This image is the cover for the book But the Doctor Died, The John J. Malone Mysteries

But the Doctor Died, The John J. Malone Mysteries

A Chicago lawyer gets swept up in a conspiracy of spies, double-crosses, brainwashing, and murder.

Defense attorney John J. Malone may be a habitué of Windy City dive bars, but he’s never lost his balance—until now. Not only is he shaken by the contract killing of his latest client, but one of his best friends, socialite Helene Justus, is turning into a complete stranger.

At the urging of a mysterious old college chum, the job-phobic heiress has suddenly taken a low-level position at a top-secret chemical research lab. What’s more, Helene is spending her mornings on the couch of an esteemed hypnotherapist. It’s confusing as hell to her husband, Jake. To Malone, too. The last time he saw Helene she had no idea who he was.

Now it’s up to Malone to shed some light on the shadows of Helene’s secret life. Somebody’s playing mind games—and the power of suggestion is turning Helene into its most dangerous pawn.

“Almost everything that happens in one of [Rice’s] . . . novels is completely off the wall. To Rice, reality was truly just a concept; a weird and wonderful playground where her imagination could romp around unfettered” (Thrilling Detective).

Craig Rice

Craig Rice (1908–1957), born Georgiana Ann Randolph Craig, was an American author of mystery novels and short stories described as “the Dorothy Parker of detective fiction.” In 1946, she became the first mystery writer to appear on the cover of Time magazine. Best known for her character John J. Malone, a rumpled Chicago lawyer, Rice’s writing style was both gritty and humorous. She also collaborated with mystery writer Stuart Palmer on screenplays and short stories, as well as with Ed McBain on the novel The April Robin Murders.
 

MysteriousPress.com/Open Road Media