This is one of the Shell Scott stories, first published in 1954. It's the eighth in the series, and it's not as funny as some of the later ones. I hadn't read this one before, although I've read several other Shell Scott mysteries. It is still an interesting read, but not quite as enjoyable for me as the later, slightly more looney ones I've read.
In this book, Scott is hired by a woman to find her daughter, Felicity, who has disappeared overnight. The mother doesn't impress Scott, but when checking out the daughter's room, he finds she looks like the innocent 16 year-old girl that she is. When he checks her out with friends, he finds her to be the kind of girl no one says a bad word about.
While trying to find her, he is told that she is a "Trammelite", a follower of cult leader Arthur Trammel. Scott has previously had a run-in with Trammel, and they didn't like each other, but he went out to the Trammelite church to see if anyone there, including Trammel, could shed any light on Felicity's disappearance. This results in Trammel and Scott arguing, including a few threats. Unfortunately, a reporter who is a supporter of Trammel is a witness, and the slanted against Scott article is featured in his paper.
While investigating, Scott discovers that a local Asylum is involved in illegal activities. He also ends up labeled as a violent mental case by one of the doctors, and is locked up, restrained in a staight jacket, and doped up. He manages to get out, but gets a lot of bad publicity. And then Arthur Trammel dies, and Scott is accused of his murder.
I enjoyed the mystery of this, and like the way I can follow along with Scott as he makes his discoveries, and can see some of his thought processes. There are some less than politically correct concepts in the stories, but they were written in a different time, and that is the way it was when the story was written.
I've been a Shell Scott fan since I was about 15, when I found my dad's stash of mysteries in the closet. My mom wasn't sure these were books I should be reading at that age, but my dad said they weren't that bad--after he pulled out all of the Mickey Spillane books. What was left was about 10 Shell Scott books, which I enjoyed immensely--this was in the mid-sixties and I suspect that most of the books were from the late 1950s and early sixties, and featured that weird humor that I really came to enjoy.
Over the years I've come across random Shell Scott mysteries, and bought them whenever I've found them. I believe there are over 30 Shell Scott mysteries, and I've probably read 20, so I have a few more to look forward to as I find them.
Part of the Vintage Mystery BINGO challenge--Golden--D--book with Professional Detective.
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