Having Wonderful Crime
Cover Artist: not identifiedBy: Rice, Craig pseudonym of Georgiana Ann Randolph Craig
Publisher: Pocket Books, Inc. (289) - 4th printing
Place of Publication:New York, NY
Catalog #: Kelley Box 360: PS3535 .I2217 H2 1946
Contributor: S. Sechrest
General
Era: 1940sAuthor as on Cover: Craig Rice
Publication:1946
Original Date: 1943
Setting: urban; mostly the high rent parts of Manhattan
Plot Summary
Chicagoans John J. Malone and Helene and Jake Justus are visiting New York City where they encounter a drunken bridegroom named Dennis Morrison. The next day, the decapitated body of a beautiful woman who is not the bride is found in the bridal suite. The victim is identified as model Gloria Garden by her father, Dr. Puckett. Malone is hired to find the missing bride, the wealthy Bertha Morrison, by her trustee, Abner Proudfoot. It's discovered that the head and the body belong to two different women. For their own reasons, Malone and the Justuses investigate the murders independently. They discover that Gloria was secretly married, Proudfoot is broke, and Dennis worked for a dubious escort service. Finally, they catch Dennis looking for his wife's head in Dr. Puckett's garden. The doctor shoots him in self defense. It is revealed that Morrison killed Bertha for her money and he killed Gloria to cover up their bigamous marriage. Malone covers up the fact that the doctor did the decapitations to revenge himself on Morrison.Major Characters
John J. Malone adult male, middle-aged, short, stocky, black hair, blue eyes, small paunch, lawyerJake Justus adult male, big, bony, ungainly, blue eyes, red hair, freckles, nightclub owner, former reporter and press agent
Helene Justus adult female, beautiful, blonde, tall, long-legged, independently wealthy
Dennis Morrison adult male, dark hair, blue eyes, handsome, male escort
Dr. Puckett adult male, middle-aged, short, receding gray hair, glasses, friendly intelligent face, physician
Bertha Lutts Morrison adult female, round-faced, dull-looking, independently wealthy
Gloria Garden (née Hazel Puckett) adult female, dyed blonde hair, beautiful, model
Abner Proudfoot adult male, middle-aged, tall, angular, gray hair, grim gray face, lawyer
Howard Lutts "Howie," adult male, homosexual, handsome, tall, dyed blonde hair, male escort
Wildavine Williams adult female, medium height, stringy brown hair, glasses, no makeup, bright-colored clothing, poet