Vanishing Ladies

Rating:
Summary: Taut tart mystery tale
Review: This was originally published in the sixties undr the pen name of "Richard Marsten" and it is polished diamond bright piece of sheer machine tooled professionalism by a master of crime fiction at the peak of his powers

Cop"Phil Colby"is going on vacation with "Ann"his fianceeand things begin to go awry even during their outward journey when a cop gives them a wholly unjustified speeding ticket.This a mere bagatelle compared to what happens next as "Ann"goes missing soon after they check into their hotel (separate rooms--this is pre-permissive era crime fiction after all)The desk clerk denies she was ever there and the cop insists he did not hand out a speeding ticket
Colby calls in help from his own department and the case is cracked by a colleague"Tony Mitchell"You'll have to read it to discover hoew and read it you should for this is crisp,sleek and thoroughly engrossing with an edge of mounting paranoia that grips like a pit bull

The female of the species turns out more deadly than the male in a crisp modern noir.Cynical and bleak in its view of urban morality

Read it please- you deserve a treat