Mon 24 Jun 2013
Reviewed by William F. Deeck: JAMES Z. ALNER – The Capital Murder.
Posted by Steve under Reviews[5] Comments
William F. Deeck
JAMES Z. ALNER – The Capital Murder. Knopf, hardcover, 1932.
Gathered at the Serpentine Club — considering the plot, one wonders whether the author named the club playfully — five men of various talents and one nonentity who chronicles the investigation are discussing crime. They are Trevor Stoke, an epidemiologist; Henry Selden, one of the three commissioners of Washington, D.C., where the novel takes place; Lieut. Runy O’Mara, U.S. Navy; Dr. Basil Ragland, eminent psychiatrist about whom more later; and Lance Starr-Smith, the famous architect.
An odd event occurs during their discussion, and then Commissioner Selden is told that a woman some of them knew had died shortly before under suspicious circumstances. Stoke discovers how and who, none of it coming as any surprise to the reader, who in addition has been anesthetized by the many unlikelihoods that take place.
The author was acquainted with various famous fictional detectives of the time. It’s a pity he didn’t learn from their creators how to write better. Oh, there are a couple of good similes — “Empty as a dime-novel detective’s head” and “Open as a Congressman’s mouth” — but that’s about it. Unfortunate also is the 1930’s view of blacks, about whom the “eminent psychiatrist” says:
Bibliographic Note: This was the author’s only published work of crime fiction.
June 26th, 2013 at 10:49 am
What a lurid DJ illustration. Knopf usually didn’t go for that pulp magazine style artwork.
I just read THE OBEAH MURDERS, one of the most interesting detective novels of the 1930s that deals with race. Hulbert Footner, though he did indulge in frequent use of the N word, had an acute insight into the wielding of power, the thirst for power and prestige, and how those relate to race. It turns out to be the deciding factor in the murderer’s motive and was the most surprising part of the book. I’m glad I stuck with it to the end. Prior to the revelation of the killer and his motive the book is a mix of pulp action and heavy use of the tropes of the western adventure novel (of all things!) with one very provocative black magic ritual scene that gives the book its title.
June 27th, 2013 at 11:57 am
I rather like that cover, but no, I don’t think it’s typical of Knopf either.
I’ve never read anything by Footner, though I own six or seven of his books. I don’t think OBEAH is one of them. I’d remember a title like that! And you certainly make it sound interesting…
June 28th, 2013 at 4:54 am
James Z. Alner is a writer completely new to me.
Thank you for the review!
Hulbert Footner is a hugely prolific author of mystery fiction, much of whose work is hard to find. I’ve read three of his novels, and a few short stories. The brief notes on my web site treat Footner as a good-natured, genial but old-fashioned writer, whose New York City resembles O. Henry, and whose mystery technique recalls that of Gaboriau in the 19th Century.
Still, a deeper dive in Footner might change or extend this first impression.
June 28th, 2013 at 5:02 am
Curt Evans reviews Footner’s “Sinfully Rich” (1940) here:
https://mysteryfile.com/blog/?p=2173
June 28th, 2013 at 10:05 am
I had forgotten that Curt had written that review for me. For anyone who doesn’t mind that Footner has taken over this thread of comments on another author altogether, be sure to follow the link that Mike has provided and read the comments as well. I have a feeling that they (the comments) could apply to many other authors of the same era.