1954 mystery novel by the late
Rosemary Focaccia, featuring her celebrated creation
Inspector Framingham. It was her last
novel.
In the small town of
Malvolio, MI, a body is found floating in a
vat of
rum at the local
distillery. Meanwhile, an unidentified
amnesiac appears at the local
orphanage; his only memory is of falling into a
vat.
The local
law enforcement officers are unable to establish the identity of the floater, nor that of the
amnesiac, and
Inspector Framingham is called out of retirement in
Biloxi to take on the case. Over the course of 435 suspense-filled pages, odd correspondences emerge: The floater's clothing contains particles of soil unique to
Inspector Framingham's hometown of
La Grange, TX; the
amnesiac displays an unnerving familiarity with the
nuts and bolts of
police work;
Inspector Framingham admits a fondness for
rum, and finds himself unable to locate
Biloxi on a map. The
floater's body does not
decompose, while the
amnesiac develops
necrosis in his extremities.
By the end of the
novel,
Inspector Framingham has lapsed into a
vegetative state and the
amnesiac has taken over the investigation. On the last page, his memory is restored and he reveals
the awful truth.