Murder in the Gunroom
by H. Beam Piper
The gunroom murder depicts a detective whose experience with antique guns makes him the perfect candidate for breaking the case of a collector who is knocked over by one of his own guns. Lane Fleming's early collection of pistols and handguns was one of the best in the country. When Fleming was found dead on the floor of his locked gun room with a Colt.36-type Confederate assault pistol in his hand, the prosecutor's verdict was "accidental death." In any case, it is enough to include Colonel Jefferson Davis Rand, better known as Jeff - a private investigator and collector of weapons - to catalog, evaluate and arrange the sale of his late husband's collection. There were many people who wanted to buy the collection. The question was: Did anyone want him to be bad enough to kill Fleming? And if so, how did he do it? Here is a riddle told against a fascinating backdrop of old weapons and tool collectors, shooting fast, without hysterics, fascinating, without losing touch with the mind, and introducing a new private detective who is personalized and intelligent. This is a story that will keep your nerves on the hair trigger, even if you don't know the difference between a pair of Paterson .34 and a Texas .40 with ram sleeves.
