Synopsis
THE BODY ON THE SIDEWALK
A body is found outside the Grady home, a man whom they all know, shot in the back. There is no getting around the fact that someone in the family must have done it. Then the murder weapon is found, with several different family fingerprints on it. And what was once a fairly stable group quickly dissolves into suspicion and distrust. The police decide to arrest the son, Don, who seems to be the most likely suspect. His sister Pauline believes the crime was committed by friends of Don s, a couple she does not approve of. Peggy was the last to see the victim, and is wracked with guilt. The youngest sister, Maureen, just wants to be left alone. And their mother, Mamie, is torn between them all. But which one pulled the trigger? And who will pay the price?
THE RELUCTANT MURDERER
We know that Vivian Haines intends to commit murder this weekend. She tells us so. But who is her intended victim? Could it be her wealthy aunt, who is supposed to leave her half her fortune one day? Or her frivolous sister and her seemingly penniless boyfriend? Or perhaps her aunt s mousy companion, or her long-suffering chauffeur? Or Vivian s own fiancé, the fastidious Cuthbert? All we know is what Vivian tells us as her efforts to plan and execute the perfect murder are constantly thwarted. Now Vivian is beginning to panic. Could one of them suspect her? Could one of them be planning to kill her before she can murder them first?
About the Author
Bernice Carey was born in Chetek, Wisconsin on June 27, 1910, the granddaughter of Danish immigrants. As a teenager, Carey moved to California, graduating in 1928 from Long Beach Polytechnic High School, where she served as a reporter on the school newspaper. That same year she married Walter Fitch, a mechanical engineer. During the couple s fourteen years of marriage, they resided in various towns across the state, including Ventura, Monterey and Salinas, where they were influenced by progressive political ideology. During this time, Carey published poems, short stories and book reviews in local newspapers and literary magazines. After her marriage to Fitch broke up, Carey married high school teacher Dick Martin. Encouraged by her new husband, Carey in 1949 published The Reluctant Murderer, the first of her eight highly-praised crime novels. After publishing her final crime novel in 1955, Carey spent the latter years of her life in Los Gatos surrounded by family and friends. She died at the age of 79 on February 8, 1990.
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