The Adventure of the Christmas Visitor

 The Adventure of the Christmas Visitor by D. O. Smith

Dr. Watson is invited to spend the Christmas holidays with his wartime comrade-in-arms, Major Drummond. The major extends the invitation to include Sherlock Holmes--noting that he has a small puzzle that might be of some interest to the detective. Knowing Holmes' preference to spend the holidays at Baker Street rather than in company, Watson is prepared to offer several arguments to persuade his friend. To his astonishment, he needs none. Holmes agrees immediately.

On the way to the major's estate, he tells Holmes about his little puzzle...well, really his friend Nathaniel Peterson's puzzle. Captain Peterson is a retired seaman who lives in the nearby village. He had been away from home for a bit and when he returned, he found that a man who gave his name as John Roberts and claiming to be an old acquaintance of the captain had stopped by. Finding Peterson away, he said he'd come by again. But Peterson has no recollection of every knowing a man by that name. When the captain made some inquiries in the village he found that a man of the same description (though unnamed there) had been at The Crown and said he was looking for Peterson because "He's my brother." Well...Peterson doesn't have a brother and certainly not a brother named John Roberts. When asked what he makes of it all, Holmes says he doesn't have enough data. and it will have to wait until he can speak to Peterson during the holiday.

Peterson doesn't show up for the holiday meal as expected, but a mysterious stranger by the name of Jacob Caldwell does. It has been snowing steadily for quite some time and Caldwell is found outside the door in the snow. He says that a note from Captain Peterson must have gone astray--but he (Caldwell) is a friend of Peterson's and had been invited to stay with the captain and accompany him to the Drummonds for the Christmas dinner per a note he'd sent. Despite the mix-up, Major Drummond is more than welcoming and Caldwell joins the family for dinner and is given a place to sleep for the night. The next morning Caldwell is found stabbed to death in the library with the window open and a trail of footprints in the snow leading to and from the house. Holmes immediately sees that the footprints are a ruse to deflect suspicion away from the house, but who could have wanted to murder the stranger? 

This is an entertaining short Holmes pastiche. D. O. Smith is very successful at capturing the spirit of the Doyle's characters and style. Holmes and Watson sound and act like themselves and the atmosphere is a credit to the creator. A nicely done mystery and it was a bonus to have a holiday mystery to read during the holiday season. ★★★★

First line: On only two occasions in all the time I knew him could Sherlock Holmes be persuaded to spend the Christmas season anywhere other than in his own rooms in Baker Street

Last line: "Though our Christmastide was darkened by these bloody and deceitful deeds, let the passing year be sanctified by the holy water of truth!"

The Message in the Hollow Oak

 The Message in the Hollow Oak (1935) by Carolyn Keene

Nancy enters a contest to come up with a title for a Canadian author's latest serialized book and wins! The grand prize? The deed to some property in Canada. After Carson Drew arranges for a suitable chaperone, she, Bess, and George take their first trip outside the United States to take a look at the land--which just happens to be beautiful lakefront property with a rumor of gold attached to it. Soon Nancy is battling for her right to the property while an unscrupulous owner of mining company starts digging up gold on her land. Carson is already representing someone else in a dispute with the same company and comes to Canada to look into both matters.

Meanwhile...on the way to Canada, Nancy meets up with Ann Chapelle, the author of the book, who is on her way home to Canada for the first time in decades. She left home after being disappointed in love and a falling out with her grandfather (who didn't care for the young man in the case) and hopes to make things up with her grandfather. But before reaching their destination, the train is involved in a wreck and Ann is badly injured. She asks Nancy to take messages to both the grandfather and her former love--in case she is unable to do so. As with most of Nancy's cases, she finds that while fulfilling her promise to Ann she is able to discover keys to the other mystery.

Another favorite from my younger days. My family spent a lot of time camping, so I enjoyed this story which takes place in the wilds of Canada. And now that I'm older and have done a canoeing trip with my son and the Scouts in the Boundary Waters, I'm more familiar with the idea of portages between the waterways. I have a much better understanding of how remote some of these areas still are. It just made for exciting reading when I was younger.

Spoiler Alert!!

I will say, that as an adult, I'm not sure what I think about the ending of this one. Nancy dynamiting a dam just to keep the bad guys from using her land doesn't strike me as okay. First--how on earth does Nancy know exactly where the most advantageous place is to put the dynamite? Second--destruction of property? Really? Third--she has no way to know how getting rid of a dam will affect the few people who do live in the area. It just seems like "Carolyn Keene" couldn't come up with an ending that would give the villains their just desserts, so "let's just flood the land so they can't use it."

But even with that reservation, this is still a good adventure in the Nancy Drew series and I'll leave it with the rating I gave it when young. ★★★★

First lines: "Carson Drew, Attorney at Law...Private." Nancy frowned as she regarded the neatly lettered sign on the door of her father's inner office.

Last line: "After having had so many exciting adventures up North, I think I'll agree to your holding title to all the property that comes into the Drew family!"

The Ghost of Blackwood Hall

 The Ghost of Blackwood Hall (1948) by Carolyn Keene

Nancy's jeweler brings Mrs. Putney (another customer) to consult the young detective. It seems that Mrs. Putney, after being advised by her dead husband's spirit, buried her jewels near a certain tree to avoid a robbery. But when she dug the jewels up again to take them to the jeweler to be cleaned, he found them to be fake. She wants Nancy to find out what happened to her real jewels. Nancy's efforts are hampered by the fact that Mrs. Putney has absolute faith in the so-called spirit of her husband and medium whose seances produce him. Nancy is positive that the medium is a charlatan who may be part of the gang who stole the jewels. Her investigations lead her to two young women who are also being swindled out of their paychecks by spirit instruction. 

Consultation with her father produces leads that take Nancy and Bess and George to New Orleans in search of information on a ex-jewelry salesman who may have designed the imitations left for Mrs. Putney. And finally the trail leads to Blackwood Hall, an abandoned property near River Heights which just might be the headquarters for the gang.

This was one of my favorites when I first read it over forty-five years ago. The seances, ghostly messages, weird chanting and organ-playing in Blackwood Hall, the hypnosis theme, and, of course, Nancy figuring it all out. Lots of fun with just the right amount of creepiness when I was in elementary school. It was fun to revisit and see how it held up. And it held up pretty good. I enjoyed myself quite a lot. ★★★★

First line: "If I ever try to solve a mystery with a ghost in it I'll use a smart cat to help me!" Nancy remarked laughingly.

Last line: "Anyway, it's much more fun to catch the people who try to do the flimflamming!" Nancy said, smiling
*****************

Deaths = 6 (three natural; one shot; one drowned; one in war)

Indiana Jones & the Lost Treasure of Sheba

 Indiana Jones & the Lost Treasure of Sheba (1984) by Rose Estes
A Find Your Fate Adventure #2 (very similar to the Choose Your Own Adventure Books)

Dr. Roger Ballentyne, a military engineer and colleague of the famous Indiana Jones, has developed a plan for  anew diamond laser that will cut through anything in moments and he also has discovered a map that leads to the long-lost treasure of the Queen of Sheba. A treasure that is said to consist of a lot of diamonds [what a coincidence!]. The Nazis are very interested in both things and arrange for Dr. Ballantyne to be kidnapped. His son George is in the apartment at the time, but manages to grab the plans for the laser and escape--right into the arms of Indiana Jones who is on his way to see Ballantyne. They aren't able to prevent the doctor's abduction, so Indy and George set off for Ethiopia to rescue the boy's father and--maybe--find the treasure along the way.

But there's a catch...in this story, YOU are George and you will make all the decisions about how the story goes. Choose wisely and you'll solve the mysteries and rescue your dad. Choose even more wisely and you'll bag the treasure as well. But...choose unwisely and at best you'll be waiting a long time in a Nazi jail while the war rages and at worst you'll be trapped in an underground cavern surrounded by jewels but with no hope of escape.

I couldn't resist this one when I found it at our annual community book fair about four years ago. I loved the Choose Your Own Adventure books when I was growing up and I loved Harrison Ford and the Indiana Jones movies. I don't remember the Find Your Fate books being in the bookstores like the CYOA books were. But maybe it's because by the mid-1980s I'd moved on to mystery novels like Agatha Christie and science fiction from Asimov, Silverberg, Clarke, etc. 

Anyway...back on subject...this was a fun adventure that, at times, caught the flavor of of the Indiana Jones franchise. Estes made a good attempt at capturing the action/adventure on the page, but the dialog wasn't quite as true. I tried very hard to hear Ford when Indy was talking, but the rhythm just didn't seem quite right. Some of the scenarios seemed more plausible (as Indy scenarios) than others, but I'm sure that it would be difficult to come up with enough variety to provide 12-15 endings that would ring true in the Indy universe. Overall, a good read. ★★★

First line:  It was ten-thirty on a windy fall evening.

Last line: As we watched the African coast disappear over the horizon, Jones and my father lifted a glass and toasted the day when we would return to the treasure of Sheba.

A Vow of Fidelity

 A Vow of Fidelity (1995) by Veronica Black (Maureen Peters)

Sister Joan is one of ten art school students who promised each other to meet up in twenty years time for a reunion. Since entering the convent and becoming a nun, Sister Joan had long forgotten the promise until a photograph of the class of ten arrives anonymously--no note, no return address. The proposed reunion date, September 15th, is fast approaching and Sister Joan doesn't plan to go. But Mother Dorothy has just proposed a new venture to help the convent raise funds to cover expenses--offering retreats for those outside the community, a time of rest and rejuvenation. And she thinks that this reunion would be a great time for Sister Joan to do a bit of advertising.

When the time comes, only six of the other nine former classmates arrive and Sister Joan learns that two have died--one in a fall from a car park, in what seems to have been an accident, and the other killed by a hit and run driver. The group is sure that Serge, the third of the missing, must have forgotten--he never was very good  about remembering social engagements. The others decide to make a night of it--have dinner and maybe see a show, but Sister Joan needs to get back to the convent. She volunteers to stop by Serge's apartment and see if he wants to join the others  for the night. She finds that Serge had a really good reason for not appearing at the reunion...he too is dead from an apparent drug overdose. 

The coroner's court determined it was a suicide, but Sister Joan meets a Patricia, a current friend of Serge's, who says he didn't do drugs and would never have committed suicide. This is what Sister Joan thinks too. The Serge she remembered loved life too much to mess with drugs or take his own life, even when depressed. But did she ever really know Serge? Or any of her classmates, for that matter. No one seems to be anything like what she remembered. The next thing she learns is that Patricia has been murdered--no question this time, her throat was cut from behind. Sister Joan tells the entire story to her friend Detective Sergeant Mills, but after checking on details about the deaths he tells her it looks like coincidence. But just in case--Sister Joan should be extra careful.

Then all six of Sister Joan's former classmates decide that a retreat is just what they need and they all descend upon the convent. Our dear sister is not sure that is going to be the great idea Mother Dorothy thinks it is. And she's right.  A few more deaths break up the peaceful retreat and Sister Joan finds herself next on the killer's list....

As with my previous read of a Sister Joan book, I found this to be an entertaining mystery with a bit more darkness than the usual cozy. This one is even darker (for me) than A Vow of Penance because of a particular thread that involves a subject I have difficulty with. The culprit wasn't quite as easy to spot this time, but even if I had, I definitely wouldn't have come up with the motive. There really weren't any clues that I noticed that would have given that away. ★★ and 3/4

First line: Sister Joan of the Order of the Daughters of Compassion sat demurely on the only hardbacked chair in the studio, sipping bitter lemon, watching the others gyrate in the center of the room, legs flashing, arms windmilling.

Last line: Later, she would talk to the others, do what she could to help [redacted], but for the moment she must go where her first fidelity was housed.
************************

Deaths = 7 (one fell from height; one hit by car; two poisoned; three throat cut)

Death in Blue Folders

 Death in Blue Folders (1985) by Margaret Maron

Clayton Gladwell was a successful lawyer with some very prominent clients--from Justin Trent, a millionaire whose grandson had disappeared several years ago, to the family of Elena Dorato, 1940s and '50s film star fell off an ocean liner, to Penelope Naughton ("Naughty Penny"), one of the Algonquin Round Table who wrote wildly popular frothy novels by day and helped the put the roar in the Roaring Twenties by night, to Dr. Bhattacherja, a well-known radiologist whose niece had immigration troubles, to Howard Tachs, a local art gallery owner. He kept his special clients info in special blue folders that even his confidential secretary was allowed to see.

When he received a health report telling him he didn't have long to live, he decided to retire and enjoy what time he had left. So he set up final appointments with his blue folder clients--to settle accounts and return their information. But someone decides that Gladwell has even less time left than anticipated...and he's found shot to death, papers scattered everywhere, and the blue folders are on fire. Fortunately, the fire was discovered fairly quickly, so some of the material is preserved.

It doesn't take Lieutenant Sigrid Harald long to realize that Gladwell's blue folders represent clients who were also his blackmail victims. It seems likely that one of his victims didn't think retirement would put a stop to Gladwell's blackmailing ways and decided they had just had enough. But which one? Then others connected to Gladwell are found dead and a pattern begins to emerge....

Harald is a no-nonsense, straight-forward policewoman and Maron writes a solid, straight-forward police procedural. The suspects and clues are handled without fuss and fanfare, but the mystery is interesting because Maron has created interesting characters that make you want to keep reading about them. In fact, you want to know more than what's necessary for the mystery itself. Solid mystery, great characters. ★★★

First line: By nine o'clock that Thursday night, there was little outward indication that murder had occurred six floors above the busy midtown Manhattan avenue.

Last line: "I don't think so," said [redacted], and pulled the trigger.
***********************

Deaths = 7 (three shot; one car accident; one drug overdose; two natural)

Reminder: My Reader's Block Challenges for 2026

The new year is almost upon us and I just wanted to remind my faithful challengers and all those looking for reading challenges that the posts for my regular Reader's Block Challenges went up a little late this year, but are ready and waiting. The Headquarters links in the sidebar will be updated for next year's challenges as soon as possible. Here's a handy list of each one. Come join me for new reading adventures in 2026!

 

Vintage Scavenger Hunt

Mount TBR Reading Challenge

Virtual Mount TBR Reading Challenge

 

Reading by the Numbers Challenge

Calendar of Crime

Color Coded and Read It Again, Sam Challenges

Reporter's Challenge 2026

 

The Reporter's Challenge 2026 is sponsored by Ellie in The Challenge Factory on Goodreads.

My post in the challenge: HERE

Who? What? When? Where? Why?

How--In a cozy chair with a hot cup of cocoa and a box of bonbons!

I'll be going for the Columnist level (2 books from each basic category) and hoping to complete them all.

Cub Reporter: 5 books (one from each category): 

Columnist: 10 books (two from each): 

News Anchor: 15 books (three from each): 

Editor: 20 books (four from each): 

Newspaper Mogul: 25 books (all five from each): 

Bonus Category:

Pulitzer Prize Winner = Newspaper Mogul plus bonus categories (30 books):  

Extra Bonus Category

Nobel Prize for Literature = Pulitzer plus final bonus category (31 books):

WHO

Protagonist is a baker:

Any character is a dead person:

Side character is kooky:

Protagonist is a mother or father:

Character who works with books/writes

WHAT

Supernatural element in title:

Proper Name in title:

Title starts with any letter in your last name:

Holiday in title:

Title is a play on words:

WHERE

Set in city that starts with D, P, or S:

Set in a small town:

Set in a New England state:

On vacation:

On foreign soil (NOT US/England):

WHEN

During a holiday:

In the 1900s:

During summer:

During fall:

During a snow storm

HOW

Strangled

Stabbed: Death on the Slopes by Norma Schier (1/9/26)

Shot: The Division Bell Mystery by Ellen Wilkinson (1/12/26)

Poisoned: Don Among the Dead Men by C. E. Vulliamy (1/7/26)

Blunt Instrument

BONUS: Pulitzer Prize

WHO--Protagonist is married:

WHAT--Title is at least seven words:

WHERE--Fictional place you'd love to live:

WHEN-- During a conference/convention:

HOW--Accident

EXTRA BONUS: Nobel Prize for Literature

Horoscope: Pick a horoscope from the  3rd of any month and read a book related to the horoscope

Puzzle in Paisley

 Puzzle in Paisley (1972) by Elizabeth Gresham

Jenny Gillette thinks that after helping Hunter Lewis solve a few mysteries that she's ready to do a little undercover work of her own. So, when William Rowan, a merchant seaman, needs someone to check on his grandmother, she's all set to answer an ad for a maid-of-all-work. Rowan's Granny lives in an isolated house on the Nantucket Sound left to her in her son's will. The will allowed the house to be rented for a small sum as long as the occupants allowed Granny to stay there and they took care of any needs she might have. Ted and Linda Parkinson decide it's just the place for them. Ted is a scientist who needs isolation and a water supply for his work. 

While Rowan is away at sea, his Granny had a stroke which paralyzed her left side and interferes with her ability to talk. She seemed very frightened of her boarders and anxious to tell him something, but he couldn't find out what. He wants someone to get in the house and have time to gain Granny's trust and find out what's going on. Jenny thinks it would be a great idea to pose as a deaf-mute in the hopes that if there is something he Parkinsons don't want known they won't thinks she's a threat. She's able to make some headway in the case, but then Ted discovers that her cover is a fraud and she realizes that there's a bigger danger than she dreamed of...An opportunity arises to send a coded message to Hunter. But will Ted realize what's she's doing? And will she be able to discover what he's really doing in the laboratory he's set up in the basement before it's too late?

Not sure I'm a fan of Jenny Gillette on her own. She gets herself into a real pickle with her undercover sleuthing. And the mystery, once Jenny is on the spot, really isn't much of one. Our villain pretty much spills all the beans as soon as Jenny learns what Granny knows and the villain realizes that Jenny isn't really a deaf/mute. We aren't anything like near the end of the book. The mystery story turns into a suspense novel. Will Hunter show up with the cavalry in time to rescue her? What reveiws I've found for Gresham books, have been for other titles where Jenny works more closely with Lewis. It sounds like they make a good sleuthing pair and that other titles have been stronger entries. I have a couple others and will have to try again to be sure what I think of Gresham. ★★ and 1/2 for this one.

First line: I've had some fantastic dreams in my life, but this one topped them all.

Last line: Well, I figured you were risking your neck doing a job you had no business doing, so I could play too.
*****************

Deaths = 3 (two natural; one stabbed)

*Finished on 12/25/25

John Macnab

 John Macnab (1925) by John Buchan

The great lawyer/politician Sir Edward Leithen is feeling a bit under the weather, so he goes to see his friend and doctor who gives him the worst news possible. There's nothing wrong with him--at least not physically. But if that's the case, then what's a man filled with ennui and who doesn't feel like doing anything to do? His friend jokingly suggests doing something a bit dangerous and slightly illegal...something that will get the old adrenaline pumping. Of course, that would be an absurd thing for such an eminent man to do...

Then Leithen goes to his club where he finds two of his friends, the banker John Palliser-Yeates and Charles Lamancha, a nobleman and fellow politician, in the same boat. They've all lost the zest of life. None of them feel like doing any of the things they're supposed to do. And then...a fourth friend, Sir Archie Roylance--war hero and rising aspiring politician--comes along and tells them about the legend of Jim Tarras, a man who was bored in the Scottish Highlands and sent anonymous notes to local landowners warning them that he planned to poach on their land on certain days. The thrill of doing what he wasn't supposed to do and trying to evade the gamekeepers provided him with enough excitement to knock him out of his ennui.

The men are thrilled with the idea and talk Rolance into inviting him to his Scottish estate where they will play the same game with some of his neighbors. They decide to send the challenges out under the nom de plume John Macnab. The rest of the book revolves around the antics of the men as they scope out the land and the response of the local landowners to their challenge.

John Macnab strikes me as a cross between Jerome K. Jerome (of Three Men in a Boat fame) and pretty much any P. G. Wodehouse book. We have three bored gentlemen doing a fair amount of fairly ridiculous things to achieve their ends. And on the other side we have equally determined landowners hiring navvies and going to other great lengths to prevent them  It's fun to watch. And along the way Buchan gives us the most amazing character sketches and charming interplay between the various characters. The characterization is the best part of this one. 

My previous experience with Buchan is The 39 Steps. And this definitely is not that. It's far more farce than adventure...and there's even less mystery. The biggest mystery is whether the men will be caught or not and, if so, how. But it is a lot of fun and a nice, comfortable read. ★★★

First line: The great doctor stood on the hearth-rug looking down at his friend who sprawled before him in an easy-chair.

Last line: Below four signatures were engraved--Lamancha, Edward Leithen and John-Palliser-Yeates, and last, in a hand of surprising boldness, the honoured name of Benjamin Bogle.

***************
Deaths = two natural

*Finished on 12/22/25

Dead of Winter

 Dead of Winter (1941) by Christopher Hale (Frances Moyer Ross Stevens)

Aunt Enid Beauregard is well-known for her parties--bringing together various people of different backgrounds and always making the event go with a swing. But this winter she may get famous for a different kind of party...one where murder is an unexpected guest. 

Brett Collins' Aunt Enid has put together a ski party at her summer cottage in Michigan. She brings together Brett and her fiance Hadley (badly in need of money if he wants to marry Brett). Hadley's wealthy uncle Captain Toby Woodward (a womanizer and generally unlikable character), Homer Bence (known as "Bunny," former business partner of Enid's late husband and her would-be suitor), Norman Prescott and his girlfriend Judy, Rhoda Norwood (Award-winning golfer and skillful skier with less brain than brawn), and Aunt Enid's latest protege (of a long-line of younger men) Webb Dorwin. What starts a fun weekend playing in the snow with everything from skiing to snow sculpting, turns deadly when a blizzard traps the group at the remote location. Captain Toby Woodward, one of the strongest skiers, decides they've waited long enough for help to reach them and sets off on skis to head to the nearest town. 

Opal, Aunt Enid's cook/housekeeper, has read tea leaves (or something) and just "knows" that Woodward is dead. Hadley finds evidence that his uncle may have been done in and insists that Opal's husband Albert, a good snow-shoer who knows the area well, head to town to see if Woodward made it and with a note for the State Police if it becomes apparent that he didn't. Albert returns with the police hot on his heels (albeit by helicopter) and Lieutenant French and company soon find the frozen body of Captain Woodward. Only he didn't die of exposure....

I didn't find this one nearly as delightful as the first Hale I read (Midsummer Nightmare). Perhaps because, despite being advertised on the cover as "A Full-Length Novel," it has been "cut to speed the story" (and they apparently cut out portions that may have made it more delightful). The characters and their romances weren't nearly as affecting. It took an incredibly long time (even though the book had been cut for speed) for the murder to be revealed and even longer for the sleuth to start sleuthing. I honestly didn't care if they found out who had killed Captain Woodward because he was such a nasty character. And then when we found who was ultimately responsible, the motive just didn't make sense to me. I'm waffling between 2.5 and 3 stars--so let's call it ★★  and 3/4

John has reviewed this over at Pretty Sinister Books and he found it more engaging than I did--and he read the full novel. So your mileage may vary.

First line: When the guests begin to offer to kill each other, it's a sure sign the fun is over.

Last line: One look at his face made Brett forget everything else.
***********************

Deaths = 4 (one natural; three poisoned)

Reprint of the Year: The Yellow Room

 For several years, Kate at Cross Examining Crime has been rounding up the vintage mystery bloggers and having us perpetuate her brilliant brainstorm (one of many that she has had). In the wake of various publishing houses recognizing the virtues of Golden Age (and more recent) vintage crime novels through reprint editions of both well-known and more obscure titles, Kate thought those of us who love those vintage mysteries would like the chance to feature the year's reprints and make a pitch for our favorites to be voted Reprint of the Year. We loved the idea so much that we keep coming back for more.

My second contender for the 2025 ROY Awards Ceremony is The Yellow Room (1945) by Mary Roberts Rinehart. If you're not on the hunt for a vintage copy of your own, then Otto Penzler's American Mystery Classics will be your source for the 2025 reprint edition. Rinehart is most often associated with the Had I But Known school as well as "the butler did it" trope. Although she wasn't the first to have a murderous butler, she did, indeed, feature a killer manservant in at least one of her books. This one? My lips are sealed.

If you go by the blurb on the edition of this book that I first read (back in 2012), then you would expect The Yellow Room to be a more Gothic, Had-I-But-Known story. But it's really more of a twisty-turny mystery (and she delivers on the twisty-turny solution!). Shoot, if you read the blurb on that first edition, you'd think that some evil terror hangs out in the Yellow Room of Carol Spencer's family home in the country and that she goes in mortal fear of her elder brother.

See?:

As a child, Carol Spencer had always thought of Crestview as a place of light and laughter. But Carol was a young woman now, a lovely young woman, and a badly frightened one. The old mansion on the hill was no longer a refuge from the world. It was a prison from which even the man she loved could not rescue her...a nightmare from which she could not awaken...where every heart beat brought her closer to the strange menace of--The Yellow Room

And:

Brother and Stranger: It had been years since Carol Spencer had seen her brother Greg. Time and war had separated them, but Carol still could vividly remember his flashing smile, his easy grace, in the days when he had been a kind of a god to his younger sister. Now they were together again at Crestview--and it was as if Carol were facing a stranger...a stranger whom she knew she should help but could only fear...a stranger with bitterness curling his mouth...hate in his eyes...and blood on his hands....

Can we say melodramatic and over-the-top? Just a little bit. But Rinehart does this sort of thing so well when she's on the top of her game--which she is here.

Seriously, there are some mysterious goings-on at Crestview but not quite on this scale. Carol and her help (a housekeeper/cook and two maids) arrive at the family home to open it in time to receive her elder brother Greg who is home on leave from service in WWII. He's come back from the Pacific theater to receive a Medal of Honor and their mother wants him to have a chance to relax in the cool country air before returning to "that awful tropical heat." When the women reach the train station, there is no taxi to meet them as expected. When they reach the house, there is no caretaker to greet them with breakfast and a warm fire as expected. The gardener/handyman has disappeared. And what exactly is that odd smell?

Before the morning is over, they discover that the handyman is in the hospital with appendicitis and the caretaker has fallen down the stairs the previous Friday and is in the hospital with a broken leg. Oh, and there's a dead body in the linen closet. That somebody tried to burn to prevent identification. By the end of the book, there is another murder and a shooting. The local chief of police goes from having the usual respect (of the period) for the upper crust, to an all-out effort to make one of the Spencer family out as the guilty party. He's all set to lock up Carol but then finds out that Greg, the war hero, was maybe in the area at the right time and has secrets that he might do anything to keep hidden. He thinks he'll settle for the war hero. 

Carol doesn't know what to think. Did Greg do it? Did her sister Elinor, who has always been devoted to Greg, do it? Or is she just covering up for him? Or maybe it's somebody else altogether. She turns to her neighbor, Major Dane, for help. He just happens to be a recovering Army Intelligence officer of some sort...and soon he's uncovering all the evidence that the local police miss.

Rinehart has plenty of tricks up her sleeve and she uses the Major's investigation to provide all the surprises. Just when you think he's collected the final clue, along comes another to make you rethink the solution. Of course, with Rinehart, there is the standard romance and there are a few loose ends that don't quite get tied up in this one (not to mention a few vital clues that are kept just a little too ambiguous), but over all a fun outing and an example of Rinehart at her best. Another real contender for the Reprint of the Year. It's very enjoyable and fast moving--I read this one in just one day! 

First line: As she sat in the train that June morning Carol Spencer did not look like a young woman facing anything unusual.

Last line: And sat down abruptly on the nearest chair.
*********************

Deaths = 5 (three natural; one plane crash; one hit on head)

European Reading Challenge 2026

 

I'm getting ready to pack my bags for another tour of Europe with Gilion's 2026 European Reading Challenge – where participants tour Europe through books.  And have a chance to win a prize. Please join in for the Grand Tour! (I've linked the review page--but the link for the sign-up is there as well.)

THE GIST: The idea is to read books by European authors or books set in European countries (no matter where the author comes from). The books can be anything – novels, short stories, memoirs, travel guides, cookbooks, biography, poetry, or any other genre. You can participate at different levels, but each book must be by a different author and set in a different country – it's supposed to be a tour. (See note about the UK, below)

WHAT COUNTS AS "EUROPE"?: We stick with the same list of 50 sovereign states that fall (at least partially) within the geographic territory of the continent of Europe and/or enjoy membership in international European organizations such as the Council of Europe. This list includes the obvious (the UK, France, Germany, and Italy), the really huge Russia, the tiny Vatican City, and the mixed bag of Baltic, Balkan, and former Soviet states.

THE LIST: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and Vatican City.

NOTE: Even after Brexit, the United Kingdom is still one country, in Europe, that includes England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. So one book from any one of these four counts as your one book for the United Kingdom. I'm not going to be a stickler about it because challenges should be about fun not about rules. However, when it comes to winning the Jet Setter prize, only one book from one of the UK countries will count.

I will again be aiming for the 

FIVE STAR (DELUXE ENTOURAGE): Read at least five books by different European authors or books set in different European countries.

Books read:

1. Don Among the Dead Men by C. E. Vulliamy [UK] (1/7/26)

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Buzzword Challenge 2026

For a while now Books and Lala has sponsored the Buzzword Reading Challenge on the blog and on Storygraph (see links on blog). The goal is pretty simple--just read one book per month which has the following prompt words in the title. Last year she added a second challenge to the mix--the Buzzword Cover Reading Challenge where you read books that have the prompts somewhere on the cover. So, of course, I'm going to do both and record them both here. Titles listed below are tentative possibilities--will update with final choice once read.

Buzzword Reading Challenge Prompts

Buzzword Title Challenge

January "Before" or "After": Shadows Before by Dorothy Bowers

February Keyboard Key: Escape While I Can by Melba Marlett

March "This" or "That": That Affair Next Door by Anna Katharine Green

April Ordinal Numbers: Murder on the Thirty-First Floor by Per Wahlöö

May "Make": These Names Make Clues by E. C. R. Lorac

June One-Word Title: Resurrection by Tucker Malarkey

July Occupations: The Fourth Postman by Craig Rice

August Groups/Clubs: The Club of Queer Trades by G. K. Chesterton OR The Obituary Club by Hugh Pentecost

September "My" or "My": My Old Man's Badge by Ferguson Findley OR Lady, Don't Die on My Doorstep by Joseph Shallit

October Parts of a House: The Opening Door by Helen Reilly

November Instructional Title: HIllary Waugh's Guide to Mysteries & Mystery Writing by Hillary Waugh

December Superlatives: Best Dr. Poggioli Detective Stories by T. S. Stribling

Buzzword Cover Challenge

January An Internal Body Part: Old Bones by Herman Peterson

February Silhouette: The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Great War by Simon Guerrier

March Implies Action: The Prowler by Frances Rickett

April Wearable Accessories: Harriet Farewell by Margaret Erskine [scarf]

May Border/Frame: Suspicious Characters by Dorothy L. Sayers

June Wings: The Man Who Didn't Fly by Margot Bennett

July Metallic Element: Murder Mayhem by Christopher P. Semtner (ed)

August Damage: Experiment in Terror by The Gordons

September Fire/Smoke: The Man Who Killed Fortescue by Dorothy Stockbridge Tillett OR Smoke Detector by Eric Wright

October Doors/Keys/Locks: The Opening Door by Helen Reilly

November Reflection: Death on a May Morning by Max Dalman

December Musical Item: The Hymn Tune Mystery by George Birmingham [pipe organ]

Picture Prompt Book Bingo

 Mayri at Book Forager is offering the Picture Prompt Book Bingo again this year. I enjoyed it so much few years that I've just got to sign up again. This is a pretty open challenge--just read books that connect in some way with the pictures on the bingo card. An plant being potted? There could be an plant or tree on the cover. Or the book could be about a gardener. As long as you're happy with the connection, Mayri says go for it!

1. Teacup: Don Among the Dead Men by C. E. Vulliamy [one of the murders done by poison in tea] (1/7/26)

2. Weighing Scales

3. Moth

4. Hand Holding Playing Cards

5. Hot Air Balloon

6. Acorns

7. Human Eye: Death on the Slopes by Norma Schier [at least twelve eyes on the cover] (1/9/26)

8. Cooking Pot over a Campfire

9. Griffin

10. Key

11. Hand Holding Threaded Needle

12. Octopus

13. Plant Being Repotted

14. Skull & Crossbones

15. Decorative Water Fountain

16. Pinch-Clip Purse

TBR 26 in '26

 Gilion at Rose City Reader is sponsoring her yearly TBR-conquering challenge--this year TBR 26 in '26--that fits right in with my Mount TBR Challenge, so...here I am signing up for another challenge (Surprise!). For full details check out her blog a the link above. Basically--just read 24 books from your owned TBR stacks. Here we go...

1. Don Among the Dead Men by C. E. Vulliamy (1/7/26)
2. Death on the Slopes by Norma Schier (1/9/26)
3. The Division Bell Mystery by Ellen Wilkinson (1/12/26)
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Reprint of the Year: Through a Glass, Darkly

  For several years, Kate at Cross Examining Crime has been rounding up the vintage mystery bloggers and having us perpetuate her brilliant brainstorm (one of many that she has had). In the wake of various publishing houses recognizing the virtues of Golden Age (and more recent) vintage crime novels through reprint editions of both well-known and more obscure titles, Kate thought those of us who love those vintage mysteries would like the chance to feature the year's reprints and make a pitch for our favorites to be voted Reprint of the Year. We loved the idea so much that we keep coming back for more.

This week's choice for the 2025 ROY Awards Ceremony is Through a Glass, Darkly by Helen McCloy. This classic from 1950 has been reprinted by Penguin Modern Classics (the cover which our voter is pondering to the right). My copy is a nice vintage Dell Mapback edition (pictured below). 

The story opens with Faustina Crayle being dismissed from her post as an art instructor at an elite girls' school. The headmistress, Mrs. Lightfoot refuses to give a reason beyond the fact that Miss Crayle "does not quite blend with the essential spirit of Brereton." She does, however, give the art instructor six months' pay after only five weeks of work. Evidence indeed that she wishes her gone and spare no expense. 

Faustina confides in her only friend at the school, Gisela von Hohenems, who suggests she consult a lawyer.  When Faustina demurs, Gisela tells her boyfriend, Dr. Basil Willing--famous psychologist and medical assistant to the district attorney, about it. He insists on meeting Faustina and convinces her to allow him to represent her with Mrs. Lightfoot.  His interview with the headmistress is very surprising.  It seems that Faustina has become the center of rumors about a doppelganger. Several maids and a few of the girls have claimed to see Miss Crayle in two places at once.  A few parents have pulled their girls out of the school because of the unhealthy atmosphere. The practical Mrs. Lightfoot could find no plausible explanation for the incidents and rather than investigate or allow the rumors to create even more havoc with her school's reputation she decided to ask Miss Crayle to leave.
 
As Willing investigates, he discovers that this isn't the first time Faustina has been dismissed from a school because of doppelganger rumors.  He will have to sift the supernatural from everyday villainy as he follows a trail littered with superstition and jewels; doubles and demimondaines.  There is a tale that says She who sees her own double is about to die...and despite Willing's efforts and his instructions to stay put in a hotel while he investigates, Faustina insists on making a trip to her beach cottage.  A trip from which she never returns.  Did she truly see her double? Or is there a more solid human agent behind her death?   Willing brings us the answer...but the ending is a bit unsettling nonetheless.

McCloy's powers to create atmosphere are at their strongest in this book.  Even though we're quite sure that there's some human deviltry behind Faustina Crayle's plight, Mccloy still manages to make the idea of a doppelganger seem almost possible.  And the ending leaves us just a little unsure that Dr. Willing has completely explained everything.  Yes, it all hangs together.  And, yes, I do believe that X really did orchestrate the whole thing and for the reasons given...but what if Dr. Willing is wrong?  There's a nice shivery feeling to that thought.  

A nicely done, atmospheric piece that also happens to be an excellent detective novel.  Often thought to be McCloy's masterpiece, Through a Glass, Darkly is certainly the best I've read by McCloy so far. She builds the tension around Faustina in a way that the reader is willing to believe that there just might be a supernatural answer to everything that has happened to her. But she also designs the plot in a way that the acute reader can spot the human agency involved. A fantastic read that is well-deserving of your ROY vote!

First lines: Mrs. Lightfoot was standing by the bay window. "Sit down, Miss Crayle. I'm afraid I have bad news."

Last line: "God knows what's up there anyway!"

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Deaths = 4 (two natural; one hit head; one scared to death)

The Red Tassel

 The Red Tassel (1950) by David Dodge

Al Colby, an American private eye who lives in South America, is hired by the beautiful, 20-something Pancha Porter to investigate her late father's Bolivian mine. The lead mine had been putting out a hefty profit for years, but recently profits have dropped by nearly half and she wants to know why. Colby is always ready to work for good money--especially when the good money is being paid out by a lady as lovely as Pancha. But he warns her that the trip is going the be hard on someone who isn't used to the Bolivian heights. The mine is far up in the mountains where the air is so thin it's difficult to breathe. 

Saturnino, assistant to Simon Braillard who manages the mine for the Porter family, meets them with the mine's station wagon.The trip is made even worse by the fact that someone has directed the exhaust fumes to the back of the car where Colby is sitting. Since Colby was an unexpected addition to the party, he can only assume that the near-deadly experience was intended for Pancha. 

Upon arrival at the mine, they learn that the pack-llamas and necessary mining equipment and chemicals are being stolen on a regular basis--which eats into the profits and, of course, delays production which deducts even more. Rumor has it that Yatiri, the local witch doctor, cursed Pancha's father and that is the source of all the trouble. But Colby suspects a deeper plot. He's sure that Brailliard and his near-silent wife Lili know more than they've said. But when Brailliard is found with a knife in his back and a red borla (a woven ear tassel used to mark ownership of llamas) in his hand, Colby is forced to reconsider his suspicions. He needs to find out what's behind the Yatiri rumor before he and Pancha become the next victims.

So...I'm either not in the right frame of mind for this mildly-boiled private eye adventure or this is definitely a man's story. I say the latter judging from the reviews on Goodreads. Nearly all the men who bothered to write reviews gave The Red Tassel four solid stars (plus one short five-star review). But I...well, I felt like I was wading through thick molasses trying to make my way through the plot. The one saving grace is that Dodge actually plants a really nice clue that would allow anyone not absolutely mired in molasses to spot what's going on. (I was too busy trying to get the goo off...). Oh, and Colby is a good example of the type of private eye I enjoy--not nearly as hard-boiled. 

I was aiming to include this in my selections for the Reprint of the Year Awards (hosted by Kate at Cross Examining Crime), but I can't in good conscience beg for votes for a book I don't fell that strongly about. A weak ★★★

First line: Pancha Porter was a surprise package in more ways than one.

Last line: I told her about her redeeming features for a while, but then the moon came up over the cordillera, and the night was too beautiful to waste on talk.
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Deaths = 4 (two natural; one stabbed; one hit on head)

Dropped Dead

 Dropped Dead (1984) by Jonathan Ross (John Rossiter)

Detective Superintendent George Rogers is called away from his golf game to view the body of a soman sprawled awkwardly beneath a huge tree on remote hillside. The body seems to have fallen from the tree, but when Rogers climbs up the tree in search of clues he finds evidence that the body fell from an even greater height. Perhaps from a plane? There are two flying clubs in the neighborhood and Rogers' investigation leads him to the Plattsburgh Aero Club. The description of the woman seems to fit Kirstin Mahir. Kirstin supposedly flew to France with one of the members--apparently she didn't make it that far. Did the pilot push her out of the plane? Is the answer that simple?

Of course not. The further Rogers digs, the more he learns about Kirsten's extracurricular activities. Her interests were in the pilots and not in their planes. There are ex-lovers who may have wanted Kirsten dead,; there's her husband who may have had enough of her philandering; and there are spouses and loved ones who may have resent her involvement with their men. It all comes down to who had sufficient motive and could pilot a plane at night.

The mystery is a good one and I enjoyed following Rogers through his interviews with suspects as well as his interactions with his right-hand man, the elegant Inspector Lingard. There are a few really good character studies-Kirsten's husband, Lisa Fromme--the lone female pilot in the club, and Wing-Commander Corbersley who runs the club, as well as a few others. But several of the club members receive short shrift in the character development department. It would have made for a much more satisfying read overall and would have made the suspect pool seem a little bit bigger. 

Overall, a solid police procedural (as one would expect from a former policeman like Rossiter) and an interesting plot. ★★★ and 1/2

First line: Were there to exist entities called Guardian Angels, then the one detailed for attendance on the dead woman had been unforgivably neglectful.

Last line: Late as it was, he couldn't believe that the door would remain closed against the urgent knocking of a goat-legged and horned George Rogers, private citizen, plausibly intent only on his need for a midnight cup of Lapsang Souchong tea and a discussion on the flight characteristics of a Tiger Moth biplane.
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Deaths = 3 (one asphyxiated; two plane crash)

Mystery for Halloween

 Mystery for Halloween (1991) by Cynthia Mason, ed

Well...the blurb says that these "modern masters of the chilling word whip up a witch's brew of mystery fiction" (emphasis mine) which would lead me to believe that this is full of mysteries. It's not--nearly half of them have no mystery to be solved even though there may be some element of the mysterious. But for the most part the stories that are true mysteries are very good. I count among those: "Kiss the Vampire Goodbye," "Fun & Games at the House of Whacks," "The Theft of the Halloween Pumpkin," and "Tony Libra and the Killer's Calendar." The last is probably the most classic of mysteries--although I don't think the average mystery reader would be able to correctly interpret the vital clue. And the vampire story does the best job of mixing mystery with the supernatural element. I enjoyed most of the other, more supernatural stories--but could have done without "The Sitter" and the "The Night Watchman." They didn't do it for me in either the ghostly or mystery category. ★★★

"The Haunted Portrait" by Lawrence Treat: A mild mannered museum creator is worried about a famous portrait that's supposed to reveal the name of the killer of the portrait's subject. But a painting can't do that...can it? (two stabbed)

"Clancy's Bride" by Terry Bacon: Clancy snags himself a beautiful bride--who most unexpectedly takes to farm life, particularly the slaughtering of animals. When animals start disappearing from the neighboring farms, the local poacher is blamed. But is he responsible? (two beheaded)

"Kiss the Vampire Goodbye" by Alan Ryan: Mike Kendall, LA private eye, and Danny Lavendar, his huge, albino Eskimo partner, investigate the mysterious death of a wealthy bank owner at the behest of his beautiful daughter. Mary Cantrell believes her father was killed by a vampire--and there were puncture wounds on his neck to prove it. But does Kendall believe it? (one stabbed; one burned by sun's rays)

"The Dog" by Pauline C. Smith: Aunt Bessie's husband swears that she'll never be rid of him--not even if he dies. He believes in reincarnation--even if she doesn't. And, just like Arnold, he'll be back... (one natural)

"House by the Road" by Janet O'Daniel: Jane thinks she's found the perfect little house where she can do her writing in peace. Until strange things start happening and the woman she hired to do odd jobs and gardening tells her that there's a spell on the house and that evil spirits want the place for their own...

"The Ghost of Monday" by Andrew Klavan: A man thinks he's committed the perfect crime when he does away with his blackmailing mistress. But then the ghost shows up in his bathroom... (one hit with axe)

"Sitter" by Theodore H. Hoffman: A neurotic teenager who has watched one too many slasher films scares herself silly while babysitting a couple of kids. Is she as neurotic as we think?

"Ghost in the House" by George Sumner Albee: Deborah is upset and Henry can't believe her reason. She's sure that their house is haunted--a man, apparently a realtor, appeared in the living room with a young couple and walked right through her. When they reappear and Henry tries to confront the man, the same happens. But since when do ghosts try to sell houses? (two car accident)

"Behold, Kra K'l!" by Richard F. McGonegal: George convinces his fellow student to help him raise a demon to prove the existence of God. The two young men get more than they bargained for when George's ultra-conservative Czech landlady breaks into their session. 

"Fun & Games at the Whacks Museum" by Elliott Capone: The kids of Bellerive love Berrigan's wax museum; the townspeople hate it. And when the mayor and city council pass an ordinance against taking money without giving a tangible product, it looks like Berrigan will be out of business. And then the mayor is run down by an out of control car...  (one hit by car)

"The Theft of the Halloween Pumpkin" by Edward D. Hoch: Nick Velvet is hired by a reclusive rich publisher's ex-mistress to steal the Halloween pumpkin off the man's front porch. To add a little spice...the last man to invade the publisher's privacy was shot and killed. But Nick always finds a way to deliver the goods. (two shot)

"The Night Watchman" by David Braly: Young Thomas Perkins is obsessed with the night watchman who walks the streets after dark. No one seems to know where he came from or when he was hired or by whom. He's just always been there. Perkins finally decides to find out where he goes after his rounds are done. But does he really want to know?

"Tony Libra & the Killer's Calendar" by Richard Ciciarelli: Tony Libra is hosting a Halloween costume party when his colleague, English Professor Jameson, arrives and asks for a private word. Jameson suspects that a faculty member has been running a drug ring but he doesn't have evidence--yet. He plans on getting it, but tells Tony that if anything should happen to him then Tony should "check up on the calendar." When Jameson is found murdered, Libra must figure out what that statement meant.(one stabbed)

"In the Morgue" by Dashiell Hammett: Walter Dowe's wife is missing and he learns that she went to the theater while he was busy writing away in his room. Oh...and the theater burned down that very night. He takes a friend along as he visits hospitals and, finally, the morgue in search of  her. A very different twist ending. (one fire)

"The Black Cat" by Lee Somerville: Our narrator's Cousin Rush comes into town just in time for the Heritage Festival. Cousin Rush is the black sheep of the family and is only interested in the funds that have been raised during the festivities. He might have gotten away with a robbery if he hadn't kicked that black cat... (two shot)

"This Is Death" by Donald E. Westlake: When a man who has attempted suicide in the past finally succeeds, his ghost wishes that he hadn't. (one hanged)

1st Line (first story): Sometimes I watch a guide bring his group into Gallery 18, in the East Wing of the museum.

...the more I listened, the more I realized that Mary Cantrell's spunkiness was definitely riding in the back seat today. She was scared, badly scared. And when a spunky girl gets scared, I get interested. ("Kiss the Vampire Goodbye")

I was looking at the second vampire I've ever seen. That's a lot of vampires when you didn't even believe in them thirty-six hours before. ("Kiss the Vampire Goodbye")

It's hard not to believe in ghosts when you are one. ("This Is Death")

Last line (last story): This is death.