Taking a step back to a more restrained era, we offer another Mary Collins mystery from the 1940s. The Fog Comes was, in fact, her first novel, set as all her books are, in the San Francisco area.
This one starts with an evening of cocktails at Anne Horton’s home in Carmel. Her brother Tom is there, her younger sister Toni, and Toni's boyfriend, Lt. Gregg. Bill, Anne’s sweetie, drops by, as does Sarah, Tom’s ex-wife, and his new fiancé, Marion. And Anne’s cousin, Laura, of course, who immediately gets into another verbal brawl with Tom. It’s a lively evening and a foggy night, but eventually they all leave.
The next morning, Laura’s body is found on a seaside bench, brutally murdered. Police chief Wade questions them all, and it is soon revealed that Laura’s source of income was due almost exclusively to her blackmailing. The next day, Laura’s business partner is also found murdered. But who could have wanted them both dead? The whole family is under suspicion, but why does all the evidence seem to point to Tom?
As Curt Evans notes in his introduction, “Right from the beginning Mary Collins’ crime novels were distinguished not only by their murders, secrets and lies in privileged families in wealthy California settings, but by the bright narration of their heroines, who manage to keep their heads up, usually with a drink or a smoke in hand, while criminal mayhem unfolds around them.” If you enjoy mid-century crime thrillers with a feisty heroine and plenty of red herrings, you’ll love The Fog Comes.
