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Mr. & Mrs. North #21
Voyage into Violence
On a Caribbean cruise Pam and Jerry North discover the body of J. Orville Marsh, a retired private detective, who was murdered with a ceremonial sword
223 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1956
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104 people want to read
About the author
Frances Lockridge
95 books48 followersFrances Louise (Davis) Lockridge wrote popular mysteries and children's books with husband Richard Lockridge. They also published under the shared pseudonym Francis Richards.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
July 25, 2022
The Lockridge husband and wife team wrote twenty-six novels featuring Pam and Jerry North as well as Lieutenant Weigand and Sergeant Mullins. Voyage into Violence is number twenty-one and it finds the Norths on a high seas vacation with their friends Bill Weigand and his wife Dorian. What they expect to be a carefree ocean voyage aboard the S.S. Carib Queen headed to Havana and Nassau soon turns into death cruise when a fellow passenger is killed in a highly bizarre fashion. The victim is found with a ceremonial sword deep in his chest--a sword which Pam North had seen earlier hanging a the side of a man in an odd tunic and blue trousers.
"We have been boarded," she said [to Jerry]. Men with swords. They're all over the place. Pirates? Before we even leave the pier? Or is he the captain?>/i>
The sight also causes Pam to wonder aloud, "What...what kind of ship is this anyway?" And well might she ask. When the murder occurs. Pam is takes off on another sleuthing adventure with plenty of suspects to wonder about. There is the professional dancer; the dowdy, depressed and frustrated young woman; her clinging, overbearing and often drunken mother; and a whole convention of Ancient and Respectable Riflemen--any one of whom may have grown tired of the rifle and perhaps chosen to use a sword to settle the victim's hash.
But in reality, this is Bill Weigand's book more than many others in the series. While he, Dorian, and the Norths do sit in their cabins and around tables in the lounge and discuss details for Pam to mull over, he spends quite a bit of time sleuthing on his own with the captain's blessing. He interviews suspects and witnesses. He examines the cabin of the murdered man and the storage area where the sword was supposed to be kept. He sends off telegraphs to Sergeant Stein and "the boys" back in New York and telephones for answers to questions he can't get on board. Pam does come up with a few partial ideas, but Bill distills and condenses them to find the solution that will answer all the questions--including a few that Pam doesn't think to ask.
I thoroughly enjoyed my vicarious cruise to Havana with the Norths and the Weigands--mystery-solving and all. It's an interesting little puzzle and one might guess part of it without having all the facts. I will say that I'm on the side of Dorian and the Norths, though. I don't think Bill shared all the info necessary to completely solve the mystery on our own. As we're told in the wrap-up scene:
It had not, they told Bill Weigand, by expressions on their faces, and also in in words, been fair. he had known something they did not know; he had deliberately kept from them what he knew.
He, of course, says that he'd merely asked a question (and gotten the answer) that they hadn't. If they had asked him the question, he would have told them (and me, by extension).
I also think that I would have been more satisfied if the entire mystery plot had played out aboard the ship--keeping it all in the family, so to speak. While the explanation takes places back on the ship, the final act of the mystery takes place in Havana and there is a sense that things are slipping away--that there are threads we can't possibly pick up because the suspects are no longer contained on board. But overall, another fun adventure in the series.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting portions of review. Thanks.
"We have been boarded," she said [to Jerry]. Men with swords. They're all over the place. Pirates? Before we even leave the pier? Or is he the captain?>/i>
The sight also causes Pam to wonder aloud, "What...what kind of ship is this anyway?" And well might she ask. When the murder occurs. Pam is takes off on another sleuthing adventure with plenty of suspects to wonder about. There is the professional dancer; the dowdy, depressed and frustrated young woman; her clinging, overbearing and often drunken mother; and a whole convention of Ancient and Respectable Riflemen--any one of whom may have grown tired of the rifle and perhaps chosen to use a sword to settle the victim's hash.
But in reality, this is Bill Weigand's book more than many others in the series. While he, Dorian, and the Norths do sit in their cabins and around tables in the lounge and discuss details for Pam to mull over, he spends quite a bit of time sleuthing on his own with the captain's blessing. He interviews suspects and witnesses. He examines the cabin of the murdered man and the storage area where the sword was supposed to be kept. He sends off telegraphs to Sergeant Stein and "the boys" back in New York and telephones for answers to questions he can't get on board. Pam does come up with a few partial ideas, but Bill distills and condenses them to find the solution that will answer all the questions--including a few that Pam doesn't think to ask.
I thoroughly enjoyed my vicarious cruise to Havana with the Norths and the Weigands--mystery-solving and all. It's an interesting little puzzle and one might guess part of it without having all the facts. I will say that I'm on the side of Dorian and the Norths, though. I don't think Bill shared all the info necessary to completely solve the mystery on our own. As we're told in the wrap-up scene:
It had not, they told Bill Weigand, by expressions on their faces, and also in in words, been fair. he had known something they did not know; he had deliberately kept from them what he knew.
He, of course, says that he'd merely asked a question (and gotten the answer) that they hadn't. If they had asked him the question, he would have told them (and me, by extension).
I also think that I would have been more satisfied if the entire mystery plot had played out aboard the ship--keeping it all in the family, so to speak. While the explanation takes places back on the ship, the final act of the mystery takes place in Havana and there is a sense that things are slipping away--that there are threads we can't possibly pick up because the suspects are no longer contained on board. But overall, another fun adventure in the series.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting portions of review. Thanks.
April 14, 2016
Very convoluted plot, but great shipboard mystery and a perspective of Cuba before the embargo.
August 17, 2017
Disappointing.
November 1, 2019
The Case of the Down-trodden Daughter
They're stock characters in traditional detective novels. The domineering mother (usually fitting the British expression "mutton dressed as lamb") and the timid, dowdy daughter who is never allowed out from under her mother's thumb. I always wonder when I run into them in a book because in 70 years I've never met characters like them in real life. So why are they so popular with mystery novelists? Do they provide easy suspects?
Mrs. Viola Macklin has dyed red hair, an obvious face lift, and flashy clothes. She's aggressive and emotionally volatile. Is it just the booze she's so fond of or does she have deeper problems? Miss Hilda Macklin is a tall, slim blonde, always unflatteringly dressed. She's the frequent target of her mother's anger and Pam North immediately becomes her champion. especially after Hilda appears in a bathing suit and it becomes obvious that she could be a stunner. If only nasty mother would buy her nice clothes! In the North's world, a woman's looks are all-important.
The Norths encounter the Macklins on a cruise to Cuba. It's intended to be a restful, invigorating vacation for Pam and Jerry and their friends Captain Bill Weigand of the NYPD and his wife Dorian. In the end, the cruise isn't that restful and sometimes it's a bit TOO invigorating. Poor Bill Weigand is forced into taking a busman's holiday and using his experience and contacts to find a murderer. As always, Pam North is enthusiastically involved in the detective process, in her own peculiar way.
I don't know why I didn't find this book more satisfying. Many writers love to travel and some whose series books are closely associated with a particular location (as the Mr and Mrs North books are with New York City) use their travel experiences to good advantage in their books. This one appeared in 1956 and I suspect it's based on a cruise Frances and Richard Lockridge took to pre-Castro Cuba. Cuba was a popular destination at the time, offering balmy weather, legal gambling, exotic views, and friendly natives. The well-run cruise ship and the island itself SHOULD be a wonderful setting for a murder mystery.
And there are some fine characters. The ship's captain is a smooth Englishman who combines military assurance with social skills. The passengers include appealing honeymooners from Kansas City, a likable older couple from New York, and a handsome lounge-lizard who's suspected of fleecing gullible elderly women of their jewels.
Best of all, there are the Ancient and Respectable Riflemen, a Massachusetts-based men's club who wear Revolutionary War uniforms, complete with swords. They're headed to Nassau to participate in a parade. All very innocent and good fun, until one of the swords goes missing and is used to murder a passenger. Who-dun-it?
The real problem is that the book drags in places. Bill Weigand can only investigate by the laborious method of telephone calls and telegrams to Sergeant Stein back in New York. His usual sidekick Sergeant Mullins is off duty as his wife has produced a baby son. This is the FIRST mention of Mrs. Mullins and I'm surprised to hear about her. Mullins always struck me as a bachelor.
Stein must rely on police in Massachusetts to investigate the Respectable Riflemen and the deceased detective who was employed by someone in their hometown. That trail leads to Los Angeles, where a wealthy, middle-aged woman may be hiding from her loving (?) family in Massachusetts. But is she really there or is she on board the Carib Queen? And why is she avoiding her grown children who profess to be so fond of her?
That's the problem with a cruise ship. The passengers and the crew are from all over the globe. And cruise lines are only interested in attracting passengers who pay for tickets. So are these people who they say they are? It doesn't matter unless one of them is a murderer. Then it's a matter of life-and-death.
The descriptions of Havana are intriguing, especially when Pam North separates herself from the tour group to do a little independent investigating. As always, she's never sure if she's the hunter or the hunted and she didn't want that damned alligator purse, anyway.
It's not a bad book, by any means and other reviewers seem to have enjoyed it. Just don't let it be your first Mr and Mrs North book. The best books in this series are very good indeed. Maybe Pam and Jerry and Bill and Dorian just need to stick to the Big Apple where they know their way around.
They're stock characters in traditional detective novels. The domineering mother (usually fitting the British expression "mutton dressed as lamb") and the timid, dowdy daughter who is never allowed out from under her mother's thumb. I always wonder when I run into them in a book because in 70 years I've never met characters like them in real life. So why are they so popular with mystery novelists? Do they provide easy suspects?
Mrs. Viola Macklin has dyed red hair, an obvious face lift, and flashy clothes. She's aggressive and emotionally volatile. Is it just the booze she's so fond of or does she have deeper problems? Miss Hilda Macklin is a tall, slim blonde, always unflatteringly dressed. She's the frequent target of her mother's anger and Pam North immediately becomes her champion. especially after Hilda appears in a bathing suit and it becomes obvious that she could be a stunner. If only nasty mother would buy her nice clothes! In the North's world, a woman's looks are all-important.
The Norths encounter the Macklins on a cruise to Cuba. It's intended to be a restful, invigorating vacation for Pam and Jerry and their friends Captain Bill Weigand of the NYPD and his wife Dorian. In the end, the cruise isn't that restful and sometimes it's a bit TOO invigorating. Poor Bill Weigand is forced into taking a busman's holiday and using his experience and contacts to find a murderer. As always, Pam North is enthusiastically involved in the detective process, in her own peculiar way.
I don't know why I didn't find this book more satisfying. Many writers love to travel and some whose series books are closely associated with a particular location (as the Mr and Mrs North books are with New York City) use their travel experiences to good advantage in their books. This one appeared in 1956 and I suspect it's based on a cruise Frances and Richard Lockridge took to pre-Castro Cuba. Cuba was a popular destination at the time, offering balmy weather, legal gambling, exotic views, and friendly natives. The well-run cruise ship and the island itself SHOULD be a wonderful setting for a murder mystery.
And there are some fine characters. The ship's captain is a smooth Englishman who combines military assurance with social skills. The passengers include appealing honeymooners from Kansas City, a likable older couple from New York, and a handsome lounge-lizard who's suspected of fleecing gullible elderly women of their jewels.
Best of all, there are the Ancient and Respectable Riflemen, a Massachusetts-based men's club who wear Revolutionary War uniforms, complete with swords. They're headed to Nassau to participate in a parade. All very innocent and good fun, until one of the swords goes missing and is used to murder a passenger. Who-dun-it?
The real problem is that the book drags in places. Bill Weigand can only investigate by the laborious method of telephone calls and telegrams to Sergeant Stein back in New York. His usual sidekick Sergeant Mullins is off duty as his wife has produced a baby son. This is the FIRST mention of Mrs. Mullins and I'm surprised to hear about her. Mullins always struck me as a bachelor.
Stein must rely on police in Massachusetts to investigate the Respectable Riflemen and the deceased detective who was employed by someone in their hometown. That trail leads to Los Angeles, where a wealthy, middle-aged woman may be hiding from her loving (?) family in Massachusetts. But is she really there or is she on board the Carib Queen? And why is she avoiding her grown children who profess to be so fond of her?
That's the problem with a cruise ship. The passengers and the crew are from all over the globe. And cruise lines are only interested in attracting passengers who pay for tickets. So are these people who they say they are? It doesn't matter unless one of them is a murderer. Then it's a matter of life-and-death.
The descriptions of Havana are intriguing, especially when Pam North separates herself from the tour group to do a little independent investigating. As always, she's never sure if she's the hunter or the hunted and she didn't want that damned alligator purse, anyway.
It's not a bad book, by any means and other reviewers seem to have enjoyed it. Just don't let it be your first Mr and Mrs North book. The best books in this series are very good indeed. Maybe Pam and Jerry and Bill and Dorian just need to stick to the Big Apple where they know their way around.
November 10, 2017
I enjoy this series because of its period settings and Mrs. North's uncanny intuition which inevitably leads to the solution of a murder that their NYPD friend is trying to solve. This book was different: the Norths were traveling on a cruise ship to Cuba with their tame police captain and his wife--Mr. and Mrs. North were actively engaged in the social life of the small ship, but singularly absent from the resolution of the mystery. Hmmmmm---something was missing for me in this approach by Frances Lockridge; I read the books for the quirky North couple, not for another "cop story."
And, I particularly selected this book in the series because of its Havana connection. I just completed William F. Buckley's spy novel MONGOOSE, RIP about Castro's Cuba and the U.S. attempts to assassinate him. I thought it would be fun to have another experience in Mid-Century Cuba. Regrettably, the Lockridge's time in Cuba seemed limited to one trip to an alligator purse store and a very lively nightclub.
In general, I prefer my protagonists to be swilling cocktails and dining out nightly in Manhattan restaurants. That feels more like the right milieu for this charming couple--at least it is more what I am looking for in a light mystery novel.
And, I particularly selected this book in the series because of its Havana connection. I just completed William F. Buckley's spy novel MONGOOSE, RIP about Castro's Cuba and the U.S. attempts to assassinate him. I thought it would be fun to have another experience in Mid-Century Cuba. Regrettably, the Lockridge's time in Cuba seemed limited to one trip to an alligator purse store and a very lively nightclub.
In general, I prefer my protagonists to be swilling cocktails and dining out nightly in Manhattan restaurants. That feels more like the right milieu for this charming couple--at least it is more what I am looking for in a light mystery novel.
January 21, 2024
This book was a little different than the others in the series that I have read. This one takes place on a ship sailing from NYC to Cuba. Detective Bill Wiegand has a larger presence. Jerry and Pam are a little more in the background. A murder takes place on the ship. Unfortunately there are a few subplots regarding missing jewels and people assuming another person’s identity. It was a little confusing and the ending left some unanswered questions. One thing that interested me was that one of the main characters came from Worcester, MA which is close to where I live. I wonder why the authors chose that city?
May 21, 2021
This felt more like an effort from authors whose publisher said they needed to write a murder mystery set on a cruise ship but the authors didn't care for the idea. The writing felt forced and the story was very shallow. The murder was thrown in with very little intrigue. The solution didn't come until literally the last page or two and wasn't much of a surprise. I really enjoyed the previous Mr. and Mrs. North mysteries I had read and felt the novels were well done. This one felt as though very little effort had been made. Maybe I just missed the cats though. :'D
December 8, 2023
Mystery cruise
I like the North stories which take place outside of New York City. This mystery occurs on a cruise ship to the Caribbean. Even though the Norths and the Weigands badly need a relaxing vacation, their services are required when a passenger is found stabbed with a sword. Any investigation is difficult but this one is complicated by the difficulty of getting information from the States (1950's). However, scary moments and humorous moments guide us through the streets of Havana to the conclusion.
I like the North stories which take place outside of New York City. This mystery occurs on a cruise ship to the Caribbean. Even though the Norths and the Weigands badly need a relaxing vacation, their services are required when a passenger is found stabbed with a sword. Any investigation is difficult but this one is complicated by the difficulty of getting information from the States (1950's). However, scary moments and humorous moments guide us through the streets of Havana to the conclusion.
April 11, 2020
Fun
Part of the appeal is the period: imagine visiting a glamorous nightclub in Havana in the 50s. Imagine a cruise ship with only 300 people on board. The plot though is intriguing too and the characters likeable. The interchanges between the police detective and Pam North are especially amusing as he struggles to follow her intuitive leaps of logic.
Part of the appeal is the period: imagine visiting a glamorous nightclub in Havana in the 50s. Imagine a cruise ship with only 300 people on board. The plot though is intriguing too and the characters likeable. The interchanges between the police detective and Pam North are especially amusing as he struggles to follow her intuitive leaps of logic.
December 19, 2019
Early Bird Book Deal | Nice to have a different setting, though that does get a little Jessica Fletcher-y. | Fairly clear from the introduction of the pertinent characters, but it didn't lessen the enjoyment.
March 29, 2021
Nostalgia
Had vague memories of Mr and Mrs North. somewhat mixed with Hart to Hart and The Tbhi. man Fairly good detection mixed with careful,plodding police work. Enough suspense to be convincing A good dime detective novel without much violence or sex
Had vague memories of Mr and Mrs North. somewhat mixed with Hart to Hart and The Tbhi. man Fairly good detection mixed with careful,plodding police work. Enough suspense to be convincing A good dime detective novel without much violence or sex
November 10, 2021
The Norths and the Weigands take cruise from New York to Havana on vacation ... so of course someone gets murdered mid-cruise, and Capt. Weigand asked to help out ... interesting for the descriptions of Havana as a tourist destination pre-revolution.
January 19, 2018
re-reading series
June 21, 2021
Fun; it feels like you're watching a sophisticated black and white movie.
February 6, 2024
The Norths and the Weigands on a cruise to Havana - what could go wrong?
November 2, 2017
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December 21, 2023
Visit JetBlackDragonfly (The Man Who Read Too Much) at www.edenthompson.ca/blog
The Mr. and Mrs. North mysteries were written by a husband and wife team, Frances and Richard Lockridge, and feature an upscale couple who frequently travel and always get into the middle of a murder. They made their first appearance in the New Yorker in the 1930s. The twenty-six Mr. and Mrs. North titles written between 1936 and 1963, are one of the most famous American mystery series and were adapted for a Broadway play, a long-running radio program, a movie, and a popular television series. Frances came up with the plot and Richard fleshed out the novel. They were co-presidents of the Mystery Writers of America and received a special Edgar Award in 1962.
In Voyage Into Violence, Pam North and her husband Jerry take a pleasure cruise on the SS Carib Queen from New York to Havana. The year is 1956. They are travelling with their usual companions, good friends Dorian and Bill Weigand - Bill is a policeman. Among the assorted guests are the "Old Respectables" (a group of middle aged men playing at cadets who enjoy taking patrols in full military uniform), alcoholic Hilda Macklin and her mousey daughter, and of course, a shipboard gigolo with an eye for bored housewives. They are all introduced at the Captain's cocktail party before the second sitting. The North's are second sitting people.
Before the first day out, a Respectable's ceremonial sword goes missing and turns up in the chest of a Mr. J. Orville Marsh, retired private eye.
'Pam was a little disappointed...bad luck to catch her first private eye just when it had closed.'
With the Captain's permission, Bill steps in to work with the police on shore until they reach Havana. Between cocktail hours and sunning on deck chairs, there are side mysteries about a missing woman, stolen or inherited jewels for sale on the sly, someone pushed over the back deck railing, and an American Express tour around Old Havana. It's all very leisurely until the wrap up in the last few pages.
The Norths are an observant and curious couple who can finish each other's sentences and, though veering wildly off topic, can keep the train of thought on the tracks. Pam is always wandering into the investigation, sometimes mistakenly, and helping Bill put two and two together. Her witty comments are really dry and funny, the kind which could be catty if you didn't know her so well. When Mrs. Macklin, who has had a few and looking for a few more states "There could," she said, in a high voice with a crack in it, "be more drink." Pam agrees.
She had something there, Pam thought - not tact, certainly, but something.
There isn't much action - it's a slow voyage to Havana, but entertaining if you like to discuss personalities and motives over drinks for a few days.
This series is usually compared to the Thin Man series, and rightly so. Entertaining, witty, a little murder, a few cocktails. Voyage Into Violence isn't the best mystery, so don't spend too much time seeking out a copy, but if it's there, as mine happened to be, it's certainly amusing.
The Mr. and Mrs. North mysteries were written by a husband and wife team, Frances and Richard Lockridge, and feature an upscale couple who frequently travel and always get into the middle of a murder. They made their first appearance in the New Yorker in the 1930s. The twenty-six Mr. and Mrs. North titles written between 1936 and 1963, are one of the most famous American mystery series and were adapted for a Broadway play, a long-running radio program, a movie, and a popular television series. Frances came up with the plot and Richard fleshed out the novel. They were co-presidents of the Mystery Writers of America and received a special Edgar Award in 1962.
In Voyage Into Violence, Pam North and her husband Jerry take a pleasure cruise on the SS Carib Queen from New York to Havana. The year is 1956. They are travelling with their usual companions, good friends Dorian and Bill Weigand - Bill is a policeman. Among the assorted guests are the "Old Respectables" (a group of middle aged men playing at cadets who enjoy taking patrols in full military uniform), alcoholic Hilda Macklin and her mousey daughter, and of course, a shipboard gigolo with an eye for bored housewives. They are all introduced at the Captain's cocktail party before the second sitting. The North's are second sitting people.
Before the first day out, a Respectable's ceremonial sword goes missing and turns up in the chest of a Mr. J. Orville Marsh, retired private eye.
'Pam was a little disappointed...bad luck to catch her first private eye just when it had closed.'
With the Captain's permission, Bill steps in to work with the police on shore until they reach Havana. Between cocktail hours and sunning on deck chairs, there are side mysteries about a missing woman, stolen or inherited jewels for sale on the sly, someone pushed over the back deck railing, and an American Express tour around Old Havana. It's all very leisurely until the wrap up in the last few pages.
The Norths are an observant and curious couple who can finish each other's sentences and, though veering wildly off topic, can keep the train of thought on the tracks. Pam is always wandering into the investigation, sometimes mistakenly, and helping Bill put two and two together. Her witty comments are really dry and funny, the kind which could be catty if you didn't know her so well. When Mrs. Macklin, who has had a few and looking for a few more states "There could," she said, in a high voice with a crack in it, "be more drink." Pam agrees.
She had something there, Pam thought - not tact, certainly, but something.
There isn't much action - it's a slow voyage to Havana, but entertaining if you like to discuss personalities and motives over drinks for a few days.
This series is usually compared to the Thin Man series, and rightly so. Entertaining, witty, a little murder, a few cocktails. Voyage Into Violence isn't the best mystery, so don't spend too much time seeking out a copy, but if it's there, as mine happened to be, it's certainly amusing.
February 12, 2017
The Norths and the Weigands take a well-deserved holiday on a cruise to the Caribbean. The ship is filled with all sorts of characters, but poor Bill can't catch a break when one of the passengers gets himself murdered and the Captain authorizes him to investigate. Another fun read as much for the investigation as for the Lockridges' lovely descriptions of Pam, Jerry, Dorian, and Bill more relaxed on holiday.
June 4, 2010
A Mr & Mrs North Mystery.
This mystery takes place on a cruise ship headed to Cuba and other islands. Obviously, written before 1960. Interestingly, the format provided an interesting closed room feel to the story. Weigand, Dorian, Pam & Jerry could only use what they saw and only snatches of info could be gotten from time to time via radio. Again wonderful characters in this story. It was really hard to figure out the solution. Wonderful descriptions of Havana and the town as the cruise makes its first stop. It was nice to feel that after the solution, the group of sleuths would have time to actually relax and recover and focus on having a great time together.
This mystery takes place on a cruise ship headed to Cuba and other islands. Obviously, written before 1960. Interestingly, the format provided an interesting closed room feel to the story. Weigand, Dorian, Pam & Jerry could only use what they saw and only snatches of info could be gotten from time to time via radio. Again wonderful characters in this story. It was really hard to figure out the solution. Wonderful descriptions of Havana and the town as the cruise makes its first stop. It was nice to feel that after the solution, the group of sleuths would have time to actually relax and recover and focus on having a great time together.
July 9, 2024
Very good example of the series. Nothing brilliant or astounding, but a nice comfy, cozy read.
Read
September 11, 2018plot too complicated but I love to read about life on a ship, and material on pre-Castro Havana was fascinating. Well worth a read.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews