Murder Comes First
by Frances Lockridge (Author), Richard Lockridge (Author)
Mr. and Mrs. North mysteries (15)
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Description
When an old widow is murdered, Mr. and Mrs. North work to prove a trio of aunts innocent of the crime Jerry and Pamela North have tangled with countless murderers, blackmailers, and thieves, but nothing could prepare them for a weekend with Pamela's aunts. Thelma, Lucinda, and Pennina sweep into town like hurricanes, and take no notice of the destruction they cause. No amount of martinis can soothe Pamela and Jerry's rattled nerves, and when the martinis stop working, the Norths are in show more trouble. The aunts are in town to see their old friend Grace Logan, a widow whose temperament is as cold as iced gin. But while sipping tea, Grace does something terribly out of character. She seizes up, gasps for air, and dies. When the trio of aunts is implicated in her poisoning, it falls to the Norths to clear their names-and get them out of Manhattan forever. Murder Comes First is the 15th book in the Mr. and Mrs. North Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
Pam North's three maiden aunts, horsy Thelma, bookish Lucinda and plump Pennina, arrive in New York on a visit, and shortly thereafter Thelma is suspected of murder.
This was my parents' copy of this novel, of which I now have anther copy since this one is getting fragile. See the review of it elsewhere. I recall as an adolescent I was excited by the cover picture of a blonde in nothing but skimpy underwear. I found the story was much less sexy tan the cover suggested.
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Author Information
Richard Orson Lockridge was born on September 26, 1898 in St. Joseph, Missouri. He was a writer of detective fiction. Along with his wife Francis, Richard Lockridge created the famous American mystery series, Mr. and Mrs, North. Lockridge was educated at the University of Missouri. He began working as a reporter on the Kansas City Kansan and the show more Kansas City Star. In 1932, Lockridge published his first book, Darling of Misfortune: Edwin Booth: 1833-1893. In 1937, Frances Lockridge conceived the plot for a detective novel, but had problems with her characters. Richard Lockridge collaborated with his wife, using her plot and the characters he had created earlier for a series of comic sketches in The New Yorker, Mr. and Mrs. North. The book was published in 1940 as The Norths Meet Murder, launching a series of twenty-six novels, which was adapted for the stage, film, radio, and television. The Lockridge's went on to write several mystery series including Lt. Heimrich series, Nathan Shapiro series and Paul Lane series. Richard Lockridge died in 1982 after s series of strokes. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Series
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Murder Comes First
- Original publication date
- 1951
- People/Characters
- Jerry North; Pam North; Bill Weigand; Dorian Hunt Weigand; Aloysius Mullins (Sgt.); Artemus O'Malley (Inspector) (show all 14); Paul Logan; Grace Logan; Lynn Hickey; Rose Hickey; Thelma Whitsett; Lucinda Whitsett; Barton Sandford; Martini, Gin and Sherry {the Cats}
- Important places
- Manhattan, New York, New York, USA; Putnam County, New York, USA
- First words
- It was a very fine morning.
- Quotations
- "It had been months, it had been last spring, that she had last been in the New York Public Library, where merely being surrounded by so many books made one tingle exquisitely...Why, one could almost taste them!"
"She must, as the English said—what charming books the English women wrote, to be sure. Dear Sheila Kaye-Smith—face up to it." - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)"It certainly was!"
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 113
- Popularity
- 288,477
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.38)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 4
- ASINs
- 6
