The Catbird Seat | Summary

‘‘The Catbird Seat’’ opens in a crowded cigar store in New York City, where Mr. Erwin Martin is buying a pack of Camel cigarettes. As the narrator points out, this is an unusual act for Martin, who is generally known as a non-smoker. But the reason for his purchase is soon made clear: he is planning to murder Mrs. Ulgine Barrows.

Martin is the head of a filing department in a large corporate firm; he is characterized as a neat and precise man who is known for his ‘‘cautious, painstaking hand.’’ Back in his apartment, drinking a glass of milk, he contemplates the...

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