A sour old housekeeper is pushed down the basement stairs, and a dissolute young man becomes the prime suspect--much to the dismay of his older, protective sister--in Jean Potts' Go, Lovely Rose.
I didn't know anything about Potts or the novel before picking it up from Stark House Press, one of my favorite publishers, who seems dedicated to bringing lost noir out of obscurity. This one actually won the Edgar for best first novel in 1954 and has unjustifiably fallen off of the radar.
This is a smart, funny novel that colorfully paints the characters and their small-town life. Potts writes in a steady amount of coded subtext that makes it of continued interest to contemporary readers.
Eccentric characters add value, including the young man's oddball high school girlfriend, the housekeeper's equally dour twin sister, the scheming ex-husband of the housekeeper, and a somewhat melancholy and love-stricken town doctor.
A welcome surprise, and extremely enjoyable. Recommended for fans of classic mysteries.
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