The Puzzle of the Happy Hooligan
served as my introduction to the work of author Stuart Palmer, and
more specifically, his series of novels starring schoolteacher
Hildegarde Withers. The plot concerns the death of Saul Stafford, half
of the screenwriting team of Stafford and Dobie. The duo is well known
as the biggest pair of pranksters in Hollywood, and it seems that
someone decided enough was enough: Saul Stafford was found in his
office with his neck broken. The policeman summoned is all too willing
to accept that it was an unfortunate accident.
Luckily, who should move into the office
next door that very afternoon but Miss Hildegarde Withers? Originally
having planned to spend her vacation in Europe, Miss Withers decided
she’d much rather see Hollywood after Europe, in Palmer’s words,
exploded. (The book was first published in 1941.) Just her luck, a man
named Harry Wagman sees her, recognizes her as a detective, and offers
to get her a job as a technical consultant on an upcoming film about
Lizzie Borden. Miss Withers spoke to Stafford before the man met his
maker, and realized that the man was frightened to death: she blames
herself for his death and determines to track his killer down.
The thing is, nobody heard any noise whatsoever
coming from Stafford’s room. If it was an accident, surely there would
have been a sound? But if it was murder, surely the victim must have
struggled, fought— why, then, was there no noise from that?
Besides, there were no signs of violence on the body… Why yes, it’s
another impossible crime… only one of the most disappointing ones I’ve
ever read. The question “How was it done?”
is flaunted throughout the entire novel and is a genuine puzzler,
especially when the police interview a few doctors and all of them
insist it’s impossible for someone to break another person’s neck
without signs of violence. But don’t be fooled: this book does not
propose an ingenious way of breaking someone’s neck with a bowl of
turtle soup, a length of wire, and three potatoes. In fact, after all
the build-up, the solution to the how is a major let-down. Not only
that, it’s fairly obvious who the killer is, and the person has no
qualms to confessing to Miss Withers with just about no evidence while
the police conveniently listen in outside the door. I was going to cry
“Foul!”… and then, Stuart Palmer comes up with one of the funniest and
most original explanations for why the killer confessed that all my objections gave way to applause. All I can say is “Bravo!”
Don’t let my criticism give you the wrong impression: I enjoyed The Puzzle of the Happy Hooligan very,
very much. The plot moves very rapidly and is absolutely fascinating.
Midway through the book, it employs a plot device that is very old and
rather cliché— and yet, it manages to seem fresh and exciting. It’s one
of the best uses of this plot device I’ve ever encountered. The
characters are all very fun— it is a humourous and delightful romp, as
Stuart Palmer brings all sorts of caricatures of Hollywood figures to
the murder party. The work on the Lizzie Borden film is absolutely
hilarious, and some of the suggestions on “improving” history would have
even made Mr. Aaronson (in John Dickson Carr’s And So To Murder)
blush! Stuart Palmer, who I believe worked as a screenwriter in his
career, brings to life the insanity of the film studio in a wacky and
delightful way that is well worth the read.
As for Miss Withers, she is a perfect
detective: witty, shrewd, and delightful. Her partner in crime is
Inspector Piper of the New York police department, who midway through
the story boards a plane just to join in the fun over in Hollywood. The
interactions between the two are wonderful: they play off each other
very well, even though they spend little time actually together in the
book. They must be among my favourite recently-discovered-by-me
sleuths.
Overall, The Puzzle of the Happy Hooligan
is problematic in terms of its mystery, but a delightful romp that you
shouldn’t miss. Expect the worst from its impossible crime and you’ll
probably enjoy it even more than I did!
