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Bingo Riggs and Handsome Kusak #3
The April Robin Murders: A Random House Mystery
"Two zany street photographers in Hollywood--caught in a deluge of mirth and murder." (from the book cover)
217 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1958
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87 people want to read
About the author
Craig Rice
103 books56 followersPseudonym for Georgiana Ann Randolph Craig aka Daphne Sanders and Michael Venning.
Known for her hard-boiled mystery plots combined with screwball comedy, Georgiana 'Craig' Rice was the author of twenty-three novels, six of them posthumous, numerous short stories, and some true crime pieces. In the 1940s she rivaled Agatha Christie in sales and was featured on the cover of Time Magazine in 1946. However, over the past sixty years she has fallen into relative obscurity.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_Ri...
Known for her hard-boiled mystery plots combined with screwball comedy, Georgiana 'Craig' Rice was the author of twenty-three novels, six of them posthumous, numerous short stories, and some true crime pieces. In the 1940s she rivaled Agatha Christie in sales and was featured on the cover of Time Magazine in 1946. However, over the past sixty years she has fallen into relative obscurity.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_Ri...
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
September 20, 2025
Third in a short series about Bingo Riggs and Handsome Kusack, a pair of photographers who stumble into trouble, by Georgiana Ann Randolph Craig, who wrote under the pseudonym Craig Rice, “The April,Robin Murders” is set in Hollywood. The Sunday Pigeon Murders (1942) and The Thursday Turkey Murders (1942) were the first two in the series. Ed McBain apparently completed this one after Craig’s death at 49 in 1957.
Bingo and Handsome are the epitome of amateur detectives. The pair are naive fools, yokels if you will, who stumble upon trouble as if it’s their middle name.
They are photographers, in Hollywood to set up a new business, and become rich and famous. They start out in a rundown strip motel and soon meet a guy Courtney Budlong at a star map stand who sells them the home of former star April Robin. Alas, after they part with their $2,000 deposit and sign all the property papers in about ten minutes, move in, and meet the neighbors, they find they have been had. There is no Courtney Budlong and no one has a right to sell them the house.
What’s more the April Robins house has its own mysteries such as the fact that the owner has disappeared nearly seven years earlier and is Peru,ed dead. It has long been suspected that the body is buried somewhere on the property as well as a whole bunch of money, but no one has ever found the body or the treasure. The fifth wife disappeared shortly thereafter after she became the prime suspect. The fourth wife then appears and wants to know who gave. Bingo and Handsome leave to camp out on the property. She’s waiting out the seven years to collect years of unpaid alimony from the estate.
To top it off, the maid/caretaker dies under mysterious circumstances and the police think Bingo and Handsome are prime suspects and do not believe their tale of having been sold in a day the property by nonexistent Courtney Budlong.
In short, The April Robin Murders is a farcical tongue-planted-in-cheek mystery that doesn’t quite take itself too seriously and has a pair of bumbling amateurs as the lead characters.
Bingo and Handsome are the epitome of amateur detectives. The pair are naive fools, yokels if you will, who stumble upon trouble as if it’s their middle name.
They are photographers, in Hollywood to set up a new business, and become rich and famous. They start out in a rundown strip motel and soon meet a guy Courtney Budlong at a star map stand who sells them the home of former star April Robin. Alas, after they part with their $2,000 deposit and sign all the property papers in about ten minutes, move in, and meet the neighbors, they find they have been had. There is no Courtney Budlong and no one has a right to sell them the house.
What’s more the April Robins house has its own mysteries such as the fact that the owner has disappeared nearly seven years earlier and is Peru,ed dead. It has long been suspected that the body is buried somewhere on the property as well as a whole bunch of money, but no one has ever found the body or the treasure. The fifth wife disappeared shortly thereafter after she became the prime suspect. The fourth wife then appears and wants to know who gave. Bingo and Handsome leave to camp out on the property. She’s waiting out the seven years to collect years of unpaid alimony from the estate.
To top it off, the maid/caretaker dies under mysterious circumstances and the police think Bingo and Handsome are prime suspects and do not believe their tale of having been sold in a day the property by nonexistent Courtney Budlong.
In short, The April Robin Murders is a farcical tongue-planted-in-cheek mystery that doesn’t quite take itself too seriously and has a pair of bumbling amateurs as the lead characters.
April 29, 2015
An entertaining curio. Craig Rice was an interesting if second-string figure in the history of US crime fiction. She wrote humorous stories mainly in a series about a character called J.J. Malone; I've read a couple of those and recall them as amusing but nothing really to write home about. (She also ghost wrote one novel for George Sanders and possibly, although this is angrily debated, one for the burlesque dancer Gypsy Rose Lee.) Her other series featured two New York street photographers with hopes of making good, Bingo Riggs and Handsome Kusak; The April Robin Murders was planned as the third in this series . . . except that she died halfway through the first draft. I'm not certain of the circumstances, but somehow it came about that Ed McBain was drafted in to finish the book, which was published as a co-authorship. As a longtime McBain fan, I was naturally agog to read this one.
Bingo and Handsome, having inadvertently solved some murders and made a bit of money through doing so, have now arrived in Hollywood looking for glory. Although Bingo regards himself as a bit of a smart mover when it comes to business matters, they are (of course) instantly the victims of a conman, who "sells" them the old April Robin house. April Robin was a silent movie star who failed to make the transition to talkies; washed up even while still in her teens, she apparently committed suicide. Now the house's most recent occupants have vanished, the wife having seemingly killed her husband and then done a runner.
The night that Bingo and Handsome move in, the crabby old housekeeper who came with the property is murdered, and at least one of the investigating detectives is inclined to believe the two newcomers are the guilty parties . . .
The tale bounces along, and some of the jokes and situations are genuinely funny. Rice's humor and writing style weren't really the same as McBain's, and I was curious to see if I'd be able to spot a dividing line where McBain took over. Of course, since he apparently did quite a bit of reworking of the stuff that Rice had already written, no such line was visible. It was certainly the case, though, that by midway through the latter half of the book the writing seemed to have become that much sharper, with a greater frequency of lines that definitely seemed to have that McBain zing:
All in all, although the mystery aspect of it is very neatly plotted (McBain's work, because Rice left no notes), this is a pretty minor piece. But I enjoyed it at least adequately, and I don't care who knows so.
Bingo and Handsome, having inadvertently solved some murders and made a bit of money through doing so, have now arrived in Hollywood looking for glory. Although Bingo regards himself as a bit of a smart mover when it comes to business matters, they are (of course) instantly the victims of a conman, who "sells" them the old April Robin house. April Robin was a silent movie star who failed to make the transition to talkies; washed up even while still in her teens, she apparently committed suicide. Now the house's most recent occupants have vanished, the wife having seemingly killed her husband and then done a runner.
The night that Bingo and Handsome move in, the crabby old housekeeper who came with the property is murdered, and at least one of the investigating detectives is inclined to believe the two newcomers are the guilty parties . . .
The tale bounces along, and some of the jokes and situations are genuinely funny. Rice's humor and writing style weren't really the same as McBain's, and I was curious to see if I'd be able to spot a dividing line where McBain took over. Of course, since he apparently did quite a bit of reworking of the stuff that Rice had already written, no such line was visible. It was certainly the case, though, that by midway through the latter half of the book the writing seemed to have become that much sharper, with a greater frequency of lines that definitely seemed to have that McBain zing:
The Owl's Roost would have been called, in New York, a very sleazy dump. In California, it was called a very sleazy dump. The upholstered booths had been done in imitation zebra, which had peeled and cracked long ago and which now resembled vertical interference on a television screen.
All in all, although the mystery aspect of it is very neatly plotted (McBain's work, because Rice left no notes), this is a pretty minor piece. But I enjoyed it at least adequately, and I don't care who knows so.
February 21, 2016
As he stared at her, the only thought that flashed through Bingo's mind was that only that afternoon he'd promised Handsome that they were never going to be involved in any more murders in the future!
The April Robin Murders (1958) by Craig Rice [Georgiana Ann Randolph] & Ed McBain is a screwball mystery starring Rice's photographers with a penchant for landing in the middle of murder, Bingo Riggs and Handsome Kuzak. Bingo and Handsome, late of New York, have decided to head west to seek fortune and fame in Hollywood. Handsome has the added talent of being able to remember everything he has ever read (especially in newspapers).
The first thing they do is buy a house. Bingo is determined to own a mansion previously owned by a movie star and they manage to luck into an option on the moldering, monstrous mansion which once belonged to the legendary silent screen star April Robin. Winds up that they get much more than they bargained for--all kinds of mystery surrounds the house and its owners. First, there's April. Everybody remembers her. Everybody says she was gorgeous. Nobody knows what happened to her. She just disappeared. Drove off in her car one day and was gone. And Handsome is worried that he's losing his memory because he can't remember anything about her.
After April disappeared, the next owners were Julien and Lois Lattimer. They've both disappeared too--as well as a bundle of money. Everybody believes that Lois killed her husband and ran off with the dough. Except there's no body. The police have searched high and low--for the body, for the money, for Lois. Nothing. Then along come our boys from New York. A con man posing as a real estate agent sells them the house--with an apparently genuine Julien Lattimer signature on the paperwork.
"According to our top handwriting expert, he did," Perroni [a police detective] said. "And when Clark Sellers says a signature is genuine, the signature is genuine."
The night Handsome and Bingo move in a body is found. But not Julien's. The caretaker/housekeeper--who dies from inhaling the poisonous fumes of dry cleaning fluid. Perroni and his partner Hendenfleder kind of wonder about that. They wonder about a lot of things. Who is this guy Courtney Budlong who sold the house to the boys? Why are there so many guys running around with the initials C. B.? Why does one of them (Chester Baxter) wind up dead in an alley with his throat cut? And how much do Handsome and Bingo know about it all?
But don't get me wrong. I don't disbelieve you. I don't disbelieve anybody. It don't pay. Especially here in Hollywood.
This is a fun read. A definite screwball comedy/mystery that I could see as a movie starring Martin & Lewis or Abbott & Costello. You've got con men running in and out the picture, gorgeous dames, possibly shady lawyers, the good cop/bad copy pair, the nosy neighbor, and our slightly dim but likable protagonists who manage to bumble their way into a solution to all the mysteries as well as landing a motion picture deal that will make them that fortune they were seeking. Slow-moving for the first half or so, but it picks up speed as it hurtles to the finish. Not an incredibly clever solution, but it works and makes for an enjoyable and solid read.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
The April Robin Murders (1958) by Craig Rice [Georgiana Ann Randolph] & Ed McBain is a screwball mystery starring Rice's photographers with a penchant for landing in the middle of murder, Bingo Riggs and Handsome Kuzak. Bingo and Handsome, late of New York, have decided to head west to seek fortune and fame in Hollywood. Handsome has the added talent of being able to remember everything he has ever read (especially in newspapers).
The first thing they do is buy a house. Bingo is determined to own a mansion previously owned by a movie star and they manage to luck into an option on the moldering, monstrous mansion which once belonged to the legendary silent screen star April Robin. Winds up that they get much more than they bargained for--all kinds of mystery surrounds the house and its owners. First, there's April. Everybody remembers her. Everybody says she was gorgeous. Nobody knows what happened to her. She just disappeared. Drove off in her car one day and was gone. And Handsome is worried that he's losing his memory because he can't remember anything about her.
After April disappeared, the next owners were Julien and Lois Lattimer. They've both disappeared too--as well as a bundle of money. Everybody believes that Lois killed her husband and ran off with the dough. Except there's no body. The police have searched high and low--for the body, for the money, for Lois. Nothing. Then along come our boys from New York. A con man posing as a real estate agent sells them the house--with an apparently genuine Julien Lattimer signature on the paperwork.
"According to our top handwriting expert, he did," Perroni [a police detective] said. "And when Clark Sellers says a signature is genuine, the signature is genuine."
The night Handsome and Bingo move in a body is found. But not Julien's. The caretaker/housekeeper--who dies from inhaling the poisonous fumes of dry cleaning fluid. Perroni and his partner Hendenfleder kind of wonder about that. They wonder about a lot of things. Who is this guy Courtney Budlong who sold the house to the boys? Why are there so many guys running around with the initials C. B.? Why does one of them (Chester Baxter) wind up dead in an alley with his throat cut? And how much do Handsome and Bingo know about it all?
But don't get me wrong. I don't disbelieve you. I don't disbelieve anybody. It don't pay. Especially here in Hollywood.
This is a fun read. A definite screwball comedy/mystery that I could see as a movie starring Martin & Lewis or Abbott & Costello. You've got con men running in and out the picture, gorgeous dames, possibly shady lawyers, the good cop/bad copy pair, the nosy neighbor, and our slightly dim but likable protagonists who manage to bumble their way into a solution to all the mysteries as well as landing a motion picture deal that will make them that fortune they were seeking. Slow-moving for the first half or so, but it picks up speed as it hurtles to the finish. Not an incredibly clever solution, but it works and makes for an enjoyable and solid read.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
September 12, 2016
Fun little mystery about two out-of-place New Yorkers in Hollywood.
This was a fun read and I plan to hunt down the other two books written about this set of bumbling New Yorkers. Quickly targeted as easily bamboozled the shenanigans start immediately and keep on going. In a town where everybody knows just the perfect person to lend them a hand, they are easily passed around town and moments from losing the last two cents in their pocket repeatedly.
This was a fun read and I plan to hunt down the other two books written about this set of bumbling New Yorkers. Quickly targeted as easily bamboozled the shenanigans start immediately and keep on going. In a town where everybody knows just the perfect person to lend them a hand, they are easily passed around town and moments from losing the last two cents in their pocket repeatedly.
November 28, 2020
Bingo and Handsome (Yes, those are their names) come from New York to Hollywood to make it rich. They are not the brightest of protagonists. On their first full day in Hollywood they make a down payment on a home, from a man sitting next to a woman selling star maps, that was once owned by April Robin, a famous film star years earlier. Obviously, the boys were scammed of their two grand, but, as the police discover, the so-called deed they have was signed by Julien Lattimer, April's fiancee who's supposedly dead, though his body was never found over the past few years. Will the boys find the scammer? Will they get their money back? And will they cease being suspects since the housekeeper they fired the day they "bought" the house has been found dead?
This could have been a ton of fun, but the protagonists had no appeal for me. They were clueless and therefore unsympathetic. The two were capable of running small scams for small sums of money, but they were over their heads in the complexities of this mystery. Not helping is that every character they encountered came off as a crook running a con. And if they weren't, they sure came off that way. As a reader I had no one to root for.
It was interesting how they were able to learn information from others, but it made them look all the more incapable of putting any clues together themselves.
The conclusion is anti-climatic because the reader probably learned the ending much earlier on. This is the first pulp mystery I've not enjoyed in quite a while. It puts me off from reading any of the famous McBain's works.
This could have been a ton of fun, but the protagonists had no appeal for me. They were clueless and therefore unsympathetic. The two were capable of running small scams for small sums of money, but they were over their heads in the complexities of this mystery. Not helping is that every character they encountered came off as a crook running a con. And if they weren't, they sure came off that way. As a reader I had no one to root for.
It was interesting how they were able to learn information from others, but it made them look all the more incapable of putting any clues together themselves.
The conclusion is anti-climatic because the reader probably learned the ending much earlier on. This is the first pulp mystery I've not enjoyed in quite a while. It puts me off from reading any of the famous McBain's works.
Read
December 29, 2008I read Craig Rice several years ago and really loved her Malone character. This book, I ordered because to my knowledge it's the only one co-written by a very early Ed McBain. He finished her manuscript after her untimely early death. I have always been a huge fan of Ed McBain. The cover jacket makes a big mystery out of who he is. We know, of course, he's Evan Hunter, author of The Blackboard Jungle.
Discontinued. I love Craig Rice's Malone series and Ed McBain, but I just couldn't get into this one. Back to the library it goes.
Discontinued. I love Craig Rice's Malone series and Ed McBain, but I just couldn't get into this one. Back to the library it goes.
April 30, 2019
For my full review click on the link below:
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https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress...
July 17, 2019
My first exposure to Craig Rice. This manuscript was completed by Ed McBain, who said most of the writing was hers. I enjoyed it, but it doesn't measure up to McBain's stand alone stories.
July 27, 2019
Really fun, fast and light mystery from 1957 Hollywood
August 22, 2023
I really enjoyed this story and I'm sorry that it's the last adventure with Bingo and Handsome.
July 28, 2024
A very cleverly-plotted, madcap, downright funny mystery set in Beverly Hills. Has no idea where this one was going, and thoroughly enjoyed the ride!
December 9, 2014
I've been reading this mid twentieth century effort from a young Evan Hunter who evidently co-wrote this with Craig Rice (Craig Rice (1908–1957); born Georgiana Ann Randolph Craig; was an American author of mystery novels and short stories, sometimes described as "the Dorothy Parker of detective fiction." She was the first mystery writer to appear on the cover of Time Magazine, on January 28, 1946.)*
The content is extremely dated, portraying a surreal 1950's Los Angeles and the protagonist's ultra-naivete seems simplistic by today's social media savvy standards.I did like the complex plot and the interesting tidbits re: old newspaper content.
The content is extremely dated, portraying a surreal 1950's Los Angeles and the protagonist's ultra-naivete seems simplistic by today's social media savvy standards.I did like the complex plot and the interesting tidbits re: old newspaper content.
September 7, 2023
I had a bit of a problem getting into the book but did enjoy it. It took me a minute to realize what the time period of the novel was. Loved the characters and really thought Handsome was more of the brains of the duo than Bingo was. The mystery was very well done and kept me wondering until the very end. Read this for a reading group on women authors and really enjoyed seeing another side of an Ed McBain as well. May read more by this author now.
Want to read
June 1, 2009Pulp fiction rescued from the bookstore trash. The cover of this Dell paperback is fantastic (just uploaded it for your enjoyment). Just opened randomly to this passage in chapter 22:
"The man sitting in the living room did not mince words. 'My name is Rex Strober,' he said, 'and I do not mince words.'"
Obviously these authors have a sense of humor.
"The man sitting in the living room did not mince words. 'My name is Rex Strober,' he said, 'and I do not mince words.'"
Obviously these authors have a sense of humor.
April 29, 2015
A fun, fast read that is in no way dated. Sure, the main characters are naive, but the zaniness would not work if they were not. This work, finished by McBain, is much more in the style of Rice.
March 2, 2022
Weakest of the three.
Read
December 14, 2017Definitely not my thing. Managed 100 pages because I was on an airplane with nothing else to read. Comic mystery featuring a sort of Martin/Lewis combo with one character trait apiece.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews