Nightmare at Noon

 Nightmare at Noon (1951) by Stewart Sterling (Prentice Wenchell)

Fire Marshall and pyro-hunter Ben Pedley is on the hunt again when an out-of-control fire breaks out in the already heated noon at the beginning of July. The fire was started in the home of Pedley's nemesis, attorney Rudy "The Key" Denhom. Denhom earned his nickname as the lawyer who most often turned the defense key that would let slimy criminals go free after mistrials and hung juries botched up the works of justice. Most recently, Denhom had arranged for the mistrial in the case of Manno Bourne--a man against whom Pedley was sure they had an airtight case for arson.

Now it looks like the man who extinguished the flame of justice has been extinguished himself. The burned body wearing Denhom's pajamas and trademark wristwatch is pulled from the building. But certain signs make Pedley doubt that the body is really Denhom's. And when an investigation reveals that Denhom had written a $60,000 check to self, made reservations in an assumed name for a Mexican flight, and gotten pally with a man who could have taken his place in an identity parade, it begins to look like The Key had unlocked his own escape hatch. But what was he running from? The Bourne brothers who didn't seem completely satisfied with the results of the mistrial? A junior partner who seemed to take too much interest in his private affairs? The gaggle of women he'd gotten himself entangled with? Or something else? And did he really escape after all?

Meanwhile, Robin Kozpet, the junior partner, is squawking about how Pedley is running roughshod over the law firm--something about how the Marshall has it in for them, is intimidating Kozpet & the staff & Denhom's wife, is mishandling the fire investigating, and needs investigating himself--and the Commissioner is getting ready to hold a suspension meeting. Pedley is going to have to move fast to wrap up the investigation before he loses the power to investigate.

Stewart had his origins in the pulps and it shows. Pedley is a flashy, smart-mouthed investigator who doesn't always play by the rules and sometimes downright breaks them when "interviewing" a few of the more reluctant suspects. Action, excitement, and danger is far more important than plotting and clues, but generally the adventure is a fun ride and there are enough clues to satisfy most mystery buffs (as long as you remember that Stewart is no Christie when it comes to tight plotting). However, this one didn't quite meet up to the usual Stewart standard. The plot feels even more all over the place than usual and there are some very confusing bits that were hard to follow. There is an interesting twist on the identity of the corpse and there are clues to the motive though not clearly tying it to the culprit. Pedley holds the identifying clue close to his chest and we only get to see it at the end. ★★ and 1/2

First line: The perforated panel on the dash spoke hollowly: "Here's a funny one, skipper."

Last line: "If that's what she thought," Pedley said, "--she was right, wasn't she?"
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Deaths = 3 (one hit on head; one stabbed; two shot)