Death Points a Finger
Book Excerpt
He crossed the Connecticut River several times. His geography being rather sketchy, he became confused by the fact that he appeared to be in New Hampshire part of the time. Then he got lost in Canada, which feat is fairly easy for the stranger.
It was nearly six o'clock in the morning of July third, when he found the camp, about two miles off the road. He bumped over rutted paths through rough, plowed and unplowed fields several miles before he finally arrived. A friendly fox-terrier puppy fawned on him and friskily led him to a porch.
Jimmy was red-eyed, tired, haggard and in a vicious temper when he reached the camp. He knew it was his destination because, on a wide porch facing the west, he came upon his friend and former schoolmate, John Matthews, snugly rolled in his blankets, sound asleep. Jimmy took this sleep as a personal affront. As if jeering at his own sleeplessness, Matthews emitted a faint snore.
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In this tale, elderly scientist Professor Herman Brierly is called in to solve the case of the serial murders of octogenarians with his assistant -- rugged blue eyed adopted son John Matthews -- and Jimmy Hale, crack reporter for the (now long defunct but real) New York Eagle newspaper. It's a nice set-up: 200-odd men share a history during the US Civil War. Every 4th of July they have a reunion and many years ago it was agreed that a fund would be created, paid into by the survivng members that would be eventually paid out to the final sole survivor. Now, 65 years have passed since the Civil War and the 17 and 18 year olds are all in their 80s. A mere 14 survive. Mysteriously, one by one, their numbers dwindle during this year's reunion. Is it a sudden rash of suicides? Or are they being stalked? Enter Professor Brierly and his crew.
OK, so it's not literary fiction but it is a fun, breezy read with lots of action. It's very much a male thing -- there is only a single woman in the entire cast and no love interest at all (she's a recent widow, the sister to Jack). But it is charming in its 1933 view of how the world works and is set on a charming lakeside in Quebec (Lake Memphremagog which also borders on Vermont).