Review: Murder within Murder by Francis and Richard Lockridge

"Miss Amelia Gipson presented a firm front to the world; she stood for no nonsense" Miss Gipson was a full-figured fifty two year old woman. She had firm moral opinions, and she had no hesitation in pointing out the moral failures of others. Indeed, she felt that it was her moral duty to point out the laxity of others

She had left her position as a professor of Latin at Ward College, a New England woman's college. She was now living in New York city, and was employed at North Books as a researcher. She was doing research for a book, My Favorite Murder, in which each chapter would deal with a well known murder, and would be written by a different author. Miss Gipson was doing research for three of the chapters.  It was the evening of Sept. 11th when she was poisoned in the New York Public Library while working on research for the Purdy poisoning case.

There were several possible suspects in the case. Miss Gipson managed the trust fund for her niece and nephew, both of whom had a reason to wish her dead. It could have been someone from the days when she taught at Ward College. It could be someone involved in one of
the old murder cases which she was researching who was afraid that she would unearth something incriminating.

Lieutenant Bill Weigand of the New York is assigned to the case, and Pam and Jerry North assist him. I found it difficult to believe that suspects would answer police questions with Pam and Jerry present,

This book was written in 1946, and the effects of the war still exist. Best of all is the efforts of Pam to make butter from whipping cream since it was so difficult butter at a store.