Hello, All,
Welcome to another edition of In The Spotlight. When many people think of US series that feature female private investigators, they think of Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone or Sara Paretsky’s V.I. Warshawski. But predating both of those series (‘though just by a few years) was Marcia Muller’s Sharon McCone. That series doesn’t always get the attention that the other two series do but Muller’s work has been highly influential and this series can only be improved by a look at some of her writing. So today let’s turn the spotlight on the first of Muller’s Sharon McCone series Edwin of the Iron Shoes.
As the novel begins, McCone gets a late-night call from her employer Hank Zahn, senior associate at All Souls Cooperative, San Francisco’s legal services group. She rushes out to meet him at Joan’s Unique Antiques where the body of shop owner Joan Albritton has just been discovered. McCone feels a special sense of loss at this death. She’d gotten to know and like Albritton in the course of investigating some incidents of arson and vandalism in the neighbourhood. Albritton and some other antique merchants believed that someone was trying to get them to sell their property cheaply and buy up the land, and they wanted to know who was responsible Zahn took the case and McCone’s been looking into it. Homicide detective Lieutenant Greg Marcus has been assigned to investigate the murder, so he immediately wants to know what McCone has found out about the other incidents on the street.
Merchants’ Association head and shop owner Charlie Cornish empowers the legal co-operative and thus McCone to look into the murder on behalf of the Association and McCone begins to work on that case to find out how it’s related to the possible land-grabbing scheme. Immediately McCone runs into trouble because Marcus does not want a private investigator doing police work. It doesn’t help matters that McCone is a woman (this book was published in 1977). Nonetheless, Marcus knows that McCone knows the people in the area. She also knows the background of the vandalism and arson incidents and it’s quite likely that Albritton’s murder is related to those events. So he reluctantly agrees to co-operate with McCone.
The two sleuths begin their work and not long afterward Marcus begins to suspect Charlie Cornish. Cornish had had a relationship with Albritton but lately, she’d been apparently seeing bail bondsman Ben Harmon. Harmon was helping Albritton with some legal trouble her grandson Chris was having and the two seemed to have gotten very close. McCone doesn’t believe that Cornish is guilty so she looks more deeply into matters to find out who else would have wanted to kill the victim. What she finds is that both Joan Albritton and Charlie Cornish had secrets to keep and they’re not the only ones. In fact, the more she learns about both people’s backgrounds the more McCone wonders whether she should have been so quick to assume Cornish is innocent. But at her core McCone knows he didn’t kill Albritton. Then there’s another fire and a break-in at Albritton’s shop and now it’s clear that someone is determined that McCone will not find out the truth about what’s been happening on Salem Street.
McCone perseveres though and bit by bit peels away the layers of what’s been happening in the neighbourhood. In the end she finds out the truth about why and by whom Albritton was killed, and what it has to do with the bid for the local land.
One of the important elements that run through this novel is the tight-knit group of local antique dealers They are a real community; they know each other well and they help each other. We really sense their fear and their sense of having what you might call a common enemy as they find themselves quite literally under attack. As McCone investigates, we also learn some of their backstories and we see the network of relationships among them.
Also woven throughout this novel is interesting information on the way the antique dealing business works. We learn how shop owners work with importers to stock their shops. We also learn just a little about how the governments of the US and of other countries monitor the import and export of antiques to prevent fraud and forgery. When the novel begins, McCone admits to knowing absolutely nothing about antiques but as she works this case, we follow along as she learns the business.
This is a PI novel. So readers get to see how private investigators find out information. McCone taps friends and acquaintances for expertise, she follows up on publicly-available information and she spends her share of time simply following people and observing too. In fact, there’s a humourous scene in which she’s trying to gain entrance to an office building after hours. She gets her chance when a group of students taking an evening seminar come in to use the building and she falls in with them, pretending to be a student herself. There’s another scene in which she crashes a company cocktail party pretending to be an employee.
Another element in this novel is the developing relationship between Marcus and McCone. Each of them is quite prejudiced against the other at first and each is strong-willed. But little by little they get to know one another better. A relationship develops between them and McCone finds out that Marcus is much more than he seems on the surface. That said though, the main focus in this story is the mystery. McCone and Marcus do not spend all of their time obsessing about each other or their relationship.
And then there’s the character of Sharon McCone herself. She’s capable and smart, as one has to be to be a successful PI. She also has plenty of courage and sometimes takes more risks than she should, although that doesn’t mean she’s completely foolhardy. And she’s refreshingly free of the angst and personal demons that far too many fictional private investigators have. She works hard and has a strong sense of loyalty to Hank Zahn and the idea behind the legal co-operative: that quality legal help should be accessible to anyone. She’s very much a champion of the underdog.
The mystery itself makes sense and is believable, especially as we get to know the characters better. And both McCone and Marcus find out the truth in credible ways. The mystery aspect of the plot remains the central focus throughout the novel so readers who prefer novels with many different in-depth sub-plots will be disappointed. But I think it’s also fair to say that this focus makes for a solid pace and well-knit plot.
Edwin of the Iron Shoes is a PI novel with a believable mystery but without the hardboiled, sometimes gratuitous explicitness that a lot of other PI novels have. It’s solidly set in San Francisco and features a smart, courageous and likeable sleuth. But what’s your view? Have you read Edwin of the Iron Shoes? If you have, what elements do you see in it?
Coming Up On In The Spotlight
Monday 27 August/Tuesday 28 August – Faceless Killers – Henning Mankell
Monday 3 September/Tuesday 4 September – What Was Lost – Catherine O’Flynn
Monday 10 September/Tuesday 11 September – The Cold Dish – Craig Johnson
Marsha Muller is one of my favorite mystery authors, and her Sharon McCone protagonist is top-notch. I’m at least two books behind in this series. I suspect I read Edwin about the time it was published as I was into a very heavy mystery-reading kick doing those years.
Pat – Isn’t Muller talented? It’s a terrific series I think and I like the way Muller has allowed McCone to develop over the years.
I have the whole series up to a certain point, starting with Edwin of the Iron Shoes. I collected them for years. I enjoyed reading about Sharon McCone’s exploits and about her large, extended family. The legal collective was up my alley as I worked for years for a non-profit legal organization. And I read about her development into a private detective, with her own agency.
Her independence and feistiness always appealed to me and yet I was glad that she found a deserving partner, and even got a ranch and plane.
I have kept reading this series, although I may have skipped one or two.
“Locked-In” is very well-written from McCone’s point of view, as she recovers from a terrible injury in a hospital room, barely communicating with anyone. Her staff pitches in to find out how and why she was nearly killed.
Kathy – I’ve always liked McCone’s independence and strength of character too. And Muller has done a very effective job of having her grow through the series and as you say, find a good partner and a solid life. I think this is one of those series that has been consistently good through the years too.
I didn’t know you’d worked for a non-profit legal organization. I like that aspect of McCone’s character; she stands up for the underdog.
I honestly don’t remember the plots in detail of the earlier books, but maybe this is a hidden plus, as I can reread them.
Kathy – That’s the nice thing about not remembering the details of plots in a book one hasn’t read in a while. It’s fun to re-read the story.
I have only come across this series in a complimentary way (as it were) from reading the crossovers with Bill Pronzini’s Nameless – again, one of those writers whose work didn’t seem to turn up much in the UK though online retailers are clearly the way to go. My understanding is that the earlier volumes in the series are tougher and stronger in terms of plots and the femminist outlook – would that be a fair appraisal (I’m basing this mainly on what has been said over at Thrilling Detective I might add)? I would like to get into these and eternally get caught up by the question of where it is best to start (since the odds of just being able to piclk up a copy in a store are virtually nil). Thanka as always Margot.
Sergio
Sergio – Interesting question. That’s the thing about series like this one, that began several years ago. It can be hard to find some of the novels. If you can find it I encourage you to start at the beginning of the series – with Edwin of the Iron Shoes. The reason is that it’s easier to follow along with the developments in McCone’s life that way and it’s a pleasure to watch her character grow. And that leads me to your other question about the plots and outlook. I would say that it is fair to say that the earlier novels are a little tougher in that sense than are the more recent ones. It’s not a dramatic shift but yes, there is definitely a softening in that sense as the series moves on.
Thant’s great, thanks very much for the excellent advice Margot – will do!
I started reading this series years ago and like Kathy loved it for years and years. Then I didn’t read anything for about 5 years and went back to the author with ‘Locked In’. I found this to be an unrealistic portrayal of someone with a very distressing illness as by the end of the book McCone is sufficiently recovered to help solve the crime.
But this author gave me a lot of pleasure over the years and I suspect my reading tastes have changed. But ‘Edwin of the Iron Shoes’ is a very nice read.
Sarah – Locked In is definitely not everyone’s cuppa. And of course, you are absolutely right that reading tastes change over time and that affects the way we see an author’s work – even one whose work we’ve really enjoyed. But I’m glad that you liked the other novels in the series. I’ve always thought it to be a solid series overall.
Sarah’s experience is similar to mine. I read “Edwin” fairly soon after it was published, and several more of the series, but I lost touch with it by the time that Locked In was published as I haven’t read that. For me, it was one of those series that starts out in an interesting way but which did not hold my interest after a few more books. Thanks, though, for reminding me of the plot of Edwin, which I’d forgotten – and I did like it when I read it. A fascinating title for a book.
Maxine – That’s the thing about many series. Whether it’s changing tastes or something about the series itself, we don’t always stick with even a series we’ve enjoyed. I like this particular series but there are definitely series that I enjoyed for a time – even several years – but wouldn’t go back to any more.
And about the title? It refers to one of the things in Joan Albritton’s antique shop actually and I think it’s a great title for the book too – certainly not run-of-the-mill.
I’ve loved this series for years. I don’t think I’ve read every volume but always have my eyes open for them at book sales. And I’ve been known to read an old one for the second time despite all those books out there that I haven’t read yet and want to. This is one of my favorite heroines.
Barbara – I think Sharon McCone is a terrific “leading lady.” And especially so because she was one of the first female PI’s with a solid tough-enough-to-take-it character but who didn’t sacrifice being what most people think of as feminine.
I enjoyed this book when I read it but it is the only one I have read in the series. I have the next two or three and want to continue the series. I always read in order… to see the growth in the character as you mentioned. So I will be lucky if I every finish them all… with all the other series out there. Thanks for this reminder. Looking forward to the Mankell and the Craig Johnson posts (both of which I have read… but I forget them so soon).
Tracy – I know exactly what you mean by wanting to keep up with a series and just simply not being able to do so. There are so many series I’ve liked and wanted to keep up with but just… didn’t. I’m looking forward to both of those other posts as well; both are terrific books in my opinion by talented authors.
True. It’s almost impossible to keep up with every series and I haven’t done that as much with Sharon McCone as with V.I. Warshawski or some of the European series. I lost some of the great interest about McCone when her character grew away from the legal collective.
And I just saw the latest book in the library but didn’t feel like picking it up as it just didn’t grab me as in earlier books.
Also, now there are explosions and high-tech weaponry, hints of espionage and global thrillerdom, which I avoid.
Kathy – Now, that’s an interesting point. When a series moves in new direction – a direction one doesn’t like – it’s pretty common I think to just let the series go. Sometimes the author changes her or his focus, or the publisher does, or something else happens. If the things the drew you to the series in the first place aren’t there any more, it makes sense that you would be less eager to keep up with it.
I remember reading Edwin of the Iron Shoes decades ago. It was ground-breaking then. Sue Grafton and Sara Paretsky are better known, but Marcia Muller is their equal.
George – Well-said. Both Paretsky and Grafton get well-deserved attention. But Muller’s work really is terrific. And you’re right; Edwin of the Iron Shoes was indeed groundbreaking.