Murder in the Shaveden

[mblakele]

Have you read H. Beam Piper's "Murder in the Gunroom"? It's an old favorite of mine, first published in 1953. It's a murder-mystery about the death gun-collector and the squabbling of his heirs. I picked it up again tonight, and thought about rewriting it for a shaving audience. After all, how much difference is there between gun collectors and razor collectors?

Here's an excerpt from the jacket blurb for the parallel-universe edition:

When Fleming was found dead on the floor of his shave-den, a Solingen straight razor in his hand, the coroner's verdict was "death by accident." But Gladys Fleming had her doubts. Enough at any rate to engage Colonel Jefferson Davis Rand, private detective and a razor collector himself, to catalog, appraise, and negotiate the sale of her late husband's collection.

There were a large number of people who wanted the collection. The question was: had anyone wanted it badly enough to kill Fleming? This is a story that will keep your nerves on a razor edge, even if you don't know the difference between a cased Toggle and a seven-day Boker set.

Following Piper's model, about half of the book is spent discussing technical aspects of razors and shaving techniques. The rest is devoted to sexual innuendo, heavy drinking, fast driving, and gun-play.

 

[Topgumby]

The only murder in my shave den won't leave Mrs. Topgumby wondering about accidents or a motive...she'll kill me if I buy too much more stuff.






(If she knows about it)

 

[mblakele]

Yes, that's a good point. In the original Gladys is a second wife, so the collection was already a fact on the ground when she arrived. She has her own guns too, so the razor version would have to include a Lady Gillette. There is some fun infighting with her step-daughters, who are about the same age she is: I suppose they use cartridges and goo.

Come to think of it, the deceased Fleming was a medium-scale processed-food magnate, and his company was being acquired by someone like General Mills. It would be appropriate to bring P&G or Energizer into the story.

But seriously, Top: who should play you in the movie version?

 

[Topgumby]

But seriously, Top: who should play you in the movie version?

 

[RayH]

Never read that by Piper. Just the Little Fuzzy books and his Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen book.

 

[Hex]

It seems like a natural, then you could do a follow up board game.

I accuse, TopGumby. in the Parlor, with a DublDuck.