Eight Faces at Three: A John J. Malone Mystery (An American Mystery Classic)

ISBN: 1613162197

Author: Rice, Craig

Condition: New

Pioneering woman crime writer Craig Rice introduces her series sleuth, gin-soaked Chicago lawyer John J. MaloneJohn J. Malone, defender of the guilty, is notorious for getting his culpable clients off. Its the innocent ones who are problems. Like Holly Inglehart, accused of piercing the black heart of her well-heeled and tyrannical aunt Alexandria with a lovely Florentine paper cutter. No one who knew the old battle-ax liked her, but Hollys prints were found on the murder weapon. Plus, she had a motive: She was about to be disinherited for marrying a common bandleader.With each new lurid headline, Hollys friends and supporters start to rally. Theres North Shore debutante Helene Brand; Hollys grooms press agent, Jake Justus; the madam of a local brothel, and Alexandrias hand-wringing servants. But not one of them can explain the queerest bent to the crime: At the time of the murder, every clock in the Inglehart mansion stopped dead. And thats only the first twist in a baffling case of aunty-cide-because Alexandria wont be the last to die.The first novel in Rices John J. Malone series, Eight Faces at Three introduces the hard-drinking Chicago-based attorney that made the author a household name. Comic, witty, and lush, the Malone books are a throwback to a time when alcoholism was commonplace and murder (or, reading about murder) was fun. Fans of Dashiell Hammetts The Thin Man series and Richard and Frances Lockridges Mr. and Mrs. North will find much to enjoy in the witty banter of Malone and his constant companions, Brand and Justus.Includes discussion guide questions for use in book clubs.