Reuben Frost, a retired 77-year old Wall Street lawyer, who has helped the NYC Police solve several murders, and his wife, take their annual vacation in Venice, where they help to solve the murder of the Gregg Baxter, the hottest current American clothing designer. In Haughton Murphy's A Very Venetian Murder [ISBN 0-671-70664-0] Reuben Frost [a 77-year-old, retired Wall Street lawyer] and his wife, Cynthia [a former lead ballerina in the National Ballet], while on their annual September vacation in Venice, solve the murder of Gregg Baxter [the hottest American clothing designer].
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Reuben and Cynthia are on their 22nd annual September vacation in Venice. As usual, they are staying in the posh Hotel Cipriani; they have written ahead asking for one of their favorite rooms, 201. Gregg Baxter, “…the designer of the moment in American fashion…” is also staying on the second floor of the Hotel Cipriani; he has reserved most of the floor for himself and his large entourage: Doris Medford, his assistant; Dan Abbott, [his business partner], “the smart businessman who keeps Baxter Fashions going”, and who sports an ill-fitting red hairpiece; Tony Garrison [Baxter's up-and-coming design assistant – and lover, according to rumor…”]; and Tabita, Baxter's favorite model.
Gregg is in Venice to throw a huge bash in the ballroom of the Palazzo Labia [“…one of the most beautiful interiors in Europe…”] to drum up interest in his Spring line. He will be using the stunning fabrics of a Venetian designer, La Marchesa Cecilia Scamozzi, so it makes sense to have the party in Venice. Also, according to the Paris Tribune, the party is “a declaration of war on his European competition. Baxter's apparently determined to break into the market … and challenge Paris and Milan…And the Europeans are furious because it steals the thunder from their fall shows.”
Two people who are not staying at Hotel Cipriani, but who've been invited to Baxter's party, are Eric Werth [“…the most successful marketer in the perfume business since Charles of the Ritz…”] and Jim Cavanaugh, his attorney. They are in Venice to try to persuade Gregg Baxter to promote Werth's perfume line, but they are not happy about it. “It's a matter we could have wrapped up right on Seventh Avenue, but Abbott insisted we traipse over here.”
As the Wednesday-night party approaches, things are in shambles. The heat is oppressive [although the Palazzo Labia is wired for electricity, the ballroom is lit by candles – exceedingly alluring but extremely hot!]; at least 500 people want to come to the party, but they had only planned for 350. They will have to put the overflow in an anteroom; the dried flowers from Paris which Gregg insisted on [when the fresh flowers were not up to his standards enforcing Doris Medford to make a special trip], will have to be rearranged.
As expected, at the end of the party, many people are upset, some by the heat and some because they have been banished to the anteroom. Doris Medford is upset because Gregg fires her because he says, the party was “…a major, major disaster…”. Eric Werth and Jim Cavanaugh are especially upset because they've been “disinvitied” from the party. But the person who seems most upset is Gregg Baxter himself. He does not circulate among his guests [odd, since this is supposed to be a promotional party] and leaves early, without taking leave of anyone. Reuben and Cynthia wonder why.
All is explained on Thursday morning. At 9 am the phone rings. It is Dan Abbott asking if Frost will meet him for breakfast. Gregg, who is diabetic, thinks someone tried to poison his insulin; it smelled of garlic when he tried to use it just before leaving for the party on Wednesday. Dan Abbott got another bottle for him from the pharmacy. Gregg and Dan don't want the publicity they would get by involving the police, so they ask Frost to investigate.
Alfred Cavallaro, the black-suited reception manager, has an old friend in Mestre who has a commercial laboratory. They send the sample over and wait.
On Friday morning, they get another piece of news. Gregg Baxter was stabbed to death on Thursday night after having dinner at the Da Fiore restaurant. Other people at the dinner party were Dan Abbott, Tony Garrison, Tabita, La Marchesa Scamozzi [called Ceil], and her boyfriend Luigi Regillo.
Gregg's body was found in a temporary rubbish bin near the Bauer Grunwald Hotel in the Calle dei Tredici Martiri [the street of the thirteen martyrs [patriots killed by the Fascists in 1944].
The murder is reported to the police – La Pubblica Sicurezza at the Fondamenta di San Lorenzo. Dan, knowing about Reuben's successes helping the NYC police solve murders, asks Reuben to meet him there.
They meet with Commissario Jacopo Valier, of an old Venetian family [he is descended from the Doges]. Jack, as he likes to be called, was a prisoner of war during World War II. He was jailed in Arkansas where he picked up American slang and became addicted to the pop tunes of the day. He tells them that Gregg, “…may have been the richest man ever murdered in Venice…” and that Gregg was stabbed with a glass dagger, a pugnale di Venezia, with “…a blade as sharp as a razor.” The blade was found inside him with the handle broken off. “Such daggers can be bought in the fancier glass places; they are an old Venetian tradition.” From the 12th to the 17th centuries, Venice tried to keep a monopoly on glassmaking in Europe. Any glassmaker who left Venice to go into business elsewhere was condemned to death – by stabbing with a pugnele di Venezia.
They also receive the news that the insulin was, indeed, poisoned – with arsenic!
The first theory is that Gregg was killed by a male prostitute; it is well known that he was gay. However, there is no lack of other suspects: Gregg was consistently abusive to his business partner and other associates; Werth and Cavanaugh are furious because they were “disinvited” from the party, and feel they came to Venice for nothing; he was abusive to all his dinner guests on the night of the murder; he told all assembled that he was HIV positive [which would have been a problem for Tony Garrison who was his some-time lover and, now, to Tabita, who is Tony's current lover].
It turns out that Dan Abbott is the murderer. He was concerned that Gregg was ruining the business with his conservative approaches and abusive behavior. After trying [and failing] to poison Gregg with arsenic, Dan stabs him.
He is arrested while at dinner at the Hotel Cipriani.
Best part of story, including ending:
I like the descriptions of Venetian life: art; architecture; food; climate; and sunsets. I also liked the very obvious affection, comradery and partnership between Reuben and Cynthia.
Best scene in story:
In my favorite scene the murderer is arrested by the Venetian police while he is eating dinner at the Cipriani Hotel. The police launch pulls up to the dock at the back of the hotel, near the pool; the police approach quietly and make the arrest without any of the other diners realizing what is happening
Opinion about the main character:
I liked Reuben Frost because he is real. He is a kind, considerate man without being perfect. He's not above criticizing people who do not take care of their health [he is a, healthy, fit 77-year-old], and to make snide remarks about people who complain that “those canals smell pretty bad…”, even though they have never been to Venice.
