Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Holds up quite well, nearly 50 years later, July 8, 2001
Having read almost all of Piper's science fiction and enjoyed it, I was curious about his one mystery novel. I'd seen references to it for years, but never actually saw the book. I finally acquired it several years back, though it sat on my shelf until last week. I had put off reading it, because I was afraid it might disappoint, compared to favorites like "Lord Kalvan", or that it would seem terribly dated. I needn't have worried. The writing was crisp, the characters interesting, and the gun lore fascinating. In short, it has held up as well as many other books from the '50s that are still popular, such as Stout's Nero Wolfe. It's a shame Piper didn't live to publish the sequel or to explore the mystery genre further. The Old Earth edition included interesting biographical and bibliographical info on Piper, and it was nicely printed on good quality paper.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great book, May 28, 2004
Jefferson Davis Rand is a well-know private investigator with a well-known hobby - antique gun collecting. When a grieving widow comes to his office to have him help with the sale of the antique guns from her late husband's collection, Jeff quickly realizes that there's been foul play, and that he needs to get to the bottom of it. Yep, he's quite right, Mr. Fleming was indeed murdered with one of his own handguns, but can Jeff stay alive long enough to figure out who did it?H. Beam Piper (1904-64) is largely forgotten today, but if he is remembered at all, it is for his wonderful science fiction stories. However, in 1953, Mr. Piper tried his hand at mystery writing, and this is the results of his labor. Overall, I found it to be a good solid mystery, appearing to be of the same generation as Ellery Queen. That is to say, it does show its age, but nonetheless it is a very good exciting mystery. If you are a fanatical fan of H. Beam Piper (like me!), then you really should try to get this book - with its confident hero, doing what it takes to make things right, it's classic Piper. If you are a mystery fan, then I would recommend this book to you as a great work of 1950s mystery writing in the old style. Either way, it's a great book, one that I highly recommend!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A sci-fi author tries his hand at mystery, July 16, 2007
This novel is H. Beam Piper's only known mystery work, a fact that readers will regret after reading this compelling crime drama. (Piper is better know for science-fiction novels like Little Fuzzy, Space Viking, and Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen.) In this novel private detective Jefferson Davis Rand is hired to catalog an extensive gun collection after the owner's apparent suicide. (Some chilling real-life foreshadowing here: Piper would eventually kill himself using a firearm from his own collection.) But Rand soon suspects foul play and quickly finds himself at the center of murder investigation.
Besides introducing Rand, a private detective cut from the same cloth as many of those from the most famous of 20th century mystery fiction, this novel also shows off Piper's extensive knowledge of firearms. A product of the era in which it was written this mystery will still be enjoyed by contemporary readers.
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