The Gift Shop
by Charlotte Armstrong
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Description
Fiction. Mystery. This conspiracy thriller from an Edgar Award–winning author is "jet-paced, revved up for action before the first page is flipped over" (The Pittsburgh Press). Bernie staggers off the airplane from Honolulu, a lei around his neck and blood seeping from the wound in his chest. He stumbles to the terminal gift shop, and demands the cashier point him to a payphone. As his life seeps away, Bernie calls Harry Fairchild, his old fraternity brother. Dying or not, he has a job to show more do. Harry is a playboy, the scion of an oil-rich family known throughout California. Bernie was in Honolulu working for Harry's father, and he has a message to give the old man before he expires. Baffled, Harry races to the airport, arriving just as Bernie is being taken to the hospital, where he dies on the operating table. Somehow Harry's father is mixed up in the murder, and Harry is going to find out how, even if it means risking a knife to his own gut. show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
I just love her. Perfect tone, extraordinarily well-paced. Character driven. Yeah, it is a bit dated. But I will continue re-reading her forever.
One of my very favorite old books - every time I unearth it from the bottom of the bookcase, I read it again - and fall in love with it once more. This is a light-hearted mystery with a little romance thrown in. One of the most enjoyable reasons I re-read it is for the portraits of the people - they become very visual and personal to me. The hero and heroine dash about the world and defeat the bad guys in very satisfactory ways.
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Author Information
69+ Works 2,090 Members
Awards and Honors
Awards
Distinctions
Work Relationships
Is contained in
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 1966
- People/Characters
- Harry Fairchild; Jean Cunliffe
- First words
- The first passenger off the jet came darting around the corner, well ahead of the pack, with his right arm folded to his breast like a broken wing.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Jean, with all her heart rejoicing, Bonzer with pleasure, although not (of course) surprise.
- Blurbers
- Anthony Boucher
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 147
- Popularity
- 221,979
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.75)
- Languages
- English, Spanish
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 7
- ASINs
- 10
