A wonderful 1960's era mystery.Joe Quinn is a Private Detective Who has just been fired from his Casino job in Reno. He has caught a ride west with an acquaintance who has dropped him off short of his destination at the door of a dessert commune known at 'The Tower'. He is taken in by Sister Blessing who upon finding out that Joe is a PI, hires him to find out the location of Patrick O'Gorman. Joe reluctantly accepts the commission which sets him down a number of trails he couldn't have expected.
The twists and turns of this story kept me mystified. I couldn't guess what was going to happen next and how all those characters were going to be tied together. The fact that this story was written almost 5 decades past doesn't in any way diminish its impact. The characters are very believable. I liked Joe and his acceptance of the loss of his job due to his own failings. Sister Blessing seemed and odd fit for a religious commune, but she did seem to truly want to be there even when 'The Master' pronounced punishment on her.
I'm not going to say anymore as I don't want to start revealing any more of the plot. You'll have to find a copy and read for yourself. You won't be disappointed.
Margaret Millar was born and raised in Kitchener, Ontario which is in my 'neck of the woods'. My local library system only had this one book on their shelves, but I will definitely be asking them to arrange an inter-library loan for some of her other works.
To learn more about her books and life, be sure to read Margaret Millar's Biography.
3rd read for the Canadian Book Challenge
2 comments:
This one sounds old but really tempting :D
Thanks for sharing.
Yes, it was published in 1962 and she had even earlier ones as well. Definitely worth the read if you come across a copy. I hope to find more of her works.
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