The Rat Began to Gnaw the Rope

April 13, 2020
First published in 1943, this outstanding hard-boiled whodunit from Grafton (1909–1982), the father of MWA Grand Master Sue Grafton, introduces Kentucky attorney Gil Henry. Ruth McClure would like Henry to ascertain the value of some stock her father, John McClure, who died 10 days earlier in a car accident, owned in Harper Products. Shortly before his death, John had cautioned Ruth that should anything happen to him, she was “to hold tight” to the stock. William Jasper Harper, the company’s owner, is offering to buy back the shares from Ruth for almost five times the amount they’re selling for. The ante’s upped after Ruth’s home is broken into and searched—and someone shoots out Henry’s tire as he’s driving to Harpersville to look into the situation. The lawyer is soon investigating multiple murders, as well as possible financial chicanery. Series editor Les Klinger’s annotations enhance the text. The superior prose and logical but surprising plot twists amply justify this volume’s reissue as a Library of Congress Crime Classic.

April 15, 2020
The Library of Congress' series of reprints of classic crime novels kicks off with a 1943 case by mystery writer Sue Grafton's father that sends a very junior lawyer nosing around among the dirty secrets of the well-heeled family that dominates Harpersville, Kentucky, in both good ways and bad. Why would William Jasper Harper, approaching Ruth McClure only 10 days after her husband's death in a car crash, offer her four times the listed value of John McClure's hundred shares of Harper Products Company's stock? His generosity to his old employee, which comes with significant strings attached, smells funny to Ruth and even funnier to Gilmore Henry, the attorney she retains to look into the offer. Even before Gil's arrival in Harpersville, someone shoots out a tire of the car he's driving, leaving him wondering whether the intended target was him or James Mead, the senior partner whose car he borrowed, who turns out to be representing Harper Products. Ruth quickly sours on Gil; her adopted brother, Tim, punches him out; the local sheriff offers to arrest him if he doesn't leave town on the next train; and that's all before William Jasper Harper gets himself shot to death. The suspects include a neighbor whose policies about selling eggs make no sense, the accountants who handled Harper's books, and, of course, the deceased's invalid wife and daughter, who now stand much closer to millionaire status. There'll be more murders, more attempts on Gil's life, and many more wisecracks. Editor Leslie S. Klinger's conscientious period footnotes contrast amusingly with Grafton's headlong pace. Perfect for fans of A.A. Fair's brash contemporaneous Bertha Cool/Donald Lam franchise.

COPYRIGHT(2020) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

May 1, 2020
If the name Grafton is familiar, it's because the author was the father of Sue Grafton, who inherited her love of reading mysteries from a man whose own writing was overlooked and underappreciated. The Library of Congress brings back Grafton's first mystery, published in 1943, for its accurate portrayal of its time, its infusion of humor into the hard-boiled detective novel, and its overall merit as a mystery. Gil Henry is far from the stereotypical detective: he's a short, pudgy, wisecracking lawyer, the youngest partner in his firm, and he proves to be persistent to a fault. So when Ruth McClure comes to him with a question?Why is William Jasper Harper offering to buy back Harper Products Company stock owned by Ruth's recently deceased father, a longtime Harper employee, at several times its market price??Henry is more than eager to investigate the matter. And when he does, it's like pulling a loose thread that doesn't stop unwinding, eventually leading to a decades-old sex scandal, financial shenanigans, and multiple murders. A worthy addition to an outstanding new series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

February 1, 2021

This reissue of the 1943 debut by Louisville lawyer and father of fellow mystery writer Sue Grafton begins with lawyer Gil Henry, the youngest partner in his firm, being hired to investigate a possible sale of some stock Ruth McClure has inherited from her recently deceased father. He was an employee of the Harper Company in the Kentucky town of Harpersville. Gil has an accident on his drive to town; Ruth's house is searched; and old Mr. Harper, president of the company, town patriarch, and potential buyer of Ruth's stock, is murdered. Ruth's adopted brother is quickly arrested for the crime, and Gil becomes his defense attorney. Shorter and pudgier than the typical hard-boiled hero, he uses his legal expertise and sharp wits to dig into the secrets of the town and its ruling family. More murders and the occasional knock on the head do not deter his curiosity or his sense of humor as he works to solve this tangle of crimes, motives, and secrets. VERDICT Readers who like classic hard-boiled mysteries with a dash of humor will thoroughly enjoy this rollicking, well-plotted work. Fans of Sue Grafton's writings will read this and appreciate that she came by her talents honestly.--Dan Forrest, Western Kentucky Univ. Libs., Bowling Green

Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.