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The House That Jack Built

by Ed McBain

The House That Jack Built is one of the series of Matthew Hope novels by this excellent author, The House That Jack Built is a continuation of the fairy story subjects. And although some of the fairy stories contain gruesome images, none are as gruesome as the murders depicted in Ed McBain's imaginative tales. Here you have an author who never fails to come up with new and exciting tales based on unusual themes. Ed McBain continues to delight and surprise us with his expert sentence construction, turns of a phrase, and gratifying plots.

Jonathan Parrish is gay. His brother, Ralph Parrish, lives in Indiana. Ralph, a successful farmer, bought a house for his brother in Calusa, Florida, and had driven down from Indiana to attend his brother's fortieth birthday party. But Ralph wasn't prepared for a gay party even though he knew his brother's sexual preferences. Men dressing as women, men kissing each other, men dancing together – it was all too much for Ralph. During the party he had a rather loud and pointed argument with Jonathan and flung himself off upstairs to his room. Later – much later – he heard his brother screaming. When he got downstairs he found it was morning - the guests long gone – and his brother was lying dead on the floor with a knife sticking out of him

Ralph is arrested for his brother's murder. He pulled out the knife buried in his brother's chest, and his clothes were covered with the resulting gush of blood. Enter Matthew Hope, the attorney He doesn't believe Ralph is guilty. But the only clue available is the fact that Ralph did see someone dressed all in black hurrying away from the scene just before he found Jonathan.

Matthew and his black P.I. friend, Warren Chambers, take it from there. A priest neighbor heard the screaming. A priest wears black. This priest is also known by gays to be willing to marry same-sex couples. One of his marriages was for an Arthur Nelson Hurley and a William Harold Walker. Both are found in a motel room with a girl called Helen Abbott, who claims she's the illegitimate daughter of the wealthy Elise Brechtmann. But it seems the only proof they have are some photographs Jonathan Parrish took of Elise and her baby when it was first born. And the pictures can't be found.

A sub-plot concerns Leona Summerville, wife of Frank Summerville, Matthew's partner in the law firm. Frank thinks Leona is cheating on him and hires Warren to find out. Another sub-plot brings on a former druggie named Toots who claims she's now clean. She's hired by Warren as a Private Investigator, and immediately asked to tail Leona Summerville.

Charles Abbott was formerly employed as the Brechtmann's chauffeur. He's presently in the hospital, having been attacked by four men. He's also Helen's father. In a whirlwind search for the truth behind Jonathan's murder, which takes Matthew from the dregs of humanity to its uppermost reaches, he encounters a number of unsavory characters at every level. When the actual murderer is finally exposed, the tangled web of lies and deceit is straightened out and each character's part in the drama becomes clear.

Ed McBain uses lines from the poem-story 'The House That Jack Built' for each of his chapter headings, beginning with “This is the farmer that sowed the corn that kept the cock that crowed in the morn…' and of course that first chapter introduces the farmer, Ralph Parrish, who sowed the corn by buying his brother a house in Florida, and financially kept that cock (Jonathan) who crowed (screamed) in the morn… Every chapter heading continues, very successfully, to outline its resemblance to the murder mystery.

Mr. McBain is an adept author, and one who has no trouble building plots based on well-known children's stories. Unlike some other mystery writers, Ed McBain uses his
very fertile imagination to tie his murder mysteries directly to these often rather innocent tales. Also unlike some other authors, Mr. McBain seems to actually enjoy writing while others become more slipshod in their efforts as the term of their contracts with publishers approaches…! Anyone who enjoys a fine, well-written mystery will appreciate anything by Ed McBain.

Alan Paul Curtis

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