Merton Heimrich and Nathan Shapiro join forces for this outing by Richard Lockridge. NYPD Detective Shapiro drives from Manhattan to upstate New York to interview an assistant DA who's uncovered a point-shaving scandal among the local college football team. By the time he gets there, the DA has five bullets in him, and State Police Captain Heimrich is on the case.
The investigation proceeds in the relaxed Lockridge way, with plenty of time off for coffee and crullers, but never loses its thread. The action moves back and forth between Shapiro, Heimrich, and trooper Charles Forniss as they trace DA Fleming's personal and professional contacts, and eventually pin down the murderer. A few too many coincidences spoil the plausibility somewhat, but Lockridge fans will enjoy seeing their two heroes working in conjunction.
After recent discussion on the group mailing list it was interesting to see how Lockridge handles the interaction between blacks and whites. The truculent golfing coach Robert Steele is black; so is the quietly spoken houseman Harry Washington. Steele confronts racial issues head-on; Washington negotiates around them with quiet good humour. Lockridge's preference is clearly for the latter.
Jon.
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