An excellent mystery featuring a famous police detective of his day who is frustrated he was not able to solve an important murder a year ago. Then there is another murder which appears to be related to the first. But there are way too many suspects. I found it amusing this famous detective was assisted by a 12-year-old boy who followed clues the detective overlooked.
One interesting part of the novel was the Japanese-American "house boy" for the second murder victim. When mentioned in the novel he was always referred to as "the Jap" which I found jarring. But then this novel was written in 1928. Not that bigotry doesn't exist any more. We see that in the news every day.
One interesting part of the novel was the Japanese-American "house boy" for the second murder victim. When mentioned in the novel he was always referred to as "the Jap" which I found jarring. But then this novel was written in 1928. Not that bigotry doesn't exist any more. We see that in the news every day.
A very good mystery written in 1928. It was fun to read about life in New York right before the stock market crash of 1929 and the detective, Van Dusen Ormsberry is a very likeable character. In the first chapter, I thought the writing might be a bit 'flowery', but as I read on, I found this was not the case. The solution to the murders kept me guessing until the very end. Really enjoyed this mystery and would definitely read more of Ms. Tillet's work.
