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Women Crime Writers: Library of America #2
Women Crime Writers: Four Suspense Novels of the 1950s (LOA #269): Mischief / The Blunderer / Beast in View / Fools' Gold
In place of the mean and violent streets evoked by Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, the pioneering women crime writers of the 1940s and ’50s uncovered the roots of fear and mania in a quiet suburban neighborhood or a comfortable midtown hotel or the insinuating voice of a stranger on the telephone. This volume, the second of a two-volume collection, brings together four classics of the 1950s that testify to the centrality of women writers in the canon of American crime fiction. Each in its own way examines not only an isolated crime but the society that nurtures murderous rages and destructive suspicions.
Charlotte Armstrong’s Mischief (1950) stages a parental nightmare in a midtown Manhattan hotel, as an out-of-town mother reluctantly leaves her child in the care of a stranger so that she can accompany her husband to a banquet where he is the guest of honor. This fateful decision unleashes the barely submerged forces of chaos that haunt modern urban life.
In The Blunderer (1954), Patricia Highsmith tracks two men, strangers to each other, whose destinies become intertwined when one becomes obsessed with a crime committed by the other. Highsmith’s gimlet-eyed portrayals of failed marriages and deceptively congenial middle-class communities lend a sardonic edge to this tale of intrigue and ineptitude.
In Beast in View (1955), Margaret Millar’s intricately constructed tour de force of insidiously mounting tension, a voice from a woman’s past unleashes a campaign of terror by telephone. As the threats mount, the facades of ordinary life are stripped away to reveal unsuspected depths of resentment and madness.
Two teenagers fresh out of stir after a bungled robbery set their sights on what looks like easy money in Dolores Hitchens’s Fools’ Gold (1958)—and get a painful education in how quickly and drastically a simple plan can spin out of control. The basis for Jean-Luc Godard’s film Band of Outsiders, this sharply told tale is distinguished by its nuanced portrait of a sheltered young woman who becomes a reluctant accomplice and fugitive.
Visit the companion website for more on these works and writers, including jacket art and photographs, chronologies of crime novels by women and movie adaptations, and new appreciations by Megan Abbott, Charles Finch, Laura Lippman, Sara Paretsky, Lisa Scottoline, Karin Slaughter, Duane Swierczynski, and Lisa Unger.
Charlotte Armstrong’s Mischief (1950) stages a parental nightmare in a midtown Manhattan hotel, as an out-of-town mother reluctantly leaves her child in the care of a stranger so that she can accompany her husband to a banquet where he is the guest of honor. This fateful decision unleashes the barely submerged forces of chaos that haunt modern urban life.
In The Blunderer (1954), Patricia Highsmith tracks two men, strangers to each other, whose destinies become intertwined when one becomes obsessed with a crime committed by the other. Highsmith’s gimlet-eyed portrayals of failed marriages and deceptively congenial middle-class communities lend a sardonic edge to this tale of intrigue and ineptitude.
In Beast in View (1955), Margaret Millar’s intricately constructed tour de force of insidiously mounting tension, a voice from a woman’s past unleashes a campaign of terror by telephone. As the threats mount, the facades of ordinary life are stripped away to reveal unsuspected depths of resentment and madness.
Two teenagers fresh out of stir after a bungled robbery set their sights on what looks like easy money in Dolores Hitchens’s Fools’ Gold (1958)—and get a painful education in how quickly and drastically a simple plan can spin out of control. The basis for Jean-Luc Godard’s film Band of Outsiders, this sharply told tale is distinguished by its nuanced portrait of a sheltered young woman who becomes a reluctant accomplice and fugitive.
Visit the companion website for more on these works and writers, including jacket art and photographs, chronologies of crime novels by women and movie adaptations, and new appreciations by Megan Abbott, Charles Finch, Laura Lippman, Sara Paretsky, Lisa Scottoline, Karin Slaughter, Duane Swierczynski, and Lisa Unger.
848 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2015
102 people are currently reading
470 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Weinman
36 books321 followersSarah Weinman is the author of The Real Lolita: A Lost Girl, An Unthinkable Crime, and a Scandalous Masterpiece, which was named a Best Book of 2018 by NPR, BuzzFeed, The National Post, Literary Hub, the San Francisco Chronicle, and Vulture, and won the Arthur Ellis Award for Excellence in Crime Writing. She also edited the anthologies Unspeakable Acts: True Tales of Crime, Murder, Deceit & Obsession (Ecco) Women Crime Writers: Eight Suspense Novels of the 1940s & 50s (Library of America) and Troubled Daughters, Twisted Wives (Penguin).
Weinman writes the twice-monthly Crime column for the New York Times Book Review. A 2020 National Magazine Award finalist for Reporting, her work has also appeared most recently in New York, The Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair, the Washington Post, and AirMail, while her fiction has been published in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, and numerous anthologies. Weinman also writes (albeit less regularly) the “Crime Lady” newsletter, covering crime fiction, true crime, and all points in between.
She lives in New York City.
(sarahweinman.com)
Weinman writes the twice-monthly Crime column for the New York Times Book Review. A 2020 National Magazine Award finalist for Reporting, her work has also appeared most recently in New York, The Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair, the Washington Post, and AirMail, while her fiction has been published in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, and numerous anthologies. Weinman also writes (albeit less regularly) the “Crime Lady” newsletter, covering crime fiction, true crime, and all points in between.
She lives in New York City.
(sarahweinman.com)
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March 28, 2024
Women Crime Writers In The Library Of America -- The 1950s
For many years, some readers did not take crime fiction seriously. This situation was changing when, in 1999, the Library of America published a two-volume anthology of noir writing from the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. The LOA has continued to publish crime fiction both in anthologies and in volumes devoted to specific authors such as David Goodis and Ross Macdonald. The LOA has recently published a two-volume box set of suspense fiction written by women: "Women Crime Writers: Four Suspense Novels of the 1940s and 1950s". Sarah Weinman, a highly knowledgeable and enthusiastic writer about women's crime fiction selected the contents for and edited the volumes. I am reviewing the second volume of the box set here, which includes four suspense novels by four different women authors written during the 1950s.
Women's crime fiction sometimes is called "domestic suspense". The works in this volume do show family or other domestic themes, but they belie a too-easy categorization. The novels in this collection show great insight into individual characters and into the United States of the 1950s with the United States coming to prosperity and to a degree of peace in the years after WW II. Two of the books in this collection are set in New York City or its environs while the remaining two are set in the vicinity of Los Angeles. The books are entertaining and thoughtful to read. Of the four authors, three will be unfamiliar to many readers. It is valuable to get to know them.
The three obscure authors in this collection are Charlotte Armstrong, Margaret Millar, and Dolores Hitchens. Each of their books deserves discussion. Armstrong's novel, "Mischief" opens the anthology. Although the novel has been nearly forgotten, it formed the basis of a 1952 film, "Don't Bother to Knock" which starred Marilyn Monroe in a serious dramatic role. The novel is set in a New York City hotel as a husband and wife seek a babysitter for their nine-year old daughter. The babysitter soon proves to be psychotic and dangerous to the child. Armstrong's novel shows how the dangers of the situation lead ordinary blasé and isolated people to come together to recognize their responsibilities to one another.
Margaret Millar was the wife of Ross Macdonald, but she was an outstanding writer of suspense fiction in her own right. Her novel "Beast in View" was out of print at the time of publication of this LOA volume. The book is set in Los Angeles and describes the efforts of lonely individuals to establish human connection. The primary character is a 30 year old reclusive spinster who begins to receive threatening telephone calls from a long lost friend. She asks her investment advisor, who himself is alone and lonely, to help. The story becomes emotionally intense and complex and carries the reader through the streets of Los Angeles, including pornographic photographic studios and massage parlors. There is brutal killing along the way but the strength of the book lies in its characterizations of people and places.
Dolores Hitchens' novel "Fools Gold" was also long out of print. Together with Millar's novel, it is the highlight of this anthology. The novel involves the highly 1950s theme of juvenile delinquency. The primary characters are two young men just out of reform school who seek easy money by burglarizing a large, isolated home where they believe an old woman is allowing a friend to stash money. A young woman who lives with the old woman reluctantly assists the men. When word of the heist gets out to older, more seasoned criminals, particularly a hard ex-con named Big Tom, there is tension between the younger and older generations of crooks. The novel shows the unraveling plans and more importantly the characters and fates of the cross-generational people involved. Although the novel was nearly forgotten, it formed the basis for "Band of Outsiders" a film by Jean-Luc Godard with the setting transposed to Paris.
Unlike the other three novels in this anthology, the fourth novel, "The Blunderer", is by the famous suspense writer, Patricia Highsmith. Highsmith's "The Talented Mr. Ripley" is included in the LOA anthology of 1950s noir. "The Blunderer" involves two men in unhappy marriages. At the outset of the book, one man is shown brutally murdering his wife at a rest stop on a long bus trip. The focus of the book is more on the other man, a successful corporate lawyer who leads a boring, vaguely dissatisfying life in the suburbs of New York City. He is in a bad marriage from which he aims to free himself by divorce. When he learns of the bus stop murder from a newspaper article he is tempted to perform a similar crime himself. When his wife dies under suspicious circumstances on a bus trip, he becomes a suspect. Highsmith's novel illustrates themes of guilt and of complete deterioration of one's mind under stress. In addition to the two male characters, the book features an inquisitive and brutal detective who aims to establish the guilt of both men.
Sarah Weinman and the LOA deserve congratulations for preparing this anthology and its companion volume of 1940s suspense novels by women and for rescuing deserving books and authors from oblivion. This novel shows the vitality, diversity and insight of American literature even in genres that were once downgraded by some. The anthology includes short biographies of each of the four authors. The LOA offers substantial additional information and discussion of the anthology and its background on its website. The LOA kindly provided me with a review copy of this book and of the companion volume.
Robin Friedman
For many years, some readers did not take crime fiction seriously. This situation was changing when, in 1999, the Library of America published a two-volume anthology of noir writing from the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. The LOA has continued to publish crime fiction both in anthologies and in volumes devoted to specific authors such as David Goodis and Ross Macdonald. The LOA has recently published a two-volume box set of suspense fiction written by women: "Women Crime Writers: Four Suspense Novels of the 1940s and 1950s". Sarah Weinman, a highly knowledgeable and enthusiastic writer about women's crime fiction selected the contents for and edited the volumes. I am reviewing the second volume of the box set here, which includes four suspense novels by four different women authors written during the 1950s.
Women's crime fiction sometimes is called "domestic suspense". The works in this volume do show family or other domestic themes, but they belie a too-easy categorization. The novels in this collection show great insight into individual characters and into the United States of the 1950s with the United States coming to prosperity and to a degree of peace in the years after WW II. Two of the books in this collection are set in New York City or its environs while the remaining two are set in the vicinity of Los Angeles. The books are entertaining and thoughtful to read. Of the four authors, three will be unfamiliar to many readers. It is valuable to get to know them.
The three obscure authors in this collection are Charlotte Armstrong, Margaret Millar, and Dolores Hitchens. Each of their books deserves discussion. Armstrong's novel, "Mischief" opens the anthology. Although the novel has been nearly forgotten, it formed the basis of a 1952 film, "Don't Bother to Knock" which starred Marilyn Monroe in a serious dramatic role. The novel is set in a New York City hotel as a husband and wife seek a babysitter for their nine-year old daughter. The babysitter soon proves to be psychotic and dangerous to the child. Armstrong's novel shows how the dangers of the situation lead ordinary blasé and isolated people to come together to recognize their responsibilities to one another.
Margaret Millar was the wife of Ross Macdonald, but she was an outstanding writer of suspense fiction in her own right. Her novel "Beast in View" was out of print at the time of publication of this LOA volume. The book is set in Los Angeles and describes the efforts of lonely individuals to establish human connection. The primary character is a 30 year old reclusive spinster who begins to receive threatening telephone calls from a long lost friend. She asks her investment advisor, who himself is alone and lonely, to help. The story becomes emotionally intense and complex and carries the reader through the streets of Los Angeles, including pornographic photographic studios and massage parlors. There is brutal killing along the way but the strength of the book lies in its characterizations of people and places.
Dolores Hitchens' novel "Fools Gold" was also long out of print. Together with Millar's novel, it is the highlight of this anthology. The novel involves the highly 1950s theme of juvenile delinquency. The primary characters are two young men just out of reform school who seek easy money by burglarizing a large, isolated home where they believe an old woman is allowing a friend to stash money. A young woman who lives with the old woman reluctantly assists the men. When word of the heist gets out to older, more seasoned criminals, particularly a hard ex-con named Big Tom, there is tension between the younger and older generations of crooks. The novel shows the unraveling plans and more importantly the characters and fates of the cross-generational people involved. Although the novel was nearly forgotten, it formed the basis for "Band of Outsiders" a film by Jean-Luc Godard with the setting transposed to Paris.
Unlike the other three novels in this anthology, the fourth novel, "The Blunderer", is by the famous suspense writer, Patricia Highsmith. Highsmith's "The Talented Mr. Ripley" is included in the LOA anthology of 1950s noir. "The Blunderer" involves two men in unhappy marriages. At the outset of the book, one man is shown brutally murdering his wife at a rest stop on a long bus trip. The focus of the book is more on the other man, a successful corporate lawyer who leads a boring, vaguely dissatisfying life in the suburbs of New York City. He is in a bad marriage from which he aims to free himself by divorce. When he learns of the bus stop murder from a newspaper article he is tempted to perform a similar crime himself. When his wife dies under suspicious circumstances on a bus trip, he becomes a suspect. Highsmith's novel illustrates themes of guilt and of complete deterioration of one's mind under stress. In addition to the two male characters, the book features an inquisitive and brutal detective who aims to establish the guilt of both men.
Sarah Weinman and the LOA deserve congratulations for preparing this anthology and its companion volume of 1940s suspense novels by women and for rescuing deserving books and authors from oblivion. This novel shows the vitality, diversity and insight of American literature even in genres that were once downgraded by some. The anthology includes short biographies of each of the four authors. The LOA offers substantial additional information and discussion of the anthology and its background on its website. The LOA kindly provided me with a review copy of this book and of the companion volume.
Robin Friedman
February 4, 2016
3.5 stars.
This is a fine anthology of 4 mystery novels written by women authors in the 1950's published in one volume. I must confess that I am old enough to have read the books by Margaret Millar and Charlotte Armstrong when they were first published, as these were my two favourite mystery writers of that era. I may have read Millar's Beast in View and Armstrong's Mischief many years ago but had forgotten the details.
The stories by Millar and Armstrong worked best for me. The characters were well developed and interesting, with a steady buildup of suspense and tension. I also enjoyed Fools' Gold by Dolores Hitchens; the story of two male juvenile delinquents and an orphan girl. They are involved in robbery and the plan goes terribly wrong. The Blunderer, by Patricia Highsmith was not familiar to me, and it did not work as well as the other novels. The main character, a lawyer, comes off as dull and uninteresting. He is in an unhappy marriage. When his wife is found dead, he is accused of the murder by a brutal policeman. He makes many wrong moves and his reactions make him seem guilty.
It was jarring to realize how much the world has changed since I first read some of these authors. Some of the 50's slang and phrases are very dated, and 'gay' meant only joyous. Smoking was an acceptable pastime everywhere, and it mentions smoking while seated in a movie theatre. I remember being in a couple theatres that allowed this. There was a mention of ice boxes which predate fridges, and I remember those well. Also the characters are often rushing to pay phones, and you gave the number to an operator who made the connection. TV is not mentioned as it was just coming into use, and not widespread. It mentions a woman being successful in real estate, with the envious salary of $5000 a year, and adult baby sitters paid 50 cents an hour.
The biggest change reflected in the stories by its absence is the huge advances in forensic science, especially DNA testing to aid in solutions to modern crimes. Now anxious to begin the 4 volume collection of crime stories written by women authors in the 1940's.
This is a fine anthology of 4 mystery novels written by women authors in the 1950's published in one volume. I must confess that I am old enough to have read the books by Margaret Millar and Charlotte Armstrong when they were first published, as these were my two favourite mystery writers of that era. I may have read Millar's Beast in View and Armstrong's Mischief many years ago but had forgotten the details.
The stories by Millar and Armstrong worked best for me. The characters were well developed and interesting, with a steady buildup of suspense and tension. I also enjoyed Fools' Gold by Dolores Hitchens; the story of two male juvenile delinquents and an orphan girl. They are involved in robbery and the plan goes terribly wrong. The Blunderer, by Patricia Highsmith was not familiar to me, and it did not work as well as the other novels. The main character, a lawyer, comes off as dull and uninteresting. He is in an unhappy marriage. When his wife is found dead, he is accused of the murder by a brutal policeman. He makes many wrong moves and his reactions make him seem guilty.
It was jarring to realize how much the world has changed since I first read some of these authors. Some of the 50's slang and phrases are very dated, and 'gay' meant only joyous. Smoking was an acceptable pastime everywhere, and it mentions smoking while seated in a movie theatre. I remember being in a couple theatres that allowed this. There was a mention of ice boxes which predate fridges, and I remember those well. Also the characters are often rushing to pay phones, and you gave the number to an operator who made the connection. TV is not mentioned as it was just coming into use, and not widespread. It mentions a woman being successful in real estate, with the envious salary of $5000 a year, and adult baby sitters paid 50 cents an hour.
The biggest change reflected in the stories by its absence is the huge advances in forensic science, especially DNA testing to aid in solutions to modern crimes. Now anxious to begin the 4 volume collection of crime stories written by women authors in the 1940's.
August 1, 2021
Sometimes the whole is greater than the sum of the parts, as with this stirring collection from the excellent Library of America. Not only does it present four novels that I'd never have found otherwise, but two of the authors were new to me (I'd read Highsmith and Millar). Although the title references "crime writers," only one of these is a crime story in the traditional sense (Fools' Gold by Dolores Hitchens). The other three are examples of psychological suspense that will make the reader hyperventilate. Mischief and Beast in View were both blinding examples of the genre and gems to remember -- I already feel like rereading them. The Blunderer by Patricia Highsmith was also painfully intense, but although amazingly written (Highsmith, say no more) it seemed flawed in that the protagonist makes monumentally stupid decisions that undercut the book's verisimilitude (and give it a title). I've only read a few of her books but would guess Highsmith has other better examples on offer. Fools' Gold is a traditional crime caper novel, but Hitchens gives us the back story of each of the characters in a way that lifts it above the average. The happy ending isn't all that happy. This collection made me want to read more from all the authors, the two newly introduced and the two old (but scary) friends.
April 30, 2017
This review is for the Patricia Highsmith novel: "The Blunderer".
This is the first Highsmith novel I have read and I found her writing quite enjoyable. The only 'mystery' aspect is how the book will end as the reader knows who did what to whom from the very beginning. I would say that the story told is anywhere from dark to distressing depending on one's sensibilities. For sure, the plot of 'The Blunderer' gives a sinister spin to a quote from author Alfred Bester: "The mind is the realty. You are what you think".
This is the first Highsmith novel I have read and I found her writing quite enjoyable. The only 'mystery' aspect is how the book will end as the reader knows who did what to whom from the very beginning. I would say that the story told is anywhere from dark to distressing depending on one's sensibilities. For sure, the plot of 'The Blunderer' gives a sinister spin to a quote from author Alfred Bester: "The mind is the realty. You are what you think".
February 21, 2026
I read each of the novels in this collection and reviewed them separately, then posted the reviews in this space as well. I awarded four stars for one, three for another, and two received 3.5 stars (marked up to four by Goodreads), resulting in an overall four stars for this collection.
***
FOOLS' GOLD:
I'll call this 3.5 stars, marked up to four by Goodreads. It reminds me of the 1937 Thieves Like Us, which was made into the really good 1948 Nicolas Ray film "They Live By Night" and another film by Robert Altman.
Some of the similar elements: innocent girl gets involved with not-really-bad boy who is involved with REALLY BAD men. This book moves fast, covers lots of ground (literally and figuratively), and, while some developments might be predictable, there are enough surprises to make it interesting. Good description, lots of characters, decent character development. Easy to see how this could be made into a film.
Ah-ha -- just checked and find that Jean-Luc Godard adapted Fools' Gold into the 1964 film "Band of Outsiders." The people who want to sell me a copy of that say "This audacious and wildly entertaining French New Wave gem is at once sentimental and insouciant, effervescently romantic and melancholy, and it features some of Godard’s most memorable set pieces, including the headlong race through the Louvre and the unshakably cool Madison dance sequence."
Well, maybe, after the French got through with it.
***
BEAST IN VIEW:
3.5 stars, marked up to four by Goodreads. The author is Mrs. "Ross Macdonald" (Kenneth Millar)* and this tale shares many of the qualities of Macdonald's "Lew Archer" novels -- troubled families, psychological quirks, things not being as they seem. Of course, many writers deal in the same turf, but knowing that Margaret was Mrs. Ross probably made me more cognizant of the similarities. In any event, Beast in View has unusual characters and some are quite complicated. It's really a novel about women, which I gather is common with Millar.
(I'm tap-dancing here, as I often seem to do when writing about mysteries or "suspense" stories so as to not give anything away.) One must pay attention, and I found myself rereading the last chapter to make sure.
*Ross/Kenneth is a member of my Holy Trinity of hard-boiled detective novelists, along with Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. I thought I had read some Margaret Millar, but don't find any mention of a book in my records, but I bet I've read short stories, or at least I read lots about her in Tom Nolan's biography of Kenneth/Ross.
***
MISCHIEF:
Apparently the author of Mischief was thinking “I can sell this to Hollywood!” Because it’s written in short quick scenes — very cinematic— easy to visualize the characters and action. A “thriller," not a mystery. Babysitter as devil — seems like that has become a frequent plot.
I finished this at 5:15 a.m., gave it four stars and wrote the paragraph above, then went to sleep for an hour. When I woke up, I decided this really was a three-star book . . . on further reflection, seems more like a short story than a novel. (At 130 pages, perhaps it’s a “novelette.”) It all occurs in one evening, so maybe that's why I thought "will be a movie or play." There IS some character development--more like a novel than a short story -- so that might be the difference. Anyway, that's the thought, "having slept on it."
***
THE BLUNDERER:
This entry in the collection certainly belongs — novel-length and truly a “suspense” tale, as advertised. A solid four stars here.
Much about this tale is quite unusual . . . and as I typed the letters "un" in that last adjective, the auto-completion brain wrote "unsettling" . . . and I will accept that description! Patricia Highsmith is best known for her "Ripley" character and books, and while it's been a while since I read a "Ripley," I think this story has many qualities in common with a "Ripley." One of those qualities: some of the characters are REALLY repulsive both physically and mentally and in their actions. Other characters could best be described as "unfortunate." It's hard to decide whom to root for!
If you want to know more about the plot, see another Goodreads review. I won't be responsible for giving anything away.
***
FOOLS' GOLD:
I'll call this 3.5 stars, marked up to four by Goodreads. It reminds me of the 1937 Thieves Like Us, which was made into the really good 1948 Nicolas Ray film "They Live By Night" and another film by Robert Altman.
Some of the similar elements: innocent girl gets involved with not-really-bad boy who is involved with REALLY BAD men. This book moves fast, covers lots of ground (literally and figuratively), and, while some developments might be predictable, there are enough surprises to make it interesting. Good description, lots of characters, decent character development. Easy to see how this could be made into a film.
Ah-ha -- just checked and find that Jean-Luc Godard adapted Fools' Gold into the 1964 film "Band of Outsiders." The people who want to sell me a copy of that say "This audacious and wildly entertaining French New Wave gem is at once sentimental and insouciant, effervescently romantic and melancholy, and it features some of Godard’s most memorable set pieces, including the headlong race through the Louvre and the unshakably cool Madison dance sequence."
Well, maybe, after the French got through with it.
***
BEAST IN VIEW:
3.5 stars, marked up to four by Goodreads. The author is Mrs. "Ross Macdonald" (Kenneth Millar)* and this tale shares many of the qualities of Macdonald's "Lew Archer" novels -- troubled families, psychological quirks, things not being as they seem. Of course, many writers deal in the same turf, but knowing that Margaret was Mrs. Ross probably made me more cognizant of the similarities. In any event, Beast in View has unusual characters and some are quite complicated. It's really a novel about women, which I gather is common with Millar.
(I'm tap-dancing here, as I often seem to do when writing about mysteries or "suspense" stories so as to not give anything away.) One must pay attention, and I found myself rereading the last chapter to make sure.
*Ross/Kenneth is a member of my Holy Trinity of hard-boiled detective novelists, along with Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. I thought I had read some Margaret Millar, but don't find any mention of a book in my records, but I bet I've read short stories, or at least I read lots about her in Tom Nolan's biography of Kenneth/Ross.
***
MISCHIEF:
Apparently the author of Mischief was thinking “I can sell this to Hollywood!” Because it’s written in short quick scenes — very cinematic— easy to visualize the characters and action. A “thriller," not a mystery. Babysitter as devil — seems like that has become a frequent plot.
I finished this at 5:15 a.m., gave it four stars and wrote the paragraph above, then went to sleep for an hour. When I woke up, I decided this really was a three-star book . . . on further reflection, seems more like a short story than a novel. (At 130 pages, perhaps it’s a “novelette.”) It all occurs in one evening, so maybe that's why I thought "will be a movie or play." There IS some character development--more like a novel than a short story -- so that might be the difference. Anyway, that's the thought, "having slept on it."
***
THE BLUNDERER:
This entry in the collection certainly belongs — novel-length and truly a “suspense” tale, as advertised. A solid four stars here.
Much about this tale is quite unusual . . . and as I typed the letters "un" in that last adjective, the auto-completion brain wrote "unsettling" . . . and I will accept that description! Patricia Highsmith is best known for her "Ripley" character and books, and while it's been a while since I read a "Ripley," I think this story has many qualities in common with a "Ripley." One of those qualities: some of the characters are REALLY repulsive both physically and mentally and in their actions. Other characters could best be described as "unfortunate." It's hard to decide whom to root for!
If you want to know more about the plot, see another Goodreads review. I won't be responsible for giving anything away.
November 28, 2020
Several of these stories feature women—mid-century “angels of the house”—conflicted over their role as wives, mothers, or docile partners. For these women, the act of murder, or catching the male criminal in a trap, or just being plain insane are pathways to agency, liberation, and exhilaration. “Mischief” and “The Blunderer” are particularly subversive!
September 27, 2015
I already reviewed Women Crime Writers: Four Suspense Novels of the 1940s: Laura / The Horizontal Man / In a Lonely Place / The Blank Wall (capsule summary: it's great! Read it!), and since I read the complete boxed set in order, it goes without saying that I entered the fifties with high expectations. They were amply rewarded.
Charlotte Armstrong's Mischief has a premise that borders on horror--a family visits New York and ends up leaving their young daughter in the care of a dangerously unstable young woman--and the book fulfills it by positively crackling with danger. Nell, the babysitter, never has much depth, but her shimmering instability and sheer weirdness (the description of her dancing once she's left alone raises gooseflesh) make her memorable and vivid, and the fears she raises are still very contemporary. Armstrong really shines--and this has been a consistent strength of all of these novels--in her supporting cast, which is full of men and women who at least briefly intersect with little Bunny O. Jones and her deranged sitter (it takes a village to save this child), and who boldly take different kinds of stands against the idea that they should mind their own business and leave well enough alone.
Patricia Highsmith's The Blunderer was the only novel in the set I'd read before, but it had been some years, and I'd forgotten the details: I would have told you, for example, that Walter, the "blunderer," did kill his needling, hyper-critical wife, Clara, in an imitation of an early crime by a much more accomplished killer, Kimmel. But he doesn't: Walter is oppressed by a sympathetically assumed guilt, not a real one, dogged by his own damning behavior, which doesn't seem to fit anyone's idea of innocence, and haunted by his near culpability--after all, he thought of killing her. Highsmith excels at creating an atmosphere of formless dread and tension, and this novel is one of her best.
Then there's Margaret Millar's Beast in View, the book I was most looking forward to reading after coming across a brilliant short story of hers. Millar is overdue for a revival, and she's getting a full one from Soho Press (all of which I'll undoubtedly read and review in time!). Beast in View is superb--its twist has been used to the point of familiarity since its publication, but Millar's writing withstands any predictability. The story centers on Helen Clarvoe, a heiress whose money does her little good, since she's largely walled herself off from society because of her own fears and discomforts. When she starts receiving threatening, darkly insinuating phone calls, all she can do is pay someone else--the semi-retired lawyer who handles her investments--to look into it for her. As he works to uncover the mystery, he threads his way through a vulnerable and slightly tawdry city, full of people oppressing and deluding themselves. Millar extends her sympathy generously: she has a good eye for her subjects' foibles but an equal eye for their common humanity. After all, all of them, at some point, feel hunted, as if they are, in her memorable phrase, "the beast in view."
Finally, we wrap up with Fools' Gold, by Dolores Hitchens, a tale of a youthful heist gone terribly and predictably wrong (well, it's predictable that it goes wrong--how it will go wrong is the subject of well-earned suspense). Most of the novels in the set deal with the middle- and upper-middle class, and while they're all well-done and fully-realized, it was great to have some diversity in POV here as we get Eddie and Skip, young men seemingly doomed to a lifetime of menial work, and Karen, an orphan taken in by a woman who has provided for her in return for her unpaid housework. Eddie has a mother who needs surgery she can't afford, Skip has an uncle with a prison record who has to content himself with the lowest rung of the employment ladder, and Karen is being punished (though she doesn't know it) for opting out of the nursing training her guardian wanted her to take to better mold her into a permanent caretaker. The stakes of their lives are high, they can't afford to make mistakes, and yet you watch in dread as they do make mistakes: as bullying Skip talks Eddie and Karen into a robbery that will inevitably get botched, as they let themselves agree out of inertia as much as anything else. Their futures are all on the line, and Hitchens keeps their sense of self on the line, too. Skip may not care what kind of person he is, but Eddie and Karen both do, and it's part of what makes the novel great that they have that to worry about, too.
The 1950s novels in this collection are just as strong--as tense, well-characterized, and moving--as their '40s companions. So I'll end this review with a plea to the Library of America: the sixties and seventies were great decades, too. I'd love to line up their "Women Crime Writers" boxed set right next to this one.
Charlotte Armstrong's Mischief has a premise that borders on horror--a family visits New York and ends up leaving their young daughter in the care of a dangerously unstable young woman--and the book fulfills it by positively crackling with danger. Nell, the babysitter, never has much depth, but her shimmering instability and sheer weirdness (the description of her dancing once she's left alone raises gooseflesh) make her memorable and vivid, and the fears she raises are still very contemporary. Armstrong really shines--and this has been a consistent strength of all of these novels--in her supporting cast, which is full of men and women who at least briefly intersect with little Bunny O. Jones and her deranged sitter (it takes a village to save this child), and who boldly take different kinds of stands against the idea that they should mind their own business and leave well enough alone.
Patricia Highsmith's The Blunderer was the only novel in the set I'd read before, but it had been some years, and I'd forgotten the details: I would have told you, for example, that Walter, the "blunderer," did kill his needling, hyper-critical wife, Clara, in an imitation of an early crime by a much more accomplished killer, Kimmel. But he doesn't: Walter is oppressed by a sympathetically assumed guilt, not a real one, dogged by his own damning behavior, which doesn't seem to fit anyone's idea of innocence, and haunted by his near culpability--after all, he thought of killing her. Highsmith excels at creating an atmosphere of formless dread and tension, and this novel is one of her best.
Then there's Margaret Millar's Beast in View, the book I was most looking forward to reading after coming across a brilliant short story of hers. Millar is overdue for a revival, and she's getting a full one from Soho Press (all of which I'll undoubtedly read and review in time!). Beast in View is superb--its twist has been used to the point of familiarity since its publication, but Millar's writing withstands any predictability. The story centers on Helen Clarvoe, a heiress whose money does her little good, since she's largely walled herself off from society because of her own fears and discomforts. When she starts receiving threatening, darkly insinuating phone calls, all she can do is pay someone else--the semi-retired lawyer who handles her investments--to look into it for her. As he works to uncover the mystery, he threads his way through a vulnerable and slightly tawdry city, full of people oppressing and deluding themselves. Millar extends her sympathy generously: she has a good eye for her subjects' foibles but an equal eye for their common humanity. After all, all of them, at some point, feel hunted, as if they are, in her memorable phrase, "the beast in view."
Finally, we wrap up with Fools' Gold, by Dolores Hitchens, a tale of a youthful heist gone terribly and predictably wrong (well, it's predictable that it goes wrong--how it will go wrong is the subject of well-earned suspense). Most of the novels in the set deal with the middle- and upper-middle class, and while they're all well-done and fully-realized, it was great to have some diversity in POV here as we get Eddie and Skip, young men seemingly doomed to a lifetime of menial work, and Karen, an orphan taken in by a woman who has provided for her in return for her unpaid housework. Eddie has a mother who needs surgery she can't afford, Skip has an uncle with a prison record who has to content himself with the lowest rung of the employment ladder, and Karen is being punished (though she doesn't know it) for opting out of the nursing training her guardian wanted her to take to better mold her into a permanent caretaker. The stakes of their lives are high, they can't afford to make mistakes, and yet you watch in dread as they do make mistakes: as bullying Skip talks Eddie and Karen into a robbery that will inevitably get botched, as they let themselves agree out of inertia as much as anything else. Their futures are all on the line, and Hitchens keeps their sense of self on the line, too. Skip may not care what kind of person he is, but Eddie and Karen both do, and it's part of what makes the novel great that they have that to worry about, too.
The 1950s novels in this collection are just as strong--as tense, well-characterized, and moving--as their '40s companions. So I'll end this review with a plea to the Library of America: the sixties and seventies were great decades, too. I'd love to line up their "Women Crime Writers" boxed set right next to this one.
September 12, 2018
I really enjoyed this collection, both for its historical value, as it introduced me to four authors I had never heard of before, all of whom do an excellent job of capturing the time and place that they're writing about; and for its artistic merits as well. Some of the stories worked better than others, but even the ones I liked less kept my attention the whole way through. One thing I found particularly interesting was how these stories serve double duty as a treatise on the perils of toxic masculinity. To a one, each story contains a plot element that hinges upon a man making stupid and/or tragic decisions because they are trapped in their ideas of what they can and cannot do because they are men. By contrast, (and a bit surprisingly, at least for someone who has read a lot of feminist sci-fi,) the women and their gendered constraints don't feel quite as deeply investigated.
In any case, for all their awkwardnesses and archaicisms, I found these stories fascinating. I'm looking forward to seeking out other works by these authors-- especially Armstrong, as hers was my favorite.
In any case, for all their awkwardnesses and archaicisms, I found these stories fascinating. I'm looking forward to seeking out other works by these authors-- especially Armstrong, as hers was my favorite.
March 19, 2017
Kinda cheesey, especially the pop-psychology, but good fun.
March 4, 2018
Excellent collection, though I didn't enjoy the last one as much as the first three. "Fool's Gold" is a more traditional crime novel, while the others are truly suspense and ratchet up the tension gloriously tight before ending with a satisfyingly big finish. "Mischief" in particular was terrifying, while "The Blunderer" was unnerving in its depiction of how damning circumstantial evidence can be. "Beast in View" was perhaps my favorite; it does a superb job leading the reader slowly but inexorably to a conclusion that, at the start, would have been unthinkable by the end is inevitable. Very well done indeed.
September 19, 2024
An entertaining collection of domestic thrillers from the Fifties by four wildly talented writers.
Here are the four novels:
Mischief by Charlotte Armstrong (1950) - The weakest book of the four, but it's entertaining in its own way. It's about a couple, Ruth and Peter Jones, who are staying at the Hotel Majestic in New York City and who hire a sitter to care for their 9-year-old daughter Bunny while they’re out for the evening. Unbeknownst to them, the sitter they hire, a young woman named Nell Forbes, is dangerously cuckoo. The character Bunny and the sitter are poorly developed, lessoning the impact of this child-in-danger story. The book was adapted for the movie Don't Bother to Knock (1952) starring Marilyn Monroe as the sitter. By all accounts, it's one of those rare instances where the movie is better than the book. The novel’s voyeurism theme reminded me at times of Rear Window. Three stars for the novel.
The Blunderer by Patricia Highsmith (1954) - A fascinating thriller about a man who might have murdered his wife by patterning the crime on a previous murder that he read about in the newspaper. The book is similar to Highsmith's first novel, Strangers on a Train (1950), which was adapted into a famous Hitchcock movie; both books involve doppelgangers and dual murder plots. What’s new is the obsessive and sadistic police detective, Lieutenant Corby of the Philadelphia Homicide Squad, on their trail. I found the book entertaining but unconvincing. It drags a bit toward the end, but the climax in the park is gripping. The book was adapted twice into movies, one French movie called Enough Rope (1963) and the other an American movie called A Kind of Murder (2016). I haven't seen the French movie, but the American movie is flat. Four stars for the novel.
Beast in View by Margaret Millar (1955) - The real gem in this collection. This is a brilliantly written domestic thriller about a spinster named Helen Clarvoe who believes a stranger, a woman named Evelyn Merrick, is making threatening phone calls. She asks her stock broker Paul Blackshear for advice. He suggests a vacation. She makes a fuss. He relents and agrees to find Evelyn Merrick for her. Blackshear's unusual search turns into a nightmare that results in multiple deaths. This is a short but thrilling novel with great character development and a diabolical twist. It won the Edgar Award for Best Novel by Mystery Writers of America in 1956 (beating out Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley). It was adapted twice into episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, the first starring Joan Hackett in 1964. Unfortunately, the book hasn’t made it to the big screen, but it’s reminiscent of Hitchcock’s Psycho (and the novel by Robert Bloch). Five stars for the novel.
Fools' Gold by Dorothy Hitchens (1958) - A noirish thriller about two juvenile delinquents and a young female orphan who attempt to rob a large pile of cash from an old woman who is keeping it for a mobster in her house in Pasadena. One of the boys' uncles enlists his mobster friend, Big Tom, to take on the job. The setup is a bit slow to develop, but tension builds as juveniles and career criminals compete for the cash. This is an upredictable crime novel with surprising twists and well-drawn characters. It was adapted into the movie Band of Outsiders (1964) by director Jean-Luc Godard. Four stars for the novel.
This is a wonderful collection of Fifties thrillers, so thanks to Library of America and editor Sarah Weinman for bringing these talented authors back into print. I'll definitely look for other books by these authors, particularly Margaret Millar, wife of author Ken Millar (a.k.a. Ross Macdonald).
Here are the four novels:
Mischief by Charlotte Armstrong (1950) - The weakest book of the four, but it's entertaining in its own way. It's about a couple, Ruth and Peter Jones, who are staying at the Hotel Majestic in New York City and who hire a sitter to care for their 9-year-old daughter Bunny while they’re out for the evening. Unbeknownst to them, the sitter they hire, a young woman named Nell Forbes, is dangerously cuckoo. The character Bunny and the sitter are poorly developed, lessoning the impact of this child-in-danger story. The book was adapted for the movie Don't Bother to Knock (1952) starring Marilyn Monroe as the sitter. By all accounts, it's one of those rare instances where the movie is better than the book. The novel’s voyeurism theme reminded me at times of Rear Window. Three stars for the novel.
The Blunderer by Patricia Highsmith (1954) - A fascinating thriller about a man who might have murdered his wife by patterning the crime on a previous murder that he read about in the newspaper. The book is similar to Highsmith's first novel, Strangers on a Train (1950), which was adapted into a famous Hitchcock movie; both books involve doppelgangers and dual murder plots. What’s new is the obsessive and sadistic police detective, Lieutenant Corby of the Philadelphia Homicide Squad, on their trail. I found the book entertaining but unconvincing. It drags a bit toward the end, but the climax in the park is gripping. The book was adapted twice into movies, one French movie called Enough Rope (1963) and the other an American movie called A Kind of Murder (2016). I haven't seen the French movie, but the American movie is flat. Four stars for the novel.
Beast in View by Margaret Millar (1955) - The real gem in this collection. This is a brilliantly written domestic thriller about a spinster named Helen Clarvoe who believes a stranger, a woman named Evelyn Merrick, is making threatening phone calls. She asks her stock broker Paul Blackshear for advice. He suggests a vacation. She makes a fuss. He relents and agrees to find Evelyn Merrick for her. Blackshear's unusual search turns into a nightmare that results in multiple deaths. This is a short but thrilling novel with great character development and a diabolical twist. It won the Edgar Award for Best Novel by Mystery Writers of America in 1956 (beating out Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley). It was adapted twice into episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, the first starring Joan Hackett in 1964. Unfortunately, the book hasn’t made it to the big screen, but it’s reminiscent of Hitchcock’s Psycho (and the novel by Robert Bloch). Five stars for the novel.
Fools' Gold by Dorothy Hitchens (1958) - A noirish thriller about two juvenile delinquents and a young female orphan who attempt to rob a large pile of cash from an old woman who is keeping it for a mobster in her house in Pasadena. One of the boys' uncles enlists his mobster friend, Big Tom, to take on the job. The setup is a bit slow to develop, but tension builds as juveniles and career criminals compete for the cash. This is an upredictable crime novel with surprising twists and well-drawn characters. It was adapted into the movie Band of Outsiders (1964) by director Jean-Luc Godard. Four stars for the novel.
This is a wonderful collection of Fifties thrillers, so thanks to Library of America and editor Sarah Weinman for bringing these talented authors back into print. I'll definitely look for other books by these authors, particularly Margaret Millar, wife of author Ken Millar (a.k.a. Ross Macdonald).
February 2, 2020
If I could, I would have given this book 4.5 stars because some stories were better than others.
1. MISCHIEF: This story shows that not even back in the 1950s was it a necessarily more safer time. I thought the plot was a bit rambling and some of the characters superfluous. Did the old lady Eve really have a role to play? How about Parthenia who made a cameo appearance? Jed came off as arrogant and self-centered, although at the end, he rather became a hero. It's interesting to compare our lifestyles now to those of the 1950s. First of all, the parents could have done an Internet search at the minimum on Nell. Secondly, everyone would have cellphones to keep in constant contact. So Mrs. Jones could have kept in contact with Bunny because nowadays even little kids have cellphones. But not sure if Bunny would have been any safer today. I like that Mrs. Jones' women's intuition played a role, knowing something wasn't quite right with Nell.
2. THE BLUNDERER: I thought the plot was brilliant; the characters went down into a vortex of insanity in their own ways: Clara, Walter and Kimmel. They kept doing crazy things for no apparent reason. For example, why did Stackhouse even visit Kimmel in the first place? Did Clara really kill herself? There was really no admirable characters, even Ellie was questionable. Corby was a violent police detective, who was crazy in his own right. The ending was sudden and violent. The only criticism I have is that the pace was slow, and in some spots, rambling. I wish it had been faster, to build the excitement quicker.
3. BEAST IN VIEW: I knew that Helen was odd and something was wrong with her, but never in a million years did I expect the ending! At first, the reader thinks he/she has figured it out (Evelyn's bad and crazy), but the twist ending was really shocking! I don't want to give away the plot, but if people want to read a good psychological drama, I recommend this book.
4. FOOL'S GOLD: I believe everyone got their just desserts in the end. For the most part, the bad guys received punishment. I hope Eddie and Karen can have a happy life together, although it will be a struggle, of course. Uncle Willy's AA experience was amusing and relevant to the story; he tried to give good advice to folks. The story started slowly but really sped up towards the climactic ending.
1. MISCHIEF: This story shows that not even back in the 1950s was it a necessarily more safer time. I thought the plot was a bit rambling and some of the characters superfluous. Did the old lady Eve really have a role to play? How about Parthenia who made a cameo appearance? Jed came off as arrogant and self-centered, although at the end, he rather became a hero. It's interesting to compare our lifestyles now to those of the 1950s. First of all, the parents could have done an Internet search at the minimum on Nell. Secondly, everyone would have cellphones to keep in constant contact. So Mrs. Jones could have kept in contact with Bunny because nowadays even little kids have cellphones. But not sure if Bunny would have been any safer today. I like that Mrs. Jones' women's intuition played a role, knowing something wasn't quite right with Nell.
2. THE BLUNDERER: I thought the plot was brilliant; the characters went down into a vortex of insanity in their own ways: Clara, Walter and Kimmel. They kept doing crazy things for no apparent reason. For example, why did Stackhouse even visit Kimmel in the first place? Did Clara really kill herself? There was really no admirable characters, even Ellie was questionable. Corby was a violent police detective, who was crazy in his own right. The ending was sudden and violent. The only criticism I have is that the pace was slow, and in some spots, rambling. I wish it had been faster, to build the excitement quicker.
3. BEAST IN VIEW: I knew that Helen was odd and something was wrong with her, but never in a million years did I expect the ending! At first, the reader thinks he/she has figured it out (Evelyn's bad and crazy), but the twist ending was really shocking! I don't want to give away the plot, but if people want to read a good psychological drama, I recommend this book.
4. FOOL'S GOLD: I believe everyone got their just desserts in the end. For the most part, the bad guys received punishment. I hope Eddie and Karen can have a happy life together, although it will be a struggle, of course. Uncle Willy's AA experience was amusing and relevant to the story; he tried to give good advice to folks. The story started slowly but really sped up towards the climactic ending.
February 10, 2023
Fun 4story collection: I’ll have to look up the Marilyn Monroe movie for Mischief. Plots were good, kept the reader going.
Here’s the thing about the hard boiled mysteries of the 30s-50s. The women (even the women clearly written to be spitfires) are products of their own time. No agency, lots of fear, complete acquiescence to literally any man. It makes these difficult to read, and frustrating.
Here’s the thing about the hard boiled mysteries of the 30s-50s. The women (even the women clearly written to be spitfires) are products of their own time. No agency, lots of fear, complete acquiescence to literally any man. It makes these difficult to read, and frustrating.
June 12, 2018
Apparently I'm not a fan of the crime/suspense genre, but the stories were just interesting enough for me to want to see how each one ended and to see if I liked the next one any better than the previous one(s).
October 26, 2022
A real fascinating collection of crime novels of the 1950s. I was particularly struck by how heavily mental health was featured in many of these stories (although, I wonder how much this has changed in the genre since then). Also surprising were some of the depictions of race and gender.
January 15, 2023
Read Beast in View and Mischief. Mischief, adapted on film as Don’t Bother to Knock, was weak, I felt. Worked better on screen I think.
Beast in View is amazing. Millar is an unsung gem.
Don’t plan on reading The Blunderer. Unlike many, I’m bored to tears by Highsmith.
Beast in View is amazing. Millar is an unsung gem.
Don’t plan on reading The Blunderer. Unlike many, I’m bored to tears by Highsmith.
February 27, 2017
4.5 stars. All four novels were strong.
August 5, 2020
Fantastic collection of 50s crime fiction written by women.
March 31, 2022
The first three, “Mischief”, “The Blunder” and “The Beast in View”, grabbed me and kept me reading long into the night. The fourth tale couldn’t hold my interest.
July 19, 2022
All great books, all quite different from each other. Got it for Fool's Gold cos of Bande a Pàrt but had to read the other three to get to it. No I could not have just skipped to that one.
August 3, 2022
Interesting sampling of novels by women. I enjoyed them all, but probably Beast in View, followed by The Blunderer.
anthology-in-progress
January 11, 20241. Mischief by Charlotte Armstrong
2. The Blunderer by Patricia Highsmith
3. Beast in View by Margaret Millar - read 1/10/24
4. Fool's Gold by Dolores Hitchens
2. The Blunderer by Patricia Highsmith
3. Beast in View by Margaret Millar - read 1/10/24
4. Fool's Gold by Dolores Hitchens
January 9, 2016
The Blunderer ** – This is a slow developing, slow moving novel. Worse, though, the main character is just not that interesting. There are some well limned characters in the novel, and a nice level of detail, but the main character, Walter Stackhouse, isn’t interesting. He’s rather passive and milquetoast. Yet he’s prone to do rather odd things (like going to see Kimmel multiple times).
The novel takes a long time to outline Walter’s relationship with his wife. After her death, things pick up but the pace is not exactly electric. The overall premise of the novel is interesting, but the first third of the novel could easily be removed. Or, more interestingly, it could have been told from the point of view of Corby, the police detective. He was much more intriguing thant Walter.
The ending was more of a relief than a shock. (10/2015)
November 24, 2015
Great collection of four strong noir novels. Three have been adapted to the screen. Charlotte Armstrong's "Mischief" is faithfully adapted to the film "Don't Bother To Knock" with Marilyn Monroe as "Jill". Margaret Millar's "Best In View" is adapted for an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents (Season 2, Episode 21). My favorite of this collection, Dolores Hitchens' "Fools Gold" is the basis for Godard's "Band Of Outsiders" although I don't recall the film as having the high tension level of the novel.
March 17, 2016
It was ok-ish.
The stories themselves were captivating but they all seemed to end with the Authors feeling the need to add a moral to each one.
The stories were fine without the moral lessons.
There was at least one story which did not make any sense to me and that was the blunderer. I needed to google it to find out what the point of the story was supposed to be after reading it.
The stories themselves were captivating but they all seemed to end with the Authors feeling the need to add a moral to each one.
The stories were fine without the moral lessons.
There was at least one story which did not make any sense to me and that was the blunderer. I needed to google it to find out what the point of the story was supposed to be after reading it.
October 15, 2015
Wish there were more. Gobbled these up!
March 20, 2016
Ah, Patricia Highsmith, you wrote such a bleak view of marriage. The suspense killed me. Charlotte Armstrong's story wasn't bad, either. Mothers hiring unknown babysitters should pay attention.
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December 11, 2015Fiction W87236 2015
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