Home Sweet Homicide (Rue Morgue Vintage Mysteries) [Paperback]

Craig Rice (Author), Tom Schantz (Introduction), Enid Schantz (Introduction)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Rue Morgue offers two vintage mysteries: The Mano Murders (1952), by Juanita Sheridan, with its exotic Hawaiian setting and the lighthearted Home Sweet Homicide (1944; a 1946 film with Randolph Scott), by Craig Rice, the subject of Jeffrey Marks's 2001 biography, Who Was That Lady?
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 220 pages
• Publisher: Rue Morgue Press (September 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0915230534
• ISBN-13: 978-0915230532
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,051,172 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful read if you like this sort of thing (and I do), November 12, 2002

By 

Mark McGlone (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Home Sweet Homicide (Rue Morgue Vintage Mysteries) (Paperback)

I'm very happy to see this book back in print. If you're a Rice fan as I am, you've probably had to scour used book stores, desperately seeking any weather-beaten old copy of a novel by the once famous, now forgotten, Craig Rice (under one of her many pseudonyms).

If you're looking for realism or 40's style noir, look elsewhere. Unlike Rice's other novels this one could be described as a cozy. And though it lacks the semi-hardboiled, alchohol-inspired zaniness of her Malone books, this novel more than makes up for it in charm.

To summarize the plot: the three (very independent) children of a mystery writing mother solve a murder and play matchmaker for their mother at the same time. It has a certain period charm to it, with malt shops and secret alphabets (apparently, all the rage among kids back then).

This may be Rice's most-loved novel, and no wonder. I didn't want it to end. The children are endearing without overdoing it--it can be difficult to write about children because it's so easy to make them little adults or to go to the opposite extreme and make them overly cute. But here the balance is perfect. These really seem like real kids. It's too bad Rice didn't write about children more often.

The mystery itself is rather slight, but you won't mind. Rice tended to make up her plots as she went along, and sometimes you can tell.

The lightness and humour of this book were exactly what I needed during a rather difficult time. For that reason I'm breaking my usual rule and giving it five stars.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Delightful Mystery, December 13, 2002

By 

Judy Fleming (Fort Myers, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Home Sweet Homicide (Rue Morgue Vintage Mysteries) (Paperback)

Three children of a widowed mystery writer strives to solve the murder next door - to get their mother some publicity (and maybe a love interest). This is a great read! Read it years ago and adopted the children's secret language to use with my friends. Am still reading it at least once a year. If ONLY the movie made from this book (starring Dean Stockwell as the son, Lynn Bari as the mother and Peggy Ann Garner as one of the daughters) could be re-released on videotape!! It was a three-star rated movie and beats anything other old movie shown today!

4.0 out of 5 stars Light-hearted, enjoyable read for children AND adults, May 17, 2009

By 

Peabody823 (IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Home Sweet Homicide (Rue Morgue Vintage Mysteries) (Paperback)

Really made me laugh out loud a couple of times. Told from the point of view of the children, it's fun for kids AND adults; kind of reminded me of the The Boxcar Children (The Boxcar Children, No. 1) series from my youth, since the kids solve a mystery and kind of have to take care of each other and themselves. Just a very light-hearted, enjoyable read with mystery and even a dash of romance.