The Woman in Black differs from books two - thirteen in the Grace Latham-Colonel Primrose series because the first chapter is in the third person instead of being in the first person, from Grace's point of view. This way we know from the start that Ellery B. [Richard, actually] Seymour, Chief Assistant of Enoch B. Stubblefield Enterprises, plans to take down his boss and why. No, Mr. Seymour doesn't have murder in mind. He has something more fitting planned. Things don't go exactly as he planned, though.

Grace Latham comes into it because she's an old friend of Dorothy Hallet, whose husband, Theodore, wants to help Stubblefield become the next President of the United States. Milton Minor, the former reporter who is prostituting his pen to puff off Stubblefield, is also an old friend of Grace. Grace, Dorothy, Theodore, and Milton know Freddie Mollinson, an unpleasant rich man who has invested in natural rubber. Freddie is terrified that Stubblefield has found a cheap way to make synthetic rubber, which would greatly reduce his personal fortune, and therefore lower his standard of living. (Don't expect me to need a handkerchief to wipe tears for Freddie's plight. I absolutely loved what Dorothy told him in chapter 27!)

Susan Kent is the young wife of a chemical engineer who has been working for the Rubber Reserve. Now that World War II is over, Bill Kent wants to get back to teaching at a small college in Nebraska. Susan wants to stay in D.C. As she confesses to Grace, she's done something very stupid to try to bring that about and she's desperate that her beloved Bill not find out. Grace tries to tell her that Bill is going to find out sooner or later, so she'd better tell him herself. Susan won't do it.

The woman in black was supposedly invited to the dinner the Hallets gave for the Stubblefields, but it wasn't true. My copy is the Popular Library edition with a woman sitting propped up in bed with blood running down her neck. The blood should be running down both sides of her neck, but otherwise it's a pretty accurate rendition of what Ms. Ford described, although what the victim was wearing wasn't mentioned. I feel sorry for this first victim, but not the others, especially not the last one.

There is plenty of humor in the book. The newspaper story about the missing socialite the police are hunting in connection with the first murder gave me some good chuckles, including Grace's sour comment to the homicide chief. Then there's the boarding house woman's little girl's dialogue, although her family probably could use the services of a 'sociallurker,' as the child puts it. I also loved Grace's opinion of Bill Kent in chapter 23. Perhaps my favorite bit, though, was Grace's explanation about why she doesn't just marry Colonel Primrose in chapter 8. (If you don't know who Mr. and Mrs. North are, they're fictional amateur sleuths by Richard and Frances Lockridge. Their Wikipedia entry makes me think I should dig out my late mother's copies of that series.)

Colonel Primrose does not appear on stage in this book because he's busy being sick over at Walter Reed [hospital]. Sergeant Buck is present. He's not at all pleased that Grace is mixed up in this mess -- but only because he's sure his colonel wouldn't like it.

I like the fact that both of the middle-aged wives in this mystery are smarter than their husbands. If Enoch B. Stubblefield weren't so egotistical, he'd know that his pet name for his Ethel, 'Mutton,' isn't at all appropriate. Grace soon finds out how very unlike a sheep Ethel is. Aside from believing in probably-fake psychics, she's very shrewd.

Grace finds herself in a frightening situation at the end of chapter 22. Is she going to get hit over the head again?

The identity of the killer and the motive(s) took me by surprise. If you can put up with the racial and sexist comments to be expected for the time this book was originally published, this classic cozy should be fun. Cynical readers aren't likely to be surprised by how current Ms. Ford's portrayal of a rich business man turned presidential hopeful seems.

According to this site, http://connection.ebscohost.com/tag/FORD%252C%2BLeslie , The Woman in Black was serialized in The Saturday Evening Post. ( )