Stephen Ransome - So Deadly My Love - Mystery Book Guild - 1959

 

Stephen Ransome - So Deadly My Love - Mystery Book Guild - 1959

1959 reprint of book first published in 1957

Stephen Ransome 

Stephen Ransome was one of a number of pseudonyms used by Frederick C Davis (1902-77), an American writer.

In the UK his books were invariably credited to Stephen Ransome even if they had first been published in the US under another name.

Some of his stories were published only in the UK  and in general UK editions of his books are more common than the equivalent US editions. 

All of this probably indicates that he was more popular in the UK than in his homeland.

So Deadly My Love

SDML tells the story of a young woman`s experiences as a kidnap victim, of how she turns the tables on the man behind the kidnapping, and of the pressures she faces from those around her, who have their own ideas as to who is responsible and, in some cases, have their own agenda.

It is a gripping story, told well and keeps your attention. 

I have two grumbles but overall they did not really spoil my enjoyment. 

One is the character of Chief of Police Dan Teague. We are repeatedly told how he is a tough, capable officer, but if the author didn`t tell you this, you`d never know. `Dimwitted` and `ineffectual` would be more appropriate terms and in fact the story relies on his inability to solve the case.

The other concerns the person who is eventually found to be behind the kidnapping. I don`t want to reveal the ending but one aspect of the plot seems to make him a rather implausible perpetrator. If the book had been longer it might  have been possible to address this weakness, but obviously that didn`t happen.

However, this is an ingenious and very readable mystery story which avoids any of the cliches of the genre and did give me a lot of enjoyment