CURTISS, Ursula Reilly

Born 8 April 1923, Yonkers, New York; died October 1984

Daughter of Paul and Helen Kieran Reilly; married John Curtiss, Jr., 1947

Ursula Reilly Curtiss' novels are psychological studies seasoned with suspense and detection. Her heroines are often endangered young career women barred by uncertainty, self-doubt, or promises from seeking police aid. Several novels also incorporate gothic overtones, for example, The Second Sickle (1950, British title The Hollow House), The Wasp (1963), and The Birthday Gift (1976, British title Dig a Little Deeper).

The Second Sickle tries the imagination through Victoria Devlin's stubborn insistence on keeping a promise even in the face of murder. Yet the tension never flags and the book shows Curtiss' potential. In The Wasp, Curtiss uses the common horror of insects as an unusual weapon threatening the sanity and the life of Kate Barlow. The ending is particularly clever: the murderer dead but lionized. Lydia Peel of The Birthday Gift finds a simple errand complicated by false identities and murder. Here, three of Curtiss's cleverest characterizations stop just short of caricature: chainsmoking Mrs. Chilton, her femme fatale daughter, and her frightful little grandson. In all three novels, as is usual in Curtiss' work, a dash of romance lends spice.

In Curtiss' fiction, an old murder frequently spawns new deaths. Katie Meredith of Voice Out of Darkness (1948) suddenly finds herself accused of the murder of her foster sister, accidentally drowned years before. The book is neatly crafted, and here, as elsewhere, Curtiss makes good use of blizzards to symbolize isolation and danger. In one of Curtiss' strongest novels, The Face of the Tiger (1958), innocent Lou Fabian finds herself suspected of kidnapping for the second time. The device for the concealment of the child is brilliantly simple, and the characterization of the baby's mother is especially incisive and touching. Sarah Trafton, in So Dies the Dreamer (1960), must find the murderer of her husband's stepmother in order to solve his apparent suicide. The incorporation of information about pheasant breeding adds interest, and the use of the beautiful birds as symbols of danger is effective.

Three of Curtiss' best novels combine two of her most common—and most compelling—devices. In "inverted" mysteries (the murderer's identity being known from the outset), Curtiss depicts women lacking some civilizing element of introspection, imagination, or gentleness. The tension depends entirely upon the author's skill at ever more horrifying characterization, deft enough to preserve realism. Curtiss is masterful at this difficult technique.

In The Stairway (1957) Madeline Potter copes with financial and psychological blackmail by seemingly meek Cora Applegate, actually a killer. Among Madeline's difficulties is her struggle not to act from jealousy of her child's affection for Cora, a factor adding depth to the characterization. The Forbidden Garden (1962) traces the disintegration of elderly Elsa Marrable's murderous personality. The portraits of Alice Dimmock, avenger turned victim, and Harriet Crewe, entangled innocent bystander, are overshadowed only by that of little James Crewe, who knows how to turn sickliness into advantage. Here, storm-driven tumble-weeds symbolize the forces driving the characters.

Celia Brett in Letter of Intent (1971) commits crimes to escape from her slum background into comfort and security. Much of the novel's strength lies in the portraits of the Vestry sisters—weak, loving Mary Ellen and strong, loyal Susan—who are contrasted with Celia. The conclusion provides a double twist and is chillingly appropriate, as is the quiet, measured tone.

Curtiss' portraits of children are always intriguing and psychologically sound, and in Out of the Dark (1964, British title Child's Play), perhaps her best novel, she presents a broad range of children's personalities. The five Mannering youngsters, lively, mischievous, and innocent, are imperiled by and contrasted with their guest, teenaged Kit Austen. Kit, sensual and self-centered, unwittingly triggers murder with a prank phone call. The reader meets the killer early, and the suspense builds as he "detects" the whereabouts of his tormentor. Though reviewers deplored Curtiss' reliance on sometimes awkward adverbial constructions, she is recognized as a skillful writer, particularly adroit at sustained tension, characterization, and the "end-of-the-chapter hook."

Other Works:

The Noonday Devil (1951). The Iron Cobweb (1953). The Deadly Climate (1954). Widow's Web (1956). Hours to Kill (1961). Danger, Hospital Zone (1966). Don't Open the Door (1968). In Cold Pursuit (1977). The Menace Within (1979). The Poisoned Orchard (1980). Dog in the Manger (1982). Deathof a Crow (1983). The House of Plymouth Street and Other Stories (1985).

A manuscript collection of Ursula Reilly Curtiss is in the Mugar Memorial Library at Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts.

Bibliography:

Reference Works:

Encyclopedia Mysteriosa (1994). Encyclopedia of Mystery and Detections (1976). St. James Guide to Crime & Mystery (1996).

Other reference:

NY (24 July 1971). NYHTB (19 April 1953). NYTBR (19 March 1950, 14 June 1964).

—JANE S. BAKERMAN