Death by Association: A Captain Heimrich Mystery

Captain Heimrich #5

by Frances Lockridge, Richard Lockridge

In a small Key West nightclub, a young girl wriggled in a white dress. As the music thumped, the wriggling became more emphatic.The sailors in the smoky, dimly lit room began chanting...The elite Coral Isles Hotel was crammed with vacationers. Bronson Wells, an ex-communist turned red-hunter, was one of them--until they found him murdered...There was no apparent connection between the stabbed Wells and the snake-hipped girl. Captain Heimrich found one, though--a sordid business that had given the girl good reason to kill. And Heimrich found many others who hated the ex-communist.Somewhere among these wronged, bitter people he knew he would find the killer. But it was the killer, with knife in hand, who found Heimrich...

Genres: Mystery

322 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1952

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]

We imagine that people have only one reason for things they do. So often, you know, they have several. Sometimes they even have reasons which seem to contradict one another.
~Captain Heimrich

Trial by Terror (1952), which was originally published as Death by Association (under which title I read this many moons ago from the library), is the sixth book in Frances and Richard Lockridge's series featuring Captain Merton Heimrich of the New York State Police. Heimrich is a fish out of water down in Key West where he has been sent to complete his recuperation from a gunshot wound received in a previous adventure. He arrives at The Coral Isles resort along with Dr. Barclay MacDonald who is also recovering--in his case from a car accident. Close on their heels is Mary Wister, who has been sent to this resort (among others) to "do pictures" to go along with text for "a thing" that several resort hotels want to do as advertisement.

The three find themselves enmeshed in a web of mystery when Bronson Wells, famous communist denouncer, is killed. Wells is connected to a Senator Joseph McCarthy type and he may have been on the verge of denouncing a few of his fellow vacationers--such as Judge Sibley who is being considered for a U.N. appointment and who might not be considered for the appointment if he's found to have communist connections. Or Bill Olsen, the pianist, who might not get near as many engagements if Wells has negative things to say about him. Or even MacDonald--whose brother was driven to suicide because of insinuations made by Wells. Of course, they aren't the only ones who might have wanted Wells out of the way. His associate, Paul Shephard doesn't seem too happy with him and Rachel Jones, the investigative reporter who had some tense moments with Wells the night before, has mysteriously disappeared. And then there's Garcia, a local musician who knew Wells long before he was famous, long before he was actually known by the name of Wells, and who doesn't have particularly fond memories of the man who ruined his sister.

Heimrich, though out of his territory, is drawn into the case when Mary discovers Wells's body when she goes out early in the morning to make sketches for her ad campaign. She can't say exactly what made her look among the small trees that made a thick hedge along the tennis courts. She just did. And noticed a bit of white...like a man's dinner shirt. Upon investigation, it was a man's dinner shirt. Bronson Wells's dinner shirt to be exact; stained with blood where he'd been stabbed. She runs up to the hotel to summon help and Heimrich is the first person she sees. It doesn't take long for him to determine that Wells has been dead for some time and when the local police arrive he "naturally"* assists in every way he can. His assistance causes such problems for the murderer that he is attacked in dark outside the hotel--stabbed in his wounded shoulder (naturally). But it's Heimrich's dedication to "make the character fit the crime" that finally identifies the culprit and allows him to set a trap to catch the killer.

I'm not normally a fan of mysteries that take the detective out of their normal habitat, so to speak. For example Nero Wolfe stories that take him out of the brownstone? Generally not my favorite. But this story that follows Heimrich to Florida is well done. Great descriptions of the area and the Lockridges use the political of the 1950s to great effect. They also play Heimrich's busman's holiday crime solving with just the right touch. Obviously, he's out of his jurisdiction, but he can't help but notice the characters and actions of his fellow resort guests. There are clues to be had, albeit slight and it's possible for them to slip on by with no notice, but the astute reader could get to Heimrich's solution. This--less astute--reader didn't, but it didn't mar my enjoyment.

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

[Lisa Kucharski · Rating 4 out of 5]

At last Heimrich becomes more involved. This time the story takes place in Key West. Heimrich is recovering from a bullet wound to the shoulder. A doctor is also recovering from an accident. The tale, told greatly through Karen Wister's eyes, involves the three trying to figure out who killed a former Communist turned informant. The problem is everyone, with the exception of Karen and Heimrich, have everything to lose if he continues to live.

Lovely descriptions of Key West and you really keep guessing all the way to the end! Gritty at times.

[Linda Brue · Rating 2 out of 5]

An early Inspector Heimrich mystery set in Key West. The murder victim is an arrogant man who outs others as Communists or Communist sympathizers during what is obviously the time of the McCarthy hearings.

Terribly slow in the beginning, it finally picked up a bit towards the middle. Although it was well-plotted, it all seemed a bit flat, and none of the characters were fleshed out.

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am sorely disappointed by the lack of alligators in this book. I was led to expect alligators.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read most of the Lockridge’s Mr.and Mrs. North mysteries and enjoyed the period charm and manhattan-centric nature of the stories and the characters.

This book was a totally new animal for me and i really enjoyed the detective , the setting ( in key west) and the characters. The 1950’s “ red scare” felt a little over-dramatic, but I didnt live through the Mc Carthy hearings, so that may just be differing life experiences.

I will definitely read more novels in this series.

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Early Bird Book Deal | Let me be honest: probably actually three stars. But I've had a hard time concentrating on reading during the pandemic, and this is the first book in two months that I've just read without putting down. So I'm rewarding it with the extra star. Plus, the person I wanted to be the murderer was, which is always satisfying.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one of Captain Heinrich’s first books, but he is a minor character in this book which is narrative by one of the lady characters. Very strange and does not read like the other 20 books. You can skip this book entirely as none of the characters show up in any of the other books. I would have liked to ask the authors and the publisher what was the purpose of this book being published.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Continued reading of this series, acquired title through inter-library loan. Enjoyed the story and at least in this one, Heimrich's methodology did not cause a second death (hope that continues).

[Barbara Luce · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am sorry but I wrote a review about this book when I finished it.