I'm jumping into the swim of things, reviewing a Mr. and Mrs. North book which I enjoyed reading while still in the midst of moving hearth and home to N.C., back in early March. DEAD AS A DINOSAUR was appealing and diverting and a pleasure to turn to at the end of a long and exhausting day.
I would have loved it more if not for the silly behavior of Mrs. North near the end, but other than that, this is very enjoyable detective yarn which features a search for a killer in the eerie (and dark) recesses of a natural history museum ala NY's Museum of Natural History on Central Park West. A natural enough place for murder and mayhem.
The fictional museum in this instance is the Broadly Institute and this is how we get there in the end: A certain Dr. Orpheus Preson, mammologist and curator currently working on a sequel to his improbably best-selling, THE DAYS BEFORE MAN, has recently been plagued by practical jokes bordering on the bizarre. Ads are being placed in area newspapers requesting any number of odd persons to show up on Preson's doorstep, from tree surgeons to pony wranglers to masseurs to someone looking to board Dr. Preson's doberman bitch - a non-existent dog, needless to say. And worse, someone has broken into Preson's apartment and messed around with some dinosaur bones he's been attempting to categorize. Again needless to say, this constant harassment is interfering with manuscript chores so a very distracted Preson turns to his publisher, Jerry North, to hold his hand and keep him from nervous self-combustion.
Yes, Preson has notified the police, but other than changing his phone number there's not much else they can advise the frazzled doctor to do.
Of course there are workplace rivalries at the museum as in any environment where academic eccentrics gather and it is possible that one of the other curators has taken it upon himself to drive a co-worker batty, though truth to tell, Preson's family is just as eccentric as he is, if not more so.
But when the pranks take a deadly turn and the cops take an interest, it's up to Jerry and Pamela North alongside their good friend Captain Bill Weigand of NY's finest, to get to the bottom of the mystery.
Mr. and Mrs. North mysteries are mostly light and diverting and probably an acquired taste. Not for those among us who prefer our stories dark and grim and gruesome, but for those of us who enjoy reading about NYC life back in the day - the glamorous 40's and 50's - coupled with a good whodunit, these are very nice books indeed and copies are easily available online.
P.S. I'm now in the middle of a re-reading binge, since while moving I re-discovered books I hadn't read in a while and all the jostling and heavy lifting re-ignited my interest - hey, that's what book collections are for. But I won't bore you with re-reviews, not to worry. However, I did, amidst the moving hither and yon, acquire a cache of vintage reads from Abe Books, which helped me immeasurably to relax at the end of seemingly never-ending days. (What is is about murder that is SO relaxing?) Thus, beginning here with DEAD AS A DINOSAUR, said cache is what I'll be talking about over the next few weeks. Probably.
And she's back - excellent! I quite enjoy those I have read from the series but always find the pace a bit plodding so am not hugely keen, though they are undeniably fun, which goodness knows one can use these days. Thanks chum.
ReplyDeleteFun is necessary, especially 'these days' - you are SO right, Sergio. :) Sometimes that's all I'm in the mood for.
DeleteI also enjoy their Captain Heimrich books.
ReplyDeleteI have one right here, Gram. Re-reading, FIRST COME, FIRST KILL. I've been meaning to get a couple more.
DeleteIt's so nice to have you back! I hope things are settling down after your move.
ReplyDeleteYes they are, Joan, thank goodness. :) Though I'm still adjusting - have a feeling that's going to take a while. Love it here, though. So the adjusting is merely getting used to new stuff.
DeleteGood to see a Friday review, Yvette, and these North books are fun when I'm in the right mood. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteYes they are, but of course you HAVE to be in the mood. Yes. :)
Delete"I would have loved it more if not for the silly behavior of Mrs. North near the end..."
ReplyDeleteAMEN! Pam drives me nuts with her silliness. I guess I can't count myself among the fans of the Lockridges. Maybe you ought to avoid my near scathing review of CURTAIN FOR A JESTER. ;^)
So glad you're back and thanks for all those comments over at PSB.
And now utterly off topic: How are you dealing with the "religious freedom" absurdity signed into law by your new governor? That can't sit well with you. Do you think it will be repealed? We can only hope!
Let's just say that I like these books DESPITE Pam North. :) I grew up in the 40's and 50's in Manhattan and they lead the sort of life I would have wished to lead - silly me.
DeleteI hate that law - it is damn silly and outrageous and just plain stupid. But as law suits mount and tourism and business decline, I suspect the law will suddenly evaporate. What I don't like is that they are encouraging people to spy on each other - in public bathrooms for God's sake!! I wouldn't use a public bathroom now.
I'll refrain from commenting on North Carolina's troglodytic governor's lavatorial lunacy and just say that years ago I read the Lockridges' DEATH TAKES A BOW. At this remove I remember nothing about the story except that the authors had a bad habit of switching viewpoints within scenes, which sorely weakened the telling and the characterization and didn't incline me to seek out other works in the series.
ReplyDeleteI'd watched the "Mr. and Mrs. North" TV series starring Richard Denning and Barbara Britton when I was a kid--undoubtedly in reruns years later because it started in 1952 when I was five and ended in 1954--and liked it. In recent adulthood I discovered episodes on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=mr.+and+mrs.+north+tv+series) and cringed at my critical incapacity to distinguish the dramatic wheat from the unexceptional chaff. :-)
I know, I know, our lunatic Governor is a national embarrassment!
DeleteOh these books are not great lit that's for sure. And yes the television series was watched devotedly by yours truly as well. However, I tried recently to re-watch a couple of episodes on youtube and just couldn't get through them (much as I like Richard Denning). The show is best left to live on in our imaginations.
So good to see a review from you, Yvette. I have read many Mr. and Mrs. North mysteries in my younger years but only one recently. And my only problem with it was Pam North's behavior. I must not have noticed that some much when I read the books earlier. But I still like them and I should try a Captain Heimrich book.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tracy. Yeah, Pam North's behavior tends to grate. :) I'm going to get my hands on a couple Captain Heinrich books this year for sure. I've only read one and I enjoyed it.
DeleteI used to Love Mr and Mrs North and the dog.
ReplyDeleteHope you are taking it easy. yvonne
Definitely taking it easy, Yvonne. It's good to finally be settling in. Though there are still one or two boxes awaiting dispersal. :)
DeleteNow that you are back, I'm going to be adding to my wishlist.
ReplyDeleteI watched some of the TV series when a young child. I remember them being breezy and fun.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you and Rocky are settling in. Sounds good.
Well, going from one bad governor to another. I'm glad Kaci Hickox is suing Christie for holding her hostage when she returned from Africa helping Doctors Without Borders with their aid in the ebola epidemic.
And I hope that all of the protests will turn that "lavatorial lunatic" law around. Am glad to see the opposition growing and now income is affected. The reduced tourist income and less revenues from concerts, organizations, states' conventions, etc., will have an impact. Maybe there will be a change.