Lippincott: Murder at Glen Athol

“When two persons are found dead after a pleasant dinner party, the stage is set . . . for an interesting murder mystery which is solved only after a detective dissolves the numerous false clues. The combination of a ruthless woman, Muriel Randel, and a gangster, Colleti, add intrigue to the situations leading up to the murders. The solution of the crimes is finally arrived at by clever detective work, and the book ends on a more pleasant note. For readers of murder mysteries, Murder at Glen Athol should provoke some new spine-tingling responses.” (Minneapolis Star, 1935)

Note

First published in 1935.

Review

"Even when they are on their holidays, it is not unusual for detectives to be disturbed by demands for their services. This was true in the case of Holt, who was a member of the American Secret Service. In order to do some writing, he rented a house in Glen Athol, a little community in Pennsylvania. Waited upon by his husky servant Jeff, who had been with him for years and had shared with him many adventures, he hopes that he will not be drawn into the social life of the neighborhood.

"The story opens, however, with a visit paid to him by a Mr. Marshall, a brother of his next-door neighbor. This man invites him to a dinner-party and he is so good-natured that he cannot refuse. Of course this affair destroys his seclusion and peace of mind; in fact, it pretty nearly costs him and Jeff their lives.

"After that grotesque dinner-party when two murdered bodies were discovered, Holt felt that it was his duty to help the police in their investigation. . . . The plot of this story is complex, the characters are unusually interesting, and the narrative is so well written that I feel disposed to put it in the A1 class."

(Winnipeg Tribune, 1935)