DOUBLE MUSCADINE

by Frances Gaither ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 7, 1948

A pre-Civil War, Mississippian mystery with all the trimmings: slaves, plantations, poisoning and conjure, scandal and court scenes as they are engendered by jealousy, lust, ambition, cowardice. Syke Berry, a young lawyer, takes on the case of Aimee, an attractive mulatto, who is on trial for her attempt to poison her owner, Kirk McLean, and his family, with King's Yellow- a yellow dye containing arsenic. Only the son dies, and as the evidence is almost entirely circumstantial, both lawyers and witnesses turn over family histories right and left in their search for further facts. Kirk McLean is discovered to be lecherous and prone to kill; his new wife, Martha, shows herself to be unstable and reluctant to face situations; his sister-in-law, Miss Hat, reveals a deep-seated jealousy of her family position... Complicated in both cause and effect, and with much of the action centered in the court room, this still has moments of excitement and revelation and may draw a double market among mystery readers.

Pub Date: March 7, 1948

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Macmillan

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1948

Categories: FICTION