Rocket to the Morgue

by Anthony Boucher

Synopsis:

Legendary science fiction author Fowler Faulkes may be dead, but his creation, the iconic Dr. Derringer, lives on in popular culture. Or, at least, the character would live on if not for Faulkes's predatory and greedy heir Hilary, who, during his time as the inflexible guardian of the estate, has created countless enemies in the relatively small community of writers of the genre. So when he is stabbed nearly to death in a room with only one door, which nobody was seen entering or exiting, Foulkes suspects a writer. Fearing that the assailant will return, he asks for police protection, and when more potentially-fatal encounters follow, it becomes clear to Detective Terry Marshall and his assistant, the inquisitive nun, Sister Ursula, that death awaits Mr. Foulkes around every corner. Now, they'll have to work overtime to thwart the would-be murderer--a task that requires a deep dive into the strange, idiosyncratic world of science fiction in its early days.

With characters based heavily on Anthony Boucher's friends at the Manana Literary Society, including Robert Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard, and Jack Parsons, Rocket to the Morgue is both a classic locked room mystery and an enduring portrait of a real-life writing community. Reprinted for the first time in over thirty years, the book is a must-read for fans of mysteries and science fiction alike.

Rocket to the Morgue is the first book by Anthony Boucher that I’ve read, though there’s a previous book in this series that I think provides a bit more context for some of the characters. It’s mostly readable as a standalone, though, and makes fascinating use of Boucher’s involvement in SF/F pulps: some of the characters are pretty clearly very closely related to people like Heinlein and L. Ron Hubbard, and there’s a lively knowledge of how the market worked in those days that shapes the mystery and the characters.

That does add a large amount of the interest, though, and I wonder how it feels for those who have absolutely no interest in the genre, or no interest in that era of the genre (which I’m sure means more to my mother than it does to me).

I did enjoy some of the characters, though; the detective’s relationship with his wife and children are a surprisingly tender touch, from the start right through the story. It’s especially rare in a mystery novel, where often the wife and children are just waiting at home at the end of the day — but here the detective gets involved with bathing, changing and feeding the baby. It was rather sweet, and seemed to be written by an experienced father.

The mystery itself is a locked room mystery, but the explanation wasn’t too contrived and it all hung together well enough for me. I’m not wildly enthusiastic, but I would be curious to read the first book and any follow-ups, or at least give a couple of them a try.

Rating: 3/5