Carla, Cognac, & Corpses

The Body Came Back is a fine riveting crime thriller that has you turning the pages to find out what happens. It's not a who-done-it mystery as that part is evident fairly quickly, but a why-was it-done mystery. It is a Mike Shayne mystery, but written when Brett Halliday had become a house publishing name rather than just Dresser's pseudonym. In some ways, it is more of a slapstick mystery than a serious hardboiled mystery and making Shayne look incompetent was perhaps not the best choice. Overall, it's worth reading, but there are better novels in this series. ( )