Synopsis/blurb …
A missing person case brings private eye Roy Markham to
the remote winterbound college town of Cliff’s End, New Hampshire, but what began
as a routine investigation quickly becomes dark and dangerous. Six pornographic
photos and a tidy little blackmail scheme result in a brutal and baffling
murder, and no one is safe, especially Markham himself. Lawrence Block’s
energetic storytelling and drop-dead dialogue will whisk fans through this suspenseful
tale, right up to its unexpected ending.
An early Lawrence Block PI novel which has seen the light of
day under two (possibly three) different titles. Markham, on its original
publication in 1961. You Could Call It Murder in 1987. (Fantastic Fiction has
it titled as The Case of the Pornographic Photos.)
Roy Markham is a PI. He’s also a family friend of Edgar and
Marianne Taft. Daughter, Barbara has gone missing from her New Hampshire
college and not wanting to involve the police, Edgar wants Roy to investigate.
Roy heads north. A day or so later, he’s called back. Marianne’s corpse has
been fished out of the Hudson, suspected suicide. Edgar Taft won’t accept it
and wants Roy to keep digging.
I quite like this one. I liked the investigation, the twists
Block threw into the plot, the secondary characters, the slow unpicking of events
and the tables getting turned on Markham as he becomes the hunted. Marianne isn’t
coming back, but Markham gets painful answers for the family. There’s a final
little bump in the book which I think will stay with me for a while.
Family, rebelliousness, disconnection from parents, small town college life in the early 60s, boredom, poor choices, grooming, exploitation, scheming, power, money, secrets, blackmail, guilt.
4 stars from 5
Read – July, 2022
Published – 1961/1987
Page count – 144
Source – purchased copy
Format - Paperback
Trust Block for solid twists in the plot, good character development, and a story that stays with you, Col. And the 'hidden truths come to light' sort of story can work very well. It's nice that Block's been so prolific - lots of work to discover.
ReplyDeleteMargot, I find it hard to believe he's been writing and publishing since before I was born and he's still going strong. Plenty more for me to uncover yet!
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