''The Lady in the Morgue'' (

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...

) is one of the novels by

Jonathan Latimer Jonathan Wyatt Latimer (October 23, 1906 – June 23, 1983) was an American crime writer known his novels and screenplays. Before becoming an author, Latimer was a journalist in Chicago. Early life and education Born in Chicago, Illinois, L ...

featuring private detective William Crane. The lady of the title is a female corpse which is stolen from a

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

morgue A morgue or mortuary (in a hospital or elsewhere) is a place used for the storage of human corpses awaiting identification (ID), removal for autopsy, respectful burial, cremation or other methods of disposal. In modern times, corpses have cu ...

before the dead woman's identity can be established. The book is to a large extent a send-up of the

hardboiled Hardboiled (or hard-boiled) fiction is a literary genre that shares some of its characters and settings with crime fiction (especially detective fiction and noir fiction). The genre's typical protagonist is a detective who battles the violence o ...

school of crime writing. Crane is depicted as an ambivalent figure. Although he is tough and eventually solves the case through reasoning and cunning strategy, he is also a heavy drinker and ever so often prefers taking a nap to investigating the crime for which he has been hired. On the other hand, he is not afraid to deal with

gangster A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from '' mob'' and the suffix '' -ster''. Gangs provide a level of organization and ...

s when he believes this might help him clear up the mystery. Historians Robert A. Baker and Michael T. Nietzel describe ''The Lady in the Morgue'' as Latimer's "masterpiece" and "as funny and bizarre as a Marx Brothers comedy." Baker, Robert A. and Michael T. Nietzel. ''Private Eyes: One Hundred and One Knights : a Survey of American Detective Fiction 1922-1984''. Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1985. p 101. Accessed 13 February 2018.

Plot summary

Throughout the novel the true identity of the young, attractive woman found hanging dripping wet from a rope in her hotel room remains a mystery. Neither her clothes nor the conspicuous lack of any shoes provides the police with any clue as to what has happened, and they assume the woman has committed suicide. At the same time a young woman from a prominent New York family goes missing, but when the stolen body is retrieved by Crane her relatives assert that these are not her human remains. Only in the final pages is it found out that a case of switched identities is at the bottom of the riddle. ''The Lady in the Morgue'' is remembered for its frank treatment of

drug addiction Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to engage in certain behaviors, one of which is the usage of a drug, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use oft ...

among artists, for its frequent references to contemporary

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

and swing music, and for its bizarre setting (morgues, cemeteries).

Publication history

The British publishing house Methuen & Co. Ltd. republished ''The Lady in the Morgue'' in hardcover in 1957.

Film adaptation

''The Lady in the Morgue'' was adapted for the big screen in 1938 (aka ''The Case of the Missing Blonde'' in the UK). The screenplay was written by Eric Taylor and Robertson White; the film, which starred

Preston Foster Preston Stratton Foster (August 24, 1900 – July 14, 1970), was an American actor of stage, film, radio, and television, whose career spanned nearly four decades. He also had a career as a vocalist. Early life Born in Ocean City, New Jersey ...

as Bill Crane, was directed by

Otis Garrett Otis Garrett (1905–1941) was an American film editor, screenwriter and film director.Shelley p.150 Filmography Director * ''The Last Express'' (1938) * '' Danger on the Air'' (1938) * '' The Black Doll'' (1938) * ''Personal Secretary'' (1938) ...

. It has often been cited as a particularly well-made B-movie.

References

Read on

Peter Cheyney Reginald Evelyn Peter Southouse-Cheyney (22 February 1896 – 26 June 1951) was a British crime fiction writer who flourished between 1936 and 1951. Cheyney is perhaps best known for his short stories and novels about agent/detective Lemmy C ...

's '' Can Ladies Kill?'' (1938) for another lady in a morgue * Raymond Chandler's ''

Farewell, My Lovely ''Farewell, My Lovely'' is a novel by Raymond Chandler, published in 1940, the second novel he wrote featuring the Los Angeles private eye Philip Marlowe. It was adapted for the screen three times and was also adapted for the stage and rad ...

'' (1940) for another case of switched identities. {{DEFAULTSORT:Lady in the Morgue, The 1936 American novels American crime novels Novels set in Chicago Doubleday, Doran books American novels adapted into films