Thu 21 Jan 2021
PI Stories I’m Reading: ROBERT LOPRESTI “The Charity Case.â€
Posted by Steve under Stories I'm Reading[8] Comments
ROBERT LOPRESTI “The Charity Case.†Marty Crow #9?? Black Cat Mystery Magazine #7, paperback, November 2020 (Special Private Eye Edition).
Private eye Marty Crow’s home base is Atlantic City, and if this fairly recent example is at all representative, even though that particular town must have its dark and dangerous streets, his adventures are not to be taken all that seriously. In “The Charity Case†he’s hired by a couple visiting from some prairie state who claim they’ve been robbed of $800 by a beggar on the street.
But when Crow talks to the husband alone, the latter admits that he simply gave the man the money. It seems that he’s a member of the Final Days Punctionalist Church, and they believe devoutly in helping outsiders and people down on their luck. There is about to be a schism in the church, however, a religious issue, concerning to whom charity should be given. And if Crow doesn’t get the money back, a marriage is likely to break up as well.
But what about the bum he gave the money to? Ah, that’s where the story lies. Neither Sam Spade nor Philip Marlowe would be caught in a story such as this, but the world of PI fiction is a whole lot larger than what they could ever have imagined. This story proves it.
Earlier stories in the series include:
- “Crow’s Game” (Summer 1989, P.I. Magazine)
- “Crow in a Storm” (Winter 1990, P.I. Magazine)
- “Big Heart Harry’s Case” (Summer 1990, P.I. Magazine)
- “Crow’s Feat” (1993, Constable New Crimes 2)
- “The Federal Case” (May 1991, AHMM)
- “Four of a Kind” (May 1994, AHMM)
- “Crow’s Avenue” (2003, Hardbroiled)
Thanks to the Thrilling Detective website for the list of stories above.
Added later, taken from Robert Lopreski’s website:
- “Crow’s Lesson.” (2013, Malfeasance Occasional: Girl Trouble.)
January 21st, 2021 at 9:25 pm
Robert Lopresti is a prolific contributor of short stories to ALfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine (AHMM).
Some of my favorites:
The Hard Case (2008)
The Red Envelope (2013)
The Accessory (2014)
Shanks Saves the World (2020)
The Red Envelope won the Black Orchid Award for best novella.
The author’s informative website:
http://www.roblopresti.com/
January 21st, 2021 at 9:44 pm
I’m going to give the Shanks books a big plug. Taken from Lopresti’s website:
“Leopold Longshanks (“Call me Shanks. Everybody does.â€) is a mystery writer. He will admit, with a certain resentment, to being in his early fifties. He’s famous in his field, but fortune has not followed as briskly as he thinks it should.
“He is married to Cora, whom he loves dearly. Cora has recently started writing romance novels and is perhaps more successful than Shanks, which doesn’t bother him at all. Really. Really.
“Shanks occasionally finds himself involved in solving crimes, which irritates him. (No surprise there; Cora says everything irritates him.) He loathes the possibility of becoming famous as “a mystery writer who sleuths in real life!†so he dodges opportunities whenever possible.
“Eight of Shanks’ stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. All of those, plus five more can be found in the book Shanks on Crime.”
I’ve just purchased the Kindle edition of the book.
January 21st, 2021 at 10:47 pm
This particular story has great opening lines:
“I don’t mind telling you,” Mrs. Werland told me, “that I am shocked at what is permitted to go on in a civilized community.”
My first thought was to ask who had told her Atlantic City was civilized. My second thought was to keep my mouth shut and nod gravely. In a rare moment of wisdom, I went with Thought Number Two.
January 21st, 2021 at 11:17 pm
Sometimes I just can’t tell what you’re thinking, Sai.
January 21st, 2021 at 11:59 pm
Sorry Steve, I managed to cut off half of what I had typed up. Like I was saying before i rudely interrupted myself, the opening lines are classic cynical PI, but Crow is more in the Rex Sackler mold.
Sackler never saw a dollar that he didn’t want to get his grubby hands on, and so does Marty Crow. The only difference is how quickly they let go of money.
January 22nd, 2021 at 12:47 am
Thanks, Sai. He sounds like my kind of PI. I’ll see if I can’t track down more of his stories!
January 22nd, 2021 at 11:56 am
Thanks for the kind words, Steve. You seem to understand Marty pretty well. And thanks to the commenters. I am happy to report that “Shanks’ Locked Room” will appear in the next (March/April) issue of Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine.
January 22nd, 2021 at 12:14 pm
Rob, That surely makes that next issue of AHMM a must buy!