She Shall Have Murder

by Delano Ames

Book Overview

Dagobert Brown's always got a new interest, Gregorian chant, wildflowers, sixteenth-century French poetry. His latest hobby, however, is murder-or at least, the murder mystery he wants Jane Hamish to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060806389
• ISBN13: 9780060806385
• Release Date: January 1983
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Length: 245 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.

Customer Reviews

An easy, elegant whodunit

Delano Ames was born in Mt. Vernon, Ohio in 1906. His father worked at the local newspaper, and his mother was a descendent of the Mayflower settlers. His great-grandfather was Interior Secretary to President Grant. He also had ties to FDR, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Ulysses S. Grant, Conrad Aiken, and Alan Shepard. The family moved to New Mexico in 1917, then Ames moved to Greenwich Village upon his first marriage. He later moved to England and married a second time. He worked for British Intelligence during the day and took part in the North Africa invasion in 1942. He eventually ended up back in New Mexico, but traveled between London, Paris, and an "unspoiled Spanish village." He eschewed work, but managed to publish a considerable body of work during his lifetime. Although sleuthing couples were rare in the literature of the time, Delano Ames created the British detecting couple Dagobert Brown and Jane Hamish. SHE SHALL HAVE MURDER is their first escapade, and interestingly enough it takes place in the law office where Jane works. One of their elderly female clients dies suddenly of a supposed accidental death by gas. Dagobert and Jane are both skeptical, and they embark on their first full scale sleuthing exercise: "'Meet me at the corner of Church Street in three minutes,' he said. And he rang off to avoid argument. I was at the corner of Church Street in three minutes. He said hello briefly and tucked my arm through his. He strode along so quickly I had to take two steps to his one, and he didn't say anything. We entered Kensington Gardens. We had them to ourselves, for it was a grim day. We found a deserted bench and for the first time Dagobert spoke. 'Jane,' he said quietly and without a trace of his usual enthusiasm, 'I'm afraid Mrs. Robjohn was murdered after all.'" It is always a pleasure to read The Rue Morgue Press mysteries. They take us back to another genteel, in many ways more intelligent, time. Delano Ames creates an easy camaraderie between Jane and Dagobert, making for an easy, elegant whodunit. Shelley Glodowski Senior Reviewer

Classic British "amatuer" mystery

Ames was a top notch practitioner of the Amatuer sleuth school of British Mystery. His series featuring Jane and Dagobert Brown is great fun. This early case starts off the romance as Dagobert helps Jane find the truth behind the mysterious but little noted death of an middle aged lady of limited means.