Vintage Silver Age Mystery
Scavenger Hunt Category: Skeletal Hand or Skull
Date Finished: June 24, 2017
TBR #49
Follow the Clues step #41: from Third to Twice
An emeritus professor, returning from the party celebrating his new book, finds the dead body of the president of the Board of Regents in his car. Set in the late 1960s, the university is full of unrest, as the students are marching in the streets, and conservative officials, such as the dead man, are dead set against any of their demands.
An assistant D.A., Bernard Simmons, seems to be the primarily detective here, but two police detectives are also largely featured. Lockridge also throughs in his standard old man romance, just like Bill Weigand in the Mr. and Mrs. North series, and Merton Heimrich in his own series, with everyone too tentative to have any passion. All of this distracts somewhat from focusing on the suspects, so they are not as clearly defined. Still it moves along enough that it is over quickly enough, though lacking in any sort of excitement or suspense.