The Voice in the Fog
(Grosset & Dunlap, 1915)
While vacationing in London, Kitty Killigrew is delayed in a night fog. As she sits in her cab, a precious necklace of sapphires is stolen from around her neck. She doesn't see the thief, but hears the voices of him and his accomplice. When she and her parents return to the U.S., Mr. Killigrew (the dad) determines to start a poverty fund, and hires a young Englishman named Thomas Webb as secretary. Webb, however, has a necklace of sapphires hidden away, and is loath to reveal them to anyone. Did he steal them, or did they come to him second-hand?
When an erstwhile ship-mate tries to yank the gems from Webb, Detective Haggerty starts nosing around, suspecting the necklace is identical to the one stolen from Miss Killigrew. Now enter Lord Dimbeldon, a mysterious individual staying as an invited guest at the Killigrew villa. He seems to know something concerning Webb. In fact, it is hinted that a secret understanding exists between the two. Concerning the sapphires? Kitty soon begins to doubt the honesty of the newly-hired secretary. All this comes to a head when Haggerty meets his old friend Crawford in New York. His (Crawford's) house was broken into while he was abroad. Someone was in there snooping for diamonds. Crawford seems to hint at an old servant who was discharged years ago for jewel robbery. To add to Haggerty's mystification, Crawford is an intimate friend of the Killigrews. Where will all this lead?
Fresh from his novel The Million Dollar Mystery, Harold MacGrath returns to the Grosset & Dunlap bestseller lists with another yarn of mystery and suspense. This time, the romantic element (always present in his fiction) is very subdued, while intrigue and crime take the stage as key players. This tale is a vast improvement over the Million Dollar Mystery (a potboiler), and marks a return toward MacGrath's usual literary style. As well, the story is cunningly conceived. The plot, though a little complex, is easy enough to follow. All of the characters play an important part in the dénouement, and the reader is left guessing till the last few pages. Those who already read Deuces Wild will find this novel to be a sequel. It continues the plot thread started by Detective Haggerty in the former book. But to say too much would be to throw out spoilers-- never a good thing to do.
MacGrath here shows himself a master of succinct brevity of style. What he says is always brief and to the point. The plot glides along quickly, but not at breakneck speed. There is a judicious amount of diversion thrown in for pacing purposes. Yet for all that, the novel is a "quick reader." It is also probably the perfect length for a novel. About 300 pages of large, wide-margined text. All in all, The Voice in the Fog is one of the better mystery tales I've read in a bit. It is weaker in tone and conception to MacGrath's earlier fiction. One almost misses the cool breezy introspection of such books as Carpet from Bagdad and Parrot & Co. However, the work is just as effective in holding the reader's attention from beginning to end. That is an asset sometimes overlooked by reviewers.
If you're a fan of the mystery genre, by all means search and seek for a copy of The Voice in the Fog. The book, though becoming scarce, is yet obtainable for under $20, while dust-jacket copies hit the roofs. [Note: To obtain a facsimile dust jacket of this book, go here]. Nevertheless, I recently got a very nice (unjacketed) edition for $.99 on Ebay. That goes to show, that in this crazy crazy world, bargains may still be found. One book-seller I ran across lists this as a "supernatural" novel. But he's clearly got his facts kubunzled. If you're looking for things that go "bump in the night," don't come knocking around. But if you like jewels that go "missing" (not your own!), or enjoy "lost-and-found," The Voice in the Fog may be calling you. As a piece of trivia, "Kitty Killigrew" was also a character in MacGrath's 1908 novel Lure of the Mask. It doesn't appear, however, that the two are in any way identical. Humph.
--B.A.S.
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