The narrator, a lawyer and amateur detective, is pulled into the complicated lives of his best friend, his friend's wife, and her war-profiteer lover, during their ensuing divorce.
d his whole pose so artificial, so expressive of disdain, that I felt the short hair rising along the back of my neck in antagonism. When he heard us, Woods turned with contemptuous deliberation, but when he caught sight of the dumb misery on Jim's face, his own turned a dull crimson. Helen crossed the room and seated herself on the divan, back of which Woods was standing. The whole performance--the place she chose near him, the look she flashed at him as she sat down, showed so completely which of the men she loved, that my heart sank and I lost hope of ever bringing her back to Jim. It was Helen who first spoke.
"You received the note I left this morning?"
Jim moistened his lips once and said, "Yes." The word was barely audible.
"Then there is no need to tell you I have made up my mind to go with Frank."
Her tone was coldly final. Woods had turned and was again gazing out of the window. Jim looked at Helen with the eyes of a hound-dog. My heart ached for him, but there was nothin
As fresh as if it were written yesterday. A triangle involving the narrator's sister, her husband (guy's best friend) and another man (interested in wife) ends in murder most foul. The how-dunnit is very creative, especially considering this was published in 1920. Fast paced; lots of twists and turns. Good read.
A surprisingly easy book to read. McGibeny's prose attracted me immediately. Very entertaining.
The story started off really great full of excitement but then somewhere towards the end it lost something, not sure if the author got lost finding an ending for the story but...it could have had a better ending. Also, what was up with Mary; really lady (read it & see what I mean)
Interesting twists in the plot, with a surprising (although somewhat unlikely) method of murder. The police investigation of this crime is especially interesting in like of current television shows like C.S.I. and Law and Order. It is easy to picture the folks in this story as straw-hat wearing, upper class, gentlemen and ladies taking their turn around a society of private aeroplanes, country clubs and long hooded Phaetons with wire wheels and big headlights. Pretty enjoyable all-in-all old man.
It's a very interesting book and also very compact. Only the ending lacks a bit of drama. A court room action would 've made it much better.
But it is still pretty good and I would not mind reading it again.
