With Option to Die

Captain Heimrich #18

by Richard Lockridge

Inspector Heimrich gets embroiled in a small-town conspiracy in this mystery from the coauthor of the “excellent” Mr. and Mrs. North series (The New Yorker).

Inspector M. L. Heimrich of the New York State Police may not have the flash of hard-boiled city detectives, but there’s no lead the intrepid investigator won’t follow until his every hunch is satisfied . . .

Tensions have been rising in the conservative community of North Wellwood, New York, ever since African American lawyer Thomas Peters moved to town with a plan to open a desegregated country club.

Those in opposition are determined to see Mr. Peters’s plan fail at all costs—going so far as to harass liberal newcomers like Eric and Ann Martin, and commit vile acts against those who dare to support equality, like widow Faith Powers.

Called in to investigate Mrs. Powers’s shocking murder, recently promoted Inspector Heimrich soon finds himself caught in the storm that has taken over North Wellwood. Now, if he wants to see justice served, he’ll have to make it out of a hate-fueled powder keg that’s ready to explode . . .

Genres: Mystery

255 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1967

About the author

An American writer of detective fiction, Richard Lockridge's frequent collaborator was his wife Frances Lockridge, who co-wrote the Mr. and Mrs. North mystery series and other popular books.

The couple also published under the shared pseudonym Francis Richards.

Reviews

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Ann and Eric Martin rent a country house in North Wellwood, New York, they find themselves in the middle of a divided community. The current uproar is over the request for a building permit for a new, integrated country club. Thomas Peters, a well-known African American lawyer, had moved into the area with this grand plan to make a club where everyone (or at least everyone who could pay the membership fees) could gather--no restrictions. But North Wellwood is a conservative, Republican town and there are many folks who don't care for the idea at all--not that they have anything against people of color, you understand...but the location isn't right OR it's a fine experiment but can't we experiment somewhere else first? Of course, there are those who are downright hostile and those folks get even more stirred up when outside influences under the name "Patriots United" hook up with members of the North Wellwood Preservation Association. A high-profile instigator in Patriots United is spotted in the town. There's general name-calling (using "liberal" as a derogatory term isn't anything new it seems) and complaints that those who want to change things are communists or socialists...or worse.

And then there's murder. Mrs. Faith Powers, who has been vocal in her support of the club, is shot as she's out driving in her little Mercedes. Lieutenant Forniss takes the lead in the investigation with the recently-promoted Inspector Heimrich leaving his desk often to "delegate" on the spot as it were. (It takes time to get used to a new position with less field work...) Then the newspaper office (where an editorial in support of the club had been printed) is attacked with a dynamite booby-trap attached to one of its presses. And the Martins suffer a round of attacks, culminating in a couple of hand grenades tossed in the windows. Ann works as an investigative reporter and had recently been credited on a television program about racial conditions in the south. So, even though the Martins are new to town, it's obvious where their loyalties lie...Forniss and Heimrich will have to decide if these incidents are all of a piece or if there are other motives hidden in the racial unrest.

The more things change...the more they stay the same. Racial unrest. "True Patriots" vs. Liberals. What a familiar ring this Lockridge book has. It is an excellent view of how propaganda and a hate compaign can take over the most calm and quiet communities. How evil--whether in the name of racial hatred or using that hatred as a cover for other crimes--can flourish with just a little wind to fan the flames.

It is also a nicely plotted mystery and it is fun to watch Heimrich try and get comfortable in his new role. The old war horse has a difficult time staying out of the thick of the battle, but Forniss makes a good detective in his own right and gathers plenty of evidence on his own. Another good read in the Heimrich series. I especially enjoyed seeing my old friend Professor Brinkley show up again.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before resposting portions of review. Thanks.

[Lisa Kucharski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captain Heimrich is now Inspector Heimrich. And the current case takes place in a town nearby where his friend Prof. Brinkley lives. Heimrich has to adjust delegating some of the work now to Forniss who also received a promotion.

Book was written in 1967 and fears and racial hatred abound in this story. A newcomer to the area, Peters a prominent lawyer, and black man has moved into the area and want to build a integrated club and golf course on the land. This has brought the small community into an uproar. A long time local is vocal in her support of it. She is killed. Then vandals attack others who show support. People are hurt in a bombing.

This is a great window of how fears can take hold of a community, it also is a good time for various crimes to take place in the hopes that the events will cover the tracks of the evil doers. Great book, tight plotting and a more sure voice are found here in the second solo authoring in this series.

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Early Bird Book Deal | Relevant reading for the present moment, doesn't make it easy to read | Reading people be hateful to each other, in reality or in fiction, gives me anxiety, so I spent most of this book with a deep pain in my chest. As is usually the case with books in the Heimrich series, there's a single sentence early on that if you pick it up you'll know from that point who the killer is. I was pleased to see Professor Brinkley again, Heimrich has finally gotten his deserved promotion, and Colonel has brought a new member to the household! But the N-word appears a lot, in the spittle-flecked vitriol of violent racists. There's discussion of a Black preacher beaten to death in another town, hand grenades are thrown through a living room window, etc. Published in 1967, and the world hasn't grown up since, it's good to read, but it's hard to read.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had to get this one on Kindle. A little different entry in the series, reflecting the racial tension of the mid 1960’s in the United States. A proposed integrated country club in a conservative Republican community in upstate New York brings tension and strife to a normally quiet community. And murder..by outside agitators or someone in the community? An interesting case for newly promoted Inspector Heimrich who also has to deal with his wish to be in the field instead of delegating to his competent staff.