Iams, Jack - A Shot of Murder (1950)

Iams wrote a sequel of sorts to What Rhymes With Murder?. A Shot of Murder (1950) deals with the same detective characters. But, despite the use of "Murder" in the title, this is a spy story, not a murder mystery. The central events of this book have nothing to do with murder or mystery; instead it is largely an spy adventure novel, taking place in Paris and Poland. The book concerns the heroes' attempt to rescue a prisoner held by the Communists in Poland. This was a frequent, almost generic plot of 1950's American spy stories; one can also find it in Holly Roth's The Content Assignment (1953) and Kendell Foster Crossen's The Splintered Man (1955). It probably occurs in other novels, too. Both Iams' and Crossen's also deal with mind-controlling drugs used by the Communists; brain washing was a big concern of people in the early 1950's. In all of these books, the villains and their schemes are treated seriously, while the heroes are treated as the subjects of a light hearted, even comic adventure story. They get to swashbuckle around, have hair raising escapes, and lots of entertaining experiences traveling to exotic climes. The ancestor of all these adventure stories is Alexandre Dumas, and his The Three Musketeers (1844). Dumas had many scenes of prison escapes in his stories, as well. According to Iams' preface, he had actually spent some time in Communist Poland, as a guest of the American Embassy, and the book contains vivid descriptions of what the Communist state looked like in 1950. Iams' book is entertaining throughout; it is a "good read". But it also seems fairly trivial, some of the travel writing excepted. It has little to do with the history of the mystery story proper.

One can see some similarities between What Rhymes With Murder? and A Shot of Murder. Both have many scenes in hotels and on trains. Iams, who apparently spent much time on the road as a reporter, finds such settings congenial to his imagination. People are always moving from one room or train compartment to another, often at night or in early morning. There are elements here of French farce; there are also intricate patterns built up, that play a role in the mystery and adventure plots of the books. There are also many scenes set in hospitals in both books, focusing on the patients much more than the doctors. Hospitals, like hotels, clubs and trains, are places where people live and sleep, but which are not really their permanent homes.

In both books the detective heroes are often dealing with people much more powerful than themselves. The intransigence of these rich goofballs makes for both comedy, and the motive engines of the story. Both novels contain powerful men, who neglect their wives or girl friends, often with drastic consequences. Women play a prominent role in both books; we are remote from the men-only world of many hard-boiled writers. Rich men in the books tend to have henchmen, low brow types who carry out their dirty work. Crime in both books tends to be gun oriented. Both books contain representatives of the US State Department, presented sympathetically, but with much comedy. They tend to represent a bright spot, powerful people who come to the aid of the heroes. The two books also contain a plot reversal. What Rhymes With Murder? deals with a European Communist and his entourage who descend on the Riverside, Ohio home of the detectives; A Shot of Murder sends the detectives on the road, to visit the home of some European Communists in Poland.