Mr. Goranovsky, also known as “Mr. Do-Gooder,” is
good citizen; honest, upstanding, with a certain
civic-mindedness that compels
him to find a clerk when he sees a man
hoplifting. The store is
called Gwynn’s, and it has an
odd shoplifting policy. Since an
employee didn’t see the actual snatch,
they are loath to stop t
he man for fear, if he didn’t steal
anything, of alienating
a customer. They ask Mr. Goranovsky
to be a witness when
the man is approached.
He hesitantly agrees, but quickly
regrets his decision.
“Citizen’s Arrest” is deceivingly simple
and overtly ironic. It takes the expected
—crime, punishment, and possible retribution
—and twists it into something unexpected.
It is humorous, charming
—in a hardboiled way—
nd exemplifies the idea that no good
deed goes unpunished. The prose is simple—
“My fingers trembled as I lit a cigarette.”
—and, unusually, there are no first names.
It is Mr. Goranovsky,
Mr. Levine, Mr. Sileo, which gives the
story an uptight formality.
A formality that acts as a foil to the climactic twist. And the twist
is what makes the story good.
“Citizen’s Arrest” originally appeared in
Alfred Hitchcock Mystery
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