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Murder in the Gunroom
H. Beam Piper
Book Overview:
The Lane Fleming collection of early pistols and revolvers was one of the best in the country. When Fleming was found dead on the floor of his locked gun room, a Confederate-made Colt-type percussion .36 revolver in his hand, the coroner’s verdict was “death by accident.” But Gladys Fleming had her doubts. Enough at any rate to engage Colonel Jefferson Davis Rand—better known just as Jeff—private detective and a pistol-collector himself, to catalog, appraise, and negotiate the sale of her late husband’s collection.
Recommended for fans of John Grisham, James Patterson, Janet Evanovich, Scott Turow and David Baldacci.
The Lane Fleming collection of early pistols and revolvers was one of the best in the country. When Fleming was found dead on the floor of his locked gun room, a Confederate-made Colt-type percussion .36 revolver in his hand, the coroner’s verdict was “death by accident.” But Gladys Fleming had her doubts. Enough at any rate to engage Colonel Jefferson Davis Rand—better known just as Jeff—private detective and a pistol-collector himself, to catalog, appraise, and negotiate the sale of her late husband’s collection.
Recommended for fans of John Grisham, James Patterson, Janet Evanovich, Scott Turow and David Baldacci.
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"What in the world is there to investigate?" Rand asked. "I'm just selling a lot of old pistols for the Fleming estate."
"I thought Fred Dunmore was doing that."
"So did Fred. You're both wrong, though. I am." He got out Goode's letter of authorization and handed it to Rivers, who read it through twice before handing it back. "You see anything in that about Fred Dunmore, or any of the other relatives-in-law?" he asked.
"Well, I didn't understand; I'm glad to know what the situation really is." Rivers frowned. "I thought you were making some kind of an investigation, and as I'm the only party making any serious offer to buy those pistols, I wanted to know what there was to investigate."
"Do you consider ten thousand dollars to be a serious offer?" Rand asked. "And aren't you forgetting Stephen Gresham and his friends?"
"Oh, those people!" Rivers scoffed. "Mr. Rand, you certainly. . . Read More
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Community Reviews
Nice story. A lot of details on antique guns, which was over my head. I know nothing about guns.
Murder, greed, robbery, mystery, suspicions. I think if you are really into guns and murder mystery, this may be the book for you.
1953. When men were Men and women were ornamental. This early Piper is hilarious to today’s reader. Every honorable man is a veteran. Plot and character take a back seat to what amounts to a detailed textbook of antique pistols, care and feeding of.
Pros:
Pleasing narrative style is keeping me readi
I'm familiar with H. Beam Piper mostly as a science fiction author, but I do like the occasional locked room mystery and, with a reading challenge in mind (a book with a gun or a gun on the cover), I picked up this book. There are guns: 2,500 in the collection for which someone has been murdered, no
It was a good diversion, as well as instructive on style. Publ. in early 1950s
Style
Coarse, cliché imagery
going at it, hammer-and-tongs
as though he had six legs and a hard shell
roaring like a bull
Hilarious variation of he said: he ejaculated and others
Heavy effect of WWII military incl. Nazi hi
A well-paced murder mystery. Rand is called in ostensibly to inventory and negotiate the best price for the firearms collection of Lane Fleming, recently deceased, by his widow. Does she mean him to investigate the death too? Could a serious amateur expert like Fleming accidentally kill himdpself wh
I've long been familiar with H. Beam Piper's science fiction (Little Fuzzy, etc.), but it was only recently that I discovered he also wrote a detective novel, Murder in the Gunroom. Naturally I had to lay hands on this curio.
Lane Fleming was a prominent collector of antique firearms. One night when