LemonSky reviewed Green Ace, The by Julie McKay
Review of 'Green Ace, The' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
The story starts very early on a hot August morning when police pull over a speeding car with two occupants: an unconscious Andrew Rowan, a press agent, and:
“A dame!” he whispered. “A great big dead beautiful naked dame!”
To makes matter worse - if possible - the victim is Rowan's client, Midge Harrington, former Miss American wannabe. She was strangled with, of all things, a necklace, which has not been found. The case appears to be cut and dried, but, of course, it's never that simple, is it?
A year later, Andy Rowan sits in the death house, but he has something up his sleeve, an ace if you will - he is leaving Inspector Oscar Piper, the man who investigated the murder case, $3,500 to "make a full and impartial investigation of the murder for which he is being unjustly executed.” Fortunately for Piper, he has help - …
The story starts very early on a hot August morning when police pull over a speeding car with two occupants: an unconscious Andrew Rowan, a press agent, and:
“A dame!” he whispered. “A great big dead beautiful naked dame!”
To makes matter worse - if possible - the victim is Rowan's client, Midge Harrington, former Miss American wannabe. She was strangled with, of all things, a necklace, which has not been found. The case appears to be cut and dried, but, of course, it's never that simple, is it?
A year later, Andy Rowan sits in the death house, but he has something up his sleeve, an ace if you will - he is leaving Inspector Oscar Piper, the man who investigated the murder case, $3,500 to "make a full and impartial investigation of the murder for which he is being unjustly executed.” Fortunately for Piper, he has help - the formidable Hildegarde Withers. But can she catch the real killer in nine days, which is how long Andy Rowan has left on this earth.
Hildegarde Withers is a retired schoolteacher - no, she's a lot more than that. Larger than life, funny, brilliant, charming, intuitive, and delightful. She is what used to be known as a spinster, an unmarried woman. Hildy is tough and unconventional - she does things HER way, which usually (but not always) turns out to be the right way.
Over Piper's orders, Hildy begins her own investigation and discovers a complicated web of mystery surrounding the late Midge. Along the way, there are more deaths and it becomes apparent someone is trying very hard to conceal something. There is no end of suspects, which was a bit of a problem for me since I liked all of them. I didn't want any of them to be guilty, and I was saddened when one of them was.
Stuart Palmer is one of my favorite writers, one of the few mystery writers able to combine good plotting, mystery, humor, and likable characters. It's also obvious he was an animal lover since dogs, cats, and even the occasional bird feature in his mysteries. In this one, it's Talleyrand "Tally," an apricot-colored standard poodle, who reminds me of a rather goofy lab mix of my acquaintance. I can't read Palmer's books when I'm at work, otherwise I start laughing and get some strange looks from coworkers who already think I'm weird.
There's a wonderful essay by [a:Steven Saylor|42919|Steven Saylor|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1394768071p2/42919.jpg] (author of the Gordianus the Finder series and a fellow Texan) that describes Hildy, Oscar Piper, her partner and best friend (and almost husband in a rather scary moment for both of them), and Stuart Palmer better than I ever could. Check out Mr Saylor's website for the essay.
On a side note, in the 1930s, Hildy and Oscar went to the movies, most notably in the three Edna May Oliver/James Gleason pairings - "The Penguin Pool Murder," "Murder on the Blackboard," and "Murder on a Honeymoon." There were other movies - some with James Gleason as Piper - but to me, the first three movies are the true ones. Whenever I read a Hildy/Piper book, I see Edna May Oliver as Hildy and James Gleason as Oscar Piper. Palmer agreed. He stated that Ms Oliver became the role model for Hildy. The movies are on DVD and also shown on cable fairly regularly. They're worth checking out.