The Book Count 2021

[Greg]

Devil's Garden by Ace Atkins

Before Ace wrote Spencer and Quinn Colson novels, he wrote fictionalized true crime novels. Devil's Garden tells the story of the Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle case wherein Arbuckle is accused of killing Virginia Rappe. The story is mainly told from the viewpoint of Dashiell Hammet who was a Pinkerton agent at the time. Hammett is called in to track down the witnesses of the scene in Arbuckle's room at the Fairmont where Rappe was taken ill. William Randolph Hearst also plays a role in the case as he actively makes sure that Arbuckle is portrayed as the villain of this piece.

If you know the ins and outs of the Arbuckle case it's kind of interesting to see it framed as a detective story. But if you know the Arbuckle case with any depth, it's kind of dull because you know the motivations of the players and how the whole thing turns out. I was interested to see Hammett in the mix. And I did like the reasons behind Hearst doing what he did although I don't think they are ultimately valid. As a bonus, Atkins throws in a extra Hearst scandal at the end of the book.

In synergy notes: the last two books I read had Hearst in them.