Scan barcode
bev_reads_mysteries's review against another edition
4.0
"Anna Marie St. Claire died in the electric chair at one minute after midnight this morning, with a smile on her lips..."
In The Lucky Stiff (1945) by Craig Rice (aka Georgiana Ann Randolph Craig), Anna Marie St. Claire is destined for a date with the electric chair for a crime she didn't do. Her lawyer has gone through the appeals process to no avail and the governor has turned a deaf ear to a plea for a reprieve. At the eleventh hour, she's saved from a shocking death (sorry, I couldn't resist...) by a dying gangster's confession. St. Claire, her lawyer, and the warden are the only ones who know she didn't keep her date with the executioner...so Anna Marie insists that they play it like she died and have the newspapers report her death. Because Anna Marie has a plan to haunt a few characters who didn't feel like saving her skin during the trial.
She smiled at him, "Me? I'm dead. So what am I going to do? Guess. I'm going to haunt houses.
Along the way, Anna Marie meets up with some of Rice's favorite characters: John J. Malone, the slightly bent Chicago lawyer; his friend Jake Justus and Justus's beautiful and strong-willed wife, Helene; and Captain Daniel von Flanagan who regrets being a cop every time he gets mixed up in one of these wacky crimes. The five of them spend their time (both separately and together) trying to get to the bottom of the murder of Anna Marie's boyfriend--i.e., who masterminded the gangster's shooting and the frame-up up Anna Marie. Our friendly "ghost" pops in and out of bars, restaurants, and hotels...scaring her targets into indiscreet action. And there are numerous extra bodies piling up--but don't take them to the local funeral parlor. They're liable to get blown up. Really. Buckle up and get ready for a wild and bumpy ride that leads to an interesting denouement....
This was another fun read from Rice (like my first encounter with her in The April Robin Murders). Plenty of screwball comedy with a slightly noirish twist. Malone tries at times to sound like a hard-boiled private eye, but he's got a much softer spot for the ladies and Yogi Berra way with words. I thoroughly enjoyed my trip through the surreal gangster land concocted by Rice's fertile imagination. The mystery is interesting with a nice hook and deft flick of the wrist to land us with a surprise ending.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
In The Lucky Stiff (1945) by Craig Rice (aka Georgiana Ann Randolph Craig), Anna Marie St. Claire is destined for a date with the electric chair for a crime she didn't do. Her lawyer has gone through the appeals process to no avail and the governor has turned a deaf ear to a plea for a reprieve. At the eleventh hour, she's saved from a shocking death (sorry, I couldn't resist...) by a dying gangster's confession. St. Claire, her lawyer, and the warden are the only ones who know she didn't keep her date with the executioner...so Anna Marie insists that they play it like she died and have the newspapers report her death. Because Anna Marie has a plan to haunt a few characters who didn't feel like saving her skin during the trial.
She smiled at him, "Me? I'm dead. So what am I going to do? Guess. I'm going to haunt houses.
Along the way, Anna Marie meets up with some of Rice's favorite characters: John J. Malone, the slightly bent Chicago lawyer; his friend Jake Justus and Justus's beautiful and strong-willed wife, Helene; and Captain Daniel von Flanagan who regrets being a cop every time he gets mixed up in one of these wacky crimes. The five of them spend their time (both separately and together) trying to get to the bottom of the murder of Anna Marie's boyfriend--i.e., who masterminded the gangster's shooting and the frame-up up Anna Marie. Our friendly "ghost" pops in and out of bars, restaurants, and hotels...scaring her targets into indiscreet action. And there are numerous extra bodies piling up--but don't take them to the local funeral parlor. They're liable to get blown up. Really. Buckle up and get ready for a wild and bumpy ride that leads to an interesting denouement....
This was another fun read from Rice (like my first encounter with her in The April Robin Murders). Plenty of screwball comedy with a slightly noirish twist. Malone tries at times to sound like a hard-boiled private eye, but he's got a much softer spot for the ladies and Yogi Berra way with words. I thoroughly enjoyed my trip through the surreal gangster land concocted by Rice's fertile imagination. The mystery is interesting with a nice hook and deft flick of the wrist to land us with a surprise ending.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
ssejig's review
3.0
She was a side piece but Anna Marie St. Clair claimed to love Big Joe. Yes, she was found standing over him holding a gun, but she is going to the electric chair claiming her innocence. There's a last minute phone call and Anna Marie is saved. But she doesn't want anyone to know. Instead, she decides that Anna Marie St. Clair will die. Her "ghost" will rise to haunt the living. Her first stop? The bar John J. Malone is known to haunt. Her own lawyer had recommended him as a crooked lawyer but one who is only crooked in certain ways.
When John J. Malone sees Anna Marie in a dingy bar, he falls in instant love. And he makes it his mission to ensure that her life is going to be the best it can possibly be. Including getting her exonerated from murder. John's friends Helene and Jake Justus are worked but they are going to help their friend as much a possible. Even while Jake is dealing with problems relating to his casino.
If you like the Malone series, you will like this book.
I picked this book up because of the Classic Mysteries podcast.
When John J. Malone sees Anna Marie in a dingy bar, he falls in instant love. And he makes it his mission to ensure that her life is going to be the best it can possibly be. Including getting her exonerated from murder. John's friends Helene and Jake Justus are worked but they are going to help their friend as much a possible. Even while Jake is dealing with problems relating to his casino.
If you like the Malone series, you will like this book.
I picked this book up because of the Classic Mysteries podcast.
vissara's review
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is a classic detective story meshed with screwball comedy. It takes place in Chicago in the 30s and aside from murder/ sexism also contains a good deal of alcohol abuse treated as a source of humor
More...