Sat 6 Dec 2014
Reviewed by William F. Deeck: RUFUS KING – A Variety of Weapons.
Posted by Steve under Reviews1 Comment
William F. Deeck
RUFUS KING – A Variety of Weapons. Doubleday, hardcover, 1943; Popular Library #97, paperback, no date [1946].
Ann Ledrick has become known as an excellent photographer of pets. Thus, or maybe thus, she is hired to take pictures of some pet ocelots at Black Tor, the Marlow estate accessible only by air or, with great difficulty, by horseback. Justin Marlow, fabulously wealthy, has been a recluse at Black Tor ever since his son twenty years earlier was executed for killing his pregnant bride. Marlow’s only desire in life since then has been to prove his son’s innocence.
During that twenty years, two of the young men who were in love with Marlow’s daughter-in-law have died “accidental” deaths — one by shotgun while hunting, the other after having ingested some perhaps ptomaineous pate de fois gras that had been mailed to him. Other accidental deaths have also taken place on the estate.
When Ledrick arrives at Black Tor, she finds that there is very little interest in her taking pictures of the cats. Instead, she discovers as Justin Marlow dies, there is another reason for her presence at the Marlow estate. It has to do with the past murder and a very present murder.
Although not by any means scientifically knowledgeable, I believe King goofed in one area, but it’s an area that isn’t all that significant to the reader. Otherwise, King presents a brooding atmosphere skillfully and portrays Ann Ledrick as a level-headed, intelligent, charming character.
The detective, Sgt. James Hurlstone, who arrives on horseback because of a storm, is both bright and able. That he adopts a cat at one point in the novel and takes it with him wherever he goes may make him appeal to cat fanciers until they discover the reason for this odd companionship.
Editorial Notes: It sounds strange to me as well, but I believe this blog has reviewed more of Rufus King’s books than any other author. That it seems to have been a favorite of Bill Deeck may be part of the reason, but he’s been reviewed by others as well. King’s most recent appearance on this blog was a review by Bill of two of his books, The Case of the Constant God and The Case of the Dowager’s Etchings. Prior to that was Bill’s review of The Steps to Murder, worth pointing out since at the end of this review are links to all of the other Rufus King reviews.
December 6th, 2014 at 5:56 pm
Rufus King was one of those writers quite a few of us stumbled on and found we liked despite minor flaws. He was rare in that he started in the Golden Age of Detection and yet managed to adapt and change throughout his career, his stories regional works set in Florida quite different from Lt. Valcour or THE SECRET BEYOND THE DOOR.
He always seemed to me to be particularly good at unique and dramatic settings for his mysteries reminding me a little of Ellery Queen in that aspect. He was truly adept for finding logical reasons why the murder was inaccessible to the police in general and needed one brilliant sleuth without an army of backup despite the fact most of his detectives were police and not amateur.
I usually think of King in relation to writers like Lawrence G. Blochman and Richard Lockridge in the ability to change with the times without losing some of the things that made their early work appealing. Unlike many writers who first appeared in the thirties and pre war forties he never seemed fusty or terribly dated.