HOME SWEET HOMICIDE

Craig Rice, a 1930s-'40s mystery writer, was often considered the queen of the madcap, humorous mystery. "Home Sweet Homicide," originally published in 1944, now a classic of the genre, features Dinah, April and Archie Carstairs, 14, 12, and 10 respectively, who decide to solve the murder of next door neighbor, Mrs. Sanford, because their mother, Marian, a mystery writer, is desperately trying to finish a novel and is totally ignoring them. This copy is the 2008 Impress Mystery edition, from the Reader's Digest Association's "Best Mysteries of All Time" series.a first edition thus. About 5 3/4 x 8 5/8 inches, 291 pages including "About the Author" note at the end. Bound in black faux leather-covered boards with front cover graphic design in gold and silver, with gold lettering on spine. No dust jacket. A tiny tear at top of spine and slightly bumped corners, o/w boards and text are clean, complete, and unmarked, binding tight and square. Book is the basis for a 1946 movie with Peggy Ann Garner, Connie Ann Marshall and Dean Stockwell as the murder-solving kids. Also in 1946, Rice became the first and one of the very few mystery writers to grace a Times magazine cover. .…