The Evil That Men Do

 The Evil That Men Do (1966) by Hugh Pentecost

Doris Standing, the world's second richest girl, has spent her youth looking for kicks. She and her jet-setting friends, known as Doris' Standing Army, enjoy playing cruel practical jokes on prominent members of society--from ruining the comeback of a once great singing star to destroying the political career of a conservative's bid for a governorship to making a fool of a fading romantic leading man. It's all fun and games to them--even when the games lead to heartbreak, madness, or worse. But this time something has happened that Doris can't face. She comes to the Beaumont Hotel under the name of Dorothy Smith and claims that she has no memory of the last three weeks. But she's sure that something dreadful has happened. When her Army shows up at the hotel, the unflappable manager, Pierre Chambrun is determined to keep them from sullying the good name of the Beaumont. But can he defend it against murder?

Someone is killing members of the Standing Army. Has Doris had enough of their cruel humor and decided to free herself from them--permanently. Or could it be that Gary Craig, the man who loves her no matter what she's done, has decided to liberate her from their evil influence? Or perhaps someone injured by one of their cruel tricks has decided to get revenge. Chambrun, his hotel staff, and Lieutenant Hardy from Homicide will have to find out quick...before the killer wipes out the entire Army.

Pentecost gives us an interesting puzzle even as he peoples the mystery with some very unlikeable characters. It's difficult to be very upset when member of the Army are picked off one by one. They haven't exactly had a lot of compassion for the people whose lives they've ruined or much (if any) remorse about those who took their own lives because they couldn't recover from the "joke." But I still enjoyed trying to figure out who is behind the killings. There are a few clues that an observant reader might catch (I didn't), so Pentecost does try to play fair if you're looking for that kind of thing. If you want a mystery that will give you the full flavor of the 1960s and a peek at the running of a high-class hotel, then this is definitely a series for you. Chambrun is the king of his little village and Mark Haskell makes for a good right-hand 

man in the Archie Goodwin tradition (with a few less wise-cracks). A good solid entry in the series. ★★★ 

First line: It was shortly after five o'clock in the morning when a young woman got out of a taxi in front of the Hotel Beaumont, paid the driver, and walked through the revolving door into the hotel's lobby.

Last lines: And there is Chambrun. Without him, there would be no Beaumont.
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Deaths = 6 (three natural; three shot)