WOMEN ARE TROUBLE

WOMEN ARE TROUBLE (1936). Director: Errol Taggart. 

Ruth Nolan (Florence Rice) wants a job as reporter on a city newspaper, but the editor, Bill Blaine (Paul Kelly of The Secret Code), is against the idea of hiring a woman. The last woman he hired became his wife -- now ex-wife -- and Ruth is much too attractive as far as he is concerned. However, with the help of reporter Matt Casey (Stuart Erwin), Ruth manages to get a juicy assignment: investigating the people behind a protection racket that rose from the ashes after the end of prohibition. Plucky as Ruth may be, she may find herself in pretty hot water when she and her boss are kidnapped by the bad guys. Can Casey come to the rescue?

Rice, Irwin, Kelly

Generally well-played, Women are Trouble is a standard crime comedy that at least moves at a brisk pace. Margaret Irving is snappy as Bill's ex-wife, Frances, who has schemes of her own, and Cy Kendall (of The Tiger Woman) is a bit better than usual as Inspector Matson. John Harrington and Raymond Hatton  [Invasion of the Saucer Men] are the villains of the piece, and Kitty McHugh is vivid as Della, the widow of a murder victim. One mildly interesting bit has a thug dressing up in Chinese drag at a party and trying to murder Ruth. 

Verdict: A mediocre crime meller you can miss. **. 

MURDER IN MESOPOTAMIA Agatha Christie

MURDER IN MESOPOTAMIA Agatha Christie. (1936). William Morrow trade paperback edition. 

Agatha Christie accompanied her second husband, Max Mallowan, on his archeological expeditions, and on occasion used these digs as the location for one of her mysteries. In this suspenseful story, an attractive middle-aged woman, who brought out strong emotions in the people around her, the wife of the dig's leader, is found murdered, and famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot determines that it had to be an inside job. The victim had been receiving threatening letters, but it is not so certain that they were genuine. There are numerous suspects, various motives and strange psychological attributes that Poirot and the narrator, a young nurse, must sort through to arrive at the solution. The book is very well-written with excellent characterizations, as well as Christie's colorful view of the location, circa 1930's. While one aspect to the solution is quite clever, Christie is at her most audacious when she finally unveils the murderer. When I first read this novel decades ago,. I thought this was so far-fetched as to be laughable -- and it would have been a relatively simple matter for the author to clear up one or two points that would have made it more believable -- but now that I take the character flaws of the victim into stronger consideration, I wonder if the book is quite as improbable as I thought. In any case, whatever you think of the denouement, this is a fascinating mystery. This story was featured on an episode of the series Poirot with the wonderful David Suchet. 

Verdict: Christie doesn't kid around! ***