The Faceless Adversary by Frances & Richard Lockridge

"How could he prove he wasn't the man the police had proved he was?"

John Haywood was on top of the world when Barbara Phillips agreed to marry him, so he was shocked to find New York Detectives Grady and Shapiro at his apartment asking why he killed a woman named Nora Evans—a woman he had never met. They had no doubt, and he soon had to admit there was foolproof evidence.

Her apartment rent was paid by checks with his signature, his monogrammed clothes were in the closet, and his framed picture was in the living room. The night she was murdered he was positively identified as being there. His poor alibi is that he was at his Harvard Club with friends before going for a walk.

At 32, John was not especially noteworthy; in his Brooks Brothers, he looked very much like every other man his age. His boss at the Bank gives him leave to prove, with ingenuity from fiancee Barbara, this is a very clever frame-up. The woman had no identification but did have tailored clothing—something only a woman would notice. Soon, they discover her real name and her history as a ward of a wealthy New York family. Who would want to kill this woman, and why was John chosen to take the fall?

This is the first of ten Nathan Shapiro mystery novels by the Lockridges—although he plays a background role here, following in the shadows as Barbara and John take the lead role as investigators. This was entertaining throughout, and most pleasing I didn't figure it out. The Lockridges (creators of the Mr. & Mrs. North series) write solid plots with intrigue but very little danger, for those who like their murder congenial.

Also published as The Case of the Murdered Redhead, this is easily available in digital format.

1956 / Hardcover / 191 pages

My other reviews for Frances & Richard Lockridge:

Show Red For Danger

Voyage Into Violence