Sun 31 May 2020
FREDRIC BROWN – We All Killed Grandma. E. P. Dutton, hardcover, 1952. Bantam #1176, paperback, December 1953.
It’s possible that the amnesia victim has become a worn-out cliche in the mystery field, but I think that in We All Killed Grandma, Fredric Brown did about as well as possible with the idea 25 years ago, and perhaps all that can be done.
Rod Britton’s mind blanks out just as he reports to the police after finding his grandmother’s body. He’s the same person, but with a memory that’s only a few days old. Why doesn’t his subconscious want him to remember? Is he the killer?
What this is is a well-done character study: it’s all about Rod investigating and rediscovering himself. It’s the motivation behind it all that’s a little less sure.
Rating: B
May 31st, 2020 at 8:17 pm
If Brown wasn’t always perfect in the delivery he was a master of the good idea, the catchy plot that holds the reader. At times it feels like he might have written a bit slower, but his ideas are almost always good, and his delivery fine more often than not.
May 31st, 2020 at 8:30 pm
I love this author but have read very little of him – I never seem to find his books in print and at an attractive price.
May 31st, 2020 at 8:54 pm
I don’t wish to become a shill for Amazon, but at the present time you can pay $851 for a New copy of the paperback shown in the review, $12 or so for one that’s failing apart, or $3.99 for a Kindle edition. The hardcover goes for something like $35 or so.
But you’re right. Brown is one of those writers who’s maintained the demand for his books even after the Internet has come along and has made finding books easy.