Murder Is Suggested

Mr. & Mrs. North #23

by Frances Lockridge, Richard Lockridge

Mr. and Mrs. North work with the New York Police Department to investigate a hypnotic murderAs far as NYPD captain William Weigand is concerned, there’s nothing more inconvenient than a murder victim with a name. Names—not just ordinary names, but boldfaced names—mean headlines, and headlines mean headaches. Prof. Jameson Elwell was a boldfaced name of the first order, a celebrity psychologist who took the unusual step of reporting his own murder. Moments after he was shot, he called the police department, but he wasn’t able to say who killed him before he breathed his last.At least Weigand can be thankful that Jerry and Pamela North aren’t involved yet. Once they learn of the circumstances of Elwell’s death, and hear the rumors that hypnosis was involved, the amateur sleuths won’t be able to help sticking their noses into the case. They may find the killer, but it will all be very inconvenient indeed.Murder Is Suggested is the 23rd book in the Mr. and Mrs. North Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

Genres: Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Fiction

285 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1959

About the author

Frances Louise (Davis) Lockridge wrote popular mysteries and children's books with husband Richard Lockridge. They also published under the shared pseudonym Francis Richards.

Reviews

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read perhaps a dozen of the Mr. and Mrs. North books and this was among my favorites. The mystery isn't resolved in as "screwy" or hap-hazard a manner as some of the earlier books---so, in a sense it is less amusing than some of the North's adventures, but it is more satisfying as a period murder mystery.

Written in the late 1950's, this book lacks the glamour of the 1940's Manhattan which was featured in the earlier books in the series. I like this series for the fun of following the North's to all of their neighborhood restaurants and bars and imagining the somewhat sophisticated daily life they enjoyed. This called more on Mr. North's professional association with the murder victim and the popular interest in hypnotism at the time of the book's introduction.

There were so many suspects that the reader needs to use all their deductive powers if they want to solve the crime along with the police. I don't try; I just enjoy the North's escapades, Mrs. North's interaction with her cats, and their ability to "assist" the NYPD with the resolution of the crime.

[Lisa Kucharski · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title is in reference to hypnosis. The Professor was studying the use and effects of Hypnosis among other areas of psychology. He obviously needed to study up on behaviors of a murderer.

Half way in and it is really a fun read. Lots of angles and people to look over. Also fun to read the sections of Pam trying to hypnotize her cat Martini.

The end brings all the logical characters together for the final resolution. The end has a humorous send off. Fun book to read, and great interactions between Pam & Jerry.

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder Is Suggested by Frances and Richard Lockridge is another outing with my favorite New York couple, Pam and Jerry North. Is it murder by hypnotism? Can a subject be convinced by a good hypnotist to kill? A well-known psychologist is found shot in his office. Captain Bill Weigand must determine if this is a murder of revenge, murder for money, or murder by suggestion. And this time Sergeant Mullins is feeling pretty good about the case--because the Norths aren't in it. Until he finds out about the cats. It seems the psychologist and his protege have been doing experiments with cats. And where there's cats, at least in Mullins' mind, the Norths are soon to follow. Of course, he's right and we're soon following Pam and Jerry through the maze of hypnotic suggestion to a late-night session in the professor's laboratory to bring an end to this spell-binding mystery.

The Lockridges are up to par in this latest outing. An interesting mystery with a hypnotic twist. I thoroughly enjoyed this romp through the subconscious and as always loved Pam's unique take on things. Four stars out of five.

Reread--June 1, 2023; Updated Review (posted on my blog My Reader's Block ):

When Captain Bill Weigand is faced with the murder of Jameson Elwell, a well-known psychologist, he must decide if it is a murder of revenge, murder to cover other murder, murder for money, or murder by suggestion. Because the big question is--can a subject be instructed by a good hypnotist to kill? Experts in the field say no--but there are those who think otherwise. Sergeant Mullins isn't too crazy about the hypnotism connection, but he is relieved to find that the Norths don't seem to be in it. Not that he doesn't like the Norths--he does. But he doesn't like them mixed with murder, because once you bring the Norths in things get screwy. And we certainly don't need screwy on top of hypnotism.

So, everything's fine, even with young men who break clocks and young women who appear out of apparently empty closets...until he finds out about the cats. It seems that Elwell and his protege, Carl Hunter, have been doing experiments with cats. And where there's cats, at least in Mullins' mind, the Norths are soon to follow.

"Cats," Mullins repeated. He spoke as a man whose worst fears have been confirmed. Men broke clocks, young women came out of closets and now--cats. Omens.

Of course, he's right, though not because of the cats, but because North books had published Professor Elwell's most recent book. Things do get a bit screwy but if Mullins is fair things aren't as screwy as they usually are. There are several suspects available--and none are screwy: Rosco Finch, who was engaged to the Professor's daughter until a recent auto accident ended her life (an accident that Elwell was sure was Finch's fault); Faith Oldham, a suggestible psychology student who stands to inherit under Elwell's will; Faith's domineering mother who was definitely interested in any money that might be coming Faith's way; and Hunter--who has fallen for Faith and just might be interested in the money as well. Soon we're following Weigand and the Norths through a maze of hypnotic suggestion to a late-night session in the professor's laboratory to bring an end to the mystery.

This is a fun mystery with more focus on Weigand than some of the earlier novels. We get to see the Captain at work and we also get to see Pam North make her usual leaps of detective thought--but all wrong this time. It's good to see Weigand ahead of her quick mind. I also had a lot of fun watching Mullins say that hypnotism was a bunch of hooey and yet he was the most susceptible of all our main characters. I don't think it difficult to figure out whodunnit (and I'm surprised that Pam was fooled on this one), but the fun is in the storyline and our regular characters.

[Karen Plummer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put this one down once I began. Great story involving a psychology professor whose speciality is hypnosis. I especially enjoyed the explanations provided about the 1950s attitudes toward the subject as much as how hypnosis was involved in a murder investigation. The Norths are their usual selves, a bit screwy as Mullens would say and trying to help find the murderer by looking at every theory they can create. Bill Weigand as always gets the right person in the end.

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Early Bird Book Deal | Surprisingly strange to read a late 1950s book that hinges so much on hypnosis. It wouldn't have occurred to me that it would require so much explanation and convincing the reader that this is really a thing. Like the previous entry in the series, I had a sense of the overall shape of the solution, but not all the details. I have to say that the wrap up seemed rushed.

[Jeffrey Marks · Rating 4 out of 5]

An early look at the use of hypnosis as a murder method. Oddly footnoted (which hasn't happened much since the days of Philo Vance) the story includes pieces of information on hypnosis (this was in the late 1950s, so the perspective is much different.

[Whistler's Mom · Rating 4 out of 5]

You are getting verrrry sleepy.....

But not from reading this book, which is a good mystery. There are two odd things about the murder of Professor Jameson Elwell. First, by almost everyone's account, the professor was a man noted for his generosity and kindness to others. Who could possibly want to murder such a beloved man?

Second, Dr. Elwell was a well-known psychologist whose books on suggestibility (i.e. the ease of being hypnotized) were admired by professionals and the general public alike. He was known to use hypnosis in his studies. A hypnotized subject can be ordered to perform actions he/she would never do otherwise. Could that include murder?

After decades if being dismissed as nonsense carried out by fake "magicians" in front of gullible audiences, hypnotism was at last being recognized as a potentially useful tool in psychology and even in general medicine. Some of the claims (such as hypnotism substituting for anesthesia during surgery) never panned out, but there was great enthusiasm during the late 1950's and it's reflected in this book.

Captain Bill Weigand of the NYPD is put in charge of the case and his friends Jerry and Pam North quickly become involved. North Publishing Company has published several of Dr. Elwell's books and the Norths have become fond of the kind old professor, as well as being fascinated by his studies in psychology.

As in all this series, there are cats. Fans of the series will remember the North's #1 cat Martini. Martini was based on the Richard and Frances Lockridge's pet of the same name. This book is dedicated to "Martini - 1945 - 1959", but the fictional Martini continues to entertain us. I wondered how the Norths would feel about Professor Elwell's experiments involving cats, but they seem to have no objections. The subject cats are treated well and appear to enjoy demonstrating their intelligence. I suppose the only danger would be that of breeding a race of super-cats who take over the world.

So who killed the professor? At first a good bet seems to be his graduate student Carl Hunter who was with him shortly before the murder and who has no real alibi. As Sgt. Mullins says earnestly, "A good alibi never hurt nobody" and who can argue with that logic? Sgt. Mullins is Bill Weigand's right-hand man, although he bears no resemblance to his smooth, college-educated colleague. Mullins looks, talks, and acts like a cop and that's his strength. He can ask the questions people expect a cop to ask and disarm his subjects by claiming not to know WHY he's asking. Just routine, sir. Nothing to worry about. And the suspect relaxes and sometimes says things he wouldn't say to Captain Weigand. Never underestimate your opponent.

There are two people who don't add up in this case. One is the widow of Dr. Elwell's former colleague. Hope Oldman and her daughter Faith were left badly off and Dr. Elwell allows them to live rent-free in one of his homes. Faith responds by adoring her "Uncle Jamey", but Hope Oldman claims that Elwell was a faker who stole other's ideas and got rich and famous on their work. Does she know something no one else knows?

The other is the flashy professional golfer who was in the car with Dr. Elwell's daughter when she crashed and died. He's adamant that SHE was driving the car and that her death wasn't his fault, but Dr. Elwell doesn't believe him. Dr. Elwell's private detective is looking for information that could ruin the young man. Back a tiger into a corner and it will attack you. Is that what happened to the dead professor?

Or was the good doctor somehow responsible for his own death? Did an experiment on hypnosis go horribly wrong? It's generally accepted that a hypnotist cannot make his subject commit an act which is fundamentally against the subject's moral beliefs, but even the experts aren't SURE.

I love this series because it's a look back to life in the 1950's. Times were different, but a wealthy, elderly man with four heirs always presents a tempting target. Weigand investigates with his usual persistence and flair and Pam North is right behind him looking for a murderer. This series is well-plotted, well-written, and witty. I'm enjoying working my way through them.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well regarded professor, an expert on hypnosis, is murdered in his home office in the 23rd entry in the series. I liked the book, but not as much as other books in the series. I think the plot gets bogged down by the numerous discussions about hypnosis. It’s a very cerebral, cozy mystery book.

[Judith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually missed them--not that I'll be depressed when I finish the series. :)

[Michele bookloverforever]

Fascinating.

[Melissa Lindberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light and entertaining. Saw who the murderer had to be early on, despite the obfuscation ... but that was OK and sort of what I wanted right now.

[Ron Kastner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the most compelling in the series... But clever.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Norths are always enjoyable.

[George Polly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the writing style at times hard to follow, maybe it was the dialogues going on. Its no Sherlock Holmes book or Hercule poirot but after some reflection on the novel, iv come around to liking the idea and the story and the process of finding “who don it” enough that it made up for the writing.

First Lockridge novel, will give a few more a try and see what comes of it.

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Captain Bill Weigand of the police department goes to investigate the murder of a well-known psychologist and hypnotist, things start getting a little strange. A young man throws an expensive silver clock into a fireplace. There are also, apparently, cats involved. All this adds up to one thing: The Norths must be involved. As it turns out, Jerry and Pam North published one of the dead man's books. Sensible Jerry and his scatter-brained wife set help the captain puzzle his way through the mystery - which gets ever stranger as events unfold.

This is a delightful detective series! Pam and her husband are a scream, and it was really rather clever. Dated, of course; a '59 book would have a slightly different attitude, etc., about hypnotism than exists today. But the characters are funny and the mystery mystifying enough to keep me guessing. Recommended for those who like old mystery stories!

[Jo-Anne McBride · Rating 3 out of 5]

From 1959, this installment of the detecting adventures of Pam and Jerry North was certainly of its time. The subject is hypnosis, and the belief or non-belief in it. It does play a role in solving the murder, and there is also an edge of modern psychiatry in some of the characters, i.e., dominating mothers, etc.
This series isn't the best example of the type of mystery written around that time, and with that sensibility. Very little snappy banter, but there is a fair amount of liquor consumed and an ending that wraps it all up.

[Lexi · Rating 2 out of 5]

An older mystery, the writing is scattered and irritating but the mystery was complex enough to be engaging. Only about 3 hours of reading, so a great trip book to leave on the train when you're done!