MURDER WITH A THEME SONG

Garden City, New York,: Doubleday Crime Club, 1939. 1st edition. Publishers orange cloth with black lettering at spine and design at spine and finished at front cover. Previous owner's inscription at front endpaper. Corners bumbed, light fade to spine panel, spine edges rubbed, soiled and lightly slanted, housed in homemade acetate dust wrapper. A Sheriff Rocky Allan and Michael Dundas collaboration. [California] Murder with a Theme Song is a most notable production by an author whose The Dark Cavalier gained a wide and enthusiastic audience. In this book are included Michael Dundas and Valerie Sheridan of The Dark Cavalier, and Rocky and Eleanor Allen, of the author’s earlier books. Mrs. Rath has handled these four characters in such a skillful manner that no one of them outgrows the rest in emphasis, and yet all four play the usual role of hero and heroine. The book, while basically a sound, perplexing mystery story, is replete with characterizations, dialogue, and situations that would ornament a serious novel. An elderly nurse who tried to drown her sorrows, or her fears, in cocktails, drew Michael and Valerie into the case, and a year-old kidnapping which involved persons living in Rocky’s territory was responsible for the Allens’ interest. Together Michael and Rocky pursued the murderer whose presence was betrayed by the tune -- Alouette,-- and who felt that withered tiger lilies were a fitting floral decoration for slit hot water bottles.. First Edition. Cloth. Good-Very Good/No Jacket. Book.