Foggy, Foggy Death

Captain Heimrich #3

by Frances Lockridge, Richard Lockridge

A full cast of officials concentrated on the separate happenings in Poundridge, N. Y. when the Bromwells have jewels and a Cadillac stolen, a small son disappear, and a murder on their hands. Capt. Heimrich of the criminal investigation of the state moves in, to tie all three events together and to solve yet another killing. Troubled marriage, household hopcotch, a meddlesome mother add up to a really bad weather problem. Smoothly satisfying.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller

223 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1950

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

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Foggy, Foggy Death (1950) by Frances & Richard Lockridge is the third in the Captain Heimrich series of mysteries. As the title implies, a thick New England fog envelops the Bromwell's country estate and much mayhem ensues...including a murder. Heimrich has to get to the bottom of a stolen Cadillac with a glove compartment full of jewels, the disappearance of a small son, the appearance of a motorist with a convenient flat tire, a troubled marriage, and who's really in love with whom before he can sort out who might have wanted Marta Bromwell out of the way badly enough to drown her in the stream on the estate.

Tensions are thick at High Ridge--thick like the dense January fog that encircles the house and which hides danger. There are several people who had reason to dislike Marta Bromwell. Marta has grown tired of her husband and doesn't mind showing it. She lets other men escort her around the town...just staying within the bounds of decency. After all, she doesn't want to have to give up the shiny jewels that come with her position as Bromwell's wife. Scott Bromwell would love to be rid of her if he can find a way that will allow him to keep the children. And Bromwell's high-society mother would love to see the back of her daughter-in-law as well. Then there's Karen, the elder Mrs. Bromwell's secretary and friend of the family. She has recently realized that she cares for Scott...if only Marta would disappear....

Of course, it's not as easy as keeping it in the family. Heimrich learns that Marta has been playing her current escort against the mysterious "stranger" with the flat tire--and both men thought she was going to leave Bromwell for them. What if one of them discovered her tricks and, enraged, decided that if he couldn't have her then no one would? And then the killer gets worried that a certain car thief has seen or heard more than was good for him and kills again. It's quite a puzzle for Heimrich to untangle--even if the circumstantial evidence points towards the most obvious suspect..Scott Bromwell.

The Lockridge books are some my favorite "light" mysteries from the 40s, 50s, and 60s. I enjoy their recurring characters from Pam & Jerry North to Bill Weigand & Sergeant Mullins to Captain M. L. Heimich and Sergeant Forniss. This one is a good solid mystery--and enjoyable--but I did miss the usual Lockridge humor and the way they work animals into their stories (without making it cutesy or the-cat-solves-the crime). Here the humor is mainly felt with the car thief, Higgins, is on the scene--following him as he sneaks from room to room and holds and on-going conversation with himself is quite amusing. It would have been better if the humor had been a thread throughout. Its absence was a bit oppressive--like the fog. Perhaps that was the Lockridges' objective, to make the atmosphere of the book match the countryside around the house. The animals were also absent. Dog kennels are mentioned and a supposed visit to the kennels by the victim would seem to be vital to the plot, but we don't actually visit the kennels at all. ★★★ and 1/2.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block . Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a wonderful, classic detective series and Inspector Heimrich is one of my favorite protagonists. My quibble with this installment in the series is that the reader doesn’t get much insight into Heimrich as a person.

If this were the only book I read in the series, I wouldn’t necessarily pick up another. Many other novels in the series offer a peek into his home life, his social life, and his relationships with his co- officers. Those facets bring his mysteries to life. This book just felt like a typical police procedural which holds limited interest for me.

I also love this series for its mid-century, suburban New York ambiance. . . This was more like a country-house mystery that could have happened any time, any place.

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Library | Unfortunately obvious, but a good example of an enclosed mystery | I knew in the first few pages who the murderer would be, and that was well before most of the characters had even been introduced, so it was a long wait for the confirming reveal. Heimrich doesn't leave the house at all, once he arrives in it, because all suspects are contained within, and there's no possibility of an outsider. It wasn't a matter of alibis or motives--nobody had one, everybody had the other--it was just which personality was likely, and how would they slip up.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, mysterious setting on a New York country estate isolated due to first fog then an ice storm. So when the body of Marta is found Captain Heinrich has all the suspects more or less trapped on the estate, but lots more will have to be figured out to determine what really happened.
Part of my reading this series in its entirety. I have read some of the volumes before, but like this one which I got through inter-library loan, a lot of the titles are hard to find.

[Susan Ferguson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The start to the book is mysterious and rather spooky, with a thick fog that only gets worse and a rain that turns to ice without the fog lifting. Then an old walnut tree that is beginning to rot that grows over power lines…….The atmosphere, the fog is a presence from the very beginning and the people only actors within at first. Then things begin to become clear in the fog as the interactions between the characters begin to develop and resolve.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty good semi-hardboiled mystery. The detective reminded me a bit of Columbo, and wasn't particularly interesting.
The mystery was well-done, and had a good solution.
My favorite part of the novel was how atmospheric it was: fog, wintry conditions, and a scene set in a lightless basement all give the novel some good unsettling moments.

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Lockridges' Mr. and Mrs. North series is so much better...

[Lisa Kucharski · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an Inspector Heimrich mystery, but the story was predominantly told through Karen, a suspect, in the story. I can't say that I feel like this is a Heimrich mystery. I am hoping for more involvement from him in other stories. The time frame was two days, and most of the action was inside a mansion, and it came off being fairly claustrophobic. The story's main character, Karen, was also a bit of a mousy persona hence the story reflecting this as well. The characters though are all wonderful to watch as usual.

[Kris · Rating 2 out of 5]

A quaint little cozy mystery, from a bygone era. Only a little bit of sexism, though, but it was still not a great book. The identity of the murderer was pretty obvious, and the characters are mostly unlikable. At least it was a quick read.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite Heimrich mysteries, probably because I enjoy locked room mysteries. They often include a tense, claustrophobic atmosphere. As others have mentioned, we don't see much of Heimrich or gain insight into his character. For that, one must continue reading the series.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

[June/July?]