Death on the Double

Peter Chambers #13

by Henry Kane

The only uninvited guest was - murder! The host and the principal guests at the wildest, wickedest masquerade ball of the society season A playboy millionaire with more women than is good for the health of one man. A golden-limbed vixen who came masquerading as "Eve" - and wearing as little. A costumed killer with a murder in mind. And Peter Chambers, private eye.

Paperback

First published January 1, 1957

About the author

Author Henry Kane was a lawyer who seemed to prefer writing. In his career, wrote over 60 novels, including about 30 featuring Peter Chambers. Other short-lived series characters were PIs Marla Trent and retired NYPD detective inspector turned P.I. McGregor. He also wrote the movie adaptations for Ed McBain's 87th Precinct's Cop Hater and The Mugger. And, in light of his experience with Chambers, Kane was the perfect choice to pen an original novel starring television's Peter Gunn.

He also wrote under the pseudonyms Anthony McCall, Kenneth R. McKay, and Mario J. Sagola. He is the creator of Peter Chambers, a private eye in New York City, McGregor, an ex-cop turned private eye in New York City, and Maria Trent. Kane also contributed to the series of 'Ellery Queen' novels ghostwritten by other authors.

Reviews

[Two Envelopes And A Phone · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit of more than alright - in fact, it’s a firecracker. And a bit of redemption for the author, as Dirtie Gertie didn’t make much impression on me. One more Henry Kane offering didn’t seem like a hardboiled priority…until I saw Death on the Double wasting away, but temptingly priced, at a secondhand book store. I took a chance, and it has delivered slick and swift, yet near-spectacular results.

Private dick Pete Chambers hoovers up two jobs after getting lured to the offices of two business partners. Flirting with the secretary established, Chambers must attend a masquerade party, for on jobs for both money-men (who are experiencing a rift, though it’s unclear if recent friction between them is a future factor). One’s wife has disappeared (willingly, it seems); one wants to sell an opal, sand problems, during a private bidding war to be held at the costume party. All this leads to - besides other delicious complications before party-time - a dubious-credentials “Impossible Crime” scenario, and an opal sale that is a little too rigged to go in one direction to stay friendly.

I did not realize, at first, that the main novel wraps at 88 pages, with another 40 pages to go. Well, actually, It’s all presented as Death on the Double - Part 1 (long): “Watch the Jools”; Part 2 (quickie): “Beautiful Day”. There is no real connection between the two Parts, except it’s clear that Chambers’s shorter, second case is not long after what went on up to page 88. Chambers gets manipulated into what seems to be a frame-up - dead guy an old nemesis - and the more he tries to clear himself, the more the reader discovers that although this type of story is a bit over relied-on by purveyors of Private Eye fiction, Henry Kane has got a clever and entertaining little version going. I liked the longer work best, but “Beautiful Day” was no disappointing leftover - in fact, if it’s got one thing over on Part 1, it’s more tension, and more sudden violence.

So Dirty Gertie has fallen out of the rear-view mirror, and Death on the Double is the one that brings a Kane re-assessment on my part, and the one that means I’m actually excited about going to the author now and again, rather than taking one last chance. Even the writing seemed better this time, like Kane needs worthy plots to bring out the words and rhythms to do things justice.