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Mr. & Mrs. North #26
Murder by the Book
The city is Los Angeles, the birthplace and terminus of the American dream, a city that has come to symbolize both heaven and hell. Billy McGrath is an enigma, half American, half English, who once dreamed of pursuing a career as an academic philosopher, but for the last fifteen years he's been a homicide detective, one of LA's best. He knows the rules, playing them perhaps better than anyone while understanding the reality of a justice system that doesn't always work, that punishes the underprivileged and lets the rich go free. He's a deeply unhappy, possibly suicidal man, divorced from a wife he still adores and separated from a ten-year-old daughter for whom he'd readily die.McGrath is called to a crime scene - a woman dead on a kitchen floor in one of the city's less than inviting neighborhoods, a seemingly routine assignment until he discovers that the murdered woman's son is LA's biggest crack dealer, an idol of the ghetto who offers him a one-million-dollar bounty for the name of the killer.Making the wrongt choice for what might be the right reasons, McGrath initiates both his own fall from grade, and, as he strives to redeem himself, a series of wild and furious actions that hurtle him through many identities of corrupt Los Angeles.In Ian Mcgrath, Rayner has dreated a sympathetic everyman, who becomes both victim and victor. Set against a bleak cityscape, Murder Book is a dark, violent and sexy thriller that is impssible to put down.
205 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1963
32 people are currently reading
123 people want to read
About the author
Frances Lockridge
95 books48 followersFrances Louise (Davis) Lockridge wrote popular mysteries and children's books with husband Richard Lockridge. They also published under the shared pseudonym Francis Richards.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
May 5, 2021
In this last entry in the Mr. and Mrs. North series, Pam & Jerry are on vacation in Key West and naturally Pam stumbles across a dead body. She gets up early one Sunday morning to go fishing for a pair of pelicans that are too lazy (and spoiled by tourists like Pam) to fish for themselves. And there on the end of the pier is the body of Dr. Edmund Piersal, dead from a stab wound.
Pam, of course, feels personally involved. Not only did she discover the body, but she and Jerry had just played tennis with Piersal the day before. Piersal is also from New York where he is well-known as a former Deputy Medical Examiner, but who in Florida would want to kill a doctor whom Pam sums up as "a nice man. A really nice man"? Apparently, a few people. There's the slightly mysterious (in Pam's mind) nature of Dr. Piersal's attendance on a fellow hotel guest who has also died--purportedly of heart disease. But where's the motive for murder in that? There's the daughter of a woman who accused Piersal of malpractice in her husband's death, took him to court, and then was publicly humiliated by the judge in the case. Revenge on her mother's behalf? Not to mention the woman herself who was also in Key West at the relevant time. There's also a couple of small-time con men--one of whom was convicted of an earlier crime and the doctor provided key evidence in the conviction.
Deputy Sheriff Jefferson doesn't know what to make of the Norths--between Pam's non sequiturs and the fancy theories the two spin about the murder, they have his head spinning. If his counterpart, Bill Weigand of the NYPD hadn't assured him of their bona fides, he'd be tempted to think they were leading him astray on purpose. But he'll soon find that Weigand was right, they're very helpful and "when they're around, things seem to turn up. Useful things." After a couple of false starts, while Pam tries to pin down an elusive point that keeps floating in and out of her active mind, Jefferson and the Norths finally get their man.
It's a shame that this is the last of the North books, but it is a pleasant swan song for them. Lounging on the beach, playing a bit of tennis, solving one last murder. I find these books to very soothing and very much comfort reads. The puzzles aren't terribly tricky (I spotted the villain early on), but this one does have a nice variation on the "dying message" trope. Only the doctor didn't know it was a dying message when he wrote it. It's interesting watching Jefferson try to keep up with Pam--Bill Weigand and the NY police force have had a chance to get used to how her mind "jumps"--but Jefferson isn't quite sure how to follow her hops and skips.
As always, an enjoyable, comfy read and a lovely way to spend an afternoon.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.
Pam, of course, feels personally involved. Not only did she discover the body, but she and Jerry had just played tennis with Piersal the day before. Piersal is also from New York where he is well-known as a former Deputy Medical Examiner, but who in Florida would want to kill a doctor whom Pam sums up as "a nice man. A really nice man"? Apparently, a few people. There's the slightly mysterious (in Pam's mind) nature of Dr. Piersal's attendance on a fellow hotel guest who has also died--purportedly of heart disease. But where's the motive for murder in that? There's the daughter of a woman who accused Piersal of malpractice in her husband's death, took him to court, and then was publicly humiliated by the judge in the case. Revenge on her mother's behalf? Not to mention the woman herself who was also in Key West at the relevant time. There's also a couple of small-time con men--one of whom was convicted of an earlier crime and the doctor provided key evidence in the conviction.
Deputy Sheriff Jefferson doesn't know what to make of the Norths--between Pam's non sequiturs and the fancy theories the two spin about the murder, they have his head spinning. If his counterpart, Bill Weigand of the NYPD hadn't assured him of their bona fides, he'd be tempted to think they were leading him astray on purpose. But he'll soon find that Weigand was right, they're very helpful and "when they're around, things seem to turn up. Useful things." After a couple of false starts, while Pam tries to pin down an elusive point that keeps floating in and out of her active mind, Jefferson and the Norths finally get their man.
It's a shame that this is the last of the North books, but it is a pleasant swan song for them. Lounging on the beach, playing a bit of tennis, solving one last murder. I find these books to very soothing and very much comfort reads. The puzzles aren't terribly tricky (I spotted the villain early on), but this one does have a nice variation on the "dying message" trope. Only the doctor didn't know it was a dying message when he wrote it. It's interesting watching Jefferson try to keep up with Pam--Bill Weigand and the NY police force have had a chance to get used to how her mind "jumps"--but Jefferson isn't quite sure how to follow her hops and skips.
As always, an enjoyable, comfy read and a lovely way to spend an afternoon.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.
July 13, 2012
The last of the Lockridge books currently sitting in my TBR pile, Murder by the Book, takes Pam and Jerry North out of their usual NYC setting. It is also the final book of this charming husband and wife amateur detective series. The book finds Pam & Jerry on holiday in Key West. While there they befriend a famous doctor, also on holiday from New York, playing tennis and sharing drinks. Pam, in her usual fashion, also befriends the hotel's unofficial mascots, Freddy and Teddy--two pelicans who prefer the guests to do their fishing for them. A pleasant holiday turns fishy when Pam discovers the doctor lying dead on the pier with the pelicans looking on. There are, of course, a variety of suspects who could have had it in for the debonair doctor. Was it the wife of one his former patients--a patient who didn't survive his treatment? And the wife blames the doctor. Or perhaps the daughter of that same patient? There is also the fact that the doctor had served as a court witness in several cases and one of the men put in prison based on his testimony just happens to have headed south upon his release. Or maybe it is the husband of a woman who has just died in the hotel after Dr. Piersal had checked on her? Deputy Sheriff Jefferson finds himself in over his head and after checking up on "these Norths" with Captain Bill Weigand in NYC thinks that maybe Pam's screwy logic will be helpful after all.
Sometimes when authors take their characters out of their natural habitat, so to speak, it doesn't work. The Nero Wolfe stories that remove Wolfe from his brownstone home come to mind. But the Lockridges manage to keep the spirit of the North books true to form even with Pam and Jerry in tennis shorts on the sunny shores of Key West. Another thoroughly enjoyable outing. The North books are light and breezy, but always satisfying. I much prefer them to Nick and Nora Charles. Four stars.
This review was first posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
June 11, 2010
Ah, the last Mr. & Mrs. North mystery. The couple is in Florida on vacation. There is brief contact with the Weigands which was nice as it was the last book. The Deputy Sheriff Jefferson was the law in this book, and he used the North's more than even Weigand usually does.
Good amount of suspects and each one has layers of information that need to be taken from them before the final reveal is made. Pam is in high form in this one. A doctor is killed, one who is considered a great internist and authority on medicine. He has worked in the past with the police, and now... his vacation has been cut short.
How I wish there was one more book, one that had the Weigands and Norths together for one last sleuthing.
But after Frances died, Richard continued to write on other mysteries that take place in this same world... but never another Mr. & Mrs. North mystery. Good book to end with though, a bit sad to arrive at the end.
Good amount of suspects and each one has layers of information that need to be taken from them before the final reveal is made. Pam is in high form in this one. A doctor is killed, one who is considered a great internist and authority on medicine. He has worked in the past with the police, and now... his vacation has been cut short.
How I wish there was one more book, one that had the Weigands and Norths together for one last sleuthing.
But after Frances died, Richard continued to write on other mysteries that take place in this same world... but never another Mr. & Mrs. North mystery. Good book to end with though, a bit sad to arrive at the end.
February 19, 2017
Can't believe that this is the last of the series. Pam and Jerry are vacationing in Key West, Florida. Enjoying the sunshine and warmth while New York deals with winter, they, of course, manage to find a dead fellow New Yorker on the pier. They're in the investigation from the start as they have a sheriff who rarely deals with murder and they have Bill Weigand's recommendation as being extremely helpful in a murder investigation. I loved having Pam and Jerry center stage but really missed Bill's investigative style, Mullens' mutters of how screwy the investigation was, and the cats' antics. Still, it was another fun read and I find myself feeling very sad that it's over.
After a brief mystery break, I know I'll come back to Frances and Richard Lockridge again...after all, there's another series featuring Captain Merton Heimrich to read!
After a brief mystery break, I know I'll come back to Frances and Richard Lockridge again...after all, there's another series featuring Captain Merton Heimrich to read!
January 6, 2020
A charming swan song for Pam and Jerry North
This was the last book in the Mr and Mrs North series, but it was the first one I read. I liked it so much that I read and reviewed all 26 of them in order. I re-read it today and still think it's one of the best in the series, although it's far from being a "typical" Pam and Jerry North mystery. It's not set in New York City and the North's friend Captain Bill Weigand of the NYPD is absent, although he appears by telephone when the action heats up.
The Norths have taken a vacation to Key West, Florida, and are basking in the sunshine, warmth, and sparkling water. It's 1963 and Key West is both quieter and more dangerous than it is today. Memories of Ernest Hemingway and President Harry Truman are fresh in the minds of the locals, but most visitors are simply people who come for relaxation in a sleepy southern town surrounded by beaches. Still, the huge Navy base dominates the island and armed ships patrol the short 90 miles separating the U.S. and Castro's Cuba.
Since the first Mr and Mrs North mystery appeared in 1940, both the authors and their readers have aged two and a half decades, but Pam North is still pretty, slim, young, and blonde. Jerry North still alternates between adoring his lovely wife and being exasperated by her obscure speech. Who else but Mrs North would slip out of bed at daybreak and leave her husband with the explanation that she's "going fishing for pelicans"?
But murder follows the Norths and soon a pleasant middle-aged doctor is dead. He's a New Yorker, too, but unknown to the Norths until they meet at a Key West resort playing doubles tennis. They're shocked by his death and even more shocked to learn that there are several people who wanted him dead.
Seems the good doctor has served as an expert witness in many trials and sent some criminals to prison. One of those criminals is in Key West. And while the doctor is well-respected, at least one widow believes that he caused her husband's death. The jury didn't agree, but is the angry widow still gunning for him? To further complicate matters, there's a slight possibility that it might be suicide. A woman resident at the resort dies after the doctor has treated her. Did he kill himself from remorse?
Chief Deputy Sheriff Ronald Jefferson is no Bill Weigand, but he's an intelligent, hard-working investigator. Furthermore, he has to do a lot of the footwork himself. Key West isn't a big police department with a sophisticated forensics team and the Sheriff is quite properly more interested in game fishing than in murders. At first suspicious of the Norths, Jefferson reluctantly takes Weigand's word that they're on the side of the angels. In the end, it's Pam North's inquisitive mind that figures out the scribbled entries in a small notebook and uncovers the identity of the murderer. It's her last case and she went out in style.
Sadly, the series came to an end when Frances Lockridge died. Richard Lockridge continued to write his other mystery books, but Pam North was too closely identified with his wife to go on writing about her. I'm so glad I discovered this series. I've read a lot of mysteries, but never ones written with more charm and wit. Pam and Jerry North are fascinating, lovable characters and the books show American life at a far different time. All 26 books in the series can be read as stand-alone books, but there's something to be said for reading them in order. Enjoy.
This was the last book in the Mr and Mrs North series, but it was the first one I read. I liked it so much that I read and reviewed all 26 of them in order. I re-read it today and still think it's one of the best in the series, although it's far from being a "typical" Pam and Jerry North mystery. It's not set in New York City and the North's friend Captain Bill Weigand of the NYPD is absent, although he appears by telephone when the action heats up.
The Norths have taken a vacation to Key West, Florida, and are basking in the sunshine, warmth, and sparkling water. It's 1963 and Key West is both quieter and more dangerous than it is today. Memories of Ernest Hemingway and President Harry Truman are fresh in the minds of the locals, but most visitors are simply people who come for relaxation in a sleepy southern town surrounded by beaches. Still, the huge Navy base dominates the island and armed ships patrol the short 90 miles separating the U.S. and Castro's Cuba.
Since the first Mr and Mrs North mystery appeared in 1940, both the authors and their readers have aged two and a half decades, but Pam North is still pretty, slim, young, and blonde. Jerry North still alternates between adoring his lovely wife and being exasperated by her obscure speech. Who else but Mrs North would slip out of bed at daybreak and leave her husband with the explanation that she's "going fishing for pelicans"?
But murder follows the Norths and soon a pleasant middle-aged doctor is dead. He's a New Yorker, too, but unknown to the Norths until they meet at a Key West resort playing doubles tennis. They're shocked by his death and even more shocked to learn that there are several people who wanted him dead.
Seems the good doctor has served as an expert witness in many trials and sent some criminals to prison. One of those criminals is in Key West. And while the doctor is well-respected, at least one widow believes that he caused her husband's death. The jury didn't agree, but is the angry widow still gunning for him? To further complicate matters, there's a slight possibility that it might be suicide. A woman resident at the resort dies after the doctor has treated her. Did he kill himself from remorse?
Chief Deputy Sheriff Ronald Jefferson is no Bill Weigand, but he's an intelligent, hard-working investigator. Furthermore, he has to do a lot of the footwork himself. Key West isn't a big police department with a sophisticated forensics team and the Sheriff is quite properly more interested in game fishing than in murders. At first suspicious of the Norths, Jefferson reluctantly takes Weigand's word that they're on the side of the angels. In the end, it's Pam North's inquisitive mind that figures out the scribbled entries in a small notebook and uncovers the identity of the murderer. It's her last case and she went out in style.
Sadly, the series came to an end when Frances Lockridge died. Richard Lockridge continued to write his other mystery books, but Pam North was too closely identified with his wife to go on writing about her. I'm so glad I discovered this series. I've read a lot of mysteries, but never ones written with more charm and wit. Pam and Jerry North are fascinating, lovable characters and the books show American life at a far different time. All 26 books in the series can be read as stand-alone books, but there's something to be said for reading them in order. Enjoy.
December 25, 2019
Early Bird Book Deal | Farewell to Pam and Jerry North, I will miss spending my reading time with you and the Weigands. I wish this final book in the series had taken place in New York--I didn't much care for Jefferson--but it couldn't be helped.
I'd originally thought I wouldn't bother with other Lockridge mysteries, because it's the relationship between the people that I love in this series, and I thought that was all Frances' contribution. But apparently she contributed plot ideas, and Richard did 100% of the actual writing, with characters he had created before his wife ever tried to write. So I might enjoy the books he wrote without her. Worth trying, to find out.
I'd originally thought I wouldn't bother with other Lockridge mysteries, because it's the relationship between the people that I love in this series, and I thought that was all Frances' contribution. But apparently she contributed plot ideas, and Richard did 100% of the actual writing, with characters he had created before his wife ever tried to write. So I might enjoy the books he wrote without her. Worth trying, to find out.
January 24, 2019
This is one from the Mr. and Mrs. North "Fatal Flaw in a Perfect Crime" series, set back in 1963 in Key West, Florida. It's a quick read...read the first half in one day. There were a few possible choices for the guilty party. I flipped back and forth until the last chapter. In fact, even in the last few pages, the author threw in another unexpected surprise. I found this old, yellowed paperback for 50 cents at a used bookstore. An enjoyable read.
March 30, 2020
It is 1963 and the Norths have gone on vacation, by themselves, to Key West, Florida. I kept wishing the Weigands and the cats had made the trip with them. A doctor who works with the New York City Police is killed at their hotel. It seems like the perfect crime. But then again, Pam North has found the body - just like in the first book of the series. This book is a fitting conclusion to this wonderful series!
May 18, 2020
A frivolous story about frivolous people frivolously told. Very well-plotted. An excellent diversion and I'm glad there are many more to enjoy.
March 15, 2021
In my opinion it wasn't that well written. And it was kind of confusing.
April 1, 2021
This is the last of the Lockridge books I have. It was interesting going to Key West, (just like Timmy Failure!)
February 14, 2023
I had never read a book from this series before. Really like it and will look for more!
February 6, 2024
I enjoyed it. It was what i needed in the moment; a murder, with Pam North not satisfied with the current suspect - and with good reason. And a good ending.
November 11, 2022
This pleasant, well-paced mystery wraps up the series. It's a fast read and feels like a novelette. The Lockridges wrote 26 books featuring Pam & Jerry North in 23 years, a very respectable run. The end came, sadly, with Frances Lockridge's death. Richard Lockridge continued writing the other three series they began together which showed how strongly the Norths partnership mirrored their own. Pam & Jerry didn't change appreciably in a quarter of a century but the passage of time is evident in changes like their friend NYPD Lt. Bill Weigand getting married and promoted. This well-crafted story is an entertaining puzzle, as are all the North books, but the real charm of this series is its depiction of post-war American life. The Norths are solidly middle class and their observations reflect the real world seen by the Lockridges openly and honestly. It's a cozy mystery world for the most part, but still provides an interesting look at the attitudes and mores of that era.
February 4, 2016
I always enjoy reading Pam and Jerry North's adventures. Her inquisitiveness always gets her into the thick of it with Jerry bailing her out. Being on vacation doesn't keep them away from getting involved in a mystery.
July 5, 2016
Last book in the Mr. and Mrs. North series and a nice ending to it, though there is no specific closure. Pam and Jerry are in Key West and of course, come across another murder.
August 13, 2012
This is the last of the Pam & Jerry North series (#36, I believe).
January 30, 2018
I've reached the end of the Mr and Mrs North stories, and I'll miss them. While the individual books didn't knock off my socks, the series as a whole is a pleasant snapshot of a particular segment of NYC society in the 1940s and 1950s.
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July 30, 2018I like the books, but it is also a nostalgia thing because I remember my mother reading them.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews