Dandy Gilver & an Unsuitable Day for Murder

 Dandy Gilver & an Unsuitable Day for Murder (2010) by Catriona McPherson

Synopsis from Publisher's Weekly: When Mirren Aitken, a department store heiress goes missing, Mirren's mother asks well-to-do sleuth Dandy to track her down. Aitkens' Emporium ("Tailors, Mantle Makers, Silk Merchants, Domestic Bazaar") is in bitter competition with another store in the town of Dunfermline, House of Hepburn ("Hosiers, Glovers, Clothiers, and Milliners"). The Aitkens fear that Mirren has eloped with Dugald Hepburn, a scion of the rival family. Before long, Dandy must tackle a related homicide, only to become a suspect herself.

Actually...Mirren is found during the Emporium's fifty anniversary party. And she hasn't eloped. In fact, she's not going anywhere except to a resting place six feet deep. And her intended, Dugald, isn't far behind. And, while Dandy does spend an uncomfortable few hours in the police station answering questions, I can't say she's every seriously suspected. But Dandy does tackle the investigation and, finally--after quite a tangled trail--discovers the truth of the matter.

Count me baffled. I'm baffled about the ending. It has got to be one of the most complicated solutions to a mystery out of all the mysteries I've read. I read the ending a second time because I couldn't wrap my head around it the first time. I'm still not sure I understand all of the family connections going on here. I'm also baffled as to why on earth this won an Agatha award for Best Historical Mystery. I'm baffled about why Dandy is described in a blurb as "an enthralling heroine; part Dorothy Parker (in her dreams), part Miss Marple (Christie's elderly sleuth is about 100 times sharper)" and why we would mention any of this in the same breath as Agatha Christie.

I thought the debut novel (After the Armistice Ball) was a decent first book in the series. And, despite a few misgivings, I thought the third novel (Dandy Gilver & the Proper Treatment of Bloodstains) was a fun book and did the historical side of things well with bonus interesting premise. Unfortunately this one has none of those good points. In fact, the longer I think about it, the more I wonder if the ★★ that I'm assigning isn't a bit generous....

First line: Whatever I was expecting when I decided to take a turn around Dunfermline--I was early for my appointment and it was a particularly pleasant day--it was not this air of jubilance.

Last line: I was very glad indeed that out of everyone around, I was me.
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Deaths = 2 (one shot; one fell from height)

The Benson Murder Case

 The Benson Murder Case (1926) by S. S. Van Dine

Based very loosely on the (unsolved) true crime murder of  Joseph Brown Elwell in 1920. Elwell, a bridge expert, was found shot to death in his locked home and, like Benson in this novel, was not wearing the toupee which covered his bald head (and his vanity). 

Alvin Benson, a financial man in partnership with his brother Major Anthony Benson, is found shot through the forehead while sitting in his favorite chair in the living room. A book is still clasped in his hand. The house was locked up tight and only Benson and his housekeeper have keys. It's not surprising to find a lady's handbag and gloves on the mantle--Benson was well-known for his pursuit of the fairer sex. So, District Attorney John F. X. Markham naturally assumes it's a case of cherche la femme. But, after examining the room and the dead man, Philo Vance, dilettante and aspiring amateur sleuth, declares that no woman could have committed the crime. He convinces Markham and once the owner of the purse is found the DA decides that her fiance, having taken exception to the attentions of Benson towards his beloved, decided to rid the world of a scoundrel. Vance, of course, shoots that theory down too. Before long, it seems that every viable suspect is ruled out. Could it be that nobody did it?

Once upon a time, I discovered Philo Vance. If I remember correctly, it was in the treasure trove that was the Owen Public Library in my first year of marriage. For a town of about 2500, that library had the most amazing collection of vintage mysteries and it introduced me to the likes of S. S. Van Dine, Elizabeth Daly, Edmund Crispin, and many others that I've since hunted down for my very own vintage mystery library. But back to Vance. I discovered him and loved him and hunted down every one of his cases.

So...I needed a metallic/glittery book for a reading challenge and, having picked this one up in the last year or so, I thought it would fit the bill. Honest to goodness, Vance is the most irr'tatin', wordy fellow ever. Why use one word when you could use a whole paragraph of fancy words with sporadically miss'n letters, dontcha know? Older Bev must have a lot less patience for this type of thing than younger Bev. And Markham must have the patience of Job to put up with this sort of thing on the regular. And what makes it all the worse is that a HUGE portion of the book is devoted to talk--and Vance talking most of the time. There is very little actual action here. It's all Vance giving his ideas about things OR Vance & Markham interviewing suspects. Talk, talk, talk, talk, talk.

SPOILER ahead!!!!!!

What saves the book is the plot. Figuring out who killed Benson and why is pretty interesting. After making Markham listen to him build up plausible cases against everyone who has been on the top of the suspect list, Vance twists everything around to show how someone who hasn't even really been considered and who seems to have the classic iron-clad alibi could have done it. And--by the way--actually did. The mystery is good enough...I just wish I had enjoyed Vance more this time around. ★★★

First Line: It happened  that, on the morning of the momentous June the fourteenth when the discovery of the murdered body of Alvin H. Benson created a sensation which, to this day has not entirely died away, I had breakfasted with Philo Vance in his apartment.

He [Vance] spent considerable time at his clubs: his favorite was the Stuyvesant, because, as 

he explained to me, its mentorship was drawn largely from the political and commercial ranks, and he was never drawn into a discussion that required any mental effort (p. 23)

"Y' know, Markham, our so-called civ'lization is nothing more than the persistent destruction of everything that's beautiful and enduring, and the designing of cheap makeshifts....Look at that fine old door, for instance, with its bevelled panels and bolection, and its Ionic pilasters and carved lintel. And then compare it with the flat. flimsy, machine-made, shellacked boards which are turned out by the thousands today." (Vance; p. 265)

Last Line: And the remark, though intended merely as a good-natured sally, proved strangely prophetic.
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Deaths = one shot

Blotto, Twinks & the Dead Dowager Duchess

 Blotto, Twinks & the Dead Dowager Duchess (2010) by Simon Brett

Blotto and Twinks are off on another mad-dash adventure in the 1920s--where secret societies are plotting to upend the status quo and our particular secret society is planning on wiping out all of the aristocracy. Or at least all of those who will be sitting in the House of Lords at Christmas time. Our heroes must track down the man behind the scheme and thwart his plans before the lords of the realm go the way of the first victim of the book. The adventure begins with the death of the Dowager Duchess of Melmont at her own country house party. Since the interfering woman was determined to see her daughter wed to Blotto (a plan Blotto did not agree with...), he wouldn't mind that she were dead so much if his own chauffeur hadn't been hauled off as chief suspect at the instigation of one of those "know-it-all polymathic amateur sleuths" (see quote below) who always show up at 1920s country house weekends. After all, good chauffeurs don't grow on trees. 

So, Blotto and Twinks decide to hunt down the real killer themselves. And that determination leads them on a trail through opium dens, third-rate pubs, and tea shops. It finds them parachuting in to an unknown estate and rescuing the very girl that Blotto would give anything to not rescue (lest she want to fulfill her dead mama's plans) and finally leads them to a decrepit Scottish castle which just happens to serve as the headquarters for the League of the Crimson Hand (the aforementioned secret society). They promptly wind up as prisoners. The clock is ticking towards zero hour and it will take all of Twinks's ingenuity to get them out of the dungeon and on their way to save lords who are sitting ducks back in London.

Apparently I was in a much better mood for this, the second in the Blotto & Twinks series, than I was for the one featuring the Ex-King's Daughter (see link for review). While everyone still does go on a bit too much in the hearty English manner ("Twinks, me old bloater;" "Blotto, me old gumdrop,"  "Tickey-tockey" and so on...), it didn't grate on me quite so much. And I really did enjoy the brother/sister team's adventures in the 1920s. Brett seemed intent on making this outing a combo of Boys' Own Adventure and Sax Rohmer style thriller with a hefty send-up of the mad villain out to end civilization as we know it. Brett's strong point in these stories is his slam-bang finishes. We have Blotto taking out dozens of bad guys with his "second-best cricket bat" and lovely dogfight with Twinks at the second gunner's position in an early airplane. Lots of fun and shenanigans...and of course our heroes come out unscathed.  ★★★ and 1/2

First lines: If there was one thing Blotto (properly known as the Honourable Devereux Lyminster) didn't like about weekend house parties, it was the inevitable gathering-together of a large number of people with dark secrets in their past, along with the tiresome near-certainty that one of them would get murdered. Not to mention the unavoidable presence of a know-it-all polymathic amateur sleuth who would happen to be staying for the weekend. And the obligatory moment when the aforementioned know-it-all polymathic amateur sleuth would dragoon everyone into the library to tell them whodunit.

Last lines: And Blotto? Oh, he went hunting.
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Deaths = 5 (one stabbed; two shot; one fell from height; one plane crash)

The Well House Reader

 The Well House Reader (2022) by Donald J. Gray

From the book blurb: What did generations of Indiana University students think about their years on campus--the faculty, courses, administration, pressing social issues, and each other? Through student writings and art featured in The Well House Reader, the Bloomington campus across the years vividly and sometimes whimsically comes to life.

Poignant and reveling, The Well House Reader offers unforgettable glimpses of Indiana University through the eyes and experiences of is students across the decades.

An interesting cross-section of student views in essay, poetic, and fictional form with comments from everyday students to IU scholars (though sometimes only briefly) of more renown such as Theodore Dreiser, Ernie Pyle, and Hoagy Carmichael. It was a bit disappointing to see so few entries from the 1960s through the 1990s. Some of the literary journals may not have been operational during all of those years and perhaps there is not nearly as much in the archives for whatever reason, but one could have hoped for some letters to the editor from The Indiana Daily Student to give more representation. Most of the material seems to come from the 1920s and 1940s--maybe students were more vocal then. But given the turbulence of the 1960s-early 1970s, I would have expected more from that time period...at least in the Protests section. However, putting aside that disappointment, this is a pleasant trip down the memory lane that runs through campus giving us a look at the students of the past as well as highlighting some of the changes that have come to the campus itself. ★★★ 

First line (1st poem/essay): Kirkwood! Thou art not merely stone and sand;

Last line (last essay): Dean was squinting in exasperation at his next customer, and the Greek girl had found a fashion magazine to look at.

Winds of Evil

 Winds of Evil (1937) by Arthur W. Upfield

A strangler is at work at Wirragatta Station in the far reaches of the Australian outback. The killer operates during violent windstorms that last more than one night--all the better to cover any traces he may have left behind. Enter Joe Fisher (aka Detective-Inspector Napoleon "Bony" Bonaparte) who offers his services to Martin Borradale, owner of the station, as a hired laborer. Though the last murder took place a year ago, Bony is convinced that he can track the killer--after all, he's not left a crime unsolved yet. When there is another attack--this time leaving the victim alive, but with a dangerous head injury, Bony finds himself next on the killer's attack list. Fortunately, the wily detective is able to escape with only a bruised throat. 

He starts with a list of eleven men as possible suspects and with patient questioning he's able to whittle the list down to five. He believes he knows who the man is and why he behaves as he does, but there's no proof. Meanwhile, a clueless detective from the nearest city has arrested a man whom Bony is sure is innocent. He decides to prepare a trap that will be sprung during the next violent windstorm....but will it catch the right man?

Another excellent mystery from Upfield--full of excellent descriptions of the outback and details enough of the windstorms to make you feel the sand stuck to your skin. Bony is good at slipping into the skin of an itinerant laborer (with Borradale's full knowledge of his true identity), though he doesn't manage to fool the landowner's sister for long. I was quite pleased with myself that I spotted the killer and his backstory well before Bony did--at least before Upfield allowed us to know that Bony did. I don't often get to the solution before the good detective. 

If you want a mystery that will give you a run for your money with great descriptions of place as well as a real feel for Australia in the 1930s, then you can't go wrong with Upfield. Just remember when these were written and that folks weren't exactly PC at the time. ★★★★

First line: It was a wind-created hell in which the man who called himself Joe Fisher walked northward towards the small township of Carie.

In, general, murderers are the most stupid of criminals, prone to commit a hundred mistakes. They are more stupide than embezzlers. I believe that it is the fear of the rope which upsets the average murderer and makes him make mistakes. Even the really clever murderer, the odd one in the hundred, will make at least one vital mistake. Not always, however, does the investigator see, or recognize, the mistakes, so that it is always the investigator who fails to sheet home a crime and not the cleverness of the criminal to get away with it. (Inspector Napoleon "Bony" Bonaparte; p. 45)

Last line: "And you," loudly asserted Detective-Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte, "are another!"
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Deaths =  7 (two strangled; four natural; one shot)

Titanic Captain

 Titanic Captain: The Life of John Edward Smith (2011) by G. J. Cooper

From the book blurb: The definitive account of the life and career of the respected and popular captain of the Titanic includes original research drawing on the ship's logs, crew lists, newspapers, and first-hand accounts. Edward John Smith's career had been a remarkable example of how a man from a humble background could get far in the world, and this biography tracks the fascinating career and many voyages of a seasoned captain. Born to a working-class family he went to sea at the age of 17 and rose rapidly through the ranks of the merchant navy, serving first in sailing vessels and later in the new steamships  of the White Star Line. By 1912, he was their senior commander and regarded by many in the shipping world as the "millionaire's captain." In 1912, Smith was given command of the new RMS Titanic for her maiden voyage, but should have been among the crowning moments of his long career at sea turned rapidly into a nightmare following the Titanic's collision with an iceberg. In a matter of hours the supposedly unsinkable ship sank, taking more than 1,500 people with her, including Captain Smith. This account dispels myths about the man and tracks his movements and motives in detail on that fateful night.

To be clear, the ship's logs in question are not the Titanic's--those went down with the ship. And honestly--so much of what is given in the logs from the other ships Smith served on and captained are very dry, business logs. Very little is learned about Smith from these document other than where he and the ships were and ship's business--but telling us anything new about the man himself, not really. And when the logs or letters or newspapers don't tell us something, Cooper loves to speculate. The log doesn't tell us that Captain Smith did X, Y, or Z, but we can suppose that he did because "reasons." We get that a lot--a lot more than a well-researched book should be giving.

The best of the research comes from letters that Smith wrote to various people and primarily to his nephew. Kudos to Cooper for giving us a more balanced look at Smith and for giving us more of his background growing up. It was good to see his record as a sailing man and captain prior to his taking the helm of his last command. And it was interesting to see his interactions with the elite of the Gilded Age. There is quite a bit that's new about Smith's life before the Titanic and that made the book as interesting as it was. But giving us new details about that last fateful voyage? Not so much.  ★★★--just

First line: Hanley in North Staffordshire, where Edward John Smith, the future captain of the Titanic, was born in 1850 was one of six tons that by the time of his birth were known collectively as the Potteries.

Last line: With her death Ted Smith's line and story had finally come to an end.

The Eve of the Wedding

 The Eve of the Wedding (1980) by Lionel Black (Dudley Barker)

Kate and Henry Theobold have just met the Shoeburys--Americans Dick and Felicity-Ann. Dick Shoebury's and Henry's clubs are corresponding clubs, so Dick has temporary membership while in London for his daughter's wedding. The two men hit it off immediately and invites Dick and his wife for dinner. The Shoeburys reciprocate by inviting the Theobolds to a good old-fashioned German Polterabend--a noisy prenuptial party on the evening before the wedding which includes a mock abduction of the bride and a scavenger hunt by the groom to find his intended. Dick thought this would be a great idea--better than separate a separate bachelor and hen party. Is either family German. Not that anybody mentions. Are any of the family members particularly excited about the idea. Not that you'd notice. Is there any reason on earth why a couple of newly-met "friends" would want to crash such a pre-wedding party? Not that I can think of on the face of it.

But...Kate is a newspaper reporter. And when Dick mentions that the German marriage custom has loose ties to the idea of poltergeists...and that the groom's family home has its very own poltergeist, Kate is intrigued. And determined to get a story out of it if she can. Little does she realize that she's going to have an even bigger story by the end of the party. As the back cover says, "By the time this party's over, it has ended in tragedy: a bride in hysteria, a groom with murder in his heart, and a corpse in the study." Philip Leatheridge is the groom...and his brother Gregory is the corpse.

The Leatheridge family home is full of oddities--from the patriarch, Grandfather James, and Auntie Sybil & Uncle Rupert, who all seem to have stepped out of late-Victorian times, to Gregory, the grandson who has somehow seized control of the family business, and his down-trodden wife Cynthia to Julia, the great-granddaughter who is just the right age to encourage poltergeists to the faithful servants Mr. & Mrs. Budd. Mr. Budd looks like he might have been a burglar in another life...and probably was. And, of course, there's the poltergeist--who has shoved Dick Shoebury in the back when no one else was around and broken mirrors and tossed a bit of furniture about. When Gregory is found stabbed in the study, Auntie Sybil insists that the poltergeist has taken up dagger-throwing as its newest trick. But Kate and Henry--and their old friend Inspector Comfort--don't believe it for a minute. There are plenty of very real motives to be had without adding a supernatural element. It's obvious that Cynthia hated her husband--had she finally decided to get rid of him for good? And what juicy secret did Gregory know about his grandfather that would cause the old man to sign over the business? And then there's the hysterical bride--made so by the actions of Gregory. Was his brother furious enough over it to kill him? 

 Once again, Kate goes snooping all over the house and nearly finds herself added to the victim list. She definitely falls into the "where angels fear to tread" category and you'd think by now she'd realize that she shouldn't go off by herself. Of course, being one half of the amateur detective duo, we all know that she won't really be dropped out the window in an "accidental" fall, but still. The murder plot is a fairly good one, though I must say it has a bit of a creep factor that isn't chalked up to a supernatural entity. There's a couple of Leatheridge family members who seem to have a few screws loose. A solid, middle-of-the-road mystery. ★★★

First line: Kate left them in the living-room, where Henry was busily stirring dry martini for their guests, and went through to the kitchen to get the soup bowls of cold consomme out of the fridge.

Last lines: The pair of them were quite calm again now. Civilized.
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Deaths =  2 (one auto accident; one stabbed)

A Conspiracy of Poisons

 A Conspiracy of Poisons (1977) by J. G. Jeffreys (Ben Healey)

Synopsis (from book flap): The ace of Bow Street Runners, rollicking, resourceful, womanizing Jeremy Sturrock, and his dreadful clerk Master Maggsy, are back again, this time called on to investigate a Napoleonic plot which may threaten the safety of Britain in an ingenious and carefully worked-out mystery.

The year is 1804, and the trail leads from a beautiful but mysteriously poisoned prostitute to the grisly digging up of a still more mysterious corpse, back to the salons of a fashionable brothel, and on to a headlong ride to the wilds of Savernake Forest.

Once upon a time, a young Bev read A Wicked Way to Die (the second book in the Jeremy Sturrock series) and pronounced it good enough to put Jeffreys on the TBF (To Be Found) list. This resulted in my picking up both the current read (book #4) and Suicide Most Foul (book #5) along the way. I've not come across the first or third in my book hunts. And now, having finished, A Conspiracy of Poisons, I'm left wondering just what the heck young Bev was thinking. Sturrock has a fine head on his shoulders for detective work in these early days of the Bow Street Runners, I will give him that. But you'd need to do a hefty bit of detective work yourself to find a more unsavory cast of characters (every single one of them, from the "good" guys to the bad guys) in a piece of historical detective fiction. 

With the language of the book (which does its best to give us early 19th Century speech and writing patterns), it's a bit of a slog to make one's way through to the essential details. And with several characters running around under more than one name, it's a bit difficult to keep up with the players (with or without a scorecard)--especially keeping track of which ones might be minions of the chief villain. That's the good news. Once the chief villain is introduced, there's no problem remembering who they are. Unless you were looking for a good old-fashioned whodunnit and wanted to try and figure out the villain from clues. Then it's bad news, I suppose. 

We've also got a run of pretty senseless murders. The first one makes the most sense--we're afraid the woman is going to give away the whole plot against the British crown. But one is pure mistake and another is for reasons I still haven't gotten clear (and I read that bit twice). All in all, a fairly disappointing read. I can only suppose that either A Wicked Way to Die was a much better mystery or that young Bev wasn't nearly as jaded as she is now. I'll probably go ahead and read the last Jeffreys book I own--but unless it's much better than the ★★ outing I've just had, I won't be seeking out any more. 

First line: "Pray, Mr. Sturrock," said my publisher, tapping his fingers on the desk, "pray," says he, "let us have a work of more weighty matter."

Last line: I cheered as loud as Master Maggsy when His Majesty emerged from the sea.
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Deaths = 6 (four poisoned; one stabbed; one shot)

Spellbound

 Spellbound (apa The House of Dr. Edwardes; 1927) by Francis Beeding (John Leslie Palmer & Hilary St. George Saunders)

This is the novel that the Hitchcock movie featuring Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck was adapted from. It revolves around a "House of Rest" (for which, read a mental asylum) which serves as a haven for the imbalanced rich and a place where Dr. Edwardes, who owns the castle on the on mountain, can study interesting cases without worrying about money. The house, a literal fortress, sits in a circle or rock surrounded on three sides by the sheer slope of a desolate mountain in Switzerland. When night comes, it is a great crouching black hulk which the townspeople claim is the home of the Devil himself.

Constance Sedwick is a recently qualified doctor. Dr. Edwardes is an old friend of her father's and Edwardes offers her the position of his assistant. But before she arrives, Dr. Edwardes was sent away by his own doctor for a much needed rest and she finds a young Dr. Murchison, a doctor brought in from England, in charge of the asylum. At first all seems well, but Murchison has some odd quirks--reading books about the Devil and flinching when the shadow of a cross falls on him. There is also the funeral of one of the attendants at the hospital--murdered by the newest inmate. And a tale told by the villagers of blood which appears on the white stone in the black wood whenever the Devil is about. 

Things get worse...the inmates, who were fairly docile and benign in their own delusions begin to act in strange, more menacing ways. They talk about a wedding to come and begin patrolling around Constance's room at night..."to protect her." But she believes there is danger coming. Can she escape it--and take the innocent with her?

A very interesting read. I haven't actually seen the Hitchcock film (one of several of his films that I have yet to see), so I didn't have any preconceptions going in. Quite suspenseful, though I was a little disappointed that Constance didn't catch on to what was going on a little sooner. The characters are great--particularly the patients at the asylum. Beeding does a great job making each one distinct so it's easy to keep track of who is who. 

This is very much a "how will the heroine get out of this?" and "will the villain get away with it?" kind of story rather than a whodunnit. It's pretty obvious (to the reader, if not to Constance) pretty quick what's going on here...it's just a matter of how will everything be resolved. Now I want to go watch the movie. ★★★★

1st Line (Prologue): Dearest Helen, How delightful to get your letter, which we found waiting for us at Thonon.

John is an angel, but I shouldn't care to take a honeymoon with anybody; so don't be rash, and if ever you feel in the consenting mood, which so often happens, pull yourself together and think it over. Fortunately, John and I agree about all the most important things. What I mean is that we both like to sleep with the window open. (p. 7)

1st Line (1st Chapter): Constance Sedgwick, M.D., aged twenty-six, was staring at herself critically in the long mirror.

Fortunately for Doctor Edwardes, lunacy is not confined to the poorer classes; and he had treated in his time more than one poor gentleman who, if ha had not been sitting so comfortably in Chateau Landry, might have been sitting rather less at his ease, though possibly quite as much at home, in the House of Lords. (p. 13)

Last Line: I must stop now or I shall be losing the post. We are moving on next week to Bordighera and Alaisso. My best love to you all, Always your affectionate Susan"
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Deaths =6 (two fell from height; two stabbed; one natural; one in war)

The Six Iron Spiders

 The Six Iron Spiders (1942) by Phoebe Atwood Taylor

Asey Mayo has arrived at his Cape Cod home for two days of leave from his war work at the Porter tank plant. He's expecting a little rest and relaxation. What he gets is mass confusion from start to finish. He had sent a telegram to his cousin/housekeeper Jennie warning her of his arrival and requesting a ride home. No one meets him at the station and he has to hitchhike and walk home. When he gets to his house, it looks like a bunch of lunatics have taken over, with his cousin as the chief looney. Splints and bandages are being wielded on a dummy. Everybody is zipping in and out of the rooms on mysterious errands. His friend Doc Cummings stops him from going in--telling him that he'll only be recruited for First Aid treatment and other entertainments that he wants no part of. 

Before Asey can make up his mind about that, Jennie blows a whistle and the entire gang comes rushing out of the house--mounting bicycles, jumping into cars, and even starting up a horse-drawn wagon. They're off on a "Problem"--a mock accident at a surprise (to all but Jennie) location. And they all have to get there by whatever means they can as quickly as they can. Now that the coast is clear, Asey and Doc get into the house in search of supper for the weary traveler. But instead of dinner, they find Philemon Mundy, one of the First Aid group, dead in the buttery from a bash on the head. He's apparently been laid out by an iron "spider" (a cast iron skillet). And, of course, New England's answer to Sherlock Holmes, will have to find out who killed him and why the body was stashed in Asey's larder.

Winds up that there may be a few folks with reason to get Mundy out of the way. He'd recently come to the area and already had his fingers in several of the pies. Perhaps he stepped on one too many toes. Even Jennie had been known to have words with him. But were any of the toes crumpled hard enough to warrant murder? What follows is one of the most convoluted pieces of detection I've come across in a long time...and it's full of folks shouting at one another (generally not in anger) and not letting other folks get a word in edgewise (even as the shouter is demanding said other folks to answer them). Doc Cummings shouts at Asey--because he thinks Asey's not telling him everything. Lieutenant Hanson shouts at pretty much everybody. Asey even "shouts" (though in a much quieter way) at Doc and Hanson and a few of the other characters. The mystery might have been solved a bit quicker if people had just been allowed to talk...

I find with Taylor's books (more so in her Leonidas Witherall series) that there is a definite B movie feel to a great many of them. With all the rushing about and people talking at cross purposes and some of the over-the-top characters, like Tiny Hazard, the large, feminist woman in search of a man, I can picture this as movie in the line of an Abbott and Costello film. This makes for great fun and much confusion and it definitely makes it difficult for the reader to keep track of the players...or the clues...or the motives. If you're looking for a fast read with a lot of fun and don't mind not being able to solve the mystery before Asey tells you all about it, then you'll enjoy this one.

One side note--this is one of few mysteries written during the war years that makes a great deal of the home front war effort. It's played for laughs, but we do get to see what folks were doing--clothing drives, learning First Aid, organizing rescue parties, etc. 

 ★★★★

First line: Asey Mayo heard the thin ice coating of the puddles crack under his feet as he dashed along the lane in the fruitless pursuit of his best gray felt hat, which capered like a chamois just beyond the reach of his outstretched hand.

"Hanson, in your vast an' varied experience, has it ever been the rule for bodies to disappear from the place where you found 'em? No, it ain't! It ain't been my experience either," Asey said. "The doc an' I figgered that if someone'd gone to all the trouble of leavin' Mundy in my buttery, then that was the place where they meant to leave him, an' the place where they meant him to be found. It never for a minute entered our heads that someone'd fly in through a keyhole an' whisk him away." (p. 84)

"I suppose she's been reading the back of the First Aid book again. I don't think it's sensible to read the back of any book till you come to it, do you? I mean, I think you should take things as they come. Father always reads the ends of mystery stories first, and I don't think it's fair." (Tiny Hazard; p.178)

Last line: "It's because I can't hardly wait to get back to the peace an' quiet of the Porter tank plant!"
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Deaths = two hit on head

The Buttercup Case

 The Buttercup Case (1958) by Frances Crane (#22)

Pat Abbott has just wrapped up a case in New Orleans and his old friend, Captain Bill Jonas invites Pat and his wife Jean to join him at his little get-away spot--cabins on the plantation of Etienne Lamont. The three are included in a lavish dinner birthday party planned for Etienne's wife, Stella. The other guests include Etienne's sister Suzanne, his daughter Anne, Anne's beau Mark Mason, a sister-in-law Crystal, and the local doctor, Dr. Dick Cox. But before anyone can have a bite of the delicious southern meal, Etienne's sister Suzanne dies most dramatically. Both Jonas's and Abbott's detective instincts are aroused and Bill draws the ire of the Lamont family by insisting on an autopsy since the symptoms look like poison to him. Winds up he's right...but it's snake poison and Suzanne loved to wander through plantation looking for plants for her garden and just might have been bitten. 

Despite the family's antagonism towards anyone "snooping" into their affairs, neither Jonas nor Abbott can resist investigating and they discover several family skeletons hidden in the antebellum closets. There's Etienne's missing brother Jack--the black sheep of the family who is wanted by the FBI (and whose wife Crystal suspects is back in the neighborhood), Crystal herself, whom the Lamont family loathes and who helped Jack run through his inheritance like water, Dora Lindley, Dr. Cox's nurse who worships the ground Doctor walks on and who loathes the Lamont family for reasons not quite clear, a deaf-mute family retainer by the name of Frenchy who looks an awful lot like Etienne's great-grandfather, and Marie-Laure, an old servant to the Lamont family, who paints in her spare time and whose latest masterpiece seems to hold clues to recent events.

Things really hot up when both Frenchy and the missing Jack wind up killed and Marie is attacked in her own cabin. Her latest painting is also stolen and burned. What does the old woman know and why won't she talk? Even Pat, at his most charming, can't get her to tell everything she knows. It's an uphill battle for the detectives to discover the motive behind the killings and to unmask the killer--but Pat Abbott gets there in the end.

Two Crane mysteries in a row where Pat Abbott is asked by at least one person involved to investigate and then everyone (including the persons who do the asking) resents his detecting ways and wants him to leave. It's really quite tiresome. And just about everyone in this one shouts at him at some point--Bill Jonas shouts that the Lamonts are his friends, so stop making them mad. Etienne Lamont shouts and keeps insisting that Pat, Jean, AND Bill need to leave (but never really forces them to). And even Dr. Cox shouts when it seems Pat is asking the wrong questions (wrong for somebody, anyway). Oh...and, although it's toned down a bit, we still have Jean assuming that Pat is more interested in the females in the case than he ought to be. She really comes across as an insecure wife.

I couldn't really enjoy this one much. The entire Lamont family is pretty annoying and/or just down-right rude. I honestly didn't care much who was killing them (and their servants) off. I couldn't understand Jonas's loyalty to them especially when it looked at times like he'd side with them over Abbott. He's known Pat Abbott for a long time and he knows Pat's a good private detective. He knows Pat doesn't look for crime where it doesn't exist just for fun. And I spotted the killer way too soon--enter character X and "boom" there's the killer. Well...not quite. But almost. 

The one thing that Crane has going for her in this one is her descriptive abilities--atmosphere and descriptions of the plantation, cabins, and southern mansion. She does it well and, apart from her cattiness over everything female, Jean Abbott provides entertaining commentary on the proceedings--oh, and she has a nice scene where she fends off a threat from a gun-toting man. All stars are for these points. ★★

First line: She died at forty-one minutes past six on a lovely spring afternoon.

Last line: And it was then that he began to worry for fear Arnaud's bisque was superior to his own.
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Deaths =  4 (two poisoned; two shot)

The Cat Who Could Read Backwards

 The Cat Who Could Read Backwards (1966) by Lilian Jackson Braun

Synopsis (from the book blurb): When leathery crime reporter Jim Qwilleran gets stuck on an art beat, he expects tea and cakes with the ladies' auxiliary. Instead he ends up in the middle of a bitter knock-down brawl between some of the "nicer" people in town! Heated words turn to bloody deeds when an art dealer gets his throat cut...an artist "falls" from a rafter onto a concrete floor...and art critic suffers the ultimate criticism--a KNIFE in the ribs! Everybody's stumped--everybody, that is but a Siamese cat with some very odd reading habits!

This is the first book in Braun's popular "Cat Who..." series. Once upon a time I read one of these books (The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern, the second book)--I got it through the Mystery Guild book club--and thought it a decent read. I also read The Cat Who Saw Red since starting my blog. I could have sworn that I had read this one as well--but if I did, I never logged it on my running list of books read. But--whether I read more than just two or not--I never really bothered to go on with the series. It's an interesting concept. Our hero is Jim Qwilleran, a news reporter for the Daily Fluxion, who as the series progresses winds up with two Siamese cats, Koko and Yum Yum. Qwilleran used to be a crime reporter--quite a good one--until a rough divorce resulting in depression and a problem with alcohol caused him to lose his job. 

Here in the the series debut he has taken a job with the Daily Fluxion and in an effort to his way back to respectability. He is offered the art scene beat--not as an art critic (the paper already has one of those--more on him later), but as a feature journalist to write up human interest stories on the artists and gallery owners themselves. The managing editor is hoping to balance human interest against the scathing (but fairly popular) critical reviews by George Bonifield Mountclemens. A good review by Mountclemens could mean fame for an artist while a bad review could cost a sculptor a hefty commission (and does!).

Qwilleran's first assignment is to interview Cal Halapay, a wealthy local who does oil paintings featuring kids with curly hair and rosy cheeks in his spare time. Mountclemens has frequently torn Halapay apart in his review column. But the Fluxion would like to do a nice little human interest story on him to build up a little good will (and maybe some financial support)...But interviewing Halapay isn't as easy as it sounds. It's like trying to interview a hyperactive spaniel who's got his eye on several squirrels at once. While Qwill is trying to find a good angle to the story, he gets distracted by a little death spree in the art world. 

First, Earl Lambreth, owner of a local art gallery is killed. Then, the sculptor known as Nino (as in 9-oh) falls to his death during an art Happening (yes, we have "Happenings" instead of Events). Mountclemens is the third to die and Qwill isn't just interested because of his involvement in the paper or because of the savage reviews that may have caused someone to seek revenge...but the art critic had become Qwill's landlord--offering the new reporter an apartment in his large Victorian house. And Mountclemens' Siamese Cat Kao K'o-Kung (nicknamed Koko by Qwill) is taking a great interest in the matter. With the help of Koko, Qwill will eventually get to the bottom of the murders.

Slight Spoiler Ahead!

I'm glad that I needed on of the other books in the 3-in-1 Detective Book Club edition for another challenge and that it spurred me to go ahead and read the other two (including this Braun book). It was good to go back to the beginning of the series and see how Qwill, who has never interacted with cats much before, gets acquainted with the highly intelligent Koko. Full disclosure, this isn't an intricately plotted mystery with clues and red-herrings everywhere. The villain of the piece kind of pops up out of nowhere. I don't mean that the character never appeared till then--just that once introduced, I promptly forgot about them and didn't really notice them if they appeared elsewhere along the way. If there were clues that should have told me that they did it, I completely missed them. (But I don't honestly think they were there.) None of that mattered, though. I enjoyed riding along with Qwill as he stumbled into one situation after another and then followed Koko to the solution. ★★★  and 1/2

One side-note: Jim Qwilleran's mustache has more personality than some human characters I've come across in books. It dances and bounces in indignation and supposedly says things that Qwill is thinking, but dare not say aloud. Like "who-the-hell-wants-a-nice-clean-beat?" 

Kate over at Cross Examining Crime has also just recently reviewed this one (and also notes the active mustache). Check out her thoughts on Qwill's first mystery at the link.

First line: JIm Qwilleran, whose name had confounded typesetters and proofreaders for two decades, arrived fifteen minutes early for his appointment with the managing editor of the Daily Fluxion.

Last line: Then he twisted his lithe body into a tortured shape, turned up his nose, crossed his eyes, and scratched his ear with one hind leg and an expression of catly rapture.
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Deaths = 3 (two stabbed; one fell from height)

The Evil That Men Do

 The Evil That Men Do (1966) by Hugh Pentecost

Doris Standing, the world's second richest girl, has spent her youth looking for kicks. She and her jet-setting friends, known as Doris' Standing Army, enjoy playing cruel practical jokes on prominent members of society--from ruining the comeback of a once great singing star to destroying the political career of a conservative's bid for a governorship to making a fool of a fading romantic leading man. It's all fun and games to them--even when the games lead to heartbreak, madness, or worse. But this time something has happened that Doris can't face. She comes to the Beaumont Hotel under the name of Dorothy Smith and claims that she has no memory of the last three weeks. But she's sure that something dreadful has happened. When her Army shows up at the hotel, the unflappable manager, Pierre Chambrun is determined to keep them from sullying the good name of the Beaumont. But can he defend it against murder?

Someone is killing members of the Standing Army. Has Doris had enough of their cruel humor and decided to free herself from them--permanently. Or could it be that Gary Craig, the man who loves her no matter what she's done, has decided to liberate her from their evil influence? Or perhaps someone injured by one of their cruel tricks has decided to get revenge. Chambrun, his hotel staff, and Lieutenant Hardy from Homicide will have to find out quick...before the killer wipes out the entire Army.

Pentecost gives us an interesting puzzle even as he peoples the mystery with some very unlikeable characters. It's difficult to be very upset when member of the Army are picked off one by one. They haven't exactly had a lot of compassion for the people whose lives they've ruined or much (if any) remorse about those who took their own lives because they couldn't recover from the "joke." But I still enjoyed trying to figure out who is behind the killings. There are a few clues that an observant reader might catch (I didn't), so Pentecost does try to play fair if you're looking for that kind of thing. If you want a mystery that will give you the full flavor of the 1960s and a peek at the running of a high-class hotel, then this is definitely a series for you. Chambrun is the king of his little village and Mark Haskell makes for a good right-hand 

man in the Archie Goodwin tradition (with a few less wise-cracks). A good solid entry in the series. ★★★ 

First line: It was shortly after five o'clock in the morning when a young woman got out of a taxi in front of the Hotel Beaumont, paid the driver, and walked through the revolving door into the hotel's lobby.

Last lines: And there is Chambrun. Without him, there would be no Beaumont.
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Deaths = 6 (three natural; three shot)

Who Killed Alfred Snowe?

 Who Killed Alfred Snowe? (1933) by J. S. Fletcher

Mr. Alfred Snowe, a frail and elderly antiquarian, is found strangled at the foot of his stairs. He apparently interrupted an intruder in his home. But did the culprit find whatever he came for? Snowe's nephew, Dr. Aubrey Snowe, is acquainted with Ronald Camberwell, a partner in the well-known Chaney and Camberwell Detective Agency. Fortunately, Camberwell has been playing cricket nearby and is ready and willing to plunge into the fray. Though Inspector Bailiss seems sceptical of "amateurs" at first, he soon welcomes the help of the private detective. However, try as they might, they can find no clues to point them towards a solution to the mystery. Even a mysterious note Alfred Snowe sent to his solicitor mentioning "a most important discovery" that will have "an effect of the most serious sort upon the lives and fortunes of more than one person" leads nowhere since nothing among Snowe's effects seem to indicate what the discovery might be or who might be affected. Until...

Alfred Snowe's will is read. For the most part, it's very straightforward, leaving all he had to his family--life interest shares to his sister and sister-in-law and the remainder to his niece and nephew. And then there's the two codicils. The first instructs that a certain antiquarian bookseller will be offered his library of books--in total (not to be sold piecemeal). Except for one book, A History of Wrenchester by Septimus Flood, which is to be handed over to the Bodleian Library at Oxford. Nothing odd there, except...when they go to find the Flood book, it's not there. Nothing by a nice little empty space on the shelf where it should be. And the local clergyman Canon Revington, who is also an antiquarian, is absolutely certain that the book was on the shelf on the night of Snowe's death. Was that where the important discovery was? And was that the object of burglar? Canon Revington assures the sleuths that he's handled the book often over the years and can think of nothing "important" (other than to historians) therein. 

The inquest is held--murder by person or persons unknown. And then a series of events happen--a solicitor's (not Snowe's) clerk, Skrimshaw, goes missing with 2,000 pounds in one pound notes stashed in small case. A bank clerk seems to know too much about both Snowe's and Skrimshaw's business. There are odd goings-on in a couple of tents on the local squire's property. Skrimshaw's favorite walking stick is found abandoned in a small boat. The local squire's very proper butler isn't telling all he knows. The trail takes Chaney, Camberwell, and Bailiss to Paris and back to a lonely farmstead where the trail ends with a small fortune and nice, old-fashioned shoot-out.

Fletcher, it seems to me, loves a good whodunnit with a thriller ending. Our story begins with a classic whodunnit--murder of a fairly unoffensive man; detectives hunt for clues and track down and interview suspects. Then we move into thriller territory--a "superior" villain who seems untouchable (despite our heroes now knowing precisely who's behind everything); a dash to another country in pursuit of said villain; surreptitious surveillance of the bad guy/s at a creepy abandoned farmhouse; much shooting with one hero injured and one poor, unnamed supporting good guy killed; nice, tidy ending with main villain killed (along with supporting villain and one unnamed henchman)--no expense for a trial (yay!).

I hadn't run across Camberwell and Chaney before--but Fletcher indicates that this isn't our heroes' first adventure (and a quick check of the internet shows me at least ten more with Camberwell (and, I assume, Chaney). I enjoyed this combination, especially in harness with Bailiss (one he got over his condensation towards "amateurs"). Clever gentlemen who seem to know exactly how to handle their business. Depending on the type of suspect/witness to be interviewed, either Camberwell or Chaney will take the lead. And each has his own methods of deduction which are interesting to watch put into practice. I will say that Fletcher needed to work a bit harder on camoflaging his villains. While it was fun to watch the detectives pursue their investigations, once met, it wasn't difficult who the main villain and supporting villain was. A bit more mud in the waters would have been good. But--overall a good read. ★★★ and 1/2

First line: I was in bed, half awake, at the Mitre Hotel at Wrenchester, about half-past six o'clock one fine morning in the June of 1924, when the night-porter came thundering at my door and roused me to awareness of the fact that he was not only there himself, but was accompanied by somebody who was loudly calling my name.

Last line: Everything was very silent there, but somewhere overhead sea-birds were calling.
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Deaths = 6 (one strangled; two poisoned; one fell from height; two shot) Could have had two more if Fletcher had been thoughtful enough to name the good guy and henchman.

The Anatomist's Apprentice

 The Anatomist's Apprentice (2011) by Tessa Harris

Synopsis [from the book flap]: In the first in a new mystery series set in eighteenth-century England, Tessa Harris introduces Dr. Thomas Silkstone, anatomist and pioneering forensic detective...The death of Sir Edward Crick has unleashed a torrent of gossip through the seedy taverns and elegant ballrooms of Oxfordshire. Few mourn the dissolute young man--except  his sister, the beautiful Lady Lydia Farrell. When her husband comes under suspicion of murder, she seeks expert help from Dr. Thomas Silkstone, a young anatomist from Philadelphia.

Thomas arrived in England to study under its foremost surgeon, where his unconventional methods only add to his outsider status. Against his better judgment he agrees to examine Sir Edward's corpse. but it is not only the dead, but also the living to whom he must apply the keen blade of his intellect. And the deeper the doctor's investigations go, the greater the risk that he will be consigned to the ranks of the corpses he studies....

One of the blurbs on Goodreads I saw said that if you like The Anatomist's Apprentice, then you'd like the Sebastian St. Cyr mysteries. As a firm fan of the Sebastian St. Cyr, Lord Devlin mysteries, let me say that once you read those, you'll be spoiled and might not want to come back to Dr. Thomas Silkstone. The quality of writing and historical research in the C. S. Harris books are superior. The characters are far more compelling and the mysteries better plotted. Each series (basing the Silkstone series on this one only) have their gruesome moments, but Silkstone's autopsies outdo Devlin's high body count--not in a good way.

The mystery itself had a good premise, but there were too few suspects and I spotted at least part of the solution pretty quickly. There is a nice added twist at the end, but even that is telegraphed a bit ahead of time. Now...this doesn't mean I won't give Silkstone another chance. Though I was immediately hooked on the Devlin books, I have to say that they don't hit their stride until the third book or so. I like the time period and I'm willing to see if the books improve after a slightly rough beginning. ★★ and 1/2

First line (Prologue): Time, they say, is a great physician.

First line (1st chapter): A stifled scream came first, shattering the oppressive silence.

Last line: No doctor had ever devised a remedy to ease lovesickness, but during the cold and unforgiving season that lay ahead without his beloved, the token, he told himself would help warm his aching heart.
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Deaths = 8 (one natural; two poisoned; one drowned; two strangled; two beaten)

Murder Mayhem Short Stories

Murder Mayhem Short Stories (2016) by Christopher Semtner (Foreword)

A mammoth short story collection with murder and mayhem aplenty--but quite a few with a horror/fantasy bent to them. We have everything from supernatural creatures (like the Wendigo of the first story to a harpy-like monster later in the book) to killer teddy bears to unnatural children. There are a few more straight-forward murder mysteries, but in most of these the killer doesn't have to surrender to justice (at least not within the pages of the story). While the stories are, for the most part, well-written, I do prefer murderers to get their just desserts. Stories that just didn't do much for me: "Funeral," "Into the Blue," "Mr. Happy Head," and "The Dualists." The last of these seemed to be gruesome just for the sake of being gruesome. A few I've read before, so while good, they did not have quite the impact of first reading: "Dr. Hyde, Detective, & the White Pillars Murder," "The Traveller's Story of a Terribly Strange Bed," and "The Trial for Murder." The best of the bunch: "The Rector of Veilbye," "The Thing Invisible," "Pigeons from Hell," and "In the Dark." I also really like Oscar Wilde's tale of Lord Arthur Savile's attempts at murder (because I adore Oscar Wilde) and Wilde's send-up of the murder story. In true Wilde fashion he turns everything on its head. ★★★ and 1/2 for the collection.

Just a small personal rant...why on earth can we not name all of our characters? Some of these stories had plenty of corpses and the author either gave names to some but not all or gave none of them names. Help a girl out here--we need those names for the Medical Examiner's Challenge.

"The Wendigo Goes Home" by Sara Dobie Bauer:  The Wendigo (disguised as one Cleve Packer) hasn't dined on flesh for a while. This one only eats people who are close to death anyway. He always knows who...he can smell death upon them. (one devoured by the Wendigo)

"The Death of Halpin Frayser" by Ambrose Bierce: A story of madness, murder, and maybe a ghost out in the wilds of California. (one throat cut; one strangled)

"The Moonlit Road" by Ambrose Bierce: Another story of madness & murder....and a solution given through the transcription of a medium. And a depressing solution it is. (one strangled)

"The Rector of Veilbye" by Steen Steensen Blicher: Based on a real 17th C murder case--a rector is accused and convicted of murdering his servant, but the story is a little more complicated than that. (one hanged; one beheaded; one of a stroke)

"Funeral" by Michael Cebula: A revenge story, pure and simple. And definitely not my cup of tea. (And nobody has a name, so none of the deaths count.)

"Into the Blue" by Carolyn Charron: Another story that's not for me--it crosses one of my "I don't do these kind of stories" lines (and I can't tell you which one without spoiling the ending). Well-written, but not gonna be one of my favorites. (And, of course, no names, so I can't count it for the M.E. Challenge either)

"Dr. Hyde, Detective, & the White Pillars Murder" by G. K. Chesterton: The only appearance of this particular detective. Dr. Hyde and his two proteges (John Brandon & Walter Weir) are asked investigate the death of Melchior Morse. Strangely, Dr. Hyde leaves the investigation to the two fledgling detectives. There are only two physical clues--a half-footprint and a cigar stump. In the end, the star pupils discover a very surprising murderer and decide that perhaps detecting isn't for them after all. (one neck broken)

"Don't you feel by this time that it's the atmosphere of the whole place? It's not a bit like those delightful detective stories. In a detective story all the people in the house are gaping imbeciles, who can't understand anything, and in the midst stands the brilliant sleuth who understands everything. Here am I standing in the midst, a brilliant sleuth, and I believe, on my soul, I'm the only person in the house who doesn't know all about the crime." (Walter Weir)

You can build everything on the trifle except the truth. (Weir) 

We're so sure that people mean what we mean, that we can't believe they mean what they say. (Weir) 

"The Traveller's Story of a Terribly Strange Bed" by Wilkie Collins: A famous story included in many anthologies. A gambler has a night of huge winnings and much celebration.  So much celebration that he's convinced to spend the night in the gaming house rather than take his winnings out into the street in his inebriated state.  But the gaming house master doesn't intend that the gambler will leave the house at all.

"Who Killed Zebedee?" by Wilkie Collins: A young policeman has his first and last case of murder--that of a young bridegroom. His bride insists that she must have stabbed him in her sleep...but did she? (one stabbed)

"The Trial for Murder" by Charles Dickens: A supernatural story of justice served. The ghost of a murdered man appears repeatedly to the foreman of the jury deliberating over the trial of his murderer. He makes every effort to ensure a verdict of guilty will be entered. (Guess what--no names!)

"The Problem of Dead Wood Hall" by Dick Donovan: Our unnamed detective sets out to prove that two men were murdered by the same unknown poison--two years apart. I am not a huge fan of open-ended mystery stories. The detective solves the mystery (we think)--but a jury of twelve men good and true don't agree.(two poisoned)

"Mr. Happy Head" by James Dorr: Another that is not my cup of tea. We get to be all up and in the culprit's thoughts. Not a pleasant place to be. I'm not at all sure how many deaths "Mr. Happy Head" is responsible for....Nor am I certain what happens to him at the end. (No names here either...)

"The Brazilian Cat" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: A man plans to do away with the heir that stands between himself and a fortune. The plot involves a very unusual murder method--but will it succeed? [one attacked by a large cat; one natural]

"Nineteen Sixty-Five Ford Falcon" by Tim Foley: A haunted car, a supposed suicide pact...and the truth. (Two drowned)

"Mama Said" by Steven Thor Gunnin: Our narrator has to have a psychological exam to see if he's competent to stand trial. The examiner is going to regret that...briefly. (two stabbed)

"Six Aspects of Cath Baduma" by Kate Heartfield: Not really a mystery. A fantasy battle. (one stabbed--along with a score more unnamed)

"The House Among the Laurels" by William Hope Hodgson: Carnacki, the supernatural investigator, takes on the evil forces haunting the house his friend has recently inherited. At first it looks like it might truly be spirits of one sort or another...but then Carnacki develops the photographs he took...

"The Thing Invisible" by William Hope Hodgson: Carnacki investigates the case of a butler stabbed in front of witnesses. The witness are convinced that either the dagger has a mind of its own or an invisible agent has employed it. Carnacki is almost convinced that the supernatural is involved...and then he notices something odd in a photograph. (one natural)

"Freedom Is Not Free" by David M. Hoenig: What happens when the clones rise up against the "Primes"? It's not pretty...and the investigating officer finds himself in the middle in a way he could never have imagined. (two stabbed; two shot; one hit on head)

"Mademoiselle de Scuderi" by E. T. A. Hoffman: 17th C Paris during the reign of Louis XIV. The poiet Mademoiselle de Scuderi becomes entangled in a series of thefts and murders. She sets out to clear an apprentice and his daughter of suspicion. (two poisoned; two beheaded; one burned; one stabbed)

"How to Build a Mass-Murderer" by Liam Hogan: What if the building blocks for mass murder were scripted in the DNA. How would a government defend against "DNA terrorism"? A very short short story--and yet manages to be a bit confusing for over half of it.

"Pigeons from Hell" by  Robert E. Howard: When two travelers decide to spend the night in an abandoned Southern mansion, they get more than they bargained for. Death and revenge are perched in the house...just like the pigeons perched on the eaves. (four hit on head with axe; one poisoned; one shot)

"The Two-Out-of-Three Rule" by Patrick J. Hurley: Kyle and his friends are gaming nerds--the girls just don't go for them. Until Kyle finds the perfect girl. Elaina is beautiful, smart, and loves gaming. And she wants to be all his. There's just one little catch... (one eaten)

"The Well" by W. W. Jacobs: A man murders a blackmailing hanger-on who might spoil his chances at matrimonial bliss. But he learns (the hard way) that you really shouldn't hide the body on your own property. And especially not somewhere that your lady-love might lose a precious bracelet.  (two drowned)

"In the Penal Colony" by Franz Kafka: In the penal colony punishment is given a brutal twist.  (one stabbed)

"Getting Shot in the Face Still Stings" by Michelle Ann King: Gangsters really don't like it when someone snatches their takings...even if the one doing the snatching is an immortal goddess/demon who comes back every time they kill her. (one beaten to death; one stabbed)

"The Return of Imray" by Rudyard Kipling: Slightly supernatural tale of Imray, a man in British India, who goes missing. He unexpectedly returns in the most grisly manor. (one throat cut; one poisoned)

"Less Than Katherine" by Claude Lalumiere: The narrator's daughter, the Katherine of the title, discovers a stone knife while the family is on vacation. It soon takes possession of her...leaving a trail of murder in its wake. Interesting twist at the end. (eight stabbed)

"Shared Losses" by Gerri Leen: A woman takes revenge when her ex takes up with another woman and her reasons are, shall we say, a bit different.... (Yep--no names.)

"The Hound" by H. P. Lovecraft: Two friends are bored with normal life and decide to dabble in the dark arts and make a collection of strange and unwholesome items. When they uncover a cursed amulet and add it to their collection, they release a diabolical force. (one mauled to death)

"From Beyond" by H. P. Lovecraft: A mad scientist does experiments to open himself up to all the senses that he believes men used to have...he exposes his servants and his friend (though the scientist certainly doesn't treat him as such) to previously unseen terrors. (one vaporized; one apoplexy)

"Drive Safe" by K. A. Mielke: A young woman soon regrets making her boyfriend stop to help an apparently helpless woman. (one eaten; one vaporized)

"In the Dark" by Edith Nesbit:  A tale of three men. Our narrator, Winston, who is worried about his friend Haldane. Haldane is a man in distress--caused by Visger. Visger has been a tattletale who always tells the truth--even when it seems impossible for him to know it--and the other two have hated him for it ever since they were boys together. Finally, Visger tells one truth too many. (one strangled; one heart attack; one poisoned)

"The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe: Poe's classic about a man who takes an extraordinary revenge for an unspecified insult. (one walled up)

"The Azure Ring" by Arthur B. Reeve: Professor Craig Kennedy is out to prove whether District Attorney Whitney is correct in his suspicion that a pair of young lovers have been murdered--even though there's no trace of violence or poison. The coroner thinks it was an accident of some sort, but there isn't even evidence of that. [three poisoned]

"Redux" by Alexandra Camille Renwick: Take Groundhog Day and add murder and what you'll get is "Redux." A nice little SF twist on repeat murder. (one shot)

"The First Seven Deaths of Mildred Orly" by Fred Senese: Mildred Orly hates the way she looks and decides she can't live looking like that. When she commits suicide she finds out she has the power to do something about the way she looks.... (two poisoned; one shot; one stabbed; one hanged; one heart failure)

"Markheim" by Robert Louis Stevenson: A petty thief turns murderer on Christmas Day and finds himself in a moral struggle when it seems a second murder may be necessary. (one stabbed)

"The Dualitists" by Bram Stoker: Two young boys are given identical knives as presents--and after learning the destructive power of identical weapons they go on a terrible rampage. (two shot; two hit on the head)

"The Burial of the Rats" by Bram Stoker: A man is trapped in the catacombs under Paris, pursued by people who live down there among the rats. 

"Mister Ted" by Donald Jacob Uitvlugt: Mister Ted is a stuffed bear. And he will do anything for his little girl Sophie. Anything. (one suffocated; two stabbed)

"Cheese" by Ethel Lina White: A young woman fresh up from the country is set as bait to catch a nasty killer. If she survives, she'll earn a 500 pound reward....(one strangled)

"Corpses Removed, No Questions Asked" by Dean H. Wild: When a woman uses a Lil Slugger bat in a fit of rage and kills her errant husband, she wonders, "Now what do I do with him." She finds out the answer when the doorbell rings. (four hit on head)

"Lord Arthur Savile's Crime: A Study of Duty" by Oscar Wilde: Lord Arthur Savile attends a party where a man reads palms as a party trick. When he looks at Lord Arthur's hand, he turns pale and only reveals what he sees when the gentleman insists. Murder--Lord Arthur will commit murder. And--seeing as Lord Arthur is engaged to marry, it is, of course, his duty to get the distasteful event out of the way before the nuptials. Never did a man find it so difficult to commit one simple murder. (one natural; one drowned)

"Fragments of Me" by Nemma Wollenfang: A young woman with multiple personality disorder has one particularly nasty personality struggling to be primary. (one strangled)

First line (1st story: Cleve Packer prided himself on eating only people who were about to die.

Last lines (last story): Today I am Billy, but tomorrow who knows? It could be one of seven fragments of me.

When the Wolves Are Silent

 When the Wolves Are Silent (2026) ~C. S. Harris (Candice Procter)

London, 1816: We open with Sebastian St. Cyr, Lord Devlin's nephew Bayard Wilcox awakening from a drunken stupor to find his friend Marcus Toole's body burning up in the bonfire they had built as part of a raucous night. Despite the rift between his uncle and his mother, his first thought is to run to Devlin for help. Bayard claims that he and Marcus got rip-roaring drunk (as they are wont to do--usually with a larger group of friends) and thought it would be hilarious to build a bonfire up on Primrose Hill where people who believe in the druidic practices like to hold little get-togethers. He wandered off into the woods to relieve himself and the next thing he knew he was waking up to a strange smell coming from the clearing where he'd left Marcus and the fire. 

While Devlin is waiting for Sir Henry Lovejoy and his Bow Street Runners to arrive, he searches the area and finds a wooden carving shaped like a wolf--on each flank is a Celtic knot. Was this part of some Celtic rite gone wrong? Or is there more to it? When Devlin learns that another of Bayard's friends was recently killed--stabbed and thrown into the river--he has to wonder if the men themselves hold the reason for the killings. In fact, he has to wonder if Bayard is telling him the whole truth or might be responsible himself. His investigation shows him that Bayard and his friends were not nice men. They picked fights, harassed, and destroyed the property of the powerless. All of the men were privileged sons of the wealthy and were never properly brought to account for their actions. Has someone decided to take justice into their own hands? 

More deaths follow--including two of the groups victims--and one of the original six men has disappeared altogether. Now Devlin has to wonder if there is more than one killer at work. The crown (for which read Jarvis, the real power behind the throne) wants someone, anyone arrested and hung for the murders NOW. Preferably one of the riff-raff who are protesting the government. Devlin will have to work quickly if he doesn't want to see an innocent man (or men) hang.

I don't know why I do this to myself. I get the latest Sebastian St. Cyr mystery as soon as I possibly can, read it in a day, and then look around and bemoan the fact that I have to wait a whole year for the next one. You'd think I'd learn--to take my time, to savor the experience, to let it last as long as possible. But, no. These stories are so good. I just can't help gobbling them up. Harris writes an incredible story using her skills as a scholar to research the period, sprinkle interesting facts throughout the narrative (without boring us silly with minute details), and peopling the plot with both real personalities of the time as well as fictional characters with depth.

Devlin's wife Hero has played a role in his detective work occasionally throughout the series and it was nice to see her more involved in this latest case as well. Her contacts in the scholarly realm helped Devlin discover the meaning behind various Celtic and druidic symbols which cropped up along the way. Tom, his tiger, and Calhoun also had their moments to shine--tracking down important witnesses and bits of information that Devlin needed to unravel the case.

I will say that this is quite the complicated plot--far more than I realized while reading it. I can't say much without giving things away, but there are a number of threads to keep track of and I didn't manage keep hold of all of them. The ending was a surprise...but a satisfying surprise.  I was a bit disappointed that we still haven't made any progress on finding out more about Devlin's heritage nor has there been a follow-through on a dangling issue from Hero's side of the family tree. Added to that, we now have to wonder about Sebastian's sister Amanda and if what he predicted for her future will come true. Her son Bayard may have been a nasty piece of work, but she's not far behind....I'm hoping that the next installment will bring some closure on at least one of these issues. ★★★★ and 1/2

First line: Where the bloody hell am I?

"It never ceases to amaze me how otherwise intelligent, reasonable men can have such faulty, antiquated notions about the true nature of fully one half the human race." (Hero, Lady Devlin; p. 49)

Last line: "They got away!"
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Deaths = 19 (two drowned; two stabbed; one burned to death; three strangled; three natural; two in war; one beaten to death; five shot)