Pretty Lady by Marian Babson was written in the 1970s and is now out of print. I have a very old copy of this which I acquired second-hand some years ago and which I hadn’t read since I first bought it. On rereading it I found it to be a very clever and atmospheric book.
Denny is a young man who has a learning disability (the terms used in this book are those which were in general use when it was written). He lives with his mother and is well known in the area in which he lives. He follows a strict routine and is easily distressed when something unusual happens, and he is very suggestible.
Merelda is trapped in an unhappy marriage and the easiest way out for her is to kill her husband. She obviously doesn’t want to be arrested so she creates a complicated plot setting Denny up to be the obvious suspect. Denny adores Merelda and is willing to do what she wants – will he be trapped in her plan ?
The author tells quite a complicated story revolving around Denny who Merelda wants to use but who someone else wants to kill. The story explores various attitudes to Denny’s learning disability but also gives him a voice and agency in the events.
This is a very tense mystery and I thought it was well written and interesting. The author is good at comparing people’s outward appearance and presentation with their motives and showing that people are often not how they seem.
Anne Is Reading 