At
One Fell Swoop by Stuart Palmer: A review by Warren Bull
Published in 1951, At One Fell Swoop is one of a series of
book with Hildegarde Withers, a retired maiden schoolteacher as an amateur
sleuth and her friend and antagonist police detective Oscar Piper. He puts up
with her schemes but benefits in the end from her insights. The pairing lasted
through fourteen novels, three motion pictures and a made-for–television movie.
Palmer has a deft hand at writing.
The plot is tight with a justified, satisfying ending. It plays fair with the
reader. The heroine is caustic and comedic. The hero is amusingly frustrated
and aware of Miss Wither’s ability to unravel riddles. The novel zipped along
with action, humor and surprises. Palmer was considered one of the best writers
of the time. One year he was the president of Mystery Writers of America.
His characters and writing stands
the test of time. I highly recommend this mystery.
I've never heard of this series. So glad you are introducing us to these gems.
ReplyDeleteI never heard of it either. I wonder if I've seen any of the movies made from this series. You gave us some history on the author and this old series that is an interesting story in itself. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteWarren, I've never heard of this series, and it's just one more to add to my list to check out. I'm hoping I can find his books on Amazon or at least in the library, although most
ReplyDeletelibraries start deleting books that are too old.
I Googled this and didn't find the books but found a movie series I am going to check out. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteAnother new author to check out! Warren, your research is wonderful, but it does keep my TBR list growing.
ReplyDeleteI think there were 6 1930's movies and 1 with Eve Arden circa 1970's. He also wrote screenplays in Hollywood and collaborated with Craig Rice teaming her Malone with his Withers.
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