Frances Noyes Hart (1890–1943)

Karl Sheridan spent part of his youth in Washington but returned to Austria to complete his education and become a detective in the Criminalistic Institute in Vienna. Now he's back in Washington and embroiled in a murder mystery with lots of twists and turns and nothing is as it seems. Gossip and hate fuel the story and you can see how World War 1 has shattered some of the lives. It's an interesting look into a life that is gone.
There are some outdated phrases and some of the dialogue is forced for characters who are not WASP but overall it's a good read.… (mais)

This is a whodunnit murder mystery written in 1927 and set in Long Island New York. The reader follows the back story as an audience member at the trial of two people accused of murder. There is frequent "colour commentary" on the trial proceedings from a "red-haired" rookie reporter and an older veteran crime reporter. (I saw this as more a distraction from the story-telling than anything else).
It's an interesting structure for the mystery story. Readers need to suffer through the bluster of the prosecutor and a less than skilled defence attorney. Technical accuracy of the trial process does not figure into the story-telling. Despite that the concept is good, it is probably best for a stage or screen presentation, than a book. Shorter chapters would be welcome.
Highlights for me were the "reveal" after the verdict is rendered and the resulting conclusion of the story. It leaves the unanswered question for the reader to ponder: was Justice done? The Introduction by crime fiction author Hank Phillippi Ryan is informative and entertaining. It well worth reading, even if you decide not to read the book.
All in all, it's worth reading this book. The style of the writing is marred by the wordiness of the lawyers' speeches and the sometimes melodramatic prose. As Ms. Ryan wrote in the Introduction, it's "dated". The picture of the "county club" life of some of the characters contrasts with the hard scrabble existence of others, reflecting the 1927 setting.… (mais)