apartment in Switzerland, but Uncle Gene is always thrilled to finance their visits to the U.S. What could be more delightful than showing off your titled in-laws to friends who don't have any.
Lew wasn't wildly happy or unhappy with Beth. He simply accepted her as part of the deal. Then a family trip on Uncle Gene's sailboat turned tragic when Beth was swept overboard. Now Lew has vacationed in Mexico and met a beautiful young Englishwoman named Virginia. They know nothing about each other, but they know they're in love and they get married. Now they must break the news to Lew's relatives.
The reaction is what he expected. Before they know Lew is already married, they spread rumors that she was a prostitute in Europe and a jailbird to boot. Once they know the marriage has already taken place, they tone down the rhetoric, but it's plain they plan to get rid of Virginia as soon as possible. And one of them hatches a brilliant plan to make that happen.
Not that Uncle Gene's family doesn't have its skeletons. Aunt Peggy is a world-class lush, although no one ever admits it and her oddities are swept under the rug as slight illnesses. Then there's family friend Sheila Potter - a wealthy widow who's found a new companion. He's handsome and young enough to be her son, but she's only helping him get his writing career launched so THAT'S OK.
A high-flying banker, Uncle Gene can afford to keep the lid on anything he doesn't want to become public and he does. Enter the Bad Guy. Oscar Olsen is a red-haired pianist who's playing at a low dive when Lew and Virginia go slumming one night and (surprisingly) run into Mrs Potter and her young protege. Lew notices that Virginia makes herself scarce and wonders why. Then Olsen turns up dead in Lew and Virgina's apartment.
For reasons of his own, this author is fond of having his characters find dead bodies in their apartments, panicking, and disposing of them. Disposing of bodies may be OK if you have experience in that area, but Virginia and Lew are novices and it shows. When the body's found, Lew's name and address is on a paper in the pocket and Virginia's distinctive cigarette case is in another pocket. And the dead guy's coat and hat are in their closet. NOT an efficient job.
Lt Trant comes calling and Lew realizes how little he knows about his new wife. Turns out she knew Olsen very well, which makes her a prime suspect. And she DOES have some skeletons in her closet and lacks the money to keep them there. Lew wants to trust her, but years of dealing with his relatives have left him shell-shocked.
Should he stick with his wife and try to prove her innocence or admit he made a bad mistake and ditch her? If Virginia didn't kill Olsen, who could have? Someone with a key to their apartment and knowledge of the gun in Beth's bedside table. In other words, one of the Denhams or someone very close to them.
Olsen is a blackmailer. All of this author's Bad Guys are blackmailers. He writes about wealthy people and there's no percentage in blackmailing poor ones. They might want to keep their secrets private, but they can't afford pay-off money.
One by one, Lew examines one relative/family connection after another. Who has a secret and is willing to do anything to keep it secret? And who had the brilliant idea of blaming the murder on Virginia, killing two birds with one stone? Lew doesn't like accusing people he knows of murder, but he likes the idea of Virginia being the fall guy even less. So he keeps going and Lt Trant is an interested on-looker. Uncle Gene has squared things with his good buddy the police commissioner, but Trant isn't going to stand for the wrong person being blamed for a murder.
The end is clever, but plausible. People who've lived their whole lives intent on impressing others don't let their dirty secrets out without a fight. Especially when they have such a convenient fall guy. It's good entertainment.
February 15, 2022
„Pak jsme se posadili, chovali jsme se taktně a jako lidé z nejvyšších kruhů a měli jsme se navzájem strašně rádi.“
Jedna z vět, které dokonale vystihují atmosféru další detektivky Petera Quentina (ať už to v tu chvíli byl kdokoliv). Jak jím teď projíždím jako kombajn, tak tady už cítím, jak je to vysázené podle obvyklého mustru. Hrdina se zaplete do vraždy a snaží se nejprve zahladit stopy a pak, když mu začne policie ofukovat krk, hledat skutečného viníka. Tady se (podobně jako v Na stopě) zaplete do vraždy jeho novomanželka. To bývá u Quentina běžné. Jak jen hrdina vystrčí paty z bytu, hned tam po návratu najde jednu či dvě mrtvoly.
Čili, příběh je fakt otřepaná klasika, u které mě ani moc nezajímalo, kdo je vlastně pachatel. Ovšem co mě na knížce nadchlo, je celé to prostředí nóbl rodiny, která se pohybuje z večírku na večírek, a ve skříni má víc kostlivců než pouťový dům hrůzy. Tahle společenskost se ukazuje být i hlavní překážkou v hrdinově snažení, protože se těžko likviduje mrtvola, když se vám do bytu nacpe příbuzenstvo, které nemůžete vyhodit… a navíc vám pak seberou auto, v jehož kufru se tělo nachází, aby odvezli opilou tetu. A samozřejmě, když si pro něj chcete přijet, koná se další večírek.
Tyhle příběhy, ve kterých se hrdina nemůže hnout z místa, jsou u Quentina časté… ale tady je to atypické tím, že mu v cestě nebrání negativní věci, ale spíš přehnaně přátelské. Hrdina se brodí bažinou zdvořilosti a společenských konvencí a nemůže se z ní dostat ven.
Tenhle nápad jinak spíš slabší titul řadí mezi ty zajímavější… stejně jako ustavičné odhalování škraloupů lepší familie. Příjemné je i to, že jsou většinou úplně lidské a pochopitelné… tedy samozřejmě, pokud nekončí vraždou. Je to věc, u které jsem měl chvílemi pnutí si něco podobného sám napsat. Jasně, asi bych to hodil víc do crazy komedie (tahle kníže je spíš jen lehce sarkastická, než vysloveně komediální) a finále bych asi udělal cyničtější, ale je to věc, se kterou by se dalo skvěle pracovat.
Jedna z vět, které dokonale vystihují atmosféru další detektivky Petera Quentina (ať už to v tu chvíli byl kdokoliv). Jak jím teď projíždím jako kombajn, tak tady už cítím, jak je to vysázené podle obvyklého mustru. Hrdina se zaplete do vraždy a snaží se nejprve zahladit stopy a pak, když mu začne policie ofukovat krk, hledat skutečného viníka. Tady se (podobně jako v Na stopě) zaplete do vraždy jeho novomanželka. To bývá u Quentina běžné. Jak jen hrdina vystrčí paty z bytu, hned tam po návratu najde jednu či dvě mrtvoly.
Čili, příběh je fakt otřepaná klasika, u které mě ani moc nezajímalo, kdo je vlastně pachatel. Ovšem co mě na knížce nadchlo, je celé to prostředí nóbl rodiny, která se pohybuje z večírku na večírek, a ve skříni má víc kostlivců než pouťový dům hrůzy. Tahle společenskost se ukazuje být i hlavní překážkou v hrdinově snažení, protože se těžko likviduje mrtvola, když se vám do bytu nacpe příbuzenstvo, které nemůžete vyhodit… a navíc vám pak seberou auto, v jehož kufru se tělo nachází, aby odvezli opilou tetu. A samozřejmě, když si pro něj chcete přijet, koná se další večírek.
Tyhle příběhy, ve kterých se hrdina nemůže hnout z místa, jsou u Quentina časté… ale tady je to atypické tím, že mu v cestě nebrání negativní věci, ale spíš přehnaně přátelské. Hrdina se brodí bažinou zdvořilosti a společenských konvencí a nemůže se z ní dostat ven.
Tenhle nápad jinak spíš slabší titul řadí mezi ty zajímavější… stejně jako ustavičné odhalování škraloupů lepší familie. Příjemné je i to, že jsou většinou úplně lidské a pochopitelné… tedy samozřejmě, pokud nekončí vraždou. Je to věc, u které jsem měl chvílemi pnutí si něco podobného sám napsat. Jasně, asi bych to hodil víc do crazy komedie (tahle kníže je spíš jen lehce sarkastická, než vysloveně komediální) a finále bych asi udělal cyničtější, ale je to věc, se kterou by se dalo skvěle pracovat.
August 17, 2019
Read in Danish. Title: En galge til min elskede.
4 minus to 3 1/2 stars
4 minus to 3 1/2 stars
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews