The House That Jack Built by Ed McBain (1988)

The House That Jack Built
by Ed McBain
Publisher:  Henry Holt and Company
Copyright:  1988
Book Club Edition

Ralph Parrish was just a middle-aged Indiana farmer, a decent man of modest tastes.  Hard-working.  Maybe -- in a world of sharp deals and fast bucks -- even a bit simple.  A bit dull.  But Ralph Parrish believed in family, and although he had absolutely no experience whatsoever with his kid brother's unorthodox lifestyle, he loved Jonathan.  Enough to stake him to a handsome beach house in Calusa County's exclusive Whisper Key.  And when Jonathan was about to turn forty, Ralph naturally flew down to Florida for the party.

But what he could deal with at a thousand miles' distance he couldn't tolerate up close.  Surrounded by Jonathan's gay friends, Ralph exploded into angry words.  Mocked by Jonathan, he left the party even before it began.

The next morning, Jonathan Parrish lay dead on his kitchen floor, a chef's knife stuck deep in his gut.  And Ralph Parrish was charged with murder.

It didn't take Matthew Hope long to decide that Ralph Parrish was no killer.  Proving it would be another matter.  Ralph's clothes were covered in his brother's blood.  His fingerprints were all over the murder weapon's handle.  He had no witness to his innocence, no alibi.  All he had were the words he heard his brother scream just before he died -- and the image of a figure all in black running down the beach in the gray light of a rainy winter dawn.

Condition:  Used.  Hardcover.  Dust cover is lightly discolored and shows shelf wear.  Pages may be tanning from age.

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