Thanks to Bill Crider's email announcing Stark House
reprints, I read my first Margaret Millar title, AN AIR THAT
KILLS (1957).
AIR concerns a pill salesman named Harry Beam and his wife
Thelma who discovers she is pregnant. She names Ron Galloway,
a married friend, as the father which causes much
consternation in 1950s Toronto society. Before long, Ron is
found dead in his convertible, presumably a suicide over his
anguish. Thelma emerges as a schemer with big plans in mind
for her child.
The narrative takes several original twists. Ms. Millar's
writing remains first-rate, including her stark metaphors (as
nifty as Ross's) and seamless dialogue.
Though some of the attitudes come off as quaintby today's
standards, the story is chilly and affecting.
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : 14 Aug 2007 EDT