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Spider Webs
The private desires of those involved with the California murder trial of Cully Paul King, the Caribbean captain of a private yacht, subtly influence the jury's verdict
323 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1986
About the author
Margaret Millar
123 books181 followersMargaret Ellis Millar (née Sturm) was an American-Canadian mystery and suspense writer. Born in Kitchener, Ontario, she was educated there and in Toronto. She moved to the United States after marrying Kenneth Millar (better known under the pen name Ross Macdonald). They resided for decades in the city of Santa Barbara, which was often utilized as a locale in her later novels under the pseudonyms of San Felice or Santa Felicia.
Millar's books are distinguished by sophistication of characterization. Often we are shown the rather complex interior lives of the people in her books, with issues of class, insecurity, failed ambitions, loneliness or existential isolation or paranoia often being explored with an almost literary quality that transcends the mystery genre. Unusual people, mild societal misfits or people who don't quite fit into their surroundings are given much interior detail. In some of the books we are given chilling and fascinating insight into what it feels like to be losing touch with reality and evolving into madness. In general, she is a writer of both expressive description and yet admirable economy, often ambitious in the sociological underpinnings of the stories and the quality of the writing.
Millar often delivers effective and ingenious "surprise endings," but the details that would allow the solution of the surprise have usually been subtly included, in the best genre tradition. One of the distinctions of her books, however, is that they would be interesting, even if you knew how they were going to end, because they are every bit as much about subtleties of human interaction and rich psychological detail of individual characters as they are about the plot.
Millar was a pioneer in writing intelligently about the psychology of women. Even as early as the '40s and '50s, her books have a very mature and matter-of-fact view of class distinctions, sexual freedom and frustration, and the ambivalence of moral codes depending on a character's economic circumstances. Her earliest novels seem unusually frank. Read against the backdrop of Production Code-era movies of the time, they remind us that life as lived in the '40s and '50s was not as black-and-white morally as Hollywood would have us believe.
While she was not known for any one recurring detective (unlike her husband, whose constant gumshoe was Lew Archer), she occasionally used a detective character for more than one novel. Among her occasional ongoing sleuths were Canadians Dr. Paul Prye (her first invention, in the earliest books) and Inspector Sands (a quiet, unassuming Canadian police inspector who might be the most endearing of her recurring inventions). In the California years, a few books featured either Joe Quinn, a rather down-on-his-luck private eye, or Tom Aragorn, a young, Hispanic lawyer.
Sadly, most of Millar's books are out of print in America, with the exception of the short story collection The Couple Next Door and two novels, An Air That Kills and Do Evil In Return, that have been re-issued as classics by Stark House Press in California.
In 1956 Millar won the Edgar Allan Poe Awards, Best Novel award for Beast in View. In 1965 she was awarded the Woman of the Year Award by the Los Angeles Times. In 1983 she was awarded the Grand Master Award by the Mystery Writers of America in recognition of her lifetime achievements.
Millar's books are distinguished by sophistication of characterization. Often we are shown the rather complex interior lives of the people in her books, with issues of class, insecurity, failed ambitions, loneliness or existential isolation or paranoia often being explored with an almost literary quality that transcends the mystery genre. Unusual people, mild societal misfits or people who don't quite fit into their surroundings are given much interior detail. In some of the books we are given chilling and fascinating insight into what it feels like to be losing touch with reality and evolving into madness. In general, she is a writer of both expressive description and yet admirable economy, often ambitious in the sociological underpinnings of the stories and the quality of the writing.
Millar often delivers effective and ingenious "surprise endings," but the details that would allow the solution of the surprise have usually been subtly included, in the best genre tradition. One of the distinctions of her books, however, is that they would be interesting, even if you knew how they were going to end, because they are every bit as much about subtleties of human interaction and rich psychological detail of individual characters as they are about the plot.
Millar was a pioneer in writing intelligently about the psychology of women. Even as early as the '40s and '50s, her books have a very mature and matter-of-fact view of class distinctions, sexual freedom and frustration, and the ambivalence of moral codes depending on a character's economic circumstances. Her earliest novels seem unusually frank. Read against the backdrop of Production Code-era movies of the time, they remind us that life as lived in the '40s and '50s was not as black-and-white morally as Hollywood would have us believe.
While she was not known for any one recurring detective (unlike her husband, whose constant gumshoe was Lew Archer), she occasionally used a detective character for more than one novel. Among her occasional ongoing sleuths were Canadians Dr. Paul Prye (her first invention, in the earliest books) and Inspector Sands (a quiet, unassuming Canadian police inspector who might be the most endearing of her recurring inventions). In the California years, a few books featured either Joe Quinn, a rather down-on-his-luck private eye, or Tom Aragorn, a young, Hispanic lawyer.
Sadly, most of Millar's books are out of print in America, with the exception of the short story collection The Couple Next Door and two novels, An Air That Kills and Do Evil In Return, that have been re-issued as classics by Stark House Press in California.
In 1956 Millar won the Edgar Allan Poe Awards, Best Novel award for Beast in View. In 1965 she was awarded the Woman of the Year Award by the Los Angeles Times. In 1983 she was awarded the Grand Master Award by the Mystery Writers of America in recognition of her lifetime achievements.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 12, 2015
Margaret Millar's last novel is by no means one of her strongest, yet it's a tremendous page-turner.
All the evidence points to Cully King, scumbag skipper of the racing yacht Bewitched, having murdered a woman who'd come on board and then throwing all her clothing and effects overboard -- all except her jewelry. The trial looks as if it should be an open and shut case, especially since Cully has made the serious mistake of being black, yet his defense counsel, taking on the brief pro bono, is determined to clear his name.
It'd be easy to say this is a courtroom procedural, and it fulfills all the functions of one, yet Millar makes it so much more, delving into the lives of various of the principals involved in the court case -- the judge, the DA, the defense counsel, the attractive young clerk, the jurors, and of course the defendant -- in order to develop a picture of the entire situation, not just the part of it that's open to the public. That picture is often quite sharply satirical, and also often laugh-aloud funny. Here, for example, is a snippet from the none-too-bright prosecutor's family life:
As the novel progresses, we discover that each of the various threads we've been following is binding with the others to form a sort of spider's web -- hence the book's title -- in one strand of which, or all of them, Cully is so surely trapped that being found guilty might well be his best option. The court clerk wants to spend her life with him. So, too, more surprisingly, does the defense counsel. The son of Cully's crewman has decided that Cully, rather than the crewman, is his biological father, and is desperate that the two should form a family. Meanwhile, there's Cully's extant common-law wife . . .
Much of all this material -- the enmeshing webs, the satirical background -- is very accurately observed. Some of it, unfortunately, is a bit clumsy, and that's why the book felt less than complete. The court clerk and the defense counsel are intelligent professional people: however besotted they might be with Cully, they must surely know that their romantic dreams are just so much hogwash -- or, at the very least, so implausible of fruition that basing any plans on them would be idiotic. And yet base those plans they do. The court clerk even babbles about them to the judge, and then tells him he's "mean and cruel" when he spells out for her her folly -- as if she were prepubescent rather than in her early 30s.
A tremendous read, then, but a very far from flawless one. A must for Millar completists; for others, an ideal companion for a long train journey.
All the evidence points to Cully King, scumbag skipper of the racing yacht Bewitched, having murdered a woman who'd come on board and then throwing all her clothing and effects overboard -- all except her jewelry. The trial looks as if it should be an open and shut case, especially since Cully has made the serious mistake of being black, yet his defense counsel, taking on the brief pro bono, is determined to clear his name.
It'd be easy to say this is a courtroom procedural, and it fulfills all the functions of one, yet Millar makes it so much more, delving into the lives of various of the principals involved in the court case -- the judge, the DA, the defense counsel, the attractive young clerk, the jurors, and of course the defendant -- in order to develop a picture of the entire situation, not just the part of it that's open to the public. That picture is often quite sharply satirical, and also often laugh-aloud funny. Here, for example, is a snippet from the none-too-bright prosecutor's family life:
The youngest boy, Thatcher, was [the DA's] favorite. Since Thatcher showed no literary, artistic, athletic or musical ability, it was decided he should become a lawyer. After graduating from law school, he would spend a year or two in some prestigious law firm, then run for Congress, distinguish himself in the House or Senate, and ultimately, if the political climate were right, make a bid for the presidency.
As the novel progresses, we discover that each of the various threads we've been following is binding with the others to form a sort of spider's web -- hence the book's title -- in one strand of which, or all of them, Cully is so surely trapped that being found guilty might well be his best option. The court clerk wants to spend her life with him. So, too, more surprisingly, does the defense counsel. The son of Cully's crewman has decided that Cully, rather than the crewman, is his biological father, and is desperate that the two should form a family. Meanwhile, there's Cully's extant common-law wife . . .
Much of all this material -- the enmeshing webs, the satirical background -- is very accurately observed. Some of it, unfortunately, is a bit clumsy, and that's why the book felt less than complete. The court clerk and the defense counsel are intelligent professional people: however besotted they might be with Cully, they must surely know that their romantic dreams are just so much hogwash -- or, at the very least, so implausible of fruition that basing any plans on them would be idiotic. And yet base those plans they do. The court clerk even babbles about them to the judge, and then tells him he's "mean and cruel" when he spells out for her her folly -- as if she were prepubescent rather than in her early 30s.
A tremendous read, then, but a very far from flawless one. A must for Millar completists; for others, an ideal companion for a long train journey.
January 29, 2009
Not what I expected (it never is) but it was a different approach for Millar and, as usual, she nailed it.
May 10, 2018
The very ending is a bit of a fizzle, and a predictable one at that, but otherwise Millar remained a delight all the way to this, her final novel.
October 28, 2023
Millar is an excellent writer, particularly her dialogues: some of the best noir exchanges. And a great, twisting ending.
October 15, 2010
Millar's last novel, this is very much a courtroom thriller - she obviously sat in on many trials and was a good observer of the procedures involved. There's very little action in this novel - a man is on trial for murder, and various people involved in the justice process - the judge, prosecuting attorney, defending attorney, court reporter, and various witnesses - all have their reasons for wanting him him either found guilty or acquitted - some of the reasons are realistic, and some are fantasy (and not particularly convincing fantasy, at that). Along the way we are given glimpses into the unsatisfying lives of several of these people. This was a tight and readable novel - I polished it off in about two days, though I admit I had a bit of trouble keeping some of the characters and their personal problems straight.
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October 16, 2008M Mil
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews