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The Panama Portrait
Stated first printing. A fine copy in a very good dust jacket. The dust jacket shows soiling and tanning to the panels and spine. Mild rubs to the spine tips.
242 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1962
About the author
Stanley Ellin
164 books40 followersStanley Bernard Ellin was a mystery writer of short stories and novels. He won the Edgar Allan Poe Award three times and the Grand Prix de Litterature Policiere once, and in 1981 he was awarded with the Mystery Writers of America's highest honor, the Grand Master Award.
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
February 10, 2017
If you are expecting another of Stanley Ellin’s delicious and often haunting mysteries with THE PANAMA PORTRAIT, you will be disappointed. I know I was.
So what it THE PANAMA PORTRAIT about?
Ben Smith, an up and coming employee of Seaways Industries, a seafood company, has been asked by the CEO no less to travel to a remote island off Peru to see if he can’t obtain something of a monlopy on their rock lobster tails for the company.
And if he does? An enormous increase and pay and promotion to perhaps heading their San Francisco office –a dream.
And that’s where this novel mostly takes place. Sadly, I found it quite the yawner, full of what I felt was unneeded filler, no kind of mystery really, and really just the last 20 pages or so are interesting and that is a nasty ritual practiced on this remote island.
What is this ritual? Every year, a few men volunteer to outwit the hangman’s noose. Each volunteer places the noose over his head – even sleeps with it around his neck the night before – and then deliberately hangs himself – but – and this is crucial – he does have a knife to cut himself free.
The one who lasts the longest without strangling before cutting his rope, wins. Of course some die too.
Sounds nasty? Well, that was the most interesting part of the book for me.
So what it THE PANAMA PORTRAIT about?
Ben Smith, an up and coming employee of Seaways Industries, a seafood company, has been asked by the CEO no less to travel to a remote island off Peru to see if he can’t obtain something of a monlopy on their rock lobster tails for the company.
And if he does? An enormous increase and pay and promotion to perhaps heading their San Francisco office –a dream.
And that’s where this novel mostly takes place. Sadly, I found it quite the yawner, full of what I felt was unneeded filler, no kind of mystery really, and really just the last 20 pages or so are interesting and that is a nasty ritual practiced on this remote island.
What is this ritual? Every year, a few men volunteer to outwit the hangman’s noose. Each volunteer places the noose over his head – even sleeps with it around his neck the night before – and then deliberately hangs himself – but – and this is crucial – he does have a knife to cut himself free.
The one who lasts the longest without strangling before cutting his rope, wins. Of course some die too.
Sounds nasty? Well, that was the most interesting part of the book for me.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review