Fri 4 Jun 2010
A Review by Jim McCahery: GWEN BRISTOW & BRUCE MANNING – The Gutenberg Murders.
Posted by Steve under Reviews[2] Comments
GWEN BRISTOW & BRUCE MANNING – The Gutenberg Murders. Mystery League, hardcover, 1931.
Superior in every respect to its predecessor, this second Bristow-Manning novel introduces reporter Wade of New Orleans’ Morning Creole, D. A. Don Farrell of Orleans Parish, and Captain Murphy of Homicide.
It all starts with the theft of a nine-leaf fragment of the Gutenberg Bible, stolen along with other rare books from the safe of the Sheldon Memorial Library. There are three victims burned alive (Wade almost becomes a fourth) and all possible suspects have airtight alibis, thus presenting a series of impossible crimes.
All the major characters are presented by page twenty-two and include old Dr. Prentiss, head librarian and discoverer of the Gutenberg fragment; his handsome assistant Quentin Ulman and secretary Luke Dancy; his arch-rival Alfredo Gonzales, head trustee of the library; Alfredo’s wife Winifred and niece, medical student Marie Castillo; and sculptor Terry Sheldon, nephew of the library’s founder.
While there is little physical action, characterization is much improved since The Invisible Host [reviewed here ], with some nice touches of humor to boot.
Style and dialogue are both first rate, and the story moves along very nicely with fine narrative and descriptive writing. While I can’t personally vouch for the credibility of the murder method used in all the deaths, it’s certainly a humdinger. Sorry I can’t say any more on this score.
Add a Chinese costume ball and pageant, shades of Euripides, and an old will codicil to round out the intrigue.
The Mannings did only two more books after this (both in 1932 and for the Mystery League), Two and Two make Twenty-Two and The Mardi Gras Murders. Mr. Manning has since died [in 1965] and Mrs. Manning has become a highly popular novelist of historical romances under her maiden name.
Editorial Comment: Gwen Bristow Manning died in 1980, a year after this review was written. A list of the non-criminous novels she wrote on her own can be found on the Fantastic Fiction website.
June 4th, 2010 at 9:07 pm
The hint that Jim gives about the “series of impossible crimes” is both teasing and intriguing.
Bob Adey does not include this one in his own book on locked room murders, for example, so I’m assuming that Jim’s reference to “air-tight alibis” is all there is to the impossible natures of the crimes.
Which is, of course, enough for me. I should have a copy of this one, but if I do, I don’t have it cataloged in yet. MARDI GRAS I know I have.
June 4th, 2010 at 9:10 pm
Sounds as if there are enough elements here to make it worth while reading even if it proves to have some of the alternative qualities of THE INVISIBLE HOST. In some cases the most artificial the set up the more fun in books from this period.