David's Reviews > Breaking Up Is Hard to Do

Set during the height of the Cuban missile crisis, this story shines most in its period flavor. The mystery is fairly simple,but I felt that the hero was pretty lackluster in his efforts to investigate. Often, instead of investigating he is picking up a paperback book to read-- and he mentions the titles in a sort of back-handed recommendation for these books.

The plot is something like an early 60's comedy picture, except it isn't played for laughs. Four rich gentlemen set up a girl in an apartment so that they can each share her sexual favors. However, the woman is found murdered in the newly built bomb shelter belonging to one of the men. Of course, all of the men are suspects and each one of them is going to be ruined by the revelation of their immoral relationship.

Despite the identity of the murdered being so blatantly obvious as to make this not much of an important addition to the mystery genre, the period flavor and observations of the hero are extrremely interesting.