Marriage is Murder by Robert McCracken

First published in 1988; published digitally by Endeavour Press on August 4, 2016

Marriage is Murder is less a crime novel than a light-hearted family drama that uses crime as a plot device. The story follows a likable loser who, for most of the novel, can’t quite get his act together as his wife, his career, and his home may all be taken away by a real estate developer who conceals his true intentions.

Journalist Charlie Geddis, after a typical drunken evening, finds himself nearly passed out on a bridge when he hears voices. Through a blurry haze, he thinks he sees some people in hoods shoot someone. The victim falls into a pond. Before he falls into the pond himself, Charlie believes he hears the name Palmer. Among Charlie’s other problems, his wife is leaving him for a snobbish realtor named Malcolm Palmer.

The next day, having slept it off at the home of a nearby farmer, Charlie wonders whether he should look for a body or call the police, but decides that it might be better just to put the incident out of his mind. Not so easily done, as he discovers in his rare moments of sobriety. The body has a habit of appearing and disappearing in ways that beleaguer Charlie.

Assigned the editorial helm while his boss is away, Charlie tries to resolve his problem by publishing a story that nobody believes, which only makes things worse. He does manage to get involved with a colleague who may or may not want to be involved with him, depending on whether Charlie seriously wants to regain the affections of his wife. Charlie thinks he does, but he needs to convince his wife of Palmer’s true nature if he is to succeed. Since Palmer has clout and Charlie usually has nothing more than a hangover, his odds of success seem small indeed.

That beginning sets up a classic “wrong place, wrong time” story, the kind Hitchcock used to film, except that Hitchcock’s protagonists weren’t as pathetic as poor Charlie. And while a Hitchcock movie builds suspense, Marriage is Murder builds amusement as hapless but stubborn Charlie attempts to cope with the problems that escalate after his drunken evening on the bridge.

Supporting characters have enough personality to make them recognizable types. The plot is whacky but easy enough to believe, given the tongue-in-cheek nature of the story. It moves at a steady pace, never bogging down but never racing along so quickly that the reader has no chance to enjoy the story’s amusing moments. There are plenty of those, as Charlie moves through the novel continually demonstrating his ability to irritate his dwindling supply of friends with his impulsive behavior. The antics of Charlie and a group of environmental activists who oppose Palmer’s development plan all lead to a satisfying if unsurprising conclusion.

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