Murder and Virtue
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The series debut of Gimiendo Hernandez Quinto, the Hercule Poirot of Mexico. . . and China!Fans of Golden Age mystery and exotic locales will love this long-out-of-print yarn set in 1930s China, during the war with Japan. At its center is Gimiendo Hernandez Quinto, who once rode with Pancho Villa but now trains fighters for Chiang Kai-shek. . . and solves the odd murder on the side. At his side is the dangerously beautiful Mountain of Virtue (don't play poker with her), and rounding out the list is a collection of international characters: a hard-drinking English journalist, an Americancowboy as handy with a six-shooter as he is inept at romance, a young Chinese soldier weighed down with worries for his country and the Brooklyn Dodgers, and a host of others. Any of them could have killed Harrow, an ambulance driver who appears to have died three different times.
About this Author
Chicago nativeJames Norman Schmidt worked as a journalist before joining the International Brigades to fight the Fascists in the Spanish Civil War. He went on to cover the US army during WWII (winning a Bronze Star for his extracurricular work ferrying supplies to Philippine guerrillas in the jungle) and was working, after the war, as a successful Hollywood scriptwriter when he was blacklisted. He moved to Mexico and taught there for many years, before moving to Athens, OH, to take a position on the faculty of Ohio University.He died in Athens, in 1983, having written more than a dozen books, both novels and non-fiction, as well as the trilogy of murder mysteries featuring Gimiendo Hernandez Quinto.
Reviews
"If you are in search of comedy and mystery rolled up in one neat package, this is the book for you" - New York Times "A comic opera which has for hero a fantastic cousin of the late, lamented Pancho Villa. . . .In jazziness and sophistication it bears the hallmark of prewar days, when it obviously was written" - St. Louis Globe-Democrat "The story blends charm and humor, excitement, excellent characterizations, and an unexpected climax." - Lexington Herald "Colorful and exotic. . . .Mr. Norman has followed familiar murder-story specifications, but his vigorous, picturesque characterizations make his novel unusual in both originality and allure." - Pasadena Star-News "A fine piece of detective writing, offering murder, intrigue and romance in an Oriental setting, as well as an intimate study of China" - Oakland Tribune "If you have somehow missed this exhilarating, delightful novel, run, don't walk, to your nearest bookseller. . . .A top-notch whodunit, filled with the most delicious bunch of characters who ever dealt in shady doings" - Albuquerque Tribune "A rousing good yarn and a tricky detective mystery peopled with fascinating types" - Oregon Daily Journal "Refreshingly out of the ordinary. . . offering up love interest, high comedy, intrigue, and a swell picture of war" - Omaha Sunday World-Herald
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