Murder R.F.D.

 Murder R.F.D. (1978) by Leslie Stephan

Poison pen notes kick off the mystery in Stephan's book. The first arrive at Rocky Meadows, the re-christened Bartlett farm where George and Emily Atkins are trying to make a go of farming. The middle-couple moved from Summit, New Jersey to fulfill George's dream of the simple life of organic farming. Because they didn't have enough money to start fresh all by themselves, they have taken on partners--Philip and Bunny Westover and also brought in the Blackburns, Jim and Maureen. 

Things aren't going so well even before the poison pen campaign. The crops don't seem to grow, despite all the hard work of George, Emily, and Jim Blackburn and the piglets they thought to raise and sell for meat seem to be sickening. Philip contributes nothing to the enterprise except a bit of starting capital--choosing to spend his time with the bottle instead of a tractor. Bunny provides even more of the working capital, but also contributes little else. 

Then Emily begins receiving nasty letters that accuse the little cooperative of being a place of orgies and worse. She knew the locals were standoffish, but thought it was because they were outsiders who hadn't been around long enough to be accepted. She didn't think anyone hated them that much. Then letters begin arriving at the police station

THERE IS TROUBLE AT ROCKY MEADOW

and Sergeant Dave Putnam is sent out to investigate. Emily doesn't feel like sharing her letters and the residents at the farm present a united front (There's nothing wrong here, officer.) A second note arrives

YOU DIDN'T LOOK HARD ENOUGH

And still nothing is found. But when Philip's car is vandalized with white paint, they can't pretend that nothing's wrong any longer. Emily's letters are produced and George reveals that there has been other incidents that he hadn't told anyone about--missing tools and trees that were slashed. Sergeant Putnam and Chief Henderson believe at first that it must be teenagers run amok, but then they find evidence of a plan behind the notes and vandalism. They have to rethink their theories though when Bunny Westover is found dead early one morning.

The night before, her poodle hadn't come home and she had stayed up late waiting for the beloved dog. She had promised faithfully that she wouldn't go back outside after the others went to bed, but she was found out in the yard with her head bashed in. The State Police are called in because the local men have no experience with murder. But Putnam can't keep from thinking about the case--and making little investigations of his own. Certain clues lead him to believe that Bunny wasn't killed where she was found and his connections with the very Miss Marple-like Bea Lambert gives him a lot of background and gossip that the State boys aren't going to get. When some of his findings lead the Troopers to make an arrest, he should feel satisfied. And yet...something about the solution just doesn't sit right. 

Stephan makes an effort at giving the reader a twisty mystery, trying to focus the reader's attention on the suspect initially arrested. But I (like Putnam) wasn't convinced and my attention was on the correct culprit from the beginning, so the surprise ending wasn't near the surprise our author wanted it to be. I did enjoy Putnam and his relationship with his Chief and with Bea Lambert. And I especially appreciated the echoes of Miss Marple, though Miss Lambert isn't nearly as prominent. I actually would have liked to see more of her. She's written as a very shrewd lady with great insights into human nature and I think putting her in a more centralized position would be a good move. It appears that there are more books by Stephan with Putnam--I hope Bea Lambert figures more prominently. ★★★ and 1/2

First line: Emily Atkins was digging potatoes at the end of the long garden beside the house, methodically turning up forkfuls of the stony, light brown soil.

"You see what's happening to me, Dave? The complications in this thing are beginning to twist my mind. I'm verging into fantasy. I'm suffering from intellectual vertigo." (Chief Henderson; p. 173)

"People interest me. David. I've put a lot of time and effort into studying people--what's called my nosiness--and I like to believe that, except in certain areas where my experience is physically limited, I do have a fair knowledge of human nature. Certain themes, you know, occur over and over again. The players change. but greed and vanity and pride, they're always with us." (Bea Lambert [being very Miss Marple-ish]; p. 226)

Last line: "I don't think." she said solemnly. "that I've ever had such a busy week."

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Deaths = 6 (two natural; two accident; one drowned; one hit on head