“Grafton’s novel is not simply a historical curio, but a genuinely offbeat and entertaining suspense story.”—The Washington PostThe second book in the Library of Congress Crime Classics, an exciting new classic mystery series created in exclusive partnership with the Library of Congress. In this exquisite piece of hard-boiled crime fiction, is this lawyer digging his way to the truth, or digging … digging his own grave?A timeless and propulsive story, The Rat Began to Gnaw the Rope is:For fans of historical crime mysteries and crime classicsFor readers who love the works of Sue GraftonShort, chubby, and awkward with members of the opposite sex, Gil Henry is the youngest partner in a small law firm, not a hard-boiled sleuth. So when an attractive young woman named Ruth McClure walks into his office and asks him to investigate the value of the stock she inherited from her father, he thinks nothing of it—until someone makes an attempt on his life.Soon Gil is inadvertently embroiled in a classic American scandal, subterfuge, and murder. He’s beaten, shot, and stabbed, as his colleagues and enemies try to stop him from seeing the case through to the end. Surrounded by adversaries, he teams up with Ruth and her secretive brother to find answers to the questions someone desperately wants to keep him from asking.In this portrait of America on the eve of America’s entry into World War II, C.W. Grafton—himself a lawyer and the father of prolific mystery writer Sue Grafton—pens an award-winning historical crime fiction that combines humor and the hard-boiled style and will keep readers guessing until its thrilling conclusion.
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An Intriguing Noir Mystery
I was drawn to this novel by the title and banner on the cover that read, “Library of Congress Crime Classic.” Having not read any of the classic noir detective novels of the ‘30s and ‘40s, this novel appeared to be an excellent opportunity to explore this genre. I was not disappointed.
The novel opens with the main character, Gil Henry, a junior partner in a law firm, receives in his office Ruth McClure, from Harpersville, 25 miles away. Her father died recently, and he had 1,000 shares of stock in the company where he worked. She wanted to know the value of the stock, but not its value based upon value on the stock exchange. The reason was that the owner of the company was not offering to buy it as its current low price but for $110 a share, near or at its original value. Gil agrees travel to Harpersville find out what he can. He clears the trip with the senior partner who provides a car. As he traveled south, the events start to travel south. Suddenly, he hears an explosion, and the car crashes. Upon searching, he finds a bullet in what remains of the tube from his left rear tire.
From this start the novel unfolds with turns and twists. Since Gil does not get along well with authority. Soon after meeting with Mr. Harper and the local sheriff he is forced to leave Harperville and apparently breaking his promise to help Ruth McClure. This is but the first layer of onion that Gil needs to peel back to find out the truth, but each layer reveals more facets that complicate finding that truth. It was refreshing to read an old fashioned mystery without all of the technology that is ubiquitous to mysteries set in modern times. The main story kept my attention throughout.
The B-storyline on Gil Henry is very light. Most of his character must be gained by his actions. He has many noir-like characteristics. His remarks and descriptions are always snarky. He is a little fatalistic in many of his actions. Lastly, while Gil describes himself as, “I am no ladies’ man and girls have never thought much of my short pudgy figure,” doesn’t mean that he doesn’t take some liberties with the fairer gender. As for the other characters, the men are strong and authoritative, and women are weaker or have some other limitations.
There are not any intimate scenes, and vulgar language is non-existent. Violence does occur but is not graphic. Readers should not be any objections concerning these aspects of the novel. What I especially liked about this Library of Congress version of this novel was the excellent forward and introduction that provided the background behind the author, who is the father of the more famous author Sue Grafton, and the novel. Also, excellent chapter endnotes were added to provide background on to readers 75 plus years later are probably obscure. Generally, I like reading novels on an e-reader so that when I find something that I do not understand, I can use the easy Internet access to fill in my lack of knowledge. The end notes significantly reduced that need.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this novel. All of the loose ends were neatly tied up at the end. The read was easy and the flow steady. My attention was kept throughout the novel. Overall, I rate this novel with four stars. If this genre interests you, do give it a try.
I have received a free e-book version of this novel through NetGalley from Poisoned Pen Press with an expectation for an honest, unbiased review. I wish to thank Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read and review this novel early.
Great writing talent looks like a hereditary trait here. Library of Congress Classic shows that CW Grafton set a high mark for his daughter, Sue Grafton. His writing was so suspenseful, it kept me reading straight through to the end. This is a must read mystery!
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From page one, Grafton shows a mastery of words; he will keep you interested in the mystery you don’t solve, until the very last line. Gifted writing runs in this family. #highlyrecommended!
What a pleasure to have the chance to reread this treasure from 1943. I read it in my teens having raided the family library after inhaling the books of Rex Stout, Dame Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, et al. I’m sure the local librarian wouldn’t have approved as Golden Age Noir wasn’t deemed appropriate for young ladies. All I have to say is the second reading, as an adult, was great. Age has given me a new perspective. Even if you shy away from noir, give this one a try. The humor and the wonderful character of Gilmore “Gil” Henry foreshadow the wisecracking and underestimated amateur investigator we enjoy now.
Gil is a lawyer in a law firm but just barely. One day his secretary announces that a Miss Ruth McClure is here to see him. Little does Gil know what danger will befall him when he takes her on as a client. It sounds simple enough. Miss McClure has inherited some shares in a company from her late father and that, in and of itself, is no cause for worry. But worry she does when the owner of the company, her fathers employer, offers way more than those shares are worth on the NY stock exchange. Plus there are other pieces to the deal that have Ruth turning to a lawyer to help figure out what is really going on. When Gil takes the case and travels to Harpersville, KY to snoop around there are people who want him stopped. At great cost to Gil’s life and his poor noggin. He takes a lot of hits but bounces back, full of wisecracks. I’m sorry there were only two books in this series and I hope that Poisoned Pen Press will also publish the second, The Rope Began to Hang the Butcher. C. W. “Chip” Grafton may have only written a total of three books but that was more than enough to plant the idea in the head of his very talented daughter, Sue Grafton, to write her Kinsey Millhone series.
My thanks to the publisher Poisoned Pen Press and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.