Sat 17 Mar 2018
Archived Mystery Review: RICHARD STARNES – Another Mug for the Bier.
Posted by Steve under Bibliographies, Lists & Checklists , Characters , Reviews[5] Comments
RICHARD STARNES – Another Mug for the Bier. J. P. Lippincott, hardcover, 1950. Pocket #858, paperback; 1st printing, January 1952.
This is a real peachy detective story. No, really. It is ace newspaperman Barney Forge who tells the story, but it is actually Dr. St. George Peachy, assistant medical examiner in Alexandria, Virginia, who solved this case of the murdered gossip columnist.
As you could probably deduce from the title, this is a tale told in a breezy, fast-moving style, in a wacky sort of way, but with more than a hint of the grotesque. (And with all of that, it still turns out to be a solidly constructed detective story.)
The Dr. St. George Peachy / Barney Forge series —
And When She Was Bad She Was Murdered. Lippincott, 1950. Pocket #779, 1951.
Another Mug for the Bier. Lippincott, 1950. Pocket #858, 1952.
The Other Body in Grant’s Tomb. Lippincott, 1951. Pocket #917, 1953.
March 17th, 2018 at 7:41 pm
This sounds like my kind of mystery novel. Assuming I can trust the judgment of my younger self, that is.
March 17th, 2018 at 11:01 pm
Great titles, sorry I never caught up with one.
March 18th, 2018 at 7:18 am
My favorite of the three books is “The Other Body in Grant’s Tomb”.
I agree with Steve: these books are genuine detective stories. That’s a good thing!
March 19th, 2018 at 9:29 am
I enjoyed all three of the Peachy/Forge books, especially for the humor.
A previous MYSTERY*FILE review for this book by William F. Deeck: https://mysteryfile.com/blog/?p=41768
March 19th, 2018 at 1:52 pm
Thanks, Bill. I’d quite forgotten this review by Bill Deeck. And by reading the comments, at the time Bill’s review was posted I’d quite forgotten that I’d read the book myself.
Read into that what you may.