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THE BLACK HOUSE
by Constance and Gwenyth Little
Rue Morgue Press, June 2004
155 pages
$14.00
ISBN: 0915230682


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Henry Debbon is a lawyer but does not seem very happy with his lot. He is sarcastic and cynical about everything in his every day life. His boss Claude Boster wants Debbon to protect his almost daughter, Diana Herron. Boster fears that Scrimmer, an escaped convict, is after him or one of his loved ones. Debbon agrees simply because he needs the in with his boss and the rewards he might receive.

Diana is not completely comfortable with the situation and worries that Debbon is slightly crazy. Boster and Debbon attempt to follow her around town, until they finally decide to keep her safe in a remote area. Unfortunately, upon their arrival they find a dead body. Debbon must find the hidden murderer before someone else is killed and he is blamed for the murder.

THE BLACK HOUSE has a similar madcap feel as early movies such as IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT. The hero is only the hero reluctantly and characters rely on witticisms to deal with every situation. Plus there is the idea that a happy ending does not guarantee a fairytale ending. The entire book has antics that are normally associated with the 1930s and early 1940s.

The characters are an interesting blend of personalities as well. Debbon does not want to be involved in the situation ­- he would much rather hide out from the crazy people that seem to be around him. This desire becomes even stronger once he realizes that someone is trying to kill him rather than Diana. Boster is probably one of the strangest people of the lot, as he is only worried about his almost daughter's life and not his own. He also seems to be talking to dead people. Diana almost matches Debbon in her cynicism but also is somewhat snobbish. She has the ability to make everyone around her feel like a heel if she so desires.

THE BLACK HOUSE was originally published in 1950. Rue Morgue Press has re-released this book in addition to several other books by Constance and Gwenyth Little. Hopefully Rue Morgue will continue this endeavor as they are capturing a piece of history that would otherwise be lost and forgotten.

Reviewed by Sarah Dudley, June 2004

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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