Crimson Patch [Paperback]

Phobee Atwood Taylor (Author), Phoebe Atwood Taylor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1986

Ominous things are taking place in the town of Skaket. A young couple is confronted with the threat of violence by the locals. A nationally wanted kills may be loose on the Cape. America's favorite radio personality, Rosalie Ray, is found dead in her bed, done in with a whale lance. And this is only the beginning of what may be Asey Mayo's wildest adventure.

Product Details

• Paperback: 239 pages
• Publisher: Foul Play Press (January 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 088150064X
• ISBN-13: 978-0881500646
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,016,510 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars The eighth book in the Asey Mayo mystery series, February 18, 2009

By 

Corinne H. Smith (Athol, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Crimson Patch (Hardcover)

Steve and Betsey Damon live in a Cape Cod house that's so remote, they have to use a boat to get home. They don't even have a phone. They're newcomers to Skaket, and so is their retired Uncle Myles, who lives with them. Steve is writing a book about Rosalie Ray, a current radio personality. On paper, theirs sounds like an idyllic life. But the Damons have had nothing but trouble since they arrived. The Cape natives have been rude and bothersome -- to the point of stalking them and shooting over their heads! What did they do to deserve such treatment? The sole neighbor who talks to them suggests that they bring in local detective Asey Mayo to investigate the situation. Asey usually solves murders; but maybe he can figure out what's going on.

Indeed, Asey soon arrives on the scene -- but not soon enough to prevent a murder in the Damon house. It's Rosalie Ray, who came to visit her ghostwriter and to complain about everything he's written. And the weapon of choice is -- yikes! -- a whale lance, formerly hanging with its mate above the fireplace. Did someone break into the house during the storm specifically to kill Rosalie? Or could someone close to the Damon household be responsible for this horrible tragedy? Like many celebrities, Rosalie had somewhat of a sordid past, especially where men were concerned. It's not inconceivable that her history merely caught up with her, unfortunately.

Cape Codder Angelica Sage comes in to help Asey sift through the likely scenarios and suspects. There's Mrs. Wadsworth Barr and her son Waddy, the snooty folks whose property lies adjacent to the Damon land. How about those visiting actors in P-town, Lee Laurie and Blaisdell Morris? Are they connected to Rosalie Ray? Is it just coincidence that the Damons' friend Hilda Grove shares a surname with one of Rosalie's ex-husbands? And what about their other friend, Tom Fowler? Is he or is he not engaged to Lee Laurie? Where is Rosalie's daughter, anyway?

Asey brings in a virtual army of authorities, policemen, and locals to continually scour the woods and wetlands around the Damon house. In the meantime, the other big news in New England is that criminal Bat McCracken has once again eluded capture. He was last seen in Boston. But that story doesn't have anything to do with this one, does it?

For the first time in the Asey Mayo series, Ms. Taylor quickly gives the readers information that most of the book's characters don't have. She offers hints at certain details, beginning with a package mix-up that will obviously have to surface again later in the narrative. We don't know everything, of course; but for some aspects of the mystery, Asey and his associates are playing catch-up to us. That makes for fun reading.

[A note to the PC police: One character lets an N-word slip, just once, as part of a casual saying. And the locals make frequent references to someone's servant as a "Jap." Just remember that this book was written in the 1930s and is set in the 1930s. Don't approach the seemingly callous attitudes of the characters by imposing 21st-century expectations.]

As usual, this book will provide entertaining reading for most mystery lovers, especially those with a fondness for The Cape. It would have made a great b&w movie, back in the day.