''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
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, coordinates =
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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