Payoff for the Banker

Comparing this mystery to others of the genre (American version of the English cozy) -- and not to Dickens, Elliot, etc. -- I've given this book five stars. It is certainly the wittiest and most engrossing of the Lockridge books that I've read so far, certainly the one with the best supply of complex characters. This is not to say much, as all the Pam and Jerry North books follow a similar pattern; it's merely that Payoff for the Banker follows the pattern a bit more deftly. Entering the world of the Lockridges is of particular poignancy for those of us of "a certain age": people use telephones with a rotary dial; police face barrages of reporters from a great many morning, afternoon and evening NYC newspapers; everyone must watch the amount of rationing coupons they use. The Lockridges have left casual but accurate reminders of the 1940s and '50s. Some references may be obscure to readers of a younger generation, references to people and places and events -- and even to something as relatively unimportant as certain mixed cocktails popular at the time the books were written. Therefore, I cannot speak for anyone born after 1937 or '38, but I found myself -- vintage 1936 -- smiling through much of this book. My only quibble: my favorite character is killed off.