Review: "Turning the Witness" by Jeremiah Healy

 

“Turning the Witness” by Jeremiah Healy from Cuddy-Plus One Crippen & Landru, 2003   “Turning the Witness”—which was originally published in Guilty as Charged, edited by Scott Turow, in 1993—is an excellent John Francis Cuddy tale with some admirable sleight of hand and a beautiful climactic twist. Rick Blassingale, an unlikable investment advisor, is accused of killing his estranged wife. The prosecution seemingly has a slam-dunk case since Blassingale has a financial motive for the murder and a witness saw him leaving the crime scene. In desperation, Blassingale’s lawyer hires Cuddy to find enough dirt on the witness to poke holes in her testimony. Cuddy isn’t much interested in helping Blassingale side-step the murder wrap—he’s a pompous ass and jailtime would do him some good—but Cuddy’s professional integrity requires that his investigation be rigorous and thorough. So he does what Cuddy does—interviews the witness, ponders the elements of the crime—and in short order finds the solution. “Turning the Witness” is a solvable puzzle with solid clue placement and a convincing narrative. Cuddy is, as usual, thoughtful, inquisitive, tough and, perhaps most importantly, likable and honest. Littered in the narrative are shimmering descriptions of Boston, Cuddy’s hometown, and even one backhanded comment about New York City. Which adds up to a very good time spent reading. “Turning the Witness” was shortlisted in the best short story category for the Shamus Award in 1994; losing to Lawrence Block’s Matthew Scudder tale, “The Merciful Angel of Death.”

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