The Rat Began to Gnaw the Rope

by C W Grafton

Leslie Klinger (Editor) and Leslie S. Klinger (Editor)

"Grafton's novel is not simply a historical curio, but a genuinely offbeat and entertaining suspense story."—The Washington Post
The second book in the Library of Congress Crime Classics, an exciting new classic mystery series created in exclusive partnership with the Library of Congress. In this exquisite piece of hard-boiled crime fiction, is this lawyer digging his way to the truth, or digging his own grave?
A timeless and propulsive story, The Rat Began to Gnaw the Rope is:For fans of historical crime mysteries and crime classicsFor readers who love the works of Sue GraftonShort, chubby, and awkward with members of the opposite sex, Gil Henry is the youngest partner in a small law firm, not a hard-boiled sleuth. So when an attractive young woman named Ruth McClure walks into his office and asks him to investigate the value of the stock she inherited from her father, he thinks nothing of it—until someone makes an attempt on his life.
Soon Gil is inadvertently embroiled in a classic American scandal, subterfuge, and murder. He's beaten, shot, and stabbed, as his colleagues and enemies try to stop him from seeing the case through to the end. Surrounded by adversaries, he teams up with Ruth and her secretive brother to find answers to the questions someone desperately wants to keep him from asking.
In this portrait of America on the eve of America's entry into World War II, C.W. Grafton—himself a lawyer and the father of prolific mystery writer Sue Grafton—pens an award-winning historical crime fiction that combines humor and the hard-boiled style and will keep readers guessing until its thrilling conclusion.

• ISBN10: 1464212988
• ISBN13: 9781464212987
• Publish Date: 2 June 2020 (first published 1 January 1983)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Poisoned Pen Press
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 304
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

The Rat Began to Gnaw the Rope is a golden age American noir gem by C. W. Grafton. Originally published in 1943, this re-format and re-release from Poisoned Pen Press is part of the Library of Congress Crime Classics series. It's 304 pages (in the print edition) and available in paperback and ebook formats. Other editions are available in other formats.

This is a beautifully engineered gem of a book. The protagonist, a young lawyer, doesn't fit the bill of the jaded cynical gumshoe, but he's brilliant and tenacious and I enjoyed the story from start to finish. There's murder, mayhem, skullduggery aplenty, and wrongs to right along the way. Protagonist "Gil" Henry is a wisecracking terrier of a man (despite being self-described as "pudgy" and "no great shakes at drinking") and no matter what the bad guys do, he's right there dogging their footsteps and driving the story arc. The denouement is satisfying and resolves into a good ending. Admittedly it was a product of its time period and there are a few scenes which have not aged particularly well in the intervening 77 years. Overall, however, it's a well written and tightly plotted humorous noir mystery. I wish the author had been able to finish the projected 8 book series featuring Gil (he finished 2 and part of the 3rd before his death).

This edition is enhanced by the inclusion of historical notes and background information as well as book club discussion guided question prompts. A foreword by Dr. Carla Hayden (Librarian of Congress) also provides some historical background context.

Four stars. I enjoyed it very much.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.