The Hesitant Detective: and The Wreck of the Allard

January 1953, the peaceful resort town of Palm Beach.¿ Fritz de Graat is killed driving hisAllard.¿ The wrecked car is towed toAaron Furman's, (Palm Beach's only Jewish auto mechanic).¿ Examining the car Furman suspects the wreckwas no accident.Furman tells Basil Simms (the 'HesitantDetective'), a young professional photographer, his suspicions.¿ Basil doesn't want to get involved.¿ But then things begin to happen.¿ Basil continues to vacillate between doinganything or staying out of it, but keeps getting in deeper, spurred on byevents, curiosity and conscience.¿ Whensomeone tries to kill him he finally talks to a police detective, thinking tobe done with it.Furman explains the meaning of 'For whom the belltolls'.¿ They decide do some'detecting'.¿ Basil tries toflush answers from Fritz's, handsome and apparently nymphomaniacstepmother.¿ Narrowly avoiding seductionHe solves the mystery, with a good 'photographer's eye', combattraining and chutzpah.Wanless describes the book as a 'Lite' murdermystery, an entertainment.¿ The book ispeopled with lively funny people and nice surprises.

RobertWanless grew up in West Palm Beach, Florida; worked for his aunt in Palm Beach,and took pictures.¿ Now he lives inPennsylvania where he reads and writes books and gripes about everything beingdifferent from when he was young.¿ Twoof his three cookbooks have sold well. Wanless,A dashing, charming, old man, was not raised Catholic but became one.¿ He was, in fact, baptized at St. Ann's byFr. Joe LeRoy S.J. who also had the distinction of having baptized TennesseeWilliams).Theonly thing Wanless actually shares with Basil Simms are his good looks which,sadly have faded over the years -- but then doesn't everyone's?