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Crime Story Collection

S U M M A R Y

he detectives in this crime story collection blend
traditional with more recent approaches. Popular
contemporary American crime writers Sue Grafton

and Sara Paretsky have invented tough private detectives in
the tradition of Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe but their
detectives are women. Colin Dexter’s Inspector Morse relies,
like Sherlock Holmes, on a mixture of inspiration and
deduction and, like Holmes, has a loyal assistant beside him
to ask him the important questions.

The other five stories all focus on the murderer or potential

murderer. Patricia Highsmith revolutionized the crime story by
making ‘an interest in criminal psychology replace the
puzzle’, and the other three stories in the collection, by
Margery Allingham, Simon Brett and Jack Ritchie, are more
light-hearted variations along these lines.

Margery Allingham (1904–66), an English writer born in
London, rivalled Agatha Christie and was far more realistic.
Most of her novels feature an aristocratic amateur detective,
Albert Campion.

Sue Grafton (born 1940), who is based in California, has
written a series of novels around the figure of female
detective Kinsey Millhone.

Simon Brett (born 1945) is a British writer who has written
radio and TV plays as well as books and short stories.

Sara Paretsky (born 1947) is of Polish origin and is based in
Chicago, like her popular private detective V I Warshawski.

Patricia Highsmith (1921–95) came to prominence when her
novel Strangers on a Train was made into a memorable film
by Alfred Hitchcock. Ms Highsmith was the first to write a
series of novels featuring a psychopathic killer. Those who
think murderers, even in fiction, should be caught and
punished, however, find Ms Highsmith’s work disturbing.

Jack Ritchie (1922–83), an American writer whose real name
was John George Reitci, wrote a number of original detective
stories.

Colin Dexter (born 1930), an English writer, was educated at
Cambridge University, but lives in Oxford. The setting of his
novels feature Inspector Morse, an Oxford graduate who,
like Dexter himself, loves cro s s w o rds and Mozart. A
contemporary television series has made Morse the best-
known fictional detective in Britain today.

The theme of this collection, inevitably, is crime and, as usual
in detective stories, the crime in almost every case is murder.
That said, the theme can be approached in very different
ways.

The clearest division among the stories depends on the

point of view. Three focus on the detective (Grafton, Paretsky
and Dexter) and the rest on the murderer. Short stories
focused on the detective lend themselves to the tradition
established by Conan Doyle (1859–1930) with Sherlock
Holmes. Our enjoyment comes from the neat way in which
the detective considers all the clues and solves the puzzle. In
this collection, Colin Dexter’s Inspector Morse comes closest
to this tradition.

Dashiell Hammett (1894–1961) and Raymond Chandler

(1888–1959) reacted against the detective story as a puzzle,
especially in the work of writers like Agatha Christie
(1890–1976), because they saw it as unreal and in a sense
immoral, since it treated murder as a kind of game. In their
stories tough private detectives investigate a series of crimes,
usually carried out by professionals. Because they were set in
the United States, where there are guns in almost every
household, violence is more common. The female private
detectives in the stories by Sue Grafton and Sara Paretsky in
this collection are in this realistic American tradition. What
holds our interest here as much as the deduction involved is
the action.

Stories which are focused on the detective assume the

reader is keen to see the problem solved and justice done.
The authors are free to create murderer and victim as they
choose. In focusing on the murderer, as the other five stories
in this collection do, however, the reader cannot help reacting
to the personality of the criminal and considering his or her
motivation. One way out is taken by Margery Allingham; in
her story, the problem is inverted because the potential victim
outwits the murderer.

Simon Brett’s and Jack Ritchie’s stories are really black

comedies, where we are invited to sympathize with the
criminal, and for this to work the victim must be made
unsympathetic. Simon Bre t t ’s

killer acts

without

premeditation and is not believed when he confesses; Jack
Ritchie’s killer only pretends to kill his wife in order to get
money from his rich sister-in-law.

Patricia Highsmith’s stories generally tend to pro v o k e

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A B O U T T H E A U T H O R S

B A C K G R O U N D A N D T H E M E S

by Sara Paretsky and others

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© Pearson Education 2000

P e n g u i n R e a d e r s F a c t s h e e t s

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extreme reactions. In almost all crime stories, where the
murderer is sane, the motive is love (in its perverted forms as
jealousy, revenge etc.) or money, or a combination of the two,
and the murderer is concerned not to be found out. But
Patricia Highsmith specializes in the study of psychopathic
characters, whose motives and actions are entirely personal
and hardly relate to the victims. Here she creates an old man
so filled with hatred that he murders his victim and leaves him
in his field as a scarecrow, and an obviously deranged young
man who kills three people in a museum to gain fame for
himself. Highsmith’s victims are usually unattractive
personalities. Would these stories still be acceptable if
Highsmith had made the victims more attractive?

Finally, in considering short stories, the titles of many of

them here are particularly appropriate. In every case, it is
worth examining why the story was given that particular title.

The following teacher-led activities cover the same
sections of text as the exercises at the back of the reader,
and supplement those exercises. Further supplementary
exercises covering shorter sections of the book can be
found on the photocopiable Student’s Activities pages of
this Factsheet. These are primarily for use with class
readers but, with the exception of discussion and
pair/groupwork questions, can also be used by students
working alone in a self-access centre.

ACTIVITIES BEFORE READING THE BOOK

Put students into small groups for a discussion.

Why are crime stories among the most popular forms of
fiction and television series?

ACTIVITIES AFTER READING A SECTION

‘Three is a Lucky Number ’

Put students into pairs. One plays the part of Edyth, the
other of a police officer. Act the conversation when Edyth
first went to the police station. The police already have the
newspaper stories they showed Edyth and a plan to catch
Ronald.

‘Full Circle’

Put students into pairs. One plays the part of Lieutenant
Dolan, the other of Judy Layton. After Terry Layton’s
death, Judy admits that she knew everything about her
brother’s relationship with Caroline and how he killed her.
They act the conversation.

‘How’s your Mother?’

Put students into pairs. A few months later the new owner
of Humphrey Partridge’s house finds the woman’s body in
the garden. Act the conversation between the owner and
Sergeant Wallace.

‘At the Old Swimming Hole’

Put students into small groups to discuss this question.
This story takes place in the USA, where most people
have guns. How would it be different if the people in the
story lived in Britain, where hardly anyone carries a gun?

‘Slowly, Slowly in the Wind’

Put students into small groups to discuss these questions.

(a) When the children find the dead body dressed as a

scarecrow, their reaction is one of ‘terror mixed with
pleasure’. Why?

(b) Andy decides not to tell the police what he knows.

Why not?

The writer suggests that these reactions are natural.
Do you agree?

‘Woodrow Wilson’s Tie’

Put students into small groups. Ask them to discuss:
What do you think will happen next? Will Clive carry out
his plan?

‘The Absence of Emily’

Put students into small groups to discuss: How do you
feel about Albert at the end of this story? Do you think he
is clever? Do you believe that he didn’t kill his first wife?

‘The Inside Story’

Put students into pairs. At the end of the story Bayley is
‘ready to talk’. They act the conversation between Bayley
and Morse.

ACTIVITIES AFTER READING THE BOOK

Put students into small groups. Ask them to look at their
answers to Student’s Activities, Activities Before Reading
the Book. Which stories did they prefer, those written from
the point of view of the detective or from the point of view
of the murderer? Why?

It will be useful for your students to know the following new words.
They are practised in the ‘Before You Read’sections of exercises at
the back of the book. (Definitions are based on those in the Longman
Active Study Dictionary.)

‘Three is a Lucky Number ’
bubble (n) a ball of air in liquid
funeral (n) an event held for someone who has just died
inspector (n) a police officer
will (n) a document people write saying who they want to leave their
money or property to when they die

‘Full Circle’
freeway (n) a wide road in the United States
lane (n) one of the parts a road is divided into for one line of traffic
lieutenant (n) a police officer in the United States

‘How’s Your Mother?’
bury (v) to put a dead body under the ground
sergeant (n) a police officer, below an inspector

‘Slowly, Slowly in the Wind’
corn (n) a tall plant grown as a vegetable, called

maize

in British

English
scarecrow (n) an object made to look like a person to frighten birds
away

‘Woodrow Wilson’s Tie’
wax (n) a substance made of fats or oils, here used to make copies
of people

‘The Absence of Emily’
spade (n) a tool used for digging in the ground

‘The Inside Story’
clue (n) an object or information that helps to solve a crime
earthquake (n) a sudden shaking of the earth

C o m m u n i c a t i v e a c t i v i t i e s

G l o s s a r y

T e a c h e r’s n o t e s

P u b l i s h e d a n d d i s t r i b u t e d b y P e a r s o n E d u c a t i o n

F a c t s h e e t w r i t t e n b y W S F o w l e r

F a c t s h e e t s e r i e s d e v e l o p e d b y L o u i s e J a m e s

© Pearson Education 2000

P e n g u i n R e a d e r s F a c t s h e e t s

Almost all of the stories in this book are about murder.

We usually read murder stories from the viewpoint of the

detective but in five of these stories the viewpoint is the

murderer’s. What difference do you think this makes to

the way the story is told? As you read the stories, note

which viewpoint is used.

‘Three is a Lucky Number’

1 Which of these statements are true, which are false?

Correct those that are false.

(a) Ronald is planning to murder his third wife in the

same way as the other two.

(b) His first two wives were both rich, with no

relations.

(c) His first wife died soon after the wedding.

(d) He murdered his second wife the year before.

(e)

Edyth seemed to Ronald a suitable person to

murder because she was a teacher.

(f)

He married her in her home town.

(g) He waits for a time after the explosion because

he doesn’t want to seem worried too soon.

(h) In Edyth’s drawer he finds all her money in an

envelope.

2 Why do you think the story is called ‘Three is a Lucky

Number’? Who is lucky, in this case?

‘Full Circle’

1 Put the events of the accident in order.

(a)

Kinsey Millhone is driving home in her

Volkswagen.

(b) She sees a blue Toyota coming up behind her.

(c) The small white car crashes into a Porsche.

(d) She hears a noise like a gunshot.

(e) She leaves the Toyota driver with the injured girl.

(f)

She sees a young woman driving a white car in

her mirror.

2 Answer these questions.

(a) How do the police realize that Caroline Spurrier

was murdered?

(b) What does the driver of the Toyota do that makes

Kinsey think he is guilty?

(c) What sort of car does the man who follows

Caroline around drive?

(d) What does Kinsey find out with the help of her

friend, John Birkett?

(e) Why does Kinsey go to see Ron Cagle?

(f)

Why is the story called ‘Full Circle’?

‘How’s your Mother?’

1 Who is speaking, who are they talking to, and who or

what are they talking about?

(a) ‘She was eighty-six last July.’

(b) ‘I’d like you to go to Antwerp on Monday.’

(c) ‘Sorry. I couldn’t get this through the letter-box.’

(d) ‘I had to break a window. I’ve called the police.’

(e) ‘People are saying you killed your mother, to get

her money.’

(f)

‘She left me when I was six months old.’

(g) ‘I don’t expect you to recognize me.’

(h) ‘I’m very sorry about what happened, and you

can have a little joke if you like.’

2 In this story the murderer succeeds and escapes.

How do you feel about this? Do you feel sorry for his

mother? Do you think this is a good way to end the

story?

‘At the Old Swimming Hole’

1 Answer these questions.

(a) Why does Victoria go to the University swimming

pool?

(b) How does the murderer shoot the dead woman

without anyone realizing it at first?

(c) Why does Victoria think the man who telephones

wants to kill Alicia?

(d) How does the cat at Alicia’s apartment save

Victoria’s life?

(e) What does the FBI think Alicia has done?

(f)

What information does Ernesto give Victoria?

(g) How does Victoria realize that Alicia is with her

old swimming teacher?

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Crime Story Collection

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Photocopiable

These activities can be done alone or with one or more
other students. Pair/group-only activities are marked.

Activities before reading the book

Activities while reading the book

S t u d e n t ’ s a c t i v i t i e s

© Pearson Education 2000

P e n g u i n R e a d e r s F a c t s h e e t s

(h) Why does Victoria feel guilty at the end of the

story?

2 Work with another student. Imagine that Alicia tells

Victoria the truth when they go back to her apartment.

Act the parts of the two women.

‘Slowly, Slowly in the Wind’

Match the halves to make correct sentences

(a)

Skip’s wife left him

(b)

His doctor tells him to leave business and buy a

farm

(c)

His neighbour, Mr Frosby, annoys him

(d)

Maggie is very pleased when she arrives home

(e)

Skip is angry when he realizes

(f)

Maggie writes Skip a letter

(g)

Skip gives Andy a holiday

(h)

Skip kills himself

(i)

because her father has bought her a car.

(ii)

that Maggie is falling in love with Pete Frisby.

(iii) when he sees that the children are going to find

Frisby’s body.

(iv) because he was so bad tempered.

(v)

to tell him she has married Pete Frisby.

(vi) because he doesn’t want to sell him the fishing

rights on the river.

(vii) so he can invite Mr Frisby to his house and kill him.

(viii) because he has had a heart attack.

‘Woodrow Wilson’s Tie’

1 Answer these questions.

(a) Which part of the Hall of Waxworks does Clive

like most?

(b) How is his reaction to it different from that of

most people?

(c) What jobs do Mildred and Fred do?

(d) Where does Clive work and what is his job?

(e) Why does Clive put Mildred’s body in the bath?

(f) How are the murders discovered?

(g) How does Clive make it clear that he is ‘a killer

with a sick mind’?

(h) Why does he plan to kill a hundred people?

2 Patricia Highsmith was known as ‘The Queen of the

Nasties’. Why do you think she was given this name?

Do you think this is a nasty story? Discuss these

questions with other students.

‘The Absence of Emily’

Who is speaking and who are they talking to? What has

happened or is happening? Give the real answer in each

case.

(a) ‘Hello, dear, this is Emily.’

(b) ‘I thought I saw Emily in town yesterday.’

(c) ‘She fell out of the boat and died in the water.’

(d) ‘I saw you running. I’ve never seen you run before.’

(e) ‘It’s a letter from my aunt in Chicago.’

(f) ‘I am looking for old Indian knives.’

(g) ‘She was the woman in the purple dress, and she

copied Emily’s writing.’

(h) ‘I couldn’t tell her I was going to a health farm, to lose

weight.’

‘The Inside Story’

1 In this story, the murdered girl, Sheila, wrote a story

herself. Which of the events in Sheila’s story were true

in her own life and which were not? Correct those that

were not true. ‘Her lover’ means Dr Grainger.

(a) She applied for a job as a cleaner in her lover’s

house.

(b) Her lover was away in the United States.

(c)

She was expecting a baby and he was the father.

(d) Her lover’s wife was a very beautiful woman.

(e) The gardener at the house had short, fat fingers.

(f)

Her lover wrote to her from America to tell her

not to have the baby.

(g) His wife wrote to say she was going to marry

another man.

(h) She set fire to the house but the people who died

were the wife and the gardener.

2 Why is the story called ‘The Inside Story’?

Work with another student.

In almost all murder stories the reason for the murder is

love (in the sense of jealousy etc.) or money or a mixture

of the two. Discuss the reasons the murderers have for

their crime in each story. Is the general rule always true?

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P u b l i s h e d a n d d i s t r i b u t e d b y P e a r s o n E d u c a t i o n

F a c t s h e e t w r i t t e n b y W S F o w l e r

F a c t s h e e t s e r i e s d e v e l o p e d b y L o u i s e J a m e s

Activities after reading the book

S t u d e n t ’ s a c t i v i t i e s

© Pearson Education 2000