Death & Chicanery

 Death & Chicanery (1962) by Philip MacDonald

A light collection of short stories from the author of The List of Adrian Messenger and The Rasp. Not heavy on the mystery side, the stories are more psychological and emotionally charged than criminally so. The stories are well-written, but I'd hoped for more mystery than I got. ★★★

"Deed of Mercy": As soon as Hungarian refugee and eminent nuclear scientist Nikolas Bethlen and his wife arrive in the U.S. they promptly disappear. Journalists everywhere are on the lookout--hoping to get the big scoop when they figure out where the couple is. Michael Hackett lucks into a lead, but Bethlen is in an auto accident before Hackett has a chance to interview him. And the news gets even bigger--a teenage hitchhiker whom Bethlen picked up is now accusing him of molesting her...Hackett smells a put-up job. But why?

"Breakfast for the King": Kai-Kon is in love with Pyuk-Lu and according to custom must hunt enough animal furs to buy silver shoes to win her hand. But his luck is bad and he only gets a few pelts before a run-in with a wild boar injures him. When he's found passed out under a tree where another hunter had stashed his furs and the evidence indicates that Kai-Kon has stolen the furs, the council of elders finds him guilty and sentences him to death--by tiger. His love and a single member of the council believe him innocent, but can they prove it in time?

"Moon Flame": Moon Flame is a beautiful thoroughbred horse whose days are numbered unless a journalist and two young people can save him The horse is caught up in a bitter divorce between two actors and the vindictive lady is determined to get back at her ex by destroying his horse. But no horse lover is going let a beautiful animal be killed out of spite....

"The Ticker-Tape": Martin Liengard is a writer who has an odd type of insomnia. When he gets over-tired and can't sleep, a "ticker-tape" starts running in his head, spitting out meaningless phrases. Once he gets married, the tick-tape stops...until a young Mexican boy is murdered. Then it starts up again. But this time the phrases aren't so meaningless....

First line (1st story): Nikolas Bethlen and his wife arrived in the United States late in '56, part of the first plane-load of post-revolution Hungarian refugees.

Last line (last story): "Martin!" she called. "Where are you?"

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Deaths = 3 (one attacked by tiger; one hit on the head; one fell from height)