FRIDAY’S FORGOTTEN BOOKS #473: Collected Millar: First Things, Last Things: Banshee; Spider Webs; It’s All In The Family; Collected Short Fiction By Margaret Millar


I’m impressed with the Collected Millar series that is reprinting the works of Margaret Millar. Some of Millar’s works have been out-of-print and unavailable for years. These well-crafted, inexpensive SOHO PRESS trade paperbacks bring Margaret Millar’s work to a new audience. Volume Six includes Millar’s collected short fiction which I hadn’t read before this. Millar’s novels explore social situations disrupted by crime. If you haven’t read any Margaret Millar, you’re in for a treat! GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Banshee (1983) p. 1
The death of the daughter of wealthy Californian landowners disrupts the community.

Spider Webs (1986) p. 101
Twelve jurors–with individual motives and prejudices–judge the case of a Caribbean yacht captain accused of murdering a wealthy white client for her jewelry.

Collected Short Fiction with an Introduction by Tom Nolan (2004) p. 241
Two novellas and three short stories feature two of Millar’s favorite characters: the psychologist Dr. Paul Prye and Detective Inspector Sands.

It’s All in the Family (1948) p. 403
Out of print for decades, Margaret Millar’s bestselling novel centers around a precocious young girl named Priscilla. This semi-autobiographical story of a pre-World War II childhood captures the mood of America in the 1930s.

10 thoughts on “FRIDAY’S FORGOTTEN BOOKS #473: Collected Millar: First Things, Last Things: Banshee; Spider Webs; It’s All In The Family; Collected Short Fiction By Margaret Millar

  1. Steve Oerkfitz

    I have all of these and have only read two of the novels so far. So I have a lot to look forward to. Just yesterday I read the short story The Couple Next Door. I had read it years ago and liked it but am not sure what the ending means.

    Reply
    1. george Post author

      Steve, there’s just one more volume–Margaret Millar’s memoirs–left in the series. I have it on order. This is one of the best publishing projects in the last decade!

      Reply
  2. Jeff Meyerson

    I’m impressed that you’re reading all of these. I have only read a few of her novels, which were excellent. I also read her Crippen & Landru collection, also called THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR. I should probably just get the whole series.

    IT’S ALL IN THE FAMILY sounds like something I want to read.

    Reply
    1. george Post author

      Jeff, SOHO PRESS put together a marvelous edition of the COLLECTED MILLAR. Love the illustrations on the spine. You can’t go wrong reading Margaret Millar!

      Reply
      1. george Post author

        Steve, I agree with you. I’m a fan of LARGE PRINT. But, I think SOHO decided on the smaller font in order to fit all the books into these fat volumes.

  3. Rick Robinson

    By the way, Barbara is at the endodontist again this morning for another root canal (it was two adjacent teeth). She has had a really tough week: 4 dentist visits and a doctor visit.

    Reply

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