The Big Midget Murders

John J. Malone #6

by Craig Rice

Book by Rice, Craig

Genres: Mystery, Fiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 1942

About the author

Pseudonym 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...

Reviews

[Jim Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rice is a mixture of Hammett and the Marx Brothers. Not always completely successful in her fast paced "madcap" crime stories she does provide a good read if you take everything in the context of the time period it was written. I only gave it 3 stars because although it was a good fast read it still wasn't as good as Hammett or as funny as the Marx Brothers. Also the build up was good but the ending was just a little flat with way too many details to wrap up convincingly.

Helene and Jake make Nick and Nora look like teetotalers and never let the "letter of the law" influence their actions. Malone manages to out drink them and, even though he is a lawyer, has even less concern about the legality of his actions. I used the old term "madcap" because it perfectly explains the way the gang deals with the crime at hand even though it dates me (I'm 71).

While they flirt with morality and legality they never do anything really wrong in their very funny attempts to solve a crime. And the only reason they want to solve the crime is because they have somehow gotten involved and will end up in trouble if they don't find the real culprit. Add high levels of alcohol and a breakneck pace as they somehow muddle through to solving the crime at the end.

While this was written in 1940 and PC didn't exist yet, Rice does seem to go out of her way to pick on people's personal attributes in a way that would seem very bad taste today. But it was 1940 and people still used the word "midget" and often picked on them and occasionally had weird fears related to them.

[Whistler's Mom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before I recommend this to you, how squeamish are you?

Jake Justus may be (as he claims) the world's greatest publicity agent, but he's the world's worst businessman. Married to gorgeous heiress Helene Brand, he's determined not to be a kept husband OR to expose Helene to the rigors of touring with bands. So he acquires a Chicago nightclub called the Casino. It's the hottest, most exclusive place in town. A real money-maker.

And what does he do? Why he rips out all the walls, remodels, and enlarges it, using money borrowed from gangster Max Hook. Max is a smooth man in a rough business, but when he loans money he expects to get it back. On time.

To pull in customers (and pay back that loan) Jake is staking his life on Jay Otto's act. Otto is a little guy (about three feet tall, to be exact) but his talent is huge and so are the audiences who stand in line to see him. Otto's cruel, hilarious impersonations of other entertainers don't make him popular, but hurt feelings or not, the show MUST go on!

There's a tricky clause in Jay Otto's contract and Jake invites his friend and lawyer John J. Malone to work things out. Malone's made his reputation keeping people out of the slammer, but he can negotiate a contract. So after Otto's last act, Malone, Jake, and Helene head back to Otto's dressing room. But when they get there, they find that someone has solved the problem for them. Otto will never insult another stripper, embarrass another singer, or enrage another band leader. Otto is dead.

Now here's where things get a little dicey. Jake can't afford for the cops to close down the Casino while they investigate the death. And if the cops find Otto's body there, that's what they'll do. To make a long story short, they hide the body (I won't tell you HOW) and plan to come back later to make sure that the corpse is discovered elsewhere.

If you've read any of Craig Rice's books, you know it's not going to be that simple. There will be hilarious (and tasteless) complications. And there will be more murders and shocking revelations about Jay Otto's deplorable sideline. Why even Max Hook himself is horrified. "That's blackmail! That's CRIMINAL!" he sputters.

Criminal and profitable. Nightclubs employ beautiful girls and foolish young men from wealthy families hang around, hoping to meet then. And some of those young men take one drink too many and wake up the next morning married to a showgirl. The hung-over bridegroom is willing to pay for a quick, quiet annulment and Jay Otto's rake-off makes him a rich man. A very rich, very unpopular man. So who's in this scam with him and who snuffed him?

Rice's books are not for the faint-hearted. In 1942, people worried less about offending. And Rice was too busy making a living and drinking herself into an early grave to bother about being delicate. For all that, she had a sort of rough compassion. Jay Otto was a twisted soul and ruined lives for both pleasure and profit, but when the tragedy of his own life is revealed, you can understand. Not forgive or condone, but understand.

It's a fast-paced, entertaining read and Malone, Jake, and Helene are at their best. Helene's high-society friends mesh seamlessly with Jake's show biz pals and Malone's gangster buddies. After all, it's Chicago. Malone's discovery of his long-ago secret love, now old and alone, is a sad-sweet romance. Malone is determined to save the old torch singer and return her to her former glory. Will they walk off into the sunset hand-in-hand? Read the book. You won't be sorry you did.

[Brendan Huddleston · Rating 5 out of 5]

It must be noted that this book was published in 1948, so it is not politically correct in 2022, but (to me) that doesn’t take away from how great it is.

The writing is fantastic. I would often crack a smile and really enjoy what I was reading because of how clever some of the lines, scenes, and dialogue was.

You never feel bogged down. It’s amazing how much quality characterization can be fit in a book like this, especially considering how many characters there are (a lot) and how much time passes from the start of the book to the end (not a lot). It feels the characters have real, quality personalities as the book goes on.

If I can be critical about anything, I’d say it’d be nice if it was a bit more PC, even though it’s understandable it isn’t. A character or two probably could’ve been removed. And the overall plot/mystery that they were solving was a bit confusing.

This would make for a great movie, the characters had depth and the writing was really amazing.

Edit: Also, I thought it was hilarious one of the Main characters (John Malone) was constantly pressed on cash, but smoked a new cigar every time he walked through a doorframe. Seemed obvious to me where it was all going 🤣

[Randy Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Weaker Entry In The John J. Malone Series

This is the sixth of Craig Rice’s John J. Malone mysteries and, in my opinion, the weakest so far. (I’m reading them in order.) This time Malone and his friends Jake and Helene Justus are investigating the murder of an entertainer at Jake’s night club, the “Big Midget” of the title. (Be aware that if you find the word “midget” offensive, this is not the book for you. The word is on virtually every page.) The plot is fine, though the murderer is pretty obvious, but the characters just aren’t as funny or entertaining as previous books in the series. It’s not a bad book, but it lacks a certain spark found in earlier entries. Still, if you’re a fan of Craig Rice and John J. Malone, it’s worth checking out.

[Jessi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jake Justus won a nightclub in a card game. He then borrowed money from a loan shark and it's coming due. Too bad his biggest act, a small person who does imitations, is such a jerk. It's especially bad that the guy is such a big jerk that someone murdered him by hanging him with 11 stockings, none of which match.
John J. Malone is at the theater with Jake and Jake's wife Helene when it happens. And he helps them hide the body in the case of a bass. But then the bass disappears and it sets off a series of events that are not unexpected from a Craig Rice book. Confusing story but a quick read.

[Roger Huddleston · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is one of many in a series, and having read the previous books would definitely help better understand the characters' back story and relationships. Nightclub owner Jake Justus finds his star act, who happens to be a midget, murdered in his dressing room. Over the course of the next 24 hours, with no sleep and fueled by cigars, gin, and whiskey, Jake and his attorney buddy John Malone proceed to solve the mystery of the performer's death, along with the tangled relationships of all the other characters that drop in along the way, although the final reveal is poorly explained and ultimately unsatisfying.

[Cindy B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Satirical (borderline snarky) dialogue in a taco wrap interesting plot always entertains. Adult style humor and storyline. Easily offended should read elsewhere. Author is a woman, which was a surprise! 🤪 . The narrator’s voice is perfect for the part

For a better review read “Jim” review (3-stars) below.

[Jeremy Kitchen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny, Chicago, you cannot ask for more than that.

Side note, why do people apply PC Standards of 2026 when this book was written over 80 fucking years ago. Midgets were referred to as "freaks" this was not the age of everyone being offended every second of the day.

Use a nuanced historical lens with those midget brains of yours.

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

All of the Rice style you love is there, but the othering is pretty brutal.

[Daniy ♠ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so glad I loved this one, after the last one I thought that was the end of my crag rice love

[Martina Sartor · Rating 5 out of 5]

All'inizio, vista l'ambientazione e il tipo di personaggi, pensavo che il romanzo virasse troppo sul genere hard-boiled, che a me piace poco: fumosi locali notturni dell'America anni '40, l'avvocato-investigatore beone, le ballerine di fila.
Beh, invece la Rice è riuscita col suo stile particolare, frizzante, umoristico e fresco, a farmi appassionare alla storia. Ha creato un delitto con una vittima insolita, il Grande Nano, dove quello che sembra il mistero centrale (la scomparsa del contrabbasso con dentro il morto) in realtà non è il punto più importante per scoprire il colpevole.
Riguardo agli indizi, molto in linea col giallo classico, quando ho letto quello riguardo all'altezza dell'assassino, sono tornata indietro a rileggere il brano dove Jake tenta di tirar giù il Nano. E mi sono ricordata che esattamente in quel punto mi ero detta che lì poteva esserci un elemento chiave: la sedia che non c'era mi 'puzzava' molto. Ecco, per me la bravura di un giallista è anche questa: far sospettare il lettore che lì si nasconda un indizio chiave, ma appunto riuscire a nasconderlo bene!
Il finale, poi, così romanticamente malinconico per Malone, mi è piaciuto moltissimo.

[CQM · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another one from my time reading nothing but mysteries. For me this is Craig Rice at her best.
John J. Malone the lawyer cum detective drinks gallons of booze along with his chums, socialites Jake and Helen while wisecracking and solving the murder of the titular big midget. Occasional help comes from policeman Daniel Von Flanagan. All very light and amusing and I found the lightness less annoying in this one than in some of the others of the series.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was glad Sarah warned me about the jarring and somewhat pervasive anti-litte-people prejudice. That was weird and disturbing.
But Von Flanagan was back, Malone was in top form, and I actually followed the plot of this one, and guessed the murderer before Malone told me. This story really... hung together. (cue CSI Miami theme music)

[renny feld]

yes...still funny

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The characters hold some awful biases against little people, but if you can get past that, the rest of this mystery is much better than the two that proceeded it.

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whacky mystery with fun detectives and interesting twists.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought I had read all of the Malone books, but this one was new to me. It was the usual hard drinking mysterious and humorous romp as all the others.