Killer Boy Was Here

Inspector Schmidt #38

by George Bagby

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

A pseudonym used by Aaron Marc Stein

Reviews

[dmayr · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty girl walks in a park and ends up with a knife stuck in her back upon reaching her office building. A diamond dealer turns up dead right in front of the police station. These and a rash of senseless, seemingly motiveless crimes lead Inspector Schmidt and his chronicler Bagby to investigate. Similar plotwise to Because of the Cats (although that was done much better and with more in-depth characterization). This is my first book of the series. I like the writing but this falls short in comparison to Freeling's. Aside from that one or two chapters in the killer's point of view, we never really get a sense of 'Killer Boy's' character to equate it with Inspector Schmidt's speculations on his or the gang's motivations. The ending also seemed anticlimactic. I did enjoy some of the characters--such as the mousy Dora of the knitting shop and the medical staff--
although there were way too many outlandish notions thought up by some. All in all, this series seems intriguing enough for me to continue.