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About the author: Mignon Good (1899-1996) was born in Lincoln, Nebraska. In 1929 her first crime novel was published featuring 'Sarah Keate', a nurse and 'Lance O'Leary', a police detective. This couple appeared in another four novels. Over the next forty years she wrote a novel nearly every year. In 1971 she won the Grand Master award from the Mystery Writers of America. (from Goodreads)
Major characters:
- Margaret "Maggy" Brooke
- Fenwick "Fen" Brooke, her husband
- Charles Brooke, her father-in-law
- Laura Brooke, her New York cousin (by marriage)
- Willy, the cook
- Bill Sanderson
- Joan Greenfield, Fen's old flame
- Sloane Pickering
- Sylvia Hunter
- Russell Warner, attorney
- the mysterious "woman in black"
- Agnes Maclagen, Fen's childhood governess
Locale: New York City
Synopsis: Maggy Brooke is flying to the US from a visit to England. Her destination is the luxurious New York penthouse apartment of her cousin, Laura Brooke. She is anxious: will her estranged husband, Fenwick "Fen" Brooke, meet her at the airport or not? He is a no-show. Upon arrival she is met only by lifetime friend Bill Sanderson. Maggy goes to the penthouse, but strange things happen indicating she is not alone. She finds a cigarette still burning and other signs of recent occupancy. To ease her anxiety, she invites Sylvia Hunter to stay with her. A mysterious "woman in black" keeps reappearing on the scene.
The visit to Laura Brooke was the idea of her father-in-law, Charles Brooke. He has hopes that Maggy and Fen will reconcile. Fen cannot handle money, and has embezzled from his employer - so Charles wants Maggy to handle the couple's money. While Maggy and Fen discuss this, word comes that Charles has died and left everything to Maggy in his will. Suddently Maggy is wealthy and several people have their eyes on that wealth, especially Fen.
Review: Right away, we have the usual Eberhart triangle set up. Maggy is torn between two men: her no-good husband (Mr. Wrong) and longtime friend Bill Sanderson (Mr. Right). We get a glimpse of the super-rich life of a 5th Avenue penthouse - nothing to do but drink martinis, and go out clothes and jewelry shopping. The suspense of some mysterious person accessing the penthouse builds throughout the story (although no one seems to think of changing the lock).
I had the "woman in black" figured out right away. Two things did fool me, however: I suspected Charles' death to be suspicious - but it wasn't. And when we finally do get a murder victim it was a relatively minor character I was not expecting.
Willy the cook is an enjoyable character and adds a lot to the story. Overall, a good fast-paced suspenseful tale, perfect for a rainy night at the penthouse.
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