The Woman in Black by Leslie Ford: A Review

Grace Latham is the investigator in many of Leslie Ford's novels. She is a widow, the mother of two sons, and a Washington DC socialite. She is aided in her investigations by Colonel John Primrose who is a friend, and Sargeant Phineas Buck who is an assistant to Colonel Primrose. Buck is humorless, and gruff, but there are times when he can be quite sentimental.

This book is set in Washington DC in 1946. The war is over and a big issue in this story is the production of synthetic rubber for domestic use. Enoch B. Stubblefield is a wealthy industrialist who is trying very hard to develop a process for the manufacture of synthetic rubber which will make him very, very wealthy. His second in command is Ellery B. Seymour who has dedicated his life to helping Stubblefield become a success, although Seymour has some bitter memories about the early years with Stubblefield.

Theodore Hallet is a wealthy but ineffectual man. He has come to believe that Stubblefield should run for president, and he sees himself as the king maker who will run Stubblefield's campaign. Dorothy Hallet is the wife of Theodore, and a good friend of Grace Latham. She is a strong and intelligent woman and the reader can only wonder what she sees in Theodore.

Bill Kent is a bright scientist who is working on a process for producing synthetic rubber for the government's Rubber Reserve. He left his teaching job at a college in Nebraska to come to Washington for the duration of the war, and is looking forward to returning. His wife Susan has come to enjoy the life in Washington, and has taken some illegal steps to insure that she and her husband have enough money to maintain their Washington life style. They are living in the converted stables on the Hallet estate.

The story begins at party at the Hallet's which is to be a beginning for Stubblefield's candidacy for president. The party is interrupted by an uninvited visit by Bertha Taylor who is an unpleasant person from Stubblefield's past. After Ms. Taylor is ejected from the house, a gun is found and is lost again. Dorothy Hallet finds a note requesting that she pay a visit to Bertha Taylor's hotel room. She and Grace go after the party and find Bertha dead. This is the starting point for the unraveling of the strands of the complicated relationships of the characters in the story.

Grace becomes involved in these events, and her life is threatened, too. She is assisted by Buck, and Inspector Lamb of the police who is very generous in letting her tag along in the police investigation. Colonel Primrose does not participate in this story because he is in the hospital with the measles.

Leslie Ford is a good writer, and this is an enjoyable book. Grace is a strong minded individual and a clever sleuth. This book was published in 1948, and seems to no longer be in print which is rather a shame.