29 dec 14, monday morning, 6:41 a.m. e.s.t.#17 from macdonald for me. just finished The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything a story i enjoyed more than the 3-stars i provided and well worth a read. this must be one of the earliest stories.(1951) murder for the bridestory begins:it was one of those days when everything goes wrong. i should have guessed that the letter would mean trouble. paul harrigan and i had been working in a swamp for the six weeks following my three-day honeymoon with laura. it was a juicy mexican swamp five miles west of tancoco, about a hundred miles south of tampico. transamericas oil, our employer, had a contract with permex of mexico to find, or try to find, new oil reserves. on the basis of aerial photo maps, sam spencer had shoved two-man crews into the more promising spots to bounce echoes off the substrata and map in detail any promising-looking domes. it's a simple operation in open country. harrigan and i were given a swamp. every inch of the way had to be hacked out, and the equipment had to be lugged in by hand.okee dokee then, as the good doctor said, (a gate, a baton, a missile launch, 1978)...onward & upward a note on the narrationobviously, one of the...rare...i think, 1st-person stories as most of the stories i've read, perhaps all of them, all previous 16, have been some form of 3rd person. (later) but that is mistaken as A Bullet for Cinderella & You Live Once are both first-person narrations...the last also published as you kill me and a bullet for cinderella was also published as on the make...the story i am reading after this one. verily verily. update, monday evening, 7:52 p.m. e.s.t.finished. a quick read. good read, good story. about the only time my barometer dipped below the standard was when the "good guys" were swarming about the place...or the "bad guys" for that matter...couple scenes...that one where dillon is in the bar listening to the old buck piano player and toward the end when the round-up began. i got to wondering why macdonald didn't label those guys...we didn't have nsa at the time...1951?...nixon was what? somewhere...i know as a president or maybe it was as a vp...he had no idea what the nsa was. now they're everywhere they're everywhere. (i'd like to take this moment to say hi to the government workers who are reading this. greetings from the dictatorship.) and...i dunno...was there a cia at the time? they were coming into being...we certainly had the effa bee eye...but the "good guys" aren't defined..."call us the jones brothers". as the telling progressed, macdonald threw in enough spice...that bit about having to watch where you walk...the walkway is 6" under water and it is narrow...out to the island. neato...or...that whole scene was nice, actually...the dog there. the whole shebang. the show in new orleans...reminds me of The Knockout Artist...a like-kind exchange of goods, only in that one from crews it was a snuff...film? or was it in person, a "show" i forget. anderson's disease at work again.anyway. good read. time place scene settings*a swamp in mexico, directions above*new orleans*the french quarter of new orleans, rampart street, where laura had an apartment*tuxpan strip...small air strip...dil's trip back to the states begins here*and it continues to mexico city...to monterrey...to san antonio...to new orleans*transamericas oil offices in jefferson building*bayton hotel...dil met laura at a party here*sanderson steamship line...the sanderson mobile...how laura came to the states from...argentina i think it was*a restaurant...the police station...*the court of three flags...a restaurant*a bar...where dil got blitzed*sam spencer's office...which might be the same as the t.o. office above*a cemetery on gentilly *the rickrack*a drive-in (restaurant) on gentilly road*a two-block area near cafe lafitte*a motor court*galatoire's...a restaurant*a factory...or wharehouse...where the show is put on...*a drive-in (restaurant again) on route 11*intersection, monroe & weidman in algiers*coffee shop...big department store...florists...a drugstore*a school in the soviet union where talya was taught to be an american...havana...to ten thousand islands...to naples...how talya entered the country with several others*jill's apartment deep in the quarter on ursulines*kobel's...a bar where dillon goes to find how he can get in to the show...*a shack on an island accessible by walking a narrow board walkway six inches under watere*gallatin street*a place halfway between westwego and the huey p long bridge*a walled motor court, #18*a bean wagon...where dillon walks to buy some food/drink characters major minor real imagined name-only peripheral*dillon "dil" bryant: our 1st-person eye-narrator, he is 32 years old, married to laura. he met laura at a party at the bayton, seven weeks later they were married. laura, paul, among others, didn't like her...suspected her of bad motivelaura rentane, now mrs. dillon bryant: dil's bride. they are newly-married. she has an apartment in the french quarter, new orleans. she went to school in switzerland, her parents died in an airline crash, left her mucho money. she could speak french, spanish, and possibly german...later, we learn that her real name is tilda renner mistress of ernest haussmann/gestaopsam spencer*hiw wife, betty, who passedpaul harrigan: working with dil in the mexican swamp looking for oil reserves*fernando, base-camp man*the doctor in tuxpan*girls aplenty...that dil had prior to marriage...no more than three serious*boy came from the base camp with the mail*jill townsend: 26-year-old, former girlfriend of dil...still friends...laura doesn't like. jill is a reporter for the new orleans star news. story opens, dil gets a letter from jill telling him of trouble back on the home front in new orleans. she didn't think laura was on the up-and-up...suspicions*some people sent to one of uncle sam's jails*a hairy little man...tax driver in new orleans*a little man waiting for dil outside laura's apartment, lieutenant barney zeck*an old man with a bald head & a green eyeshade...some kind of stenographertram widdmar: friend of dil's...in the export/import business*bill french: first officer of the sanderson steamship mobile and who brought laura to the party at the boyton*a waiter*a nosy old lady...who takes care of the building, apartments, where laura rented on rampart*a man who was seen leaving the apartment where laura rented*a man across the street...who was observed watching laura's apt*hitchcock, a famous director of the time*a man cursed me...dil bumped into him outside on the street*a sallow girl/piano at the bar...children followed dil...one child female tried to pick his pocket*the man on the floor below*dil's past: when he was 11, ronny was 14...a fight...dil did not quit*halbert & rune: handled the funeral, burial of laura*the people on the street...two female tourists...one creature came mincing*starched waiters...late lunchers early evening crowd...bartender*brazilian architect...who designed tram widdmar's home*sammy, tram's negro butler*men in garish uniforms...b-girls w/bad teeth...strippers*sailors & whores, drunken brokers & glassy-eyed schoolmarms, b-girls & pimps & college kids & ragged children & air force enlisted men*papa joliett/piano...real? imagined?...plays music of others*albert ammons, tatum, fatha, fats, himes *uncle tom...as in "uncle tom fringe"*satch...the kid...baby: musicians*the man came out of the darkness*a trim little carhop*the "jones" boys...either they are fbi agents...or some sort of other government agents...cia doesn't operate on u.s. land, right? heh two of them...one of them "andy"*haussmann: associated with laura/tilda...has information from east germany...that they hope will buy their escape from their past*a red officer, colonel general v. glinka*shakespeare...japs...stalin...tintoretto (a painter)*betty morin: name for the agent...soviet/russian...talya dvalianova...who tries to get/see if dil has the information they are trying to retain, keep out of u.s.a. hands*monroe weidman: name used by betty/talya...place in algiers where she will meet dillon*an old man with his head cradled in his arms...shuffling waitress...cashier...girl...cashier*mr robinson: name used by dillon to retrieve/pick up keys left at a hotel*talya's father, an engineer.*the man she reports to, talya...in the u.s.*don juan...duchess of alba*a frowsy sleepy woman...the guide in dillon's dream/nightmare*a copy boy*oliver...the name of a cat that jill had*the artist who previously occupied jill's apartment*christy...a protitute from whom dillon gets information*joe...the name dillon uses with christy*her creole friend...christy's*dagwood...a name used to get into the show with whips/blood...though that was ago...as now the name used is*abner*a few men sat at the tables...men stood at the bar*jimmy the bartender*several groups of customers...one burly man...a cold low voice (man)...a new one (man)...associated with the show/whips/blood*a woman...black mask, in seats at the show*a pair of new customers, a single, a trio (show)*a magnificent negro...bone in nose, drum (show)*a woman spun into the light...dances...a second man*bloody esters in the sangre de cristo mountains (flagellants) *more actors entered on cue...a stranger...the management*weber and fields? to do w/the accent of haussmann at the show*the fat man in a shabby suit (jewish), home city gummersbach*his wife and daughter who died in one of the camps, belsen*adolf*dr. jack...is a man jill calls to tend to dillon...house-call*josie...is dr. jack's wife*pollyanna...jesus...judas...de mille...errol flynn...roy rogers...cagney...mr oppenheim...huey p long...columbus...samaritan*a dirty-fingered amateur abortionist...a 14-year-old girl*a fat lady tourist...the porter...railroad people...night city editorsiddman: survivor of the holocaust...he is instrumental in rescuing dillon after the show*known sympathizers...student groups...pinks...smuggled aliens*managing editor...a nice tasty set-up (tram)...a pair of cute little no'th ca-lina nurses*the same general officers...chinese troops*lou...lady friend of tram*operator (telephone)...sergeant...some scrawny female...young fry were skipping...a young girl leaned...a sultry-looking young man*a sharp black shadow of a man*urselines of france were the gray sisters*a stocky perspiring woman...a stringy daughter...twenty people with the group...five men...the guide was a withered little man*pirates...a gaunt woman...a plump young girl...mafia gangs*as though i was a third person*a heavy man in a dark worn suit and a felt hat...the brown-armed girl...her boy friend...s stoop-shouldered musician*straw hat...words used to describe one of the foreign agents*a woman in a dirty slip, may*a naked kid*a stringy man, sipe...owner of the land where the shack/island is located*mack...a very large dog...mastiff*real big shots glad to rest up here*truck driver...a man in the narrow bunk...a broad, bald-headed man*manager of jewelry store*a blonde girl, student type...domestic agent, baker by name*two men were walking down the street...foreign agents*george...statch, domestic agents, harley...sammy
MURDER FOR THE BRIDE. (1951). John D. MacDonald. ****.This novel shows MacDonald at his best. It lands heavily in the espionage genre, but is not concerned with tradecraft per se. It tells the story of Dillon Bryant, a geologist who works mostly off-shore exploring potential oil bearing sites. He just got married and got back from a three-day honeymoon. Now he is back in South America analyzing the data from a new series of seismic studies. The woman he married, Laura, was an instant attraction for Dil. He met her at a party and fell madly in love. All his friends, however, had a somewhat lower opinion of her and were vocal about it. While on location for work, he gets a telegram telling him to get back to New Orleans quickly – Laura is in trouble. The warning came from Jill – a really close friend of his, and a once potential partner. When he gets back, he finds that Laura is dead. She had been murdered by having a wire coat hanger wrapped around her neck and tightened with a pliers. Dillon vows to find out who did this and seek revenge. He is slowly drawn into a web of intrigue that ultimately involves an organization of spies. The setting is just after WW II, but agents were being put in place for future actions. The Feds knew such organizations existed, but they were not able to pin down the leaders of the cells. Dil soon learns more about his wife that he wanted to know, and gets deeply involved in the exposure of the foreign organization. There are lots of tense situations as the plot moves us along, with more than enough assaults and murders to keep us involved. This is top-notch plotting for MacDonald, with little or no maudlin romanticism involved with his female characters. Recommended.
Do You like book Murder For The Bride (1951)?
This 1951 novel is only John D. MacDonald's second mystery/thriller, after 1950's The Brass Cupcake (and 1951's Wine of the Dreamers - the first of three science fiction entries). As would become a signature of JDM's, the protagonist is a competent professional man who becomes the investigator.Dillon Bryant, is a successful engineer off on assignment after just finishing his honeymoon. News from home comes that his new bride, Laura, a beautiful women whom he had only met weeks before proposing marriage, is in deep trouble. He rushes home to find out that she has, in fact, been murdered. Filled with grief and rage, he feels he cannot leave it up to the police to solve the case - he wants his own kind of revenge against the killer.
—Ed
