The World's Best 100 Detective Stories: Volume Ten

 The World's Best 100 Detective Stories: Volume Ten (1910) by Eugene Thwing (ed)

A very mixed bag of stories. I've read the Malcolm Sage stories before and enjoyed them. The Barney Cook mysteries are pleasant "boys own adventures," and the Old Man in the Corner is quite entertaining, but the post-World War I soldier stories by Detzer really aren't all that. Very little mystery or detection going on--and, as mentioned with the final story, I do see the moral of his stories. I just don't think he develops them very well. Over all, a mid-range entry in the "world's best" series. ★★★

"The Stolen Admiralty Memorandum" by Herbert Jenkins: Malcolm Sage is summoned to a country mansion where the Prime Minister, the First Lord of the Admiralty, and the Secretary of War are all in a panic.  A very sensitive memorandum has gone missing and a great deal of damage could be done if it finds its way into the wrong hands.  There is a houseful of weekend guests and servants.  Who is the guilty party?

"The Holding Up of Lady Glanedale" by Jenkins: A jewelry-loving cat burglar seems to be on the loose.  Five weeks ago, Mrs. Comminge was the victim of a burglar who crept into her bedroom and threatened to shoot her if she didn't hand over her jewel case and keep quiet until he could make his escape.  Now, it appears that he has struck again at the home of Lady Glanedale.  The Twentieth Century Insurance Corporation Limited calls in Sage to verify the particulars--and he reveals the surprising identity of the Glanedale cat burglar.

"The Missing Heavyweight" by Jenkins: Charley Burns, the British champion is set to fight Bob Jefferson (whose name changes to "Joe" towards the end of the story) for the heavyweight championship of the world.  But then he disappears two days before the match.  It's up to Sage to find the clues that will produce the fighter in time for the bout.

"The Blackmailers" by Harvey O'Higgins: Barney Cook is a sixteen year old telegram delivery boy who wants to be a detective. When he delivers an ad from a detective agency looking for an "intelligent, trustworthy [boy] for confidential office work" he uses his initiative to wangle an interview with the chief  of the operation. He's immediately put to the test in a little matter of coded telegrams and blackmail.

"Barney Has a Hunch" by O'Higgins: Barney Cook has established himself with the detective agency and has been assigned the job of trying to find a certain man. While disguised as a newspaper boy, he notices another man's abrupt reaction to the headline about a missing society girl. Barney's hunch leads him on a chase that will make or break his standing with the Chief.

"The Mystery of the Pearl Necklace" by Baroness Orczy: The ladies of London donate money to buy a fabulous pearl necklace for a woman who is a heroine in their eyes. They choose a trusted man and his wife to act as courier. When the man disappears as well as the necklace, the rumors fly. Eventually, the man and the necklace are found and the necklace reaches its rightful destination. But really happened? The Old Man in the Corner has an unusual theory.

"The Music of Robert the Devil" by Karl W. Detzer: A French village is periodically terrorized by the ghost of a blacksheep nobleman who looted their town and stole their women in the days of William the Norman. In the days after the first World War, it seems he come back again. But an American soldier (our narrator) plays detective an discovers what's really going on. (one stabbed)

"Through Bolted Doors" by Detzer: Our American soldier plays detective again--this time investigating who shot both a fellow soldier and an old woman found killed behind bolted doors. (two shot)

"Neglect of Duty" by Detzer: Once again our narrator is called upon to solve a mystery. A large sum of money held in trust by the officer with a certain company has disappeared. The soldier/detective must discover who took the money & why.

"Number 52 Rue Nationale" by Detzer: American soldiers are stealing food and goods from a village and surrounding countryside. Our narrator looks into the reasons why these normally law-abiding men are taking things at gunpoint.

"The Guilty Party: by Detzer: A hodge-podge of various military cases. A bit of a mess really. I appreciate the point behind the mini-stories within the story--to ask who's really to blame in certain situations. But I think it could have been better illustrated. (one shot)

First line (1st story): "Wel!" cried Tims, one Saturday night, as he pushed open the kitchen door of the little flat he occupied over the garage.

Last line (last story): Which proves again that even in the best of wars the guard-house did not always claim its own, and the Guilty Party went on blithely about his or her affairs.

The Strange Case of Eliza Doolittle

 The Strange Case of the Eliza Doolittle (2021) by Timothy Miller

Synopsis (from the back of the book): Sherlock Holmes has retired to the Sussex countryside...that is, until a most formidable puzzle is dropped upon his doorstep by a certain Colonel Pickering.

One Miss Eliza Doolittle, once nothing more than a cockney guttersnipe, has been transformed into a proper lady of London--perhaps even a duchess?--as if overnight. When Colonel Pickering recovered from a bout of malaria, he was astounded by the woman before him. Is it possible this transformation is due to nothing more than elocution lessons and some splendid new hats? Or has Professor Henry Higgins surreptitiously traded one girl for another? And for God's sake, why?

As the case unfolds, Holmes and Watson find themselves in ever stranger territory. Who are the four identical "Freddies" pursuing Miss Doolittle? What part do the respected Dr. Jekyll and his malevolent associate, Mr. Hyde, long thought dead, have to play in this caper? And who the devil is the devilish Baron von Stettin?

So--why mess about with one author's characters when you can mess about with three? So, we have Holmes and Watson taking up a case that not only brings in characters from My Fair Lady but also shadows of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Oh, goody! How much damage can we do in 248 pages to other people's characters since we don't really want to develop main characters of our own? Well...quite a bit, actually.

First of all--Holmes and Watson. They aren't really. Holmes doesn't really sound like Holmes even if he does spout standard Holmes phrases (The game's afoot! Do you have your service revolver? Good old, Watson! etc.). And Watson has been turned into a sort of grown version of a Baker Street Irregular with Holmes ordering him to follow people and whatnot. If Holmes were truly Holmes, I can't imagine how the incoherent babblings of Pickering would have interested him so greatly that he would abandon his bees in Sussex and go back to London to investigate the mysterious transformation of Eliza Doolittle. Especially considering the list of cases he's turned down since retirement--according to Watson. Pickering's story makes very little sense as he tells it and not one phrase stands out to me as something that would pique Holmes' interest.

Then we have Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle. George Bernard Shaw through the lens of the 1964 film has been done a great disservice. Eliza bears little resemblance to the original in either form. The only time she's "delightful" (as she is often described) is when she is under the influence of Dr. Guest, which isn't necessarily a good thing. And, finally, there is the way we shoe-horn the Jekyll/Hyde story into the whole thing. I can't say more about that without spoiling the story--and, judging by the ratings on Goodreads--there's a possibility that some of you will enjoy this WAY more than me (lots of people did and apparently think the depictions herein are just dandy). So, I won't spoil it for you. As for me, not a huge fan.

Oh--and lest I forget--suddenly, at the end of the story, our logical Mr. Holmes seems ready to follow in his creator's footsteps (Doyle) and wants Watson to join him in investigating the supernatural and what lies "behind the veil." Seriously? 🙄 Not my favorite Holmes pastiche by a long shot. ★ and 1/2

First line: I have perhaps left the impression among my readers (such stalwarts as remain) that when Sherlock Holmes retired to his villa in Sussex to pursue his avocation as a beekeeper, his extraordinary career as the world's first consulting detective came to a lamentable end.

Last line: There is only one mystery left to explore, and as always, Holmes is one step ahead of me.
*******************

Deaths = 4 (three hanged; one beaten)

A Slash of Emerald

 A Slash of Emerald (2025) by Patrice McDonough

London, 1867. Dr. Julia Lewis and Inspector Richard Tennant are back in a second historical mystery. This time the focus is on the artistic community and links to pornography and other illicit trade "goods." 

While it is perfectly acceptable for Victorian women to dabble in watercolors and painting as an innocent pastime, women who try to make a living as an artist face ridicule and worse. And the women who pose for artists (male or female)? They're even worse. Julia is called to examine a young woman suspected of prostitution (to make sure she's not spreading disease) even though the girl insists that she's a shop girl and an artist's model at times. The police only became involved because two men were harassing her--though it's obvious they think she attracted their attention on purpose. Then, a new artistic friend of Julia's, Mary Allingham, suffers a break-in the studio on the grounds of her home. A large "W" (for whore) in emerald green paint is left behind. Local officers aren't too keen to investigate the "goings-on" at an art studio, but Julia asks Richard to speak with her friend about other incidents in the female art world.

When young female models become the target of a killer, both Richard and Julia are sure there's more behind this than just spite against females who don't know their place. Mary's brother Charles, an admirer of all sorts of art, has also died of poison. It looks like and is ruled a suicide, but then the family doctor and a member of Charles's club also dies of poison. The club has been tied to another line of investigation involving young girls--are the two threads connected? And if so, how?

McDonough has provided another absorbing Victorian mystery (one of my favorite historical periods). We learn more about Julia and Richard and we get to watch them learn about each other. The supporting characters are also interesting and given depth--even those who aren't on stage long. I enjoyed the look at the artistic world of the 1800s and McDonough deftly weaves real artists into the story in a very believable way. Like Richard Tennant, I wasn't happy that justice wasn't served up to all of the deserving. At the end of the book he takes a leave of absence from the force and is off to France in search of one of those responsible. I hope he catches them...but since the official justice system isn't interested, I do wonder what he's going to do when he does find them. ★★★★

First line: Annie O'Neill peered into the January mist and thought, Why didn't I hail a cab?

"What rational person wants to plow through eight hundred pages of a three-volume novel only to be left heart-sore and depressed by a sad ending?" (Mary Allingham, about Great Expectations; p. 199)

Last line: "Godspeed," she whispered, and walked back to the path.
*********************

Deaths = 10 (one beaten; two natural; three poisoned; two stabbed; two drowned)

Tarantula

 Tarantula (1971) by Bob Dylan

A short and sweet review: I like Dylan a lot as a singer, song writer, and musician. I don't care much for stream of consciousness writing in poem or fiction form--especially when more than 50 percent of the random (but topical for the time) references fly on by me. I recognize a fair number--from "comin' through the rye" to "huntley & brinkley," from the play on the tell-tale heart to Jimmy Cagney (who rates capitals though huntley & brinkley don't). There are lines here and there that do sing and make some sense and the one theme running through is aretha (Aretha Franklin, who also does not rate capitals for whatever reason). I'm not quite sure what aretha represents, but I'd definitely make Aretha a running theme as well. But there's too much that I don't recognize which makes the full-on mind dump even more gibberish than stream of consciousness normally is. If you like that sort of thing, then you may like this a lot--and maybe it's brilliant. I wouldn't know. No rating because I just don't know what to do with this.

First line (preface): In the fall of 1966, we were to publish Bob Dylan's "first book."

Poets and writers tell us how we feel by telling us how they feel. They find ways to express the inexpressible. Sometimes they tell the truth and sometimes they lie to us to keep our hearts from breaking. (xiii)

First line: aretha/ crystal jukebox queen of hymn & him diffused in

let it be understood that she owns this melody along with her musical diplomats
& her earth & her musical secrets (p. 1)

Last line: "Life--Death & the lumberjacks are coming"

Murder Every Monday: Opposites Attract

 

Kate at Cross Examining Crime hosts a fun mystery cover game on Instagram called Murder Every Monday. Our assignment, should we choose to accept it, is to display book covers and titles from books you own that meet prompts which she posts well in advance (see link). 

 

Today's theme is Paired Opposites. Link up a crime fiction title which contains one word with a second crime fiction title which contains a word with its opposite meaning.

Death of an Angel ~Frances & Richard Lockridge

The Devil Drives ~Virgil Markham

The Case of the Unhappy Angels ~Geoffrey Homes

The Happy Highwayman ~Leslie Charteris

A Sleeping Life ~Ruth Rendell

The Men in Her Death ~Marie Blizard

Happiness Is a Warm Corpse ~as edited by Alfred Hitchcock

Cold Light of Day ~Emma Page

And Then Put Out the Light ~E. C. R. Lorac

Death Haunts the Dark Lane ~A. B. Cunningham

The Big Clock ~Kenneth Fearing

A Genteel Little Murder ~Philip Daniels

Beauty Marks the Spot ~Kelley Roos

Beast in View ~Margaret Millar

Such Friends Are Dangerous  ~Walter Tyrer

My Foe Outstretch'd Beneath the Tree ~V. C. Clinton-Baddeley

Out of Order ~Phoebe Atwood Taylor

The Body in the Volvo ~K. K. Beck

The Bus Station Murders/No Pockets in Shrouds (2-for-1 Review)

 The Bus Station Murders/No Pocket in Shrouds by Louisa Revell (2025; anthology edition with introduction by Curtis Evans from The Passing Tramp). Louisa Revell was the pen name for Ellen Hart Smith. My thanks to Greg with Stark House for providing this review copy in exchange for my honest review. I have received no other compensation of any kind. This is a fine edition of a little-known American mystery writer. I thoroughly enjoyed A Silver Spade, the third title in the Miss Julia Tyler mysteries and a title that I managed to acquire in one of the Detective Book Club's 3-in-1 volumes. Thanks also to Curtis for mentioning my review in his introductory comments. I was very glad to see that Stark House was bringing out the first two books in the series in a nice little two-for-one volume. And even more glad that Curtis has provided such an excellent introduction with a well-researched background on Revell and her first two works. If you haven't had the pleasure of reading one of Revell's mysteries before, then I highly recommend that you get yourself a copy.

The Bus Station Murders (1947): Miss Julia Tyler, retired Latin teacher, is on her way to visit her great-niece Anne and husband her husband Dick Travers in Annapolis, Maryland. When the bus arrives at the bus station, everyone rushes off...everyone except for one older woman who seems to be deeply asleep. The bus driver doesn't want to startle the lady, so he asks Miss Julia if she will try to wake her. But that proves impossible as the woman is dead from a knitting needle to the heart. Miss Julia says she wants to be out of it as soon as possible...until she realizes that the police detective in charge is one of her former students, Ben Kramer. And suddenly, with his blessing, she's playing Miss Marple and Miss Silver. Miss Julia, Anne, and Dick all have a solid background in mysteries--reading them (and referencing them) right and left. Hopefully, her reading has given Miss Julia all the training she needs in detection.

Most of the people from the bus knew and despised the deceased, Mrs. Roger Barnes. And most of them live or work in areas where Miss Julia could reasonably go and ask questions. As she notes in her narrative:

One nice thing about getting to what is called a certain age--and at sixty-seven I've been there quite some time--is the privilege of asking questions without having your motives misunderstood. (p.50)

And, so she does. She finds ways to question them all from the Red Cross caseworker to the young sailor who didn't want his uncle to marry Admiral Barnes' widow to the genealogy researcher/librarian who lost her job at Mrs. Barnes' insistence to the doctor who went to jail for dealing in morphine under the table (guess who provided evidence of that?) to the young mother who leaves her children alone while at work (and who Mrs. Barnes had threatened with Social Services). And she manages to provide Ben with suspect after suspect. Just when Miss Julia has decided that it was the young mother, then she digs up something that points at the doctor. But then there's that tidbit that just proves it must have been the sailor (even if Miss Julia does like him). Meanwhile, Ben is digging up evidence himself. But even that is confusing and he winds up making two arrests before the final pieces fall in place and he can make sure the right person has been locked up.

This is a strong debut mystery by Revell, though not quite as solid an entertainment as A Silver Spade. I enjoyed seeing Miss Julia in her first outing and how she handled her first attempts at amateur detection. If she makes some mistakes, it's understandable since this is her first time. And she's so earnest and interested that you can't help but like her. Revell also paints a great picture of Annapolis society of the time. With the most subtle of sentences she lets the reader know how the naval class system works--from the ranking lady being the first to leave a social gathering to which ladies it would be appropriate for Anne to invite for tea (based on her husband's role as naval instructor). The plot is a bit convoluted and though one could assume part of the motive for the culprit, we really aren't given enough clues to figure it all out. There's a bit of Holmes keeping everything to himself until the end about Ben Kramer. But still a lot of fun and a good read. ★★★ and 1/2

In the quotes below, I just couldn't resist listing all the references to well-known mysteries and mystery authors. 

First line: My great-niece Ann had been pestering me to visit her ever since her husband got his commission and she started following him around.

Dick says maybe it was murder in the air, and reminds me how sinister and foreboding everybody feels in Mignon Eberhart's books. (p. 22)

This One Will Kill You. What a good title for a murder story, I thought letting my mind wander again from the murder open on my lap. It was a very poor one, one of the hundreds on the market since people found out you can sell anything that looks like a murder, no matter how bad it is. If I'd had an Agatha Christie, now, or one of the all-too-rare Mary Roberts Rineharts, I wouldn't have known or cared noisy and unpleasant passengers could be, or how hard the bus jolted and how bad it smelled, or how long the trip dragged on. (p. 25)

It's been my observation that some people are born to do things in this world, just as some others are born to sit back. (p. 27)

I learned afterward that he [the bus driver] was addicted to reading murder mysteries too. All the most unlikely people--and I suppose I'm one of them--do read them nowadays and aren't ashamed to admit it. (p. 28)

He [the bus driver] was a credit to the books he'd read, not like me. There was more than a touch of Lieutenant Valcour about him (or maybe it was Chief-Detective Inspector Alleyn as he stood up and made the speech somebody always makes, with variations, toward the beginning of every detective novel. (p.28-9) [Rufus King; Ngaio Marsh]

Maybe you're the homicidal maniac. Goodness knows, I thought, genealogy is enough to drive  anybody out of her mind (p. 38)

Among others, we saw him arguing with a woman with dyed black hair and yellow clothes--yellow shoes, even, like the woman in Crimson Friday. (p. 47) [Dorothy Cameron Disney]

AT: We all read lots of murders, even Aunt Julia. She can throw Hercule Poirot in your teeth every step of the way.

BK: And Miss Marple. In fact, I'm counting on Miss Julia's turning out to be another Miss Marple or Miss Silver. You don't know Miss Silver? she's another of the lady sleuths who solve the crime and give the credit to the police.  (Anne Travers, Ben Kramer; pp. 56-7)

When a woman is scorned, she stays scorned (Anne Travers; p. 66)

...I was perfectly happy because I had Leslie Ford's new book propped up in front of me. (p. 79)

In And Then There Were None there were ten suspects and every one of them had a motive. (Anne Travers; p.88)

Last line: But maybe so.

****************

Deaths = 8 (two stabbed; four war wounds; one drowned; one poisoned)

***********************************************************

 No Pockets in Shrouds (1948): At the end of The Bus Station Murders Miss Julia declares that she isn't interested in murders:

I certainly felt that way now, as if I never even wanted to read another murder. I change the subject every time it comes up at home.

But then we learn at the beginning of No Pockets in Shrouds (just a few months later) that she's not even interested in visiting her old acquaintance Charlotte Buckner until she learns that there's a body to be investigated. And Miss "I change the subject" Julia now has a scapbook full of murderous newspaper clippings. (Quite a quick recovery from murder overload there, Miss Julia. 😉) So, off she goes to Louisville, Kentucky to see what's going on in the murder investigation of Gus, the butler to the Helm family. Gus had been with the Helm family for years and was apt to report everything he saw and heard to Breckinridge Helm, the autocratic head of the clan. Breckinridge had suffered a stroke right about the time Gus was murdered and then as soon as he's recovered, he convinces "Aunt/Cousin Charlotte" to invite all the grandchildren over to her house across the street for a little party (and a meet and greet with her friend Miss Julia). Johnny Brown, one of the grandsons, happens to look out the window to see the Helms family lawyer entering the house.

"Well, boys and girls," he said, and his voice didn't sound a bit the way it did when he'd talked to me, "there goes the reason why we were invited to this very nice little party of Cousin Charlotte's. Mr. W. Blodgett Fownes, come by request to change Grandfather's will."

Miss Julia notes that if this were a mystery novel that Breckinridge would have threatened to change his will, but would have been murdered before he had the chance to do so.

Well...guess what, boys and girls? Mr. Fownes has to go off and have the will typed up all nice and pretty, so it hasn't been signed yet. So guess who is the next to die? Yep. Breckinridge Helm. The police were fairly certain that someone in the house had killed Gus, but they couldn't find definite evidence against anyone or that no one else could have gotten. But this time? Breckinridge was killed after all the kinfolk were home and snug in bed and the house was locked up tighter than a drum. Oh...and it couldn't have been any of the servants because Thelma, one of the clumsiest of the servants (but the very best cleaner in the world) dumped a jar of powder on the only stairs leading to their quarters. She'd been too tired to clean it up right away and planned to do it first thing in the morning. But the murder was discovered first. And there are no footprints in the powder--so none of them crept out in the middle of the night to kill the old man. Which points the finger of suspicion firmly at the grandchildren who had everything to lose if Breckinridge had lived to sign a new will.

Any of them might have done it--from Johnny who likes to live up to (and maybe beyond) his means to Mary Preston who wants to be a doctor (but Grandpa wouldn't loosen the purse strings for such nonsense to Breck (named for his grandfather) who wants to remodel his family's property to Dr. Greer who could use the inheritance for research to Emily who wants to get married. Emily was the last to see Gus and was seen purchasing the poison that may have been used on both men--so she's the leading favorite suspect for the police. But Miss Julia isn't so sure and she works with an Army lawyer to figure out who the real culprit is.

This mystery is a bit more standard--Miss Julia actually discovers a few clues that help lead to the culprit. And she works a bit more on her own since she isn't hand in glove with Lieutenant Bates of Louisville the way she was with Ben Kramer. Her observations are little more flippant, but still quite funny. She doesn't name-drop the mystery writers as before, but she does like to say, "If this were a murder book..." The one disappointment was how obvious the culprit was to me. The way Miss Julia talks about this person--even when she's saying (as she doesn with all of them) that she doesn't believe it could be them--appeared like a flashing arrow highlighting them to me. There are also more subtle clues that point to the motive that I picked up along the way. Still, a very enjoyable entry in the "elderly" amateur detective category. ★★★ and 1/2

First line: My great-niece Anne is quite a business woman when she wants to be.

I;d read murder books since the first of the Mary Roberts Rineharts, and after I got mixed up in those murders in Annapolis I took a personal interest, naturally. [p. 184]

Charlotte says I read too many murder books. Maybe I do. But even without that, even without the fact of Gus's death in the background, I believe the same thoughts would have gone through my mind. Mr. Helms ought to have died, I thought. Died before this [changing the will[ had a chance to happen. [p. 189]

There are so many ways to kill helpless old people. You can push them downstairs, or feed them things they're not supposed to have, or even just forget to give them their medicine. And nobody ever suspects, except maybe the doctor, sometimes, and he doesn't say anything because he realizes that nothing could be proved and all that would come of stirring it up would be a lot of trouble and unpleasantness and maybe professional oblivion for him. [p. 189]

Last line: "Yes, after all," I said.

***************************

Deaths = 3 (two poisoned; one shot)

April Reading by the Numbers Reviews

 

April Virtual Mount TBR Reviews

 

April Mount TBR Reviews

 

April Vintage Scavenger Hunt Reviews

 

Murder Every Monday: Oops! I Slipped!

 

Kate at Cross Examining Crime hosts a fun mystery cover game on Instagram called Murder Every Monday. Our assignment, should we choose to accept it, is to display book covers and titles from books you own that meet prompts which she posts well in advance (see link). 

 

Today's theme is covers with a figure falling through the air.

Lord Darcy ~Randall Garrett

About the Murder of the Circus Queen ~Anthony Abbot

The Black Stage ~Anthony Gilbert

Dread & Water ~Douglas Clark

Four Lost Ladies ~Stuart Palmer

Whey Didn't They Ask Evans? ~Agatha Christie

The Sirens Sang of Murder ~Sarah Caudwell

Rocket to the Morgue ~Anthony Boucher

Pattern of Murder ~Mignon G. Eberhart

Nothing Like Blood ~Leo Bruce

The Ampersand Papers ~Michael Innes

Untidy Murder ~Frances & Richard Lockridge

Inspector's Holiday ~Richard Lockridge

Lament for a Maker ~Michael Innes

The Player on the Other Side ~Ellery Queen

Suspicious Characters (The Five Red Herrings) ~Dorothy L. Sayers

The Devil's Stronghold ~Leslie Ford

A Man Condemned ~Peter Alding

The Silver Peril

 The Silver Peril (1931) by Maryse Rutledge

Britton (apt name, that) of the British Secret Service takes on evil mad scientist bent on destroying the civilized world.

My reviewer's work is done. Short and to the point. What's that? You want more? Are you sure? Well, okay...here's what we have from the dustjacket: No one knew where Torad, the mad pilot, would strike next, but it was up to Britton of Scotland Yard [though he's explicitly identified as a "secret agent"] to stop him.

The Silver Peril, a glistening gray helicopter, rose and descended vertically like a hummingbird with its pilot fantastically garbed in silvery coat and helmet. It showered destruction on the streets of Bucharest, killing and maiming hundreds.

the As de Couer, a dingy cafe on the the Rue des Vertus in the blackest part of the Montmartre, headquarters for le Rouge's Apache gang--knife men--supplied Britton with his first clue. A moment later he found himself allied with those from whom he had most to fear, battling for his life in a fierce struggle against ruthless Apaches.

A story of mystery and intrigue; of love and adventure; of the activities of Scotland Yard, and Torad, the wizard of science who, wreaking vengeance for personal sufferings, discovers himself vulnerable to the charms of an American Girl.

So...Britton is asked by his chief to discover where Monsieur Michel (a person of interest) is getting his money. Coincidentally while dining with his girl (or, rather the young woman he has hopes of being his girl), he spots Michel with another person of interest, de Raskoff (an infamous scientist). The Service has yet to prove anything against either one of them. And it's Britton's job to try and rectify that. His assignment will test himself and the girl he cares for to the limit.

According to the same dustjacket this is "Maryse Rutledge at her best!" Hmmm. If this is her best, I'm not sure I want to see what else she did. It's supposed to be a "story of gripping adventure and mystery in the air," but, I'm afraid, I wasn't gripped at all. It was a quite standard, evil-madman-wants-to-destroy-civilization-because-reasons story. Britton is a fairly likeable chap, but I have to say that I don't care much for Jane, he hoped-to-be girlfriend. I mean, here they are at dinner and she realizes that the two men across the way are of interest to Britton (professionally) and she practically shouts in the restaurant how exciting it all is and, wow it's not everyday I'm with a secret agent! 

***************SPOILER!! I'm not recommending this book, but if you do happen across it and decide to give it a look then you might not want to read further....

So....at the end of the book she supposedly is all in for Britton. And, apparently, cared for him all along. As Nero Wolfe would say, "Pfui." She certainly doesn't act like it. She treats him appallingly throughout the early chapters. She nearly reveals who he is to the bad guys. And then falls under "Torad's" spell. Even at the end after she's supposedly let him know how she really feels with a look (while under Torad's watchful eye), she still comments to Britton (as noted in the last line below), "But--he was rather grand, you know--" If I'm Britton (and thank goodness, I'm not), I'm not trusting Jane an inch. What happens when the next "rather grand," mesmerizing bad guy saunters along?

I like Britton (except for his fascination with Jane) and he might make a good investigator in a case that focused on him and left out the love interest. So, all stars for him. ★★

First line: You know everyone in London.

Last line: "But--he was rather grand, you know--" 
*****************

Deaths (named--hundreds unnamed): 3 (one fell from height; two blown up)

Death at Victoria Dock

 Death at Victoria Dock (1992) by Kerry Greenwood

Synopsis (from the back of the book): Driving home late one night, Phryne Fisher is surprised when someone shoots out her windscreen. she alights to find a pretty young man with an anarchist tattoo dying on the tarmac just outside the dock gates. He bleeds to death in her arms...and all over her silk shirt. Enraged by the loss of the clothing, the damage to her car, and this senseless waste of human life, Phryne promises to find out who is responsible. but she doesn't know how deeply into the mire she'll have to go...

The "Perils of Phryne Fisher" #4 finds our intrepid heroine mixing it up with Latvian revolutionaries who have transferred their feuds from Eastern Europe to Australia. She also finds herself searching for a missing young girl, holding a beautiful young man while he dies from a gunshot wound, pursuing bad guys at a seance, visiting a tattoo parlor, and vowing vengeance on the miscreants who are stupid enough to kidnap her beloved companion Dot. She tracks down the missing girl, rescues Dot, and manages to foil the Anarchist's bank robbery plot...all without turning a hair. And, of course, she picks up new lover along the way. Plenty of action and adventure--and there are even a few more clues in this one to make it a bit more of a classic mystery.

I think the best part of this one is that Dot actually gets to be a little feisty herself. When she's kidnapped, she knows that Phryne will be hunting the kidnappers down with a vengeance but she doesn't just sit tight and wait for Phryne to rescue her. She and her fellow captive (an Anarchist who has made the mistake of talking to Phryne) do a little plot foiling of their own. It's quite satisfying when their little bit of sabotage works out so well against the bad guys. In fact, everyone, from Mr. Butler to Jane & Ruth to Constable Hugh Collins (who is sweet on Dot) get to play a part in the adventures and action...and Phryne arranges for Hugh to get all the credit and a boost in his superior's estimation. ★★★★

First line: The windscreen shattered.

The red-headed kid had decided on the ship [for his tattoo]. The Professor did not even glance at the letter from his father. The boy felt rather hurt. He had gone to a lot of trouble to forge it. (p.78)

Last line: "I've come through fire and death, Lindsay, my old dear, and I want to go dancing."
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Deaths = 5 (three shot; two natural)

Sherlock Holmes: Death Cloud

 Sherlock Holmes: Death Cloud (2010) by Andrew Lane

Meet the young Sherlock Holmes--who, by the way, bears very little resemblance to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Holmes. It's possible he's the teenage version of Robert Downey Jr's Holmes. Yeah, I'm more likely to believe that one.

So 1868...Sherlock has been at the Deepdene School for Boys. It's the summer holidays and he's waiting for his father to take him home--only Father isn't coming (he's been sent off to India) and Mycroft has come to take his brother to their uncle's house--an uncle and aunt that he's never met in an area of England that's he's never been. It's going to be lovely--the relatives are distant and there's a housekeeper who seems to be some sort of Mrs. Danvers (from Rebecca) proto-type. On the plus side, he makes friends with another boy, Matty Arnatt, and he winds up with a pretty cool tutor, Mr. Amyus Crowe. And...he finds himself in the middle of his first mystery...

Two men in the Farnham area die mysteriously--covered with angry red welts reminiscent of the plague. Just before the first man is found dead, Matty Arnatt saw what he describes as dark cloud that moved as if it had a mind of its own. The two boys and Sherlock's tutor find themselves in the middle of an evil plot that threatens Britain's safety (because of course it does). And, of course, Sherlock's first adventure pits him (and his friends) against an evil mastermind with hordes of bad guys at his command (Remind you of anyone already in the Holmes canon? But, no, it's not him.)

My thoughts: Where on earth is the early evidence of the brilliant mind of the world's first consulting detective? It's not in young Holmes. Instead, we have Amyus Crowe who has all of the Sherlock Holmes traits and who spouts many of Holmes's famous lines (everything from how to stock the lumber room of your mind to "when you eliminate the impossible..."). Young Holmes, who by the way is fourteen and has only had some boxing in school, seems best fit to beat up on the hordes of bad guys commanded by the evil genius. Yes, folks, the teenage Holmes can fight grown men (some hardened criminals) and come out the victor! Most of the time he seems dumber than a box of rocks, but when it comes to using his brain to figure out clever ways to beat up the baddies then suddenly he's firing on all cylinders. Apologies for the mixed metaphors. I'm not the world's smartest detective, but I figured out long before it was revealed what the "death cloud" was. 

This is not the story I was expecting from a book about the teenage Holmes. Going up against a big criminal organization? Deranged mastermind who wants to bring down the British Empire? Deranged mastermind who can only move around using wires as if he's some kind of life-size marionette? Sounds more like a proto-James Bond versus supervillain to me. And it might have worked out a heck of a lot better (story-wise and interest-wise) if Sherlock actually seemed smarter than average--but he doesn't. Matty is smarter than Sherlock. Matty has to explain so many things to Sherlock. Fans of Sherlock Holmes are used to him being the smartest person on the page. And he's not.

Oh...and one final thing. Why on earth did we introduce the antagonistic Mrs. Danvers-like character. All she does is stand around and glare at Sherlock and whisper things like "You're not welcome here, boy." But she does so to no purpose. Sorry if it's a spoiler--but she has absolutely nothing to do with the plot. Nothing. I have no idea why Lane thought he needed to add this pointless antagonist to the Holmes household. You meet her and think she must have some sort of hold over Sherringford Holmes and/or his wife and that this is going to be relevant to the plot in some way. Nope. Unless Lane plans on carrying this little side story forward and making it relevant later in the series, this was just wasted space on the page. [And for the record--I don't plan on finding out. Not interested enough to go on with the series.]

It would be nice if those in charge of the estates of some of our greatest detective novelists actually seemed to care about the legacy of the work instead of making more money based on their forbears' genius (Christie estate, I'm particularly looking at you). This is "the first teen series endorsed by the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Estate" and one wonders if those in charge have actually read Doyle's work.

★★ , but only because I actually like Amyus Crowe, his daughter Virginia, and Matty. Sherlock is okay--for an average teenager. I just wish he were more Holmes-like. If the rating were based on resemblance to the original Sherlock Holmes, then I'd be tempted to hand out no stars.

First line (Prologue): The first time Matthew Arnatt saw the cloud of death, it was floating out the first-floor window of a house near where he was living.

First lines (1st Chapter): "You there! Come here!"

Last line: Which meant that he could never rest either.
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Deaths = 5 (two natural; three stung to death)

Murder on the Ballarat Train

 Murder on the Ballarat Train (1991) by Kerry Greenwood

The Honourable Miss Phryne Fisher and her devoted companion Dot are on their way to Ballarat for a week. For once, Phryne has decided to leave her red Hispano-Suiza behind--much to Dot's relief (Miss Fisher drives like a demon)--and take a slow trip on the Ballarat train. But even though they aren't negotiating hairpin turns or barreling along like race car drivers, danger is never far away when Phryne Fisher is around. 

Fortunately, Phryne was sleeping lightly when their train car was flooded with chloroform. She quickly shot out the window with her little Beretta .32 bringing fresh air into the compartment and her efforts managed to save everyone aboard...except the bossy old woman who had harassed her daughter for the entire journey. Mrs. Henderson has disappeared from the train. There's evidence that the old woman was dragged out the compartment window and later her body is found along the train tracks. Miss Henderson asks Phryne to find out who killed her mother.

Also on the train is a young girl who can't remember anything and the police ask Phryne if she will take care of the girl...unless she'd rather they turn the girl over to Welfare. Which Phryne very definitely does not want to do. And after they arrive home, Dr. MacMillan examines her, and it's discovered that she has been molested, Phryne decides that she will keep the girl for her own rather than send her to Welfare or back to whomever abused her. But she does want to find out where the girl came from so she can repay the abuser in spades.

So...Phryne has two mysteries to solve. Mysteries that will lead her to the university rowing team where Miss Henderson's fiancé can be found (motive--to speed Miss Henderson's anticipated inheritance) and on to a rather disreputable boarding house where a once-great hypnotists lives and another young girl in desperate circumstances waits to be rescued. Do the two mysteries connect? And if so, how? 

I enjoyed this one more than the Green Mill, possibly because it starts on a train and I do like a mystery on a train. It would have been even nicer if the train journey had lasted longer, but you can't have everything. This is also a good entry into the series because it tells us how Jane and Ruth come into Phryne's household. Still a good story, but I have noticed as I reread these how obvious the suspects are. The mysteries read more like police procedurals or inverted mysteries where we know who the bad guys are we just need to see how the good guys are going to track them down and nail them for their crimes. I'm not complaining. I love the Phryne Fisher books. But my memory from reading these pre-blog was that there was more detecting going on. ★★★★

First line: Fortunately, the Hon. Phryne Fisher was a light sleeper.

Last line: There must be a reason in it all, thought Dot, and fell asleep trying to think of one.

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Deaths = two strangled

The Green Mill Murder

 The Green Mill Murder (1993) by Kerry Greenwood

All Phryne Fisher wants is to enjoy an evening of jazz and dancing in the company of a presentable partner--which Charles Freeman is, even though he's not the most spectacular of partners (and has an overbearing mother in the background, to boot). The evening is going well--the music at the Green Mill, Melbourne's premier dance hall, has been excellent, she's been suitably admired in her beautiful lobelia-colored dress, and there's been plenty of people-watching to do during the dance competition that has entered its 48th hour. Everything's good...until one of the men in the last two competition couples falls at her feet, dead from a stab to the heart. 

Phryne's favorite policeman, Detective Inspector Jack Robinson, is called in to investigate, but the case is going to be a tricky one. The place is immediately searched and there is no weapon to be found. It seems that no one near enough to the dead man could have stabbed him...and even if they could have, what did they do with the long, thin knife? Meanwhile, Phryne's escort has taken a powder and even though she doesn't believe Charles had the nerve or the gumption to murder anyone, she knows he must be found. Especially when his mother hires Phryne to find her son...well, actually not just one son but two. 

It seems that Charles' elder brother Victor (whom Mrs. Freeman has long said died in the war) really came home. He was "damaged" from shell-shock and disappeared into the wilderness of the mountain country. Mr. Freeman has recently died and Victor must be found to clear up matters of inheritance. Phryne is shocked to realize that Mrs. Freeman would rather that "Vic" be found to have died--because then everything would come to her and Charles. But Phryne can't resist a mystery and sets off to find both men. 

The trail leads through the smoky jazz clubs, into the arms of a muscular banjo player, and up into the air as she makes a quick plane jump to the mountain country. It all ends with danger on the edge of the mountain (and Phryne's triumph with the aid of a potato-hungry wombat) and the unmasking of the culprit back at the jazz club where it all began.

This entry into the Phryne Fisher adventures starts with a bang (well a cornet solo, anyway) and a murder right off the bat. It's a quite normal romp through Miss Fisher's Australia, moves at high speed, and has adventures & romance galore. I love the Phryne series, but while this one is a perfectly fine addition to her cases it doesn't rank with the best. There is basically one clue to the murder--which, if you miss it the first time, is repeated several times--I guess to make up for the fact that there aren't any others. The culprit is obvious and I didn't feel like Phryne did near as much detecting as in other mysteries. 

But it is still fun to follow her around through Melbourne and the Australian countryside. I enjoy the descriptions of her fabulous wardrobe and the beautiful scenery on the mountainside. It made for a very pleasant, quick read. ★★★ and 1/4.

First line: It was eleven by the Green Mill's clock when the cornet player went into a muted reprise in "Bye Bye Blackbird," and one of the marathon dancers plunged heavily and finally to the floor at Phryne Fisher's feet.

Last line: Phryne let go the breath she had been holding and started to laugh/
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Deaths = 3 (one stabbed; one natural; one hit on head)

Historical Reading Challenge

 

I could have sworn I signed up for Marg's Historical Fiction Reading Challenge over at The Intrepid Reader, but I can't find evidence of it. So...here I am signing up for sure. I've still got a couple of historical series to work on, so I definitely can do another round If historical fiction is your thing (or you'd like to see if it is), take a peek at the details at the link above.

I'm going to sign up for the Victorian Reader level (5 books). I may wind up venturing further, but if I reach my initial goal then I will claim the challenge complete.

1. Murder by Lamplight by Patrice McDonough (3/19/25)

2. The Green Mill Murder by Kerry Greenwood (3/23/25)

3. Murder on the Ballarat Train by Kerry Greenwood (3/24/25)

4. Sherlock Holmes: Death Cloud by Andrew Lane (3/25/25)

5. Death at Victoria Dock by Kerry Greenwood (3/27/25)

Victorian Reader

6. A Slash of Emerald by Patrice McDonough (4/10/25)

7. The Strange Case of Eliza Doolittle by Timothy Miller (4/11/25)

8.

9.

10

Renaissance Reader