Great writing talent looks like a hereditary trait here. Library of Congress Classic shows that CW Grafton set a high mark for his daughter, Sue Grafton. His writing was so suspenseful, it kept me reading straight through to the end. This is a must read mystery!

Grafton shows a mastery of writing that will keep you interested in the mystery that’s not completely solved until the very last line. Gifted writing is passed down in this family. #5starread!

I made it a few chapters in, and purchased for my library (some of the classic crime stories do quite well here), but I cannot say it's to my personal taste. I do enjoy the classic crime, but this was a little too noir-y for me, and felt dated rather than vintage, if that makes sense. Not a bad story at all, just not my thing.

this really was a great novel, it was great to read a old time mystery novel, there's something classical and nostalgic about this read.

The Rat Began to Gnaw the Rope is a golden age American noir gem by C. W. Grafton. Originally published in 1943, this re-format and re-release from Poisoned Pen Press is part of the Library of Congress Crime Classics series. It's 304 pages (in the print edition) and available in paperback and ebook formats. Other editions are available in other formats.

This is a beautifully engineered gem of a book. The protagonist, a young lawyer, doesn't fit the bill of the jaded cynical gumshoe, but he's brilliant and tenacious and I enjoyed the story from start to finish. There's murder, mayhem, skullduggery aplenty, and wrongs to right along the way. Protagonist "Gil" Henry is a wisecracking terrier of a man (despite being self-described as "pudgy" and "no great shakes at drinking") and no matter what the bad guys do, he's right there dogging their footsteps and driving the story arc. The denouement is satisfying and resolves into a good ending. Admittedly it was a product of its time period and there are a few scenes which have not aged particularly well in the intervening 77 years. Overall, however, it's a well written and tightly plotted humorous noir mystery. I wish the author had been able to finish the projected 8 book series featuring Gil (he finished 2 and part of the 3rd before his death).

This edition is enhanced by the inclusion of historical notes and background information as well as book club discussion guided question prompts. A foreword by Dr. Carla Hayden (Librarian of Congress) also provides some historical background context.

Four stars. I enjoyed it very much.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I received this book from the publisher through Netgalley for review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Written by the father of Sue Grafton, this is a smart, funny mystery with a strong plot driven tale of early America. Gil Henry is the youngest partner in a small law firm. Young, attractive Ruth McClure walks into his office and his next case is going to be an easy one, right? Until someone tries to kill him, that is. After repeated attempts on his life, Gil doggedly pursues the truth with a dry sense of humor and a strong drive for justice to be done. Humorous and hard boiled, excellent example of early crime writing.

Stands on Its Own

This book is being played up in part as something of a curiosity -- a 1940's detective novel by the father of modern crime writer Sue Grafton. Well guess what? This is more fun and certainly as well written as anything of Sue's and stands quite nicely on its own both as an entertaining read and as a fine example of what many consider the Golden Age of crime writing.

Our hero, Gil, is not a hardened p.i., but rather a young lawyer who has been engaged to value some inherited stock. The blurbs keep describing Gil as "short, chubby, and awkward with members of the opposite sex" , which suggests a schlubby sort of guy who's in over his head. That is a false and misleading blurb. O.K., Gil is short and is a bit chubby. He's also smart, tough, resourceful, keenly observant, and a very smart cookie. He always has his wits about him, he's a take charge kind of guy, and he can handle a gat when a dame's in distress. He can take a beating and keep on ticking, and he has exactly the right dry, deadpan sense of humor that every hard boiled hero has to have. He may not be any way nearly as well known as Spade or Marlowe, but he fits quite comfortably into their company.

The plot is based on stock and financial trickery, sort of. That really leads to lots more secrets, which leads to a lot of violent crime. So while at first this might look like it's going to just be about complex financial crimes, we go noir quickly. In fact the whole book is crisp, almost staccato, and screams along at a nice pace, with plenty of warning shots and strong arming. (But remember, Gil just keeps ticking no matter who's pointing a gun at him.)

I thought this would just be the curiosity it was suggested it would be, and instead I got a ripping, high octane, and exceptionally well-written and plotted, (and slyly amusing), old school detective novel. A wonderful and pleasant surprise.

(Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

What a pleasure to have the chance to reread this treasure from 1943. I read it in my teens having raided the family library after inhaling the books of Rex Stout, Dame Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, et al. I'm sure the local librarian wouldn't have approved as Golden Age Noir wasn't deemed appropriate for young ladies. All I have to say is the second reading, as an adult, was great. Age has given me a new perspective. Even if you shy away from noir, give this one a try. The humor and the wonderful character of Gilmore "Gil" Henry foreshadow the wisecracking and underestimated amateur investigator we enjoy now.
Gil is a lawyer in a law firm but just barely. One day his secretary announces that a Miss Ruth McClure is here to see him. Little does Gil know what danger will befall him when he takes her on as a client. It sounds simple enough. Miss McClure has inherited some shares in a company from her late father and that, in and of itself, is no cause for worry. But worry she does when the owner of the company, her fathers employer, offers way more than those shares are worth on the NY stock exchange. Plus there are other pieces to the deal that have Ruth turning to a lawyer to help figure out what is really going on. When Gil takes the case and travels to Harpersville, KY to snoop around there are people who want him stopped. At great cost to Gil's life and his poor noggin. He takes a lot of hits but bounces back, full of wisecracks. I'm sorry there were only two books in this series and I hope that Poisoned Pen Press will also publish the second, The Rope Began to Hang the Butcher. C. W. "Chip" Grafton may have only written a total of three books but that was more than enough to plant the idea in the head of his very talented daughter, Sue Grafton, to write her Kinsey Millhone series.
My thanks to the publisher Poisoned Pen Press and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This may be a hidden gem since it's been out for decades and doesn't have a lot of reviews. If noir is your thing, this book is probably your thing. It is filled with interesting characters, a fun plot and some humor. A solid mystery.

I really appreciate the review copy!!

I am so glad that classics in the crime genre are being brought back into print! The Library of Congress Crimes Classic "The Rat Began to Gnaw the Rope" is the first (of only 3) crime novels by C.W. Grafton. It was originally published in 1943 and is a great example of the slightly humorous hard-boiled crime novel.

Gil Henry is a lawyer who is hired by Ruth McClure to investigate the true value of some stock owned by her late father. The plot is complex, with a number of suspects and clues peppered throughout.

Hard-boiled/noir is not my favorite of the crime genre, but I really enjoyed this book. It was well-written and entertaining.

I really liked the additions by the Library of Congress of an introduction and endnotes. The endnotes were especially helpful as they explained elements of 1940's life in America that were (mostly) unfamiliar to me.

Although written in 1943, WWII is not mentioned in the story. I appreciated the author's Note About the War at the end of the book that acknowledged the reality of war and the sacrifices that would be made.

I hope to read soon another book by this author because I throughly enjoyed this one.
The mix of noir and humour was gripping and entertaining and the solid mystery kept me guessing till the end.
It aged well and it's a good depiction of an era even if something would not be acceptable today.
I strongly recommend it.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

While investigating the value of a stock inherited by his client, attorney (and amateur sleuth) Gilmore Henry, unwittingly becomes embroiled in a scandalous murder mystery.

For fans of noir fiction, this was an entertaining and intriguing mystery originally published in 1943, with a wonderfully quirky and awkward leading man, and many period references that enhanced the atmospheric setting of this novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing a digital copy in return for an honest, unbiased review.

Lately I have been reading several of the British Library Crime Classics, reissues of golden-age mysteries from the 1920s and later. So I guess it’s about time that I give equal weight to crime classics from this side of the pond, reissued by the US Library of Congress. And what a fine start: “The Rat Began to Gnaw the Rope”, a 1943 mystery from C.W. Grafton.

The story is a combination of hardboiled detective book, pulp novel, and wisecracking humor – a rare combination for this time period. And yes, some of the comments and characterizations would not be acceptable in this day and age, but there isn’t that much to offend people, unless you are really trying to look for it.

The story centers on the lawyer Gilmore Henry, a junior partner at his law firm. Miss Ruth McClure seeks him out, her father recently died in an accident and she wants Gil to help her understand why her father’s boss is offering to buy his outstanding stock shares for a very high premium.

Of course, things are not as simple as they seem. No sooner has Gil agreed to help her then someone tries to kill him, suspiciously similar to Miss McClure’s father’s accident. Soon we are involved in the standard golden age mystery issues: multiple murders, odd neighbors with secrets, old family secrets, cold-hearted industrialists, illegitimate sons, sheriff in the pocket of the rich family, multiple suitors for the rich daughter, overheard telephone conversations, hidden wills, and in the middle of it all the amateur detective, getting beat up and trying to figure it all out for all of the right reasons.

Anyone who has read anything from this time period won’t be too surprised at the outcome, but Mr. Grafton does a great job weaving the story among the well-drawn characters, keeping everything just this side of believable. A very entertaining pulp novel with a satisfying conclusion.

I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

A vintage thriller set in the backdrop of WW2. I enjoyed the narrative and the humour was delightful. The descriptions brought a smile on my face. It is very difficult to combine humour with suspense and the author has done it deftly. Too bad he couldn’t complete the eight books he set out to write in this series. A fun read.

First sentence: My secretary said that there was a Miss Ruth McClure to see me and I said that she could come on in. The girl who stood in the doorway a moment later was small and lovely but she was obviously very unhappy and looked as if she were not sure she wanted to come in after all.

Premise/plot: As adults we don't really have D.E.A.R scheduled into our days, well, most don't. D.E.A.R. if you don't know means Drop Everything And Read. But this vintage mystery should be a must-must-must read for all mystery lovers.

Originally published in 1943, it stars an amateur detective, Gilmore "Gil" Henry, a lawyer. A young woman, Ruth McClure, comes to him--as a lawyer--seeking his services. She has a couple of questions about some stock she has inherited after her father's death. Henry takes the case, and, well a lot more comes with that--than he was expecting! His close encounters with death start piling up!!!! Somebody does not want him helping out Miss McClure. But why?!?!

My thoughts: I loved, loved, loved, loved, LOVED this vintage mystery. It perhaps isn't perfectly perfect. It is very much a product of its time. It was written and published during the second world war. But for adult readers with an appreciation for context that don't find offense at the drop of a hat, I think it would prove a delightful escape.

I love the narrative! I love Gil Henry. It's not often you get pudgy, chubby detectives that are way out of their element but super stubborn. I love the description as well.

As I reached the city limits I turned on the radio and caught a hot swing band with one of these women crooners who sounds as if she has gallstones. It was starting to rain a little and the black-top road was shiny like seals in the circus.



I was about halfway down the steep hill when there was a sharp explosion and the car jumped and twisted under me like a hula dancer. I went down that hill in a wild zigzag, keeping to the road for fifty or seventy-five yards by pressing my hundred and eighty pounds against the wheel and trying to anticipate each move. Then I went into a spin and the last thing I heard was the high whine of the tires skidding sidewise. I ought to be dead. How many times the car turned over I don’t know but when I came to, I was hanging halfway out of the door by the driver’s seat and the car was upright some thirty feet off the road down a slight incline.



I began to get a pretty good idea of what Tim McClure might look like when I tried to put on the suit I found on the bed. It may not have been a zoot suit6 but the way I wore it, it certainly had a drape shape. I rolled up probably eight inches around my ankles and the overlap at my waistline was something to look at. The shoulders of the coat hung down almost to my elbows and, of course, my hands were clear out of sight up the sleeves. No wonder Miss Ruth McClure laughed when she saw me. I was a dead ringer for the smallest of the seven dwarfs and sure enough she called me Dopey.



Every person has some cross to bear. Mine is that I am not shaped like people who are intended to get their clothes in ready-to-wear shops. If clothes are to fit me in the middle, they have to be too long at the ends and if they are to fit me at the ends, they hurt me in the middle.



I didn’t want to take the time to wait while alterations were made so I took a suit which hurt when I buttoned it at the waist. Mr. Silverstein had on a black skull cap and a measuring tape hung around his neck. He patted and smoothed and pulled at things to make them hang right and appeared to approve in every particular although he finally said that maybe it was a little snug. I thought snug was hardly the appropriate word since my belt was almost out of sight and I could tell that I would not want to sit down very often.



I regretted my decision when I crawled in under the wheel of the car. They say when you cut earthworms in two, the halves go about their own business and supply whatever it takes to carry on, but I am no earthworm and I had no faith in my ability to do the same.



I wondered if there was any way to grow a new tooth, remove bruises, reduce thirty pounds or grow eight inches taller in a few minutes, but decided there wasn’t. I thought about buying a new suit and incidentally giving my tortured stomach a rest, but with the other details so accurately reported, I thought it would be a waste of time and money. There wasn’t any water at the newsstand so I took two tablets out of the box and munched them disagreeably as I walked down the street wondering how long it would be before I was on the inside looking out.



People who fix things to eat like to see other people eat them, especially when they are hungry and say so, and I was so hungry it must have been shining out of my eyes for anybody to see.



Well, you can’t stand in one spot forever. Acorns do it and get to be oak trees and leaves grow all over them and by and by they can’t move at all.

Noir author C.W. “Chip” Grafton is probably best known as the hard-drinking father of the late Sue Grafton, a Mystery Writers of America Grand Master and the winner of several Anthony and Shamus awards — if you have heard of him at all. But Lawrence Block, Lilian Jackson Braun, Kinky Friedman, David Handler, Charlotte MacLeod, Gregory McDonald, Elizabeth Peters Donald Westlake and many, many, many more mystery writers owe the elder Grafton a huge debt of gratitude. That’s because Chip Grafton invented the wisecracking investigator.

Meet Gilmore “Gil” Henry, the short, pudgy, very junior partner in the prestigious law firm of Mead, Opdyke, Smallwood, Garrison & Henry, “which trickles out to practically nothing by the time it gets to me.” In The Rat Began to Gnaw the Rope, Henry is sent to Harpersville, Ky., for a pretty little thing whose father died two weeks ago. Ruth McClure, 28, wonders why her father’s employer is trying to buy the late Mr. McClure’s stock for four times its worth — as long as he can get the dead man’s private papers as well. Ruth smells a rat, and that’s why she summons a lawyer. As you can guess, there’s a whole colony of rats in Harpersville, and the self-deprecating, flippant Henry throws caution to the winds and gets his man — while frequently getting beat up, too. I am so grateful to Poisoned Pen Press for reissuing this 1943 gem.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press in exchange for an honest review.

I picked up this book on the recommendation of a trusted source and also because C.W. Grafton is the father of Sue Grafton. It is an honest portrayal of America on the eve of its entry into World War II and therefore may offend some readers occasionally. I choose not to become offended, instead deciding to be happy that we've moved away from that way of thought and behavior. (But honestly, there are not many such instances.)

What I found was a well-written, fast-paced mystery that kept me guessing. Wonder of wonders-- I enjoyed it. Any hardboiled or noir mysteries of this period usually bore me to tears. I find them pretentious and formulaic, but one of the main reasons why I didn't find The Rat Began to Gnaw the Rope to be that way was due to Grafton's light touch and marvelous sense of humor.

This Library of Congress Crime Classic is packed with extras: a foreword, introduction, footnotes, something about the war, a reading group guide, a section on further reading, and a few pages about the author. I have to be honest and say that I didn't read all of them, but what I did read was informative, and I found the footnotes quite useful when I didn't quite understand certain terminology.

Yes, I did enjoy C.W. Grafton's first mystery. Am I going to start reading more hardboiled mysteries? I don't think so. They're not quite my cup of tea, although if I did find more written like this one, I just might change my mind.

An Intriguing Noir Mystery

I was drawn to this novel by the title and banner on the cover that read, “Library of Congress Crime Classic.” Having not read any of the classic noir detective novels of the ‘30s and ‘40s, this novel appeared to be an excellent opportunity to explore this genre. I was not disappointed.

The novel opens with the main character, Gil Henry, a junior partner in a law firm, receives in his office Ruth McClure, from Harpersville, 25 miles away. Her father died recently, and he had 1,000 shares of stock in the company where he worked. She wanted to know the value of the stock, but not its value based upon value on the stock exchange. The reason was that the owner of the company was not offering to buy it as its current low price but for $110 a share, near or at its original value. Gil agrees travel to Harpersville find out what he can. He clears the trip with the senior partner who provides a car. As he traveled south, the events start to travel south. Suddenly, he hears an explosion, and the car crashes. Upon searching, he finds a bullet in what remains of the tube from his left rear tire.

From this start the novel unfolds with turns and twists. Since Gil does not get along well with authority. Soon after meeting with Mr. Harper and the local sheriff he is forced to leave Harperville and apparently breaking his promise to help Ruth McClure. This is but the first layer of onion that Gil needs to peel back to find out the truth, but each layer reveals more facets that complicate finding that truth. It was refreshing to read an old fashioned mystery without all of the technology that is ubiquitous to mysteries set in modern times. The main story kept my attention throughout.

The B-storyline on Gil Henry is very light. Most of his character must be gained by his actions. He has many noir-like characteristics. His remarks and descriptions are always snarky. He is a little fatalistic in many of his actions. Lastly, while Gil describes himself as, “I am no ladies’ man and girls have never thought much of my short pudgy figure,” doesn’t mean that he doesn’t take some liberties with the fairer gender. As for the other characters, the men are strong and authoritative, and women are weaker or have some other limitations.

There are not any intimate scenes, and vulgar language is non-existent. Violence does occur but is not graphic. Readers should not be any objections concerning these aspects of the novel. What I especially liked about this Library of Congress version of this novel was the excellent forward and introduction that provided the background behind the author, who is the father of the more famous author Sue Grafton, and the novel. Also, excellent chapter endnotes were added to provide background on to readers 75 plus years later are probably obscure. Generally, I like reading novels on an e-reader so that when I find something that I do not understand, I can use the easy Internet access to fill in my lack of knowledge. The end notes significantly reduced that need.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this novel. All of the loose ends were neatly tied up at the end. The read was easy and the flow steady. My attention was kept throughout the novel. Overall, I rate this novel with four stars. If this genre interests you, do give it a try.

I have received a free e-book version of this novel through NetGalley from Poisoned Pen Press with an expectation for an honest, unbiased review. I wish to thank Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read and review this novel early.

"Is this lawyer digging his way to the truth, or digging his own grave?

Short, chubby, and awkward with members of the opposite sex, Gil Henry is the youngest partner in a small law firm, not a hard-boiled sleuth. So when an attractive young woman named Ruth McClure walks into his office and asks him to investigate the value of the stock she inherited from her father, he thinks nothing of it - until someone makes an attempt on his life.

Soon Gil is inadvertently embroiled in scandal, subterfuge, and murder. He's beaten, shot, and stabbed, as his colleagues and enemies try to stop him from seeing the case through to the end. Surrounded by adversaries, he teams up with Ruth and her secretive brother to find answers to the questions someone desperately wants to keep him from asking.

In this portrait of America on the eve of America's entry into World War II, C.W. Grafton - himself a lawyer and the father of prolific mystery writer Sue Grafton - pens an award-winning mystery that combines humor and the hard-boiled style and will keep readers guessing until its thrilling conclusion."

I LOVE that Poisoned Pen Press and the Library of Congress are doing this series, but more importantly, did you know that Sue Grafton's father wrote an award-winning mystery!?! Talent runs in that family, that's for sure!

What a treat to read a mystery from 1943. Gil's a lawyer in Kentucky and he has no idea what he's about to unbox when Ruth McClure walks into his office and hires him. This is such a period piece (I didn't like the footnotes, btw) but it's still a gem of the hardboiled type- minus the stuff we see today with computers and cells phones and forensics of all types. Good characters and a just twisty enough plot (loved the dialogue too) make it a fun read. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. AND, it's Sue Grafton's dad!