Wednesday, March 27, 2024

"Fourth Suspect? What Fourth Suspect?"

ELLERY QUEEN (the editor) offers us this exemplar of deduction ("Just to prove," he says, "that Ellery Queen's 'dying message' technique is not always just 'fun and games'"), when we encounter a case of . . .

"Murder in the Park."
By Ellery Queen (1905-71 and 1905-82; Wikipedia HERE; Ellery Queen Rediscovery Website HERE; Michael Grost's Megasite HERE).
First appearance: This Week, July 9, 1950, as "The Mystery of the 3 Dawn Riders."
Reprinted in EQMM, March 1969 (today's text).
Short short short story (4 pages).
Online at The Luminist Archives (HERE; go to text page 141).

   "What's sugar mean in your dictionary, son?"

Usually the obvious solution is, well, obvious; but we should never overlook the lesson Father Brown taught us about ordinary people and "invisible" men . . .

Principal characters:
~ Shakes Cooney:
  ". . . bookie, tout, gambler, underworld slug, clubhouse creep, with the instincts of a jay and the ethics of a grave robber . . ."
~ Mounted Patrolman Wilkins:
  ". . . was there when it counted, and it was he who collared the three gentlemen who, curiously, were in the neighborhood of the deserted Tavern and Cooney's corpse at that ungentlemanly hour."
~ Senator Kregg:
  ". . . totalitarian . . ."
~ Piers d'I. Millard:
  ". . . ill-advised . . ."
~ The Hon. Stevens:
  ". . . a sucker play . . ."
~ Inspector Richard Queen:
  "'He must be one of your readers,' said the Inspector. 'Because, Ellery, that's a dying message or I'm the Senator's uncle'."
~ Ellery Queen:
  ". . . now I know whom Shakes Cooney meant!"

Reference and resource:
- "Only horse he knows how to ride is a dark one":
  "The concept [of the dark horse candidate] has been used in political contexts in such countries as Iran, Philippines, Russia, Egypt, Finland, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Politically, the concept came to the United States in the nineteenth century when it was first applied to James K. Polk, a relatively unknown Tennessee politician who won the Democratic Party's 1844 presidential nomination over a host of better-known candidates. Polk won the nomination on the ninth ballot at his party's national nominating convention and went on to become the country's eleventh president." (Wikipedia HERE.)
- "the instincts of a jay":
  A possible libel against what might be considered justifiable conduct: "Jays are very territorial birds, and they will chase others from a feeder for an easier meal. Additionally, the blue jay may raid other birds' nests, stealing eggs, chicks, and nests. However, this may not be as common as is typically thought, as only 1% of food matter in one study was bird material." (Wikipedia HERE.)
- We recently communed with Ellery Queen (the detective) with respect to his first Puzzle Club story, "The Little Spy" (HERE).

Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.
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Monday, March 25, 2024

"His Right Hand Came Up Out of His Pocket with the Automatic Already Spitting Fire"

"Not a Leg To Stand On."
By Don Mardick (?-?).
First appearance: Suspense Magazine, Fall 1951.
Short story (10 pages).
Online at SFFAudio (HERE).

   "Autopsy shows lots of angles you don't figure."

WHEN a cat plays with a mouse it's usually a prelude to lunch, but what if there are two cats? You'd think that between them they'd be able catch that elusive mouse, piece of cake. Now imagine the mouse is a man in a wheelchair harboring a criminal secret and our two cats are investigators trying to pry it out of him—but, despite normal expectations, it's looking like wheelchair guy just might be able to work his way out of this bind . . .

Main characters:
~ Jack Conroy:
  "Jack? He wouldn't come here. He knows the insurance people've been watching me ever since the payroll robbery three years ago."
~ Prentice:
  "Then what's all the palaver about? And the gun?"
~ Conroy:
  "Cops or not, I told you fellows to get out of my house and I mean it."
~ Davidson:
  "You expected him. You were spending the payroll money. You wanted to keep on spending it."

References and resources:
- "the battered Sears, Roebuck catalogue":
  Published by a company that's still making profits after more than 130 years: "Richard Warren Sears started a business selling watches through mail order catalogues in Redwood Falls, Minnesota, in 1888. By 1894, the Sears catalogue had grown to 322 pages, featuring sewing machines, bicycles, sporting goods, automobiles (produced from 1905–1915 by Lincoln Motor Car Works of Chicago, not related to the current Ford Motor Company brand of the same name) and a host of other new items." (Wikipedia HERE, HERE, and HERE.)
- "No fatted calf":
  A meaningful metaphor if you know your Bible: "Fatted calf is a metaphor or symbol of festive celebration and rejoicing for someone's long-awaited return. It derives from the Parable of the Prodigal Son in the New Testament." (Wikipedia HERE.)
- When it came to short stories, Don Mardick was hardly what you would call prolific (FictionMags data):
  (1) "Needle in the Haystack," (ss) Hollywood Detective, December 1949
  (2) "Not a Leg to Stand On," (ss) Suspense Magazine, Fall 1951 (above).

Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.
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Thursday, March 21, 2024

"The Murder, the Sculpturing of Clay from Warmth to Coldness Was Done, and Nobody Knew"

"The Fruit at the Bottom of the Bowl."
By Ray Bradbury (1920-2012; ISFDb HERE).
Illustrated by Art Sussman (1927-2008; ISFDb HERE).
First appearance: Detective Book Magazine, Winter 1948, 
as "Touch and Go!".
Many reprints:
Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine (EQMM), January 1953
Argosy (U.K.), March 1954
Cavalier, February 1960 (today's text)
Ellery Queen’s Anthology #3 (1962)
Ellery Queen’s 12 (1964)
Best Murder Stories (1965)
Mystery and Suspense Stories (1977)
Horror (1978)
Murder Most Foul (1984)
The Golden Apples of the Sun (1953)
Killer, Come Back to Me: The Crime Stories of Ray Bradbury (2020) (Reviewed HERE).
Short short story (7 pages).
Online at Archive.org starting (HERE; text pages 24-26), continuing (HERE; text page 57), still continuing (HERE; text page 66), even more (HERE; text page 68), and finishing (HERE; text page 70).

   "The fingerprints were everywhere, everywhere!"

Shakespeare, as usual, got it right: "They whose guilt within their bosom lies, imagine every eye beholds their blame." In his mind, for this killer even the eyes of the smallest beholders, the ones that live in the walls, see his guilt . . .

Principal characters:
~ Donald Huxley:
  "Pick it up. Turn it over. See the fine thinness of the bowl, hand-thrown on a turntable, thin as eggshell, incredible. And the amazing volcanic glaze? Handle it, go ahead. I don't mind."
~ William Acton:
  "A long moment passed. Acton did not breathe. Without new air in his body he began to fail away, to sway; his head roared a silence of cold waves thundering onto heavy rocks."
~ Billy-boy:
  ". . . drunk as an owl, Huxley, old pal, drunker than two owls."

References and resources:
- "Out damned spot, eh, Acton?":
  Quoting Lady Macbeth sleepwalking in her nightie. (Shakespeare Online HERE.)
- Murder comes in several varieties in the USA; which one do you think fits today's story? Think about it.
"First-degree murder:
  "Any intentional killing that is willful and premeditated with malice aforethought. Felony murder, a charge that may be filed against a defendant who is involved in a dangerous crime where a death results from the crime, is typically first-degree, but may also be second-degree.
"Second-degree murder:
  "Any intentional killing that is not premeditated or planned. A situation in which the killer intends only to inflict serious bodily harm, knowing this could result in death but with no specific intent to kill, constitutes depraved-heart murder, which can be considered as second-degree murder.
"Voluntary manslaughter:
  "Sometimes called a crime of passion murder and informally called third–degree murder, this is any intentional killing that involves no prior intent to kill and which was committed under such circumstances that would 'cause a reasonable person to become emotionally or mentally disturbed'. Both this and second-degree murder are committed on the spot under a spur-of-the-moment choice, but the two differ in the magnitude of the circumstances surrounding the crime. For example, a bar fight that results in death would ordinarily constitute second-degree murder. If that same bar fight stemmed from a discovery of infidelity, however, it may be voluntary manslaughter.
"Involuntary manslaughter:
  "A killing that stems from a lack of intention to cause death but involving an intentional act of negligence, which may or may not be premeditated, leading to death. A drunk driving-related death is typically involuntary manslaughter (see also vehicular homicide, causing death by dangerous driving, gross negligence manslaughter, and causing death by criminal negligence for international equivalents). Note that the 'unintentional' element here refers to the lack of intent to bring about the death. All three crimes above feature an intent to kill, whereas involuntary manslaughter is 'unintentional', because the killer did not intend for a death to result from their intentional actions. If there is a presence of intention it relates only to the intent to cause a violent act which brings about the death, but not an intention to bring about the death itself. However, there are exceptions, such as felony murder and depraved-heart murder, the latter of which can be considered as voluntary manslaughter or second-degree murder, instead of involuntary manslaughter, despite the lack of explicit intention to kill."
(Wikipedia HERE.)
  TV Tropes also weighs in on the subject (WARNING! SPOILERS! HERE).
- "the old days when they rattled papyrus, flourished ink, dusted all with sand to dry the ink, and pressed their signet rings in hot crimson tallow at the bottom":
  "Fingerprints have been found on ancient clay tablets, seals, and pottery. They have also been found on the walls of Egyptian tombs and on Minoan, Greek, and Chinese pottery. In ancient China officials authenticated government documents with their fingerprints. In about 200 BC, fingerprints were used to sign written contracts in Babylon. . . . References from the age of the Babylonian king Hammurabi (reigned 1792–1750 BCE) indicate that law officials would take the fingerprints of people who had been arrested. During China's Qin Dynasty, records have shown that officials took hand prints and foot prints as well as fingerprints as evidence from a crime scene." (From Wikipedia.)
  Fingerprints are a major concern in our story; see Wikipedia (HERE) for a good summary.
- "my Gregorian [sic? possibly a misprint of Georgian] cutlery":
  "The major items of cutlery in Western culture are the knife, fork and spoon. These three implements first appeared together on tables in Britain in the Georgian era." (Wikipedia HERE; also see HERE.)
- "ceramics by Gertrude and Otto Natzler":
  "Gertrud Amon Natzler (1908–1971) was an Austrian-American ceramicist, who together with her husband Otto Natzler (1908-2007) created some of the most praised ceramics art of the 20th century, helping to elevate ceramics to the status of a fine art." (Wikipedia HERE and HERE.)
- For some reason "The Fruit at the Bottom of the Bowl" reminds us of Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart" (online HERE).
Illustration by Virgil Finlay
- We last perused Ray Bradbury's work with "Night Train to Babylon" (ONTOS HERE).

The bottom line:

Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.
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Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Before He Was Obi-Wan, He Was Father Brown

WHILE doing our customary Internet peregrinations we stumbled across this notice in the November 1954 Redbook:
If you're interested in viewing The Detective (a.k.a. Father Brown in the U.K.) it's online at Archive.org (HERE)—for how long no one can say.
A perceptive encyclopedist at Wikipedia (HERE) nicely summarizes the nondescript little priest's detective skills:

   "Brown's crimesolving method can be described as intuitive and psychological; his process is to reconstruct the perpetrator's methods and motives using imaginative empathy, combined with an encyclopaedic criminal knowledge he has picked up from parishioner confessions. While Brown's cases follow the 'Fair Play' rules of classic detective fiction, the crime, once revealed, often turns out to be implausible in its practical details. A typical Father Brown story aims not so much to invent a believable criminological procedure as to propose a novel paradox with subtle moral and theological implications.

   "The stories normally contain a rational explanation of who the murderer was and how Brown worked it out. He always emphasises rationality; some stories, such as 'The Miracle of Moon Crescent', 'The Oracle of the Dog', 'The Blast of the Book' and 'The Dagger with Wings', poke fun at initially sceptical characters who become convinced of a supernatural explanation for some strange occurrence, but Father Brown easily sees the perfectly ordinary, natural explanation. In fact, he seems to represent an ideal of a devout but considerably educated and 'civilised' clergyman. That can be traced to the influence of Roman Catholic thought on Chesterton. Father Brown is characteristically humble and is usually rather quiet, except to say something profound. Although he tends to handle crimes with a steady, realistic approach, he believes in the supernatural as the greatest reason of all."
Resources:
- Wikipedia has several related articles about Father Brown: the Alec Guinness edition (HERE), a 1930s version (HERE), and on radio (HERE).
- We highlighted The Incredulity of Father Brown (HERE) and The Innocence of Father Brown (HERE).
- The Bookman put GKC in the context of other mystery mavens with "Father Brown and Others" (1915; UNZ HERE).
- Another clerical detective with prodigious and even more capable sleuthing skills than Father Brown (especially with regard to locked room problems) is Reverend Dean (ONTOS HERE; Archive.org HERE).
- At least nine actors (not all of them with English as a first language) have portrayed Father Brown, mostly on film. The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) has Father Brown-related information (HERE), (HERE), (HERE), and (HERE).

Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.
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Sunday, March 17, 2024

"His Forehead Rested in a Pool of Blood, Surrounded by the Tiny Browning Footprints of the Flies"

"I, Gardener."
By Allen Kim Lang (born 1928; FictionMags HERE; ISFDb HERE; SFE HERE.)
First appearance: Fantastic Science Fiction Stories, December 1959.

Reprinted in Fantastic, April 1969.
Short short story (7 pages).
Online at SFFAudio (HERE) and The Luminist Archives (HERE; go to text page 89).


   "'I was imperfect,' he said."

It has been noted many times that we often fool ourselves into thinking we exercise mastery not only over nature but also ourselves because of our inventions, which will serve to save us from our own folly. But wasn't it a genius inventor who cautioned, "You may live to see man-made horrors beyond your comprehension"? Because that's just what our narrator is about to experience . . .

Main characters:
~ The narrator (unnamed):

  "I had flown to Boston to sign Doctor Axel Ozoneff to a contract with my new fall television show, 'Point of View'."
~ Doctor Axel Ozoneff:
  ". . . a writer whose byline appeared on the Contents page of a dozen magazines and journals regularly as their copyright notice, and a poet of considerable skill, Dr. Ozoneff 
was besides something of a television personality."
~ The gardener:
  ". . . stared at me as though gauging my sincerity; then he looked for a moment as though his leather face might bend into a smile."

References and resources:
- "a cadre of intellectual fuglemen":
  Formerly a military term that has been broadened: "These days it is used for a person who is a staunch advocate, a cheerleader, a publicist, or a mouthpiece." (Wikipedia HERE.)

- "a mystery figure in a Navaho sand-painting":
  "There are 600 to 1,000 different traditional designs for sandpaintings known to the Navajo. They do not view the paintings as static objects, but as spiritual, living beings to be treated with great respect. More than 30 different sandpaintings may be associated with one ceremony." (Wikipedia HERE.)

- "the taxi drive from Logan International Airport":
  A very active place: "[Logan is] an international airport that is located mostly in East Boston and partially in Winthrop, Massachusetts. It opened in 1923, covers 2,384 acres (965 ha), has six runways and four passenger terminals, and employs an estimated 16,000 people. It is the largest airport in both the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the New England region in terms of passenger volume and cargo handling as well as the busiest airport in the Northeastern United States outside the New York metropolitan area. The airport saw 42 million passengers in 2019, the most in its history." (Wikipedia HERE.)
- "the sting of the lilies' sermon missed me":
  A lot of symbolism has been attached to lilies: "In the Victorian language of flowers, lilies portray love, ardor, and affection for your loved ones, while orange lilies stand for happiness, love, and warmth. Lilies are the flowers most commonly used at funerals, where they symbolically signify that the soul of the deceased has been restored to the state of innocence." (Wikipedia HERE.) Is the gardener hinting at something sinister with his comments?

- "why the poet sang his dream of the land where they [lemon-trees] grow":
  A reference to "Mignon" by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. (Poetry Nook HERE.)

- "Radioisotopes?":
  "A radionuclide (radioactive nuclide, radioisotope or radioactive isotope) is a nuclide that has excess numbers of either neutrons or protons, giving it excess nuclear energy, and making it unstable. . . . Unplanned exposure to radionuclides generally has a harmful effect on living organisms including humans, although low levels of exposure occur naturally without harm. The degree of harm will depend on the nature and extent of the radiation produced, the amount and nature of exposure (close contact, inhalation or ingestion), and the biochemical properties of the element; with increased risk of cancer the most usual consequence." (Wikipedia HERE.)

- "Squamous epithelium!":
  "Squamous cells have the appearance of thin, flat plates that can look polygonal when viewed from above. Their name comes from squāma, Latin for 'scale' – as on fish or snake skin. The cells fit closely together in tissues, providing a smooth, low-friction surface over which fluids can move easily." (Wikipedia HERE.)

- "The wall of the First Law":
  Supposedly an insuperable prohibition devised by Isaac Asimov: "The First Law: A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm."
 (Wikipedia HERE.)
- "mysteries and science-fiction and textbooks and essays":
  What person could produce such prodigious works? "A prolific writer, he [Isaac Asimov] wrote or edited more than 500 books. He also wrote an estimated 90,000 letters and postcards. Best known for his hard science fiction, Asimov also wrote mysteries and fantasy, as well as popular science and other non-fiction." (Wikipedia HERE.)

- "I am his creature, sir":
  "Victor Frankenstein builds the creature over a two-year period in the attic of his boarding house in Ingolstadt after discovering a scientific principle which allows him to create life from non-living matter. Frankenstein is disgusted by his creation, however, and flees from it in horror. Frightened, and unaware of his own identity, the monster wanders through the wilderness. . . . Enraged, the creature feels that humankind is his enemy and begins to hate his creator for abandoning him. However, although he despises Frankenstein, he sets out to find him, believing that he is the only person who will help him." (Wikipedia HERE.)
- One of the characters in our story easily passes Nilsson's Employment Test: "A machine performs an economically important job at least as well as humans in the same job." (Wikipedia HERE and HERE.)
- Our latest encounter with Asimov and his Laws concerned his story "Mirror Image" (HERE).

Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.
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Wednesday, March 13, 2024

"Three Measly Little Miles!"

"Old Fireball."
Kerry Dale No. 1.
By Nat Schachner (1895-1955; Wikipedia HERE; ISFDb HERE).
Illustrated by Schneeman (1912-72; ISFDb HERE).
First appearance: Astounding, June 1941.
Novelette (27 pages, 2 illos).
Online at The Luminist Archives (HERE; go to text page 79).
(Note: Text slightly faded.)
(Parental caution: Some harsh language.)

   "As space became less of a thing unknown, and law and order took the place of the old scramble for new worlds, however, codes were established, spheres delimited and space law came into being."

A contract is a contract, and you're well-advised to read the fine print. A battle of wits and wills erupts between the umbrageous owner of a huge space corporation and a normally smart young lawyer who injudiciously forgets about the fine print and gets himself in a bind. Ultimately the question becomes whether the younger guy will be able to outsmart the corporate magnate before said captain of industry goes toes up . . .

Main characters (in order of appearance):
~ Simeon Kenyon:
  "Old Fireball was his nickname because of his habit of staging explosions on the slightest provocation."
~ Sally Kenyon:
  "She was mighty easy to look at."
~ Kerry Dale:
  "It was quite a comedown—from legal light to cargo wrestler. But what the hell! It was a job; and his funds were out."
~ Roger Horn:
  ". . . that smug old fossil."
~ Jem:
  "He shoved suddenly; and Kerry, off balance, went flying into the hold."
~ Captain Zachariah Ball of the Flying Meteor:
  "'Put this blasted swab into the brig,' he roared, 'without food or water until he's ready to work. And if he bothers me again, I'll make rocket fuel of him'."
~ Jericho Foote:
  "He must of spent a cool hundred thousand on that expedition of his alongside. All he brought back for it was a beautiful chart of that whole sector of space."
~ Jake Henner:
  "There wasn't anything left tuh bring back tuh bury, so I sorta registered the rock for his sake, me bein' sentimentallike."
~ Bellamy:
  "'They . . . they wouldn't have met,' Bellamy went on unhappily."

References and resources:
- "many and Homeric were the legal tilts and battles":
  "Homeric": A reference to the poet Homer and his magnum opuses, The Iliad and The Odyssey. (Wikipedia HERE.) "tilts": Contests usually called "jousting." (Wikipedia HERE.)
- "the dangers of the Belt":
  Science fiction writers fell in love with the Asteroid Belt a long time ago. (Wikipedia HERE and HERE.)
- "the government of Mars":
  In those days Mars was a stylized version of the Sahara. (Wikipedia HERE and HERE.)
- "Ceres, Pallas, Vesta, and Juno":
  Not nearly as hospitable as many SFF authors have imagined: Ceres (Wikipedia HERE), Pallas (Wikipedia HERE), Vesta (Wikipedia HERE), and Juno (Wikipedia HERE).
- "the web-footed natives of Venus":
  Our author adopts the swampy version of the mysterious planet. (Wikipedia HERE and HERE.)
- "the Ganymedan hoosegow":
  So far the biggest known moon in the Solar System. (Wikipedia HERE.)
- "not far from Jupiter itself":
  Some wag has said that the Solar System consists of the Sun, the planet Jupiter, and a bunch of debris; over 1,300 Earths could fit inside Jupiter. (Wikipedia HERE and HERE.)
- "the first gold stampedes on Earth to California and the Klondike":
  It's reasonable to assume that gold fever will move out into space when humans do. (Wikipedia HERE.)
- "he formed holding companies":
  "A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own stock of other companies to form a corporate group." (Wikipedia HERE.)
- "the law of inertia":
  In our story Kerry Dale puts a lot of faith in inertia. (Wikipedia HERE.)
- "a little space knockabout with a cruising range to the Moon":
  An extrapolation from maritime usage: "a small yacht or dinghy."
- "a still-unexplored Saturn":
  And still the most spectacular of the Outer Planets; some would say it's the prettiest one in the System. (Wikipedia HERE.)
- "The new atom-smashers that powered the world's work":
  An optimistic expectation. (Wikipedia HERE.)
- "the elements of its orbit":
  "Evolution of the orbital elements takes place due to the gravitational pull of bodies other than the primary, the nonsphericity of the primary, atmospheric drag, relativistic effects, radiation pressure, electromagnetic forces, and so on." (Wikipedia HERE.) It's that "and so on" that has Kerry worried.
- "do something, do anything, to shift that infernal bit of rock away":
  Moving space mountains around can have dire consequences. (Wikipedia HERE and HERE; see especially "Deflection technology concerns.")
- About the significance of Simeon Kenton's first name, see (HERE).
- "I got me a fine, too":
  In some jurisdictions it's common practice. (Wikipedia HERE.)
- The premise of possibly getting hit by a big space rock became the story starter for two 1960s TV series episodes: (WARNING! SPOILERS! HERE) and (WARNING! SPOILERS! HERE).
Previous story:
- There were only two novelettes in this series: No. 1, "Old Fireball" (above) and No. 2, "Jurisdiction" (ONTOS HERE), later combined in a fix-up novel. Since "Jurisdiction" 
heavily references events in "Old Fireball," we recommend that you read "Old Fireball
first.

Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.
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