Murder by the Clock

The book opens with a woman debating with herself if she should contact the police concerning her fears for the safety of her husband. She is Mrs. Herbert Endicott and is known to us only as Mrs. Endicott, no first name is ever given. She fears for her husband, but has a crime been committed? Is there a corpse? Is Herbert Endicott dead or alive?

Lieutenant Valcour, who is assigned to the precinct in which the Endicotts reside, calls on Mrs. Endicott. From the outset, Valcour is fascinated by this beautiful woman and presents the image of the mature, well-educated and insightful detective. Mrs. Endicott typifies the wealthy elites of the period; she has concerns and expects these concerns to be taken seriously. She responds well to the “foreign” aspect of Valcour, a naturalized citizen with French-Canadian ancestry, and confides in him.

Valcour, who suffers internally from an odd sense of humor and a tendency to philosophize, listens to Mrs. Endicott’s worries, learns that her husband is quite the philanderer, and eventually locates him—apparently dead—on the floor of his bedroom closet.

Time passes—noted by the time heading of each chapter—and the plot unfolds. At first, there is no murder, only a heart attack. Still, Valcour suspects the attack was caused by some deliberate act. He investigates, collects evidence and meets with its inhabitants. Valcour encounters Mrs. Endicott’s personal maid Roberts, the housekeeper Mrs. Siddons and other staff. King draws fascinating vignettes of these characters and the reader is left to speculate upon their attitudes toward Mr. Endicott. Eventually, Valcour expands his investigations outside the mansion. He travels to the apartments of additional key figures in the tale.

No spoilers! Mr. Endicott starts to recover and is shot to death! How was it done? Valcour methodically teases out information from the various characters involved. When the solution is found, the reader can breathe a grateful sigh of “I thought so!” BUT, there is an unexpected twist at the very end…..