THE RAT BEGAN TO GNAW THE ROPE by C W Grafton
Originally published in 1943, this crime novel is considered a classic of the genre and written by the father of the late novelist Sue Grafton of the A,B,C mysteries.
Gil, a newish lawyer, is embroiled in murder and mayhem when all he thought he was investigating was a simple stock value. Ruth, his client, inherited the stock from her father. Ruth’s brother becomes involved as the questions and danger quickly escalate along with a few laughs.
A fast moving and award winning crime novel that will keep you guessing at motive and perpetrator. A fast and fun read written by a master of the genre.
5 of 5 stars ( )

A hard-boiled, but slightly whacky who-dunnit-how written in the 1940's, by the father of Sue Grafton. C. W. Grafton was a lawyer, as is his reluctant sleuth, Gil Henry, who falls into a nasty mess of deception and violence when an innocent young woman comes seeking his help. As good as a lot of the better known stuff from Erle Stanley Gardner or Ellery Queen, I think. This novel is part of the Library of Congress Crime Classics series, which is a project to reprint earlier near-forgotten examples of American crime fiction. It comes with footnotes to explain contemporary references that might not click with modern readers, as well as the "outmoded language and stereotypes" we might find offensive. I didn't need all that, but I understand the editorial intent when bringing some of this era's works back into print. ( )

I picked up this book at my local bookstore because it is designated a Library of Congress Crime Classic. It is written in the hard boiled style of the time. The protagonist, Gil Henry tells this convoluted story. He is knocked unconscious at least 3 times, is beaten stabbed and shot and ruins several suits which he can ill afford. At the end of the novel, he prevails, of course. ( )

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. ( )

Novels have definitely changed since The Rat Began to Gnaw the Rope but was nevertheless a fast paced and intriguing book. It was refreshing to go backwards in time but one thing that most authors do a lot more of now is creating the scene and giving you a sense of being present. That may be because of the audience the author was writing for at that time or rather how crime novels were written then - I haven't read any other crime novels from the 1940's to ascertain if that's a true statement.

What started out as one thing for dear Gil to investigate turned into an ever-widening net of dangerous situations and he surely got more than he bargained for. C.W. Grafton did an excellent job at keeping the action up and preventing me from guessing the culprit(s) until the very end. Gil is definitely unassuming and entirely to pesky for his own benefit but his personality and doggedness win over several people within the story. Despite his quirks I rather like him too. Since the other characters were kind of like a revolving door (even if they came back round again) there wasn't a lot of background for them and left them a little flat. Gil's attitudes (and most of the other men) towards the women of the story are pretty and unfortunately on the nose for the 40's - the only one that really gave Gil a run for his money was Janet.

I actually learned something new, the rental car business was around far earlier than I thought - as far back as 1916. I appreciated the footnotes for era specific subjects, having these helped clarify slang, prominent people etc. that were common in the 40's. Gil's thing towards kissing women is hilariously awkward and so odd to read about in current times. As a historical crime novel this book does contain the prejudices of the people that lived in that time period.

Even though it shares a common theme with our modern mystery/suspense/thrillers it's not really of the same essence as they are. If you are looking for a historical crime novel with a lawyer as a main character that reads a little like a private eye novel I would recommend this book. I enjoyed this title enough that I would actually read the sequel The Rope Began to Hang the Butcher and find out what sort of trouble Gil can get himself into next. Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for opportunity to read a digital ARC of The Rat Began to Gnaw the Rope - all opinions are my own.

Content warning: racism, sexism ( )