I'm back for another round of my Vintage Mystery Reading Challenge: Vintage Scattergories edition. I am, of course, signing up for my own mystery challenge and, being a glutton for mysteries, I'm going to try for all the categories in the Golden Age and as many as I can in the Silver. For full details and to join me for some mystery madness, click on the link .
Categories:
1. Colorful Crime: A book with a color or reference to color in the title
Gold: The Green Island Mystery by Betsy Allen [1949] (1/24/22)
Silver: A Plate of Red Herrings by Richard Lockridge [1968] (3/28/22)
2. Murder by the Numbers: A book with a number or quantity in the title
Gold: The Five Red Herrings by Dorothy L. Sayers [1931] (2/24/22)
Silver: The Triple Hoax by Carolyn Keene [1979] (12/31/22)
3. Amateur Night: A book with a detective who is not a P.I.; Police Officer; or other official investigator (Nurse Keate, Father Brown, Miss Marple, etc.)
Gold: Clouds of Witness by Dorothy L. Sayers [1926] (2/19/22)
Silver: Trixie Belden & the Black Jacket Mystery by Kathryn Kenny [1961] (6/8/22)
4. Leave It to the Professionals: A book featuring cops, private eyes, secret service, professional spies, etc.
Gold: He'd Rather Be Dead by George Bellairs [1945] (2/15/22)
Silver: Surfeit of Suspects by George Bellairs [1964] (2/24/22)
5. Jolly Old England: A mystery set in the United Kingdom
Gold: Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy L. Sayers [1933] (2/12/22)
Silver: No More Dying Then by Ruth Rendell [1971] (11/18/22)
6. Yankee Doodle Dandy: A mystery set in the United States
Gold: Killer Loose! by Genevieve Holden [1953] (5/11/22)
Silver: The Mystery of the Whispering Mummy by Robert Arthur [1965] (10/6/22)
7. World Traveler: A mystery set in any country except the U.S. or U.K.
Gold: The Castle Island Case by F. Van Wyck Mason (Bermuda) [1937] (3/20/22)
Silver: Seven Tears for Apollo by Phyllis A. Whitney (Greece) [1963] (7/4/22)
8. Dangerous Beasts: A book with an animal in the title
Gold: The Cat Saw Murder by D. B. Olsen (Dolores Hitchens) [1939] (3/25/22)
Silver: The Mystery of the Stuttering Parrot by Robert Arthur [1964] (3/30/22)
9. A Calendar of Crime: A mystery with a date/holiday/year/month/etc. in the title
Gold: Midsummer Nightmare by Christopher Hale [1945] (2/21/22)
Silver: Alfred Hitchcock Presents A Month of Mystery as by Hitchcock [1969] (6/20/22)
10. Wicked Women: A book with a woman in the title--either by name (Mrs. McGinty's Dead) or by reference (The Case of the Vagabound Virgin)
Gold: The Queen and the Corpse by Max Murray [1949] (6/24/22)
Silver: Portrait of a Dead Heiress by Thomas B. Dewey [1965] (2/22/22)
11. Malicious Men: A book with a man in the title--either by name (Maigret & the Yellow Dog) or by reference (The Case of the Haunted Husband)
Gold: The Case of the Famished Parson by George Bellairs [1949] (1/2/22)
Silver: Inspector's Holiday by Richard Lockridge (in reference to Insp. Heimrich) [1971] (3/15/22)
12. Murderous Methods: A book with a means of death in the title (The Noose, 5 Bullets, Deadly Nightshade, etc.)
Gold: Strong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers [1930] (3/29/22)
Silver: Sweet Poison by Douglas Clark [1970] (12/26/22)
13. Staging the Crime: A mystery set in the entertainment world (theatre, musical event, pageant, Hollywood, etc)
Gold: Overture to Death by Ngaio Marsh [1939] (1/29/22)
Silver: Bullets for Macbeth by Marvin Kaye [1976] (6/5/22)
14. Scene of the Crime: A book with the location of the crime in the title (The Body in the Library, Murder at the Vicarage, etc)
Gold: Deathblow Hill by Phoebe Atwood Taylor [1935] (1/21/22)
Silver: The Witches' Bridge by Barbee Oliver Carleton (10/2/22)
15. Cops & Robbers: A book that features a theft rather than murder
Gold: The Corbin Necklace by Henry Kitchell Webster [1926] (5/26/22)
Silver: What, Me, Mr. Mosley? by John Greenwood [1988] (1/17/22)
16. Locked Rooms/Impossible Crimes: A locked-room or otherwise impossible crime mystery (locks not necessary).
Gold: Bodies from the Library 2 by Tony Medawar (ed) [all stories from Golden Age] (1/13/22)
Silver: Murder Impossible by Jack Adrian & Robert Adey (eds) [all stories from Silver Age though book published in 1990] (12/30/22)
17. First Impressions: Randomly select four books from your TBR pile. Read only the first line of each book and select one of them to read based on your first impression of the book.
Gold: The Parchment Key by Stanley Hopkins, Jr. [1944] (5/9/22)
Silver: The Worm of Death by Nicholas Blake [1961] (10/28/22)
18. Country House Criminals: A standard (or not-so-standard) Golden Age-style country house murder
Gold: Hercule Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie [1938] (1/1/22)
Silver: Death in a Sunny Place by Richard Lockridge [1971] (7/30/22)
19. Murder on the High Seas: A mystery involving water
Gold: Midnight Sailing by Lawrence G. Blochman [1938] (2/8/22)
Silver: A Clutch of Constables by Ngaio Marsh [1968] (2/20/22)
20. Planes, Trains, & Automobiles: A book with a mode of transportation in the title
Gold: Death Walks in Marble Halls by Lawrence G. Blochman [1942] (2/11/22)
Silver: The 10:30 from Marseille by Sebastien Japrisot [1962] (11/5/22)
21. Murder is Academic: A mystery involving a scholar, teacher, librarian, etc. OR set at a school, university, library, etc.
Gold: Best "Thinking Machine" Detective Stories by Jacques Futrelle [1905] (1/16/22)
Silver: Always Lock Your Bedroom Door by Roy Winsor [1976] (4/10/22)
22. Things That Go Bump in the Night: A book with something spooky, creepy, gothic in the title (The Skeleton in the Clock; Haunted Lady; The Bat; etc)
Gold: The Corpse with the Grimy Glove by R. A. J. Walling [1938] (3/5/22)
Silver: Nancy Drew Ghost Stories by Carolyn Keene [1983] (4/15/22)
23. Repeat Offenders: A mystery featuring your favorite series detective or by your favorite author or reread an old favorite
Gold: Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers [1923] (1/20/22)
Silver: The Mystery of the Talking Skull by Robert Arthur [1969] (3/15/22)
24. The Butler Did It...Or Not: A mystery where the butler is the victim, the sleuth...(gasp) the criminal...or is just downright memorable for whatever reason.
Gold: The Lodger by Marie Belloc Lowndes [1913] (4/6/22)
Silver: Stories Not for the Nervous as by Alfred Hitchcock (Robert Arthur, ed) [1965] (7/22/22)
25. A Mystery by Any Other Name: Any book that has been published under more than one title:
Gold: Easy to Kill (aka Murder Is Easy] by Agatha Christie [1938] (1/7/22)
Silver: The Old English Peep Show (aka A Pride of Heroes) by Peter Dickinson [1969] (11/21/22)
26. Dynamic Duos: A mystery featuring a detective team (Holmes & Watson; Pam & Jerry North; Nero Wolfe & Archie Goodwin, or a little-known team that you introduce to us)
Gold: The Golden Box by Frances Crane (Pat & Jean Abbott) [1942] (2/14/22)
Silver: Not I, Said the Sparrow by Richard Lockridge [1973] (7/31/22)
27. Size Matters: A book with a size or measurement in the title (Death Has a Small Voice; The Big Four; The Weight of the Evidence; etc.)
Gold: Dead Little Rich Girl by Norbert Davis [1943] (4/26/22)
Silver: The Longer the Thread by Emma Lathen [1971] (11/25/22)
28. Psychic Phenomena: A mystery featuring a seance, medium, hypnotism, or other psychic or "supernatural" characters/events
Gold: Calamity at Harwood by George Bellairs [1945] (3/3/22)
Silver: The Bluebeard Room by Carolyn Keene [1985] (6/6/22)
29. Book to Movie: A book that has appeared on screen (feature film or TV)
Gold: Witness for the Prosecution by Agatha Christie [1948--for the collection] (1/21/22)
Silver: The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie [1961] (10/31/22)
30. The Old Bailey: A courtroom drama mystery OR a mystery featuring a judge, lawyer, barrister, district attorney
Gold: Sad Cypress by Agatha Christie [1940] (2/16/22)
Silver: And Left for Dead by Frances & Richard Lockridge [1961] (7/21/22)
31. Serial Killers: Books that were originally published in serial format (from the pulp era) OR a book that includes three or more deaths--all committed by the same person.
Gold: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie [1939] (1/9/22)
Silver: Death & the Professor by E. & M.A. Radford [1961] (4/12/22)
32. Killed in Translation: A work that originally appeared in another language and has been made available in English--original publication date determines Gold or Silver Age--OR if your native language is not English, then a work that originally appeared in English which you read in your native language.
Gold: Lock 14 by Georges Simenon [1931] (5/14/22)
Silver: The Inugami Curse by Seishi Yokomizo [1972] (9/30/22)
33. History Mysteries: The bulk or focus of the mystery must take place at least 15 years prior to the date of publication. Flashback stories are fine as long as the modern events frame the story OR the historical events are absolutely vital to the present day story. Example: A Study in Scarlet by Sir Artur Conan Doyle.
Gold: Death Comes as the End by Agatha Christie [1944] (9/18/22)
Silver: Cousin Kate by Georgette Heyer [1968] (7/22/22)
34. International Detectives: A variation on "World Traveler"--but instead of the crime being set in another country, the detective is not from the U.S. or U.K.
Gold: Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie (a Belgian in England) [1942] (9/25/22)
Silver: The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding by Agatha Christie (a Belgian in England) [1960] (11/8/22)
35. Somebody Else's Crime: Read a book that someone else has already read for the challenge.
Gold: Murder Down Under (apa Mr. Jelly's Business--read by Avid Series Reader)by Arthur W. Upfield (Australian detective) [1937] (5/28/22)
Silver: Murder Roundabout by Richard Lockridge [1966] (3/12/22) [read by Rick Mills]
36. Genuine Fakes: Read a book by an author who wrote under a pseudonym (Josephine Tey [Elizabeth Mackintosh]; Nicholas Blake [Cecil Day Lewis]; etc.)
Gold: Death Stops the Frolic by George Bellairs (Harold Blundell) [1943] (2/18/22)
Silver: Goodbye, Nanny Gray by Susannah Stacey (Jill Staynes & Margaret Storey) [1987] (9/22/22)
37. Hobbies Can Be Murder: A mystery that involves a hobby in some way: stamp, coin, book collecting, etc; knitting; birdwatching; hunting; etc.
Gold: Murder Goes Minoan by Clyde B. Clason (collecting Minoan artifacts) [1939] (6/17/22)
Silver: Going Public by David Westheimer [1973; two of deaths occur while the victim is in the midst of his hobby] (5/16/22)
38. Snatch & Grab: Read the first book you pick up off your shelf or TBR stack/s
Gold: The Murderer Who Wanted More by Baynard Kendrick [1943] (2/11/22)
Silver: The Candle Shop Mystery by Eileen Hill [1967] (12/25/22)
39. I've Got You Covered: Pick a book to read based on the cover
Gold: The Man in the Moonlight by Helen McCloy [1940] (3/16/22) [picked it out because cover had a circle--for another challenge I do]
Silver: A Nameless Coffin by Gwendoline Butler [1966] (12/31/22)
40. Get Out of Jail Free: One per customer. You tell me what special category the book fits and it counts--the only thing I won't accept is "It's a vintage mystery!" The genre/time period is a given.
Gold: Take Two at Bedtime by Margery Allingham [1950] (4/17/22) "damsel in distress disguised as mystery"
Silver: With Option to Die by Richard Lockridge [1967] (3/22/22) "A Pun in the Title"
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