Who's Killing the Great Writers of America? [spoiler-ridden review]

 Who's Killing the Great Writers of America? (2007) by Robert Kaplow

Okay...this was truly awful. A convoluted, bizarre mess. I can't even be bothered to try and summarize it myself. So, I'll just give you the synopsis from book flap: 

What do bestselling writers Sue Grafton, Danielle Steel, Curtis Sittenfeld and Tom Clancy have in common? They've all been murdered in a manner both gruesome and appropriate to their style. An extremely paranoid Steven King is convinced that he will be the next victim, and so he must leave his heavily-barricaded fortress in Bangor, Maine, to discover Who's Killing the Great Writers of America. This hilarious ["hilarious" is apparently used very loosely here...] send-up of the world of publishing by the author of Me and Orson Welles and The Cat Who Killed Lillian Jackson Braun takes us from Venice to Paris to Maine and offers cameo appearances by Steve Martin, Gerard Depardieu, plus a few surprises.

Just so you know--those writers that were murdered? Yeah, well, they weren't. That's the big twist at the end. [I warned you the review was spoiler-ridden.] What a major let-down. I was all agog wondering if Steve Martin really was the maniacal killer that it seemed he was and figured there was some big twist to do with that....and then I find out that the bodies don't actually belong to the authors we think have been murdered. So...we don't know who the majority of dead people in this book are [which means I don't get to count all the dead "authors" towards my final total for Rick's Medical Examiner Challenge. Now I'm even more disgruntled than I already was.]. Honestly, the only reason I finished the thing is because it was so short and I wanted one more book for my year-end tally. 

I can't think of anyone I would recommend this to.... ★ (and that's being generous)

First line: As she studied an elderly woman with a walker, Sue Grafton thought: We watch our friends, one by one, grow sick and die, and then, one day, they watch us grow sick and die.

Last line: Truffaut felt his soul swoon slowly as he looked upon his friend, and he heard the snow falling faintly through the universe upon all the living and the dead and the Published.

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Deaths =  2 (shot)

The Crimes of Dr. Watson

 The Crimes of Dr. Watson (2007) by Duane Swierczynski

The book is an "Interactive Sherlock Holmes Mystery" which includes twelve actual clues included in envelopes and described in detail in the text. It centers on the arrest and imprisonment of Dr. John H. Watson and takes place during years when Sherlock Holmes is believed to have perished in the dangerous waters of the Reichenbach Falls. In the days leading up to the crime, Watson receives mysterious letters from various points in the United States. He firmly believes that these are messages from his supposedly deceased friend and when one of the Baker Street Irregulars comes to tell him that there is a strange gentleman who has broken into the rooms at 221B Baker Street, Watson rushes off to investigate.

He wakes up manacled to a hospital bed to find that his old rooms had been set ablaze, the mutilated corpse of the man he found there has been discovered in the wreckage, and Inspector Lestrade believes that Sherlock Holmes's old friend has committed a foul and dastardly crime. With Holmes dead (or at the very least out of reach somewhere unknown), Watson decides to write for help to Colonel Harry Resmo, an American who had visited the rooms in Baker Street and who seemed to possess a logical mind second only to Sherlock's. The main portion of the story consists of Watson's letter to Colonel Harry and the twelve clues--it's up to the reader to clear up the mystery and clear the good doctor's name. We have to figure out what the front page of a newspaper from Thousand Oaks, California; a catalog of Victorian merchandise; an empty matchbook with cryptic handwritten notes; a theater ticket; an arrest report; a railroad timetable and more have to do with Watson's predicament. 

Well...this was a pleasant way to spend an evening, though the motive behind it all is a little thin and the writing doesn't try at all to follow the familiar patterns of Watson. But, I guess we can allow that the doctor might be put off his game a bit--after all he is languishing in prison when it's written. It's fun to examine the clues and try to piece the solution together (I didn't and was glad of the sealed solution to give me all the facts). I will say one thing--the surprise twist at the very end of the solution has a hole in it big enough to sail the Titanic through if everything we've been told previously is true. But, then again, maybe it's not. ★★★

First line: I receive many strange pieces of mail--both electronic and the old-fashioned variety--at the Philadelphia City Paper, where I work as editor in chief.

Last line (of Watson's portion): I am weary with dread, and I leave my life in your capable hands. Very sincerely yours, John H. Watson, M. D.

Last line of solution from Colonel Harry: P.S. You see, but do you observe?

 

Vicki Finds the Answer

 Vicki Finds the Answer (1947) by Helen Wells

In Vicki's second adventure since becoming an airline stewardess, she befriends a troubled young woman on her latest route between New York and Norfolk, Virginia. Joan Purnell is running away from home--her parents are tense and there's something very wrong and she just can't take it anymore. Vicki talks with her and gets her to agree that facing up to troubles and trying to solve the problem is a better plan than running away from it. But Joan begs Vicki to come home with her and help. Vicki can't resist a mystery and soon she and her friend Dean (a co-pilot with the airline) are learning more about the lumber business than anyone could want to know and helping the Purnells find out why their successful company is suddenly losing money.

These books are normally more career-focused, Vicki behaves here more like the typical girl detective than usual--there's very little airline hostessing going on. The mystery is a solid one for the target age group...nothing too intricate and, of course, no murders. Vicki and Dean are able to see that the bad guy is brought to justice and all ends happily for the Purnell family. A decent, end-of-the-year read--but I didn't find it quite as compelling as my previous trips with Vicki the airline hostess.  ★★★--just barely.

First line: New York glistened in the sun this fine Autumn Sunday.

Last line: The telegram came from Ruth Benson, and it read: "A LITTLE EARLY BUT HERE'S YOUR CHRISTMAS PRESENT, VICKY. YOU'RE GOING TO MEXICO, CONGRATULATIONS!"

The Clue of the Runaway Blonde/The Clue of the Hungry Horse

 The Clue of the Runaway Blonde (1947) by Erle Stanley Gardner

First of two novellas featuring Sheriff Bill Eldon. Eldon is an old-fashioned sheriff who relies more on his knowledge of people and how they behave than on new-fangled ideas such as forensic evidence  and finger-printing--that's what he has his undersheriff George Quinlin for. But the political bigwigs don't think that Eldon is the man for the job anymore and are hoping to show him up for the old fogey he is and get a younger man on the job. 

When a young blonde woman is found stabbed to death in the middle of Sam Beckett's new field with no footprints leading to or from the body, it looks like a real stumper has come along and it should be just what they've been waiting for. Difficulties arise when circumstantial evidence seems to point towards Quinlin's household and so they bring in a "consulting criminologist" to outshine the sheriff. But Eldon isn't out of the hunt and he proves that newer doesn't always mean better.

For a novella-length story, this little mystery packs quite a lot of action and detection into 120 pages. Eldon becomes quite interested in the old Higbee place (in the middle of Beckett's new land) and what he thinks the girl may have been doing there. He follows up clues that the criminologist doesn't even notice and proves that he's still got what it takes to keep law and order. There is also the subtext of politicians trying to manipulate civic appointments to their liking and Gardner certainly shows what he thinks of that.

A fun, quick-paced story with a clever answer to the seemingly impossible crime. ★★★★

First line: Cold afternoon sunlight made a carpet of long shadows back of the eucalyptus trees along the road as Sam Beckett opened the gate of the old Higbee place and drove his tractor into the eighty-acre field.

Last lines: The sheriff chuckled. "This here consulting criminologist didn't know it. If he did he didn't think of it--not until I pointed it out to him."

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Deaths = one (stabbed)

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 The Clue of the Hungry Horse (1947) by Erle Stanley Gardner

Sheriff Eldon's political enemies are still searching for ways to oust him out of office. This time they have a rich, L.A.-based businessman named Calhoun on their side when an unknown woman is found dead in his stable. Things don't start off too good for Eldon when the woman is initially identified as Calhoun's daughter. Eldon's mistake is just the kind of thing those opposed to him are ready to jump on. 

The doctor is ready to call it an unfortunate accident--the poor girl was kicked in the head by a nervous horse. But Eldon insists on murder (grabbing for headlines--in the opinion of the antagonistic District Attorney). When the evidence starts coming in, it begins to look like Eldon assisted the murderer to escape, but when the actual weapon is planted on an unsuspecting innocent witness Eldon knows he's got his murderer and is ready to defend his deductions before the Grand Jury.

Once again, Gardner puts together a quick-paced murder mystery. Though not quite as solidly plotted as Runaway Blonde, it is still a good puzzle mystery. The character of the sheriff is a big draw and it's definitely fun to see him get the better of those who are out to see his downfall. ★★★

First line: It was 7:55 when Lew Turlock answered the phone and was advised that long distance was calling Miss Betty Turlock.

Last line: The sheriff chuckled. "I saw her," he said. And then, a few seconds later, as he was slipping out of his outer garments, added, "first."

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Deaths = one (hit on head)

In the Keep of Time

 In the Keep of Time (1977)by Margaret J. Anderson

Four English children, Andrew, Elinor. Ian and Olivia (Ollie), are taken from London to Scotland to stay with their Aunt Grace while their parents travel to France. Their father has fond memories of staying in the area when he was a boy--enjoying the countryside and especially playing around the ancient ruin of Smailholm Tower. The children, who are all city kids through and through, anticipate a very boring stay. Little do they know the adventures that await them when their aunt gives them the key to the tower and it happens to be glowing....

When the key glows, the door to the tower opens to another time and the children find themselves in the the time of King James II of Scotland who is marching on the area to attack the English at Roxburgh Castle. The children experience several adventures--including the battle before making it back to their time, but Ollie doesn't seem to be the same. They make another trip through time and make some interesting discoveries about their aunt Grace.

I really enjoyed this when I read it back in the early 80s. I loved the fantasy/time travel elements which are very reminiscent of the Narnia books with the children stepping through a doorway into another world. Only this time they travel to different historical periods in their own world. Anderson vividly depicts the various time periods and it is evident she did her research on the 1400s. It is a fascinating book for children. ★★★

Spoiler ahead!

Reading this as an adult, I find a certain portion of the plot to be pretty disturbing. Ollie goes through the time portal first and is separated from the others. When they go through in order to look for her, they find a girl who looks like their Ollie already established in a family of peasants. They call her Mae and claim that she was born and raised there. Here's the thing--if that story is true, then where is the real Ollie? The children take Mae back with them--but she's obviously not the same little girl they knew before. Ollie was a voracious reader and this girl can barely get through Dick and Jane. It seems to me that the real Ollie may be lost somewhere in time...

First line: A sudden shower of rain washed the tall, straight walls of Smailholm Tower, and then the sun shone with a silver light picked out the red stone against the gray-black granite so that the simple building became a monument of beautry.

Last line: "Perhaps they have learned more than that," said Aunt Grace.

And Then Put Out the Light

 And Put Out the Light (1949) by E. C. R. Lorac

Lillian Mayden was a sick woman. Oh, not the way she claimed. That was all hypochondria, but she was sick in her mind and in her soul. She operated a network of spies and gossips that might make MI6 envious. But her operations weren't meant to make people feel more secure. She used what she learned to write vicious letters accusing her neighbors of everything from immorality to embezzlement, from cheating at cards to buying meat from the black market. She kept meticulous records and filed copies of al her letters and every scrap of "proof" she could glean. She kept the village in fear of where her letters might appear next...until one day she died. 

Her death was ascribed to a heart attack by an elderly doctor filling in for her injured regular practitioner. Her regular doctor insists a heart attack is nonsense, but he doesn't suspect murder. But then those who might be able to shed light on the matter begin dying in similar "natural" or "accidental" ways and the town's gossips start pointing accusatory fingers...at Mr. Mayden, at Gillian Arkholme--who had suffered greatly from Lillian Mayden's slander, at Mrs. Bentham--who it's said still harbored feelings for Guy Mayden (and, of course, now he's free...). Inspector MacDonald is brought in to separate the wheat from the chaff and find out if there's any truth to the rumors of murder. And if so who benefits most from the silencing of Lillian Mayden's poisoned pen.

This was, I believe, the very first Lorac I ever read, long ago and far away before blogging was a gleam in the internet's eye. Actually, before the internet was a gleam in anyone's eye. And for reasons unknown to me, I never made the connection between the title and the plot. Even now with 2020 brain, it took a little bit for the light to dawn. Rereading this now, I'm really kind of amazed that I put Lorac on my "To Be Found" list--because this is a rather squalid little story. Mrs. Mayden was one of the nastiest poison pen writers to come along in crime fiction and one really can't feel terribly sorry that she has gone off to her final judgement. Not that the villain of the piece is much better...after all, they'd be quite content to let someone else answer for their crimes and they're not too picky about who it is.

What saves this story is the other village characters and our policemen, Inspector MacDonald and Inspector Reeves. Both of these gentlemen have ways about them that make the villagers open up and talk to them--MacDonald visiting the middle and upper classes and Reeves mixing well with the laborers and such. It's also worth the price of admission to watch MacDonald put the local Dean in his place when the ecclesiastical bigwig tries to squash the investigation. 

A fairly decent mystery, but definitely not one of Lorac's best. ★★★

First line: You heard that Mrs. Mayden had died?

Last lines: "Aye, and though they say walls have ears, they don't talk, do they, Borwick?" "So much the better," murmured Borwick.

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Deaths = 4 (two electrocuted; one poisoned/gassed; one drowned)

Little Grey Cells: The Quotable Poirot

  Little Grey Cells: The Quotable Poirot (2015) by David Brawn (ed)

As I mentioned when I reviewed Murder, She Said (the quote book devoted to the sayings and wisdom of Miss Jane Marple), I have a weakness for quotations. I'm always on the look-out for a nifty turn of the phrase, a profound thought, or even a humorous jest to add to the collection of quotes that I've amassed over the years. And, loving mysteries the way I do, I particularly enjoy finding good quotes in my detective fiction. So, when the books of quotations featuring Agatha Christie's two most famous sleuths came out, I naturally had to add the volumes to my small library of quote books.

It is a small book, but I spent a very pleasant hour reading Poirot's thoughts on everything from himself (oh, what modesty!) to Hastings, from Human Nature to Truth and Lies, and from Romance to Detective Work. It was nice to see quotations from the short stories as well as novels and the book gives us a well-rounded sample of snippets from the great detective. ★★★★

Where Shadows Dance

 Where Shadows Dance (2011) by C. S. Harris

This time Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin and sometime investigator, faces an unusual situation. His friend Paul Gibson asks him to investigate a murder that cannot be acknowledged without getting the surgeon and anatomist into trouble. When Gibson hears about the death of Alexander Ross, recently a young rising star at the Foreign Office, the surgeon and anatomist wants to examine his heart to see what caused a man in his twenties to die of heart failure. the only way to do that is to arrange for the body snatchers to lift the body from its grave (and that's not exactly legal...). When he begins to examine the body, he discovers  a healthy heart and a nasty little stiletto wound at the base of the skull. The man's been murdered and Gibson doesn't want a murderer to go free. But as he tells Devlin

It's not like I can walk into Bow Street and say, "By the way, mates, I thought you might be interested to hear that I bought a body filched from St. George's churchyard last night. Yes, I know it's illegal, but here's the thing. it appears that this gentleman--whose friends all think he died in his sleep--was actually murdered.

No, that wouldn't do at all. Luckily Devlin doesn't like to see murderers go free either, so he agrees to investigate even though it's going to be tricky. At first it seems that the likeable young man was an unlikely candidate for murder, but the further Devlin digs the more he learns about shady dealings, spies, and a plot to win allies in the fight against Napoleon. Ross was an honorable man and when he discovered dishonorable doings, he was bound to report it. But someone silenced him first. But who? Was it the Turkish diplomat? Perhaps one of the Russian contingent? Or maybe a French spy in the pay of Napoleon? There are also rumors of an American connection. It isn't until Devlin gets too close to the source and the villains kidnap his bride-to-be that he finally figures it all out. 

This is another grand historical mystery. Harris does well pulling political events of the time into her stories and, as I mentioned in the previous book's review, giving the reader both personal and political motives to sift through. One never knows which type of motive will wind up being the true one and it keeps the reader on her toes. There are hints aplenty to point the way to the solution, but it will take a reader more observant than I to recognize them as they come. Another excellent read. ★★★★

I haven't talked much about Devlin's personal life in these reviews--there is a thread of deceit and family cover-ups running through his story that I'd hate to spoil for anyone who hasn't read these but who wants to give them a try. Let me just say that he starts out in love with one woman...various things happen that make that relationship impossible and then he winds up in a relationship with the daughter of his nemesis Lord Jarvis. Hero Jarvis is a strong female character and well able to match Devlin in courage and intelligence. I can only hope that Harris will allow the couple to work their way through events and that Devlin won't have another shock or disaster thrown in his path. I enjoy this series very much, but I can't stand authors who can't let their hero/heroine be happy for more than about five minutes (Elizabeth George, I'm looking at you.)

One random question: Why does everyone in this particular installment "huff a laugh"? Follow-up question: Exactly how does one "huff a laugh"?

First line: A cool wind gusted up, rustling the branches of the trees overhead and bringing with it the unmistakable clatter of wooden wheels approaching over cobblestones.

Last line: For his world had narrowed down to the silken hair that slid across his belly and the heated invitation of her legs wrapping around his hips and the gentle wonder with which his wife whispered, "Sebastian..." (and...that makes our historical mystery sound very much like a bodice ripper...)

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Deaths = 12 (seven stabbed; two shot; one hit on head; two strangled)

The Hound of Death

 The Hound of Death (1933) by Agatha Christie contains twelve chilling stories with an occasional straight murder, but primarily with strange and unusual deaths that appear to have no earthly explanation. Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple do not appear--perhaps if they had they might have been able to point to earth and blood culprits. As it it, we get to explore the world of the bizarre and macabre with one of the queens of crime. Some of them are quite good and creepy. Others are just weird--so ★★★ for the collection.

"The Hound of Death": The title story features a nun who apparently had the power to stop the Germans in their tracks when they attempted to pillage the convent. Now a doctor with interests in psychic phenomena has her in his care. What happens when he tries to tap into the power?

"The Red Signal": A dinner party conversation turns to a discussion of premonitions and one young man, Dermot West, states that the "red signal" (a feeling when things aren't right) has never failed him. They then sit down for a seance with a medium who issues a warning to one of the group not to go home because there is danger there. It is felt that she was talking to West and when he goes home to find himself wanted for the murder of his uncle it does seem that the reference was to him...but then someone else comes along...

"The Fourth Man": Three men in a railway carriage (a Canon, a lawyer, and a doctor of conditions of the mind) fall into conversation about split or multiple personalities (or dual-souls to put the religious bent on it). A recent case involving a young woman who seemed to have at least three and perhaps four personalities is most intriguing to them. As she originally was, Felicie was an uneducated girl--strong of body but not of intellect and with no musical talent. She suddenly began to exhibit a personality which could speak foreign languages with ease and could sing and play the piano. While the men are talking, the fourth man, who had appeared to be sleeping, interjects that he knows the case personally and he soon tells them a tale that is much stranger than just a case of split personality.

"The Gipsy": Dickie Carpenter has odd visions of a gypsy and each time he dreams of her or sees the vision something dreadful happens. He nearly drowns when a bridge collapses; he falls in love and then his fiancée decides she doesn't love him; and finally his vision seems to bring on death... 

"The Lamp": Mrs. Lancaster is a young widow who rents a home rumored to be haunted. She says it doesn't bother her and moves in with her father and her small son. But soon they begin hearing the sounds of a young boy crying...a boy who is lonely and wants a playmate.

"Wireless": Mary Harter is an elderly lady with a weak heart--but her doctor tells her if she takes it easy and avoids shocks that she will still have many more years left. Her nephew persuades her that a radio would be just the thing to help occupy her secluded times at home...and then the radio starts putting out some very startling messages.

"The Witness for the Prosecution": The original short story behind the play and, later, movies. Leonard Vole has been accused of the murder of Miss French, a wealthy elderly woman who took a fancy to him and who has left him as her heir. Vole is sure that his wife can provide him with an alibi--but she has a nasty surprise for him and his Counsel when she appears as the witness for the prosecution.

"The Mystery of the Blue Jar": Jack Hartington is a healthy, apparently sane young man who begins hearing cries of "Murder. Help. Murder!" which no one else can hear. Eventually a ghost becomes involved...a ghost with a great interest in a particular blue jar.

"The Strange Case of Sir Arthur Carmichael": Another case of a strange personality. This time the young Sir Arthur Carmichael seems to have been possessed by...of all things...a cat. Is it possible? And, if so, how did it happen?

"The Call of Wings": Millionaire Silas Hamer is content with his wealth--a truly happy soul who spends what he likes and just enjoys himself. Then one day he hears the strange music played by a man with no legs and he can be content no longer. He must be free...he must fly!

"The Last Seance": Raoul Daubreuil, a Frenchman, is in love with Simone a sincere medium who has become worn out by her work at seances. He promises her that after one last seance for Madame Exe then she will be finished and he will take her away to rest. But Madame Exe is trying to contact her daughter Amelie--and the materializations have been so vivid. The grieving mother may not let Simone stop....

"SOS": Mortimer Cleveland has the worst luck with his car. It's a beastly, rainy night and he has not one...but two flat tires. He knocks on the door of the only house in sight and encounters a very strange family. The atmosphere in the house is extremely tense and when the two daughters of the house show him to his room for the night he finds that one of them has written "SOS" in the dust on the nightstand. Which of them? And what danger do they fear?

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Deaths = 14 (two drowned; one struck by lightning; two shot; one strangled; five natural; one poisoned; one hit with crowbar; one hit by subway train)

What Remains of Heaven

 What Remains of Heaven (2009) by C. S. Harris is the fifth in the Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, historical mystery series set in the early 1800s. Devlin has gotten quite a reputation as a solver of crime. So, when the Bishop of London is found dead in the recently opened church crypt in his home village, the Archbishop of Canterbury naturally asks the gentleman sleuth to investigate the death of his (the Archbishop's) favored successor. Devlin might have turned him down, but the sneaky prelate brought his friend and Sebastian's favorite aunt, the Duchess of Clairborne, along to ensure his acquiescence. But when they tell him that the Bishop was found beside the remains of a corpse murdered several decades ago, he's definitely intrigued.

As Devlin begins to dig into the Bishop's recent appointments, he finds a startling coincidence--Miss Hero Jarvis had been to see the man on a regular basis and was apparently the last appointment prior to his death. Hero and Sebastian have a rocky past--their fathers have been at odds politically and Sebastian has more than irritated man who is the power behind the Prince Regent on numerous occasions. The situation has also been complicated by a brief, unexpectedly passionate encounter which may prove to have long-lasting effects on our detective's life. But there are many who have much stronger reasons to have removed the Bishop from this earthly plane.

There is the butcher who had an odd encounter with the Bishop that day--a butcher who has somehow managed to produce enough cash to open a fairly new little shop just a short time after returning from serving a penal transportation. There is the nephew who argued with him and the widow his eldest brother who has secrets of her own. And there's Lord Jarvis himself...who desperately did not want The Bishop of London to be appointed as the Archbishop's successor. Not to mention the well-to do politicians who resented the Bishop's stance on slavery. Devlin's investigations lead him from the back alleys of Smithfield to the powerful residents of Whitehall and suspects range from those already mentioned to William Franklin, the bitter son of American patriot Ben Franklin, who blames the Bishop for his inability to find a welcome in either country.

Once the second corpse is identified, a whole new set of motives is revealed--including a well-guarded secret within his own family. Finding the killer may also reveal a truth about himself that will bring his world crashing down, but his sense of justice won't let him rest until he discovers the killer.

I really enjoy these historical mysteries. Harris mixes political intrigue with standard mystery motives and the reader must be on her toes to figure out which type of motive will carry the day. Harris is a scholar of the French revolution and 19th Century Europe and it definitely tells in her depictions of the period. The details are vivid and she manages to make us feel like we've learned a lot about the period without also feeling like there have bee massive info dumps of historical material. The characters are also well-drawn and intensely interesting--even those who are not so likeable. However, I do hope that we will (soon!) get to the point that we can stop throwing earth-shattering revelations about his family at Devlin. Let the poor man be for a bit! I appreciate having real characters that we can relate to, but I do get tired of constant drama in the lives of my heroes and heroines. ★★★★

First line: His breath coming in undignified gasps, the Reverend Malcolm Earnshaw abandoned the village high street and struck out through the lanky grass of the churchyard.

Last lines: He expected her to make one of her usual provocative remarks on the inequities of modern English marriage laws. Instead, she gave a strange, soft laugh and said, "Perhaps I shall."

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Deaths = 4 (one hit on head; two stabbed; one burned in fire)

Reprint of the Year: The Dragon Murder Case

 In recent years, Kate at Cross Examining Crime came up with a brilliant brainstorm (as she so often does). 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're going to do it again.

This year, as Kate notes, we are back bigger than ever, with ten bloggers taking part. So, this Saturday and next, I and my illustrious colleagues Brad, Moira, John, Puzzle Doctor, Laurie, Aidan, JJ, Dead Yesterday, and Kate will feature our picks of the 2019 reprint crop and make our best bid for reprint stardom. Now, I do have a confession to make upfront--I am (as many of my blog followers know) a challenge-aholic and have been madly trying to finish off the last of my challenges. So, I made my choices based purely on what books I had lurking on my TBR shelves that would work for for my Mount TBR Challenge or books I've read in the past.

This week's offering is The Dragon Murder Case (1933) by S. S. Van Dine--reprinted in February 2020 by Felony & Mayhem. It has an opening murder that is sure to intrigue the impossible crime lovers out there. Sanford Montagu, a handsome actor, and a host of others make up a weekend party at the estate of Rudolph Stamm. The Stamm property is known for its dragon pool--the center of various legends, some coming down from the Algonquin and Lenape Indians. It is said that a mysterious water monster (sometimes referred to as dragon) lives in the pool. Matilda Stamm, Rudolph's mother, has a fervent belief in the dragon and claims that it protects her family from those who wish it harm.

When Montagu and the others in the group (Bernice Stamm, Rudolph's sister; Mr. Leland, friend of the household; Alex Greeff, a stock-broker with dealings with Stamm; Kirwin Tatum, a dissipated hanger-on pining for Miss Stamm; Mrs. "Teeny" McAdam, a lady with designs--perhaps on Stamm; and Miss Ruby Steele, a former actress who may still be playing a part)...well, as I say, when the group decides to go for an evening swim, Montagu is the first to change into his suit and head to the pool. He strikes an athletic pose on the diving board, makes a graceful swan dive into the water....and never surfaces. The men (minus their host who had been drinking steadily all evening and was left in the house a sodden state) make diving searches to no avail. Montagu has simply disappeared. 

Mrs. Stamm insists that the dragon got him--that Montagu was threatening the family's well-being by his attentions to Bernice. And when his body is later found exactly where she predicted it would be left by the monster and it has three long gashes on the chest which look remarkably like talon marks...well, what's a respectable police detective like Sergeant Heath to do? Bring in Philo Vance, of course. Vance uses his knowledge of mythological lore, creatures of the deep, and his insights into human psychology to bring a rational conclusion to a very bizarre case.

 Admittedly, Philo Vance can be a bit trying at times. He seems to know everything about everything--in this case everything about Native American mythology to rare species of tropical fish. But his books do tend to offer up very good examples of early crime fiction. Dragon has a slightly weird feel to it with all the mythology and dragon talk, but the mystery's solution is very logical and must have been quite a puzzle for folks reading it for the first time in the 1930s. It is enjoyable to read an early impossible crime and especially an early American example. Most of the well-known (to the general public) Golden Age crime fiction novelists are British or (in the case of John Dickson Carr) use England as their setting, so it is good to see vintage American detective novels in reprints as well.

One thing that I personally love about this (and which I had forgotten about) is Dr. Doremus. He makes few appearances, but when he does it is amusing. I am a Star Trek fan as well as Golden Age detective novel enthusiast and the good doctor reminds me of Dr. McCoy. He tosses off "I'm a doctor, not a..." lines like a true ancestor of the Enterprise's chief medical officer (see examples in quotes below). He pulls off the crusty "country" doctor in a way that several more recent novels have tried and failed.

If you like detectives with esoteric knowledge, if you like impossible crimes, if you like examples of American vintage mysteries...the vote for Van Dine!

First line: That sinister and terrifying crime, which came to be known as the dragon murder case, will always be associated in my mind with one of the hottest summers I have ever experienced in New York.

My dear Markham, you're far too logical. It's your legal training, of course. But the world is not run by logic. I infinitely prefer to be emotional. Think of the masterpieces of poetry that would have been lost to humanity if their creators had been logicians-- (Philo Vance; pp. 44-5)

PV: How did she take this advice, Mr. Greeff?

AG: The way all women take advice--haughtily and contemptuously. No woman ever wants advice. When they ask for it, they're merely looking for agreement with what they've already decided to do. (Philo Vance, Alex Greeff; p. 84)

I can't perform an autopsy on a theory. I'm a doctor--not a philosopher. (Dr. Doremus--sounding like a 1930s version of Dr. McCoy; p. 128)

SH: What do you think made those scratches on his chest, doc?"

DD. How should I know? Haven't I already told you I'm a doctor and not a detective? (Sgt. Heath, Dr. Doremus--still sounding like McCoy; p. 187)

Oh, I say! Must there be hidden meanings in all my observations?...I was merely offering a counter supposition regarding the elusive vehicle. (Philo Vance; p. 212)

RS: Here's an interesting one...The Blow-fish--Tetrodon cucutia. Watch this. He took one of the fish out of the water in the small net, and it inflated itself into the shape of a ball. Curious idea--blowing oneself up to keep from being swallowed.

PV: Oh, quite human, I should say. All our politicians do the same thing. (Rudolph Stamm, Philo Vance; p. 257)

I cling childishly to the trodden paths, for life has a most disappointin' way of proving commonplace and rational when we are hopin' most passionately for the bizarre and supernatural. (Vance; p. 310)

Last line: "I'm not doing so well with my Scatophagus here," he repined. "Not the proper conditions--if you know what I mean, sir."

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

Deaths = 4 (two strangled, one crushed by huge rock, one natural)  ★★★★

The Revenge of the Hound

 The Revenge of the Hound (1987) by Michael Hardwick

Synopsis excerpts from the book flap: Set in June 1902, only months after the publication of The Hound of the Baskervilles. The coronation of Edward VII has been postponed for what at first seem to be mysterious reasons. Spy scares are rife across England. The working class is filled with unrest. The unthinkable, a British revolution, now seems possible.

Amid it all, Dr. John H. Watson...has become engaged to an American woman...a decision which may affect his long-standing relationship with Sherlock Holmes. Holmes himself is on the verge of a major decision. Although he is not quite fifty years old, he sees the coming age as a time to retire....Yet before the decision can be made, three seemingly unrelated events occur. From Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard comes news of the sighting on Hampstead Heath of a creature frighteningly similar to that of infamous Hound; from Holmes's brother, Mycroft, comes a mysterious summons, and rom the deck of an English Channel ferry, Holmes and Watson witness the apparently motiveless murder of a ship's steward.

Suddenly, the midnight oil is brurning again at 221B Baker Street. Holmes's deductive mind is roused from self-indulgence to excitement. The game's afoot. As the coronation of Edward VII grows closer, Holmes and Watson realize that what might be the last case of their career together may decide the very fate of England! {It's amazing how often "the very fate of England" is in danger...}

Hardwick seems determined to drag in references to as many of the original Holmes stories as possible--everyone from Lestrade to Shinwell Jones to Inspector Gregson to Mycroft Holmes appears. I'm sure if he could have found a way to bring Moriarty back from the dead, he would have. I'm surprised that after titling the story The Revenge of the Hound he didn't pull Stapleton out of the mire and have him running about.* We visit places mentioned in "The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax" and the "The Man with the Twisted Lip" and more. He seems to think that the more he proves how much he knows of the canon the more willing we'll be to accept his version of Holmes and Watson. But his characterization of the duo rings false throughout the first half to two-thirds of the book. Holmes is in a snit over Watson's impending third marriage and is unbelievably rude to Watson--he even throttles him quite thoroughly (supposedly to prove that a certain witness's story is a lie, but he fully admits that he feels much better after half-strangling his friend). The pair sound and act much more like themselves in the last third of the book, but by that point I'd already given up on them and the improvement didn't help much.

On top of there being too much of what I can only call "showing off my Holmes knowledge," there is way too much going on this story--to quote Watson: "The Carfax case. The hound. The disappearance of Cromwell's bones. Now this murder. Not to mention such incidentals as your concern about invasions, revolution, the 'Yellow Peril' and being commanded to act for the king....you have no time for chasing after random murderers." Hardwick may been "the first man after the late Christopher Morley to be honored the investiture of The Sign of the Four by the Baker Street Irregulars of America, one of the most prestigious honors possible for any Sherlockian." He may have known his Holmesian lore inside-out and front to back, but none of that's useful if the story isn't engaging and seems overly complex. Honestly, the best things about this one were the illustrations by Steranko.  ★ and 1/2. 

 *And speaking of the original story--it would have been nice if the plot had a real connection the original Hound of the Baskervilles instead of what we got. It felt like Hardwick just dragged that in to add some sort of Doyle legitimacy to the whole thing.

First line: I have never been able to decide, to this day, whether or not Sherlock Holmes knew my intentions.

Last line: "Pray, Miss Adkins--call me...Holmes."

**********

Deaths (one stabbed; two clawed to death)

The Sirens Sang of Murder

 The Sirens Sang of Murder (1989) ~Sarah Caudwell (Sarah Cockburn)

I say, Larwood, is this tax-planning business really as exciting as these Daffodil characters seem to think or do they just make believe it is to make life more interesting? I mean, if I'd known it was all about does and secret documents and biffing chaps in false beards, I wouldn't have minded going in for it myself.... (Michael Cantrip--by telex, p. 47)

This is the third in a quartet of fun, witty, twisty mysteries that Caudwell wrote about Hilary Tamar, law scholar and sometime amateur sleuth, and a group of junior barristers who have an uncanny knack for landing themselves in the middle of murder and mayhem. Our most recent adventure opens with Michael Cantrip and Larwood knee-deep in concocting a novel loosely-based (ahem) on themselves and the doings in their law office. Cantrip is immediately taken off to the Channel Islands ostensibly to advise on a tax case [though, if the Daffodil Settlement folk wanted really good tax advice, why didn't they ask Larwood, a more notable authority on the subject?]. 

The Channel Islands served (maybe still serve?) as tax havens for folks such as those who set up the Daffodil Settlement. A settlement (or other such conveyances) properly set up could protect people living in heavily taxed countries from being bothered by such pesky details like income tax or death duties or such. Part of the idea was to hide the identities of the real owners and beneficiaries so the Inland Revenue spies...er officials couldn't figure them out. But, generally speaking, the administrators of such things were supposed to know. Key word supposed. 

Apparently, now that the chief administrator of the Daffodil Settlement has died in a swimming accident, nobody knows identity of any of the important players. And a situation has arisen that makes it imperative to know--otherwise about 9 million pounds is going to be paid out to the named beneficiary (which was supposed be just pretend). Cantrip has been brought in to advise the remaining administrators on "what the heck do we do now?" But then another member of the little group falls off a cliff...and it begins to look like somebody is trying to make sure the trust is paid out in a certain way.

Cantrip gets a bit worried about the whole situation and begins sending telex messages to his colleagues back in London keeping them abreast of the situation. Things get very tense and Professor Tamar goes buzzing off to the island of Sark to prevent Cantrip from being the next contestant in the death stakes. Will our intrepid amateur detective be in time? Does Tamar know who is behind it all and why? 

****Possible spoiler ahead. Read at your own risk***

I absolutely love Cantrip this time around (and am ready to forgive him for having a name that makes me want to call him Catnip). The telex updates that he sends to his fellow lawyers are hilarious and following his adventures as he tries to foil whatever nefarious plans "old Wellieboots" has up his sleeve is worth the price of admission. I am tempted to give this a full five stars based on that alone--but I have to deduct a star for the solution. I mean, yes, there's all that tax and settlement and who's the real beneficiary business floating around to create a nice bit of suspicion all round. But, honestly, when the real villain of the piece crawls out of the woodwork, it feels a bit cliche. I have to agree with Larwood that the old-fashioned motive rearing its head amongst the overall flow of the plot seemed just a bit out of place. I can't really cry foul though--Caudwell does strew the clues about and it should have been possible for me to identify the culprit. But I definitely wasn't thinking about that motive, so the clues didn't point where they should have. ★★★★

First line (prologue): There will be much disappointment, I fear, among my fellow scholars.

First line (first chapter): "No, no, let me go or I'll scream," cried the lovely Eliane, her beautiful eyes filling with tears and her bosom heaving under the delicate silk of her blouse as she struggled to free herself from the vile embrace of the brutal Barrister's Clerk.

Trouble, so far as Julia had been able to discover, was what Colonel Cantrip had spent a lifetime of more than seventy years getting into. (p. 33)

So, the impasse--which I take to be the correct expression for a situation in which no one makes a pass at anyone--continued throughout my stay and  until after dinner on my last evening. (Julia Larwood; p.68)

The thing that gets me, looking back on last night, is that there was actually a stage when I was quite looking forward to getting a solid eight hours of health-giving zizz. Which just goes to show how right all those chaps are who say what a waste of time it is expecting things to turn out the way you expect them to, because they never do. [Michael Cantrip--by telex; pp.83-4)

I do not doubt that in a crime novel having any pretention to modernity, the pen would be quite inadmissible. As a mere historian, however, there is nothing I can do about it. Nature, as we know, does imitate Art, but I fear that she all too often falls short of the highest standards. Were you to turn your attention from fictional crime to those reported in the newspapers, you would find that people are still leaving fingerprints and murdering spouses for all the world as if they were living in the 1920s. (Hilary Tamar; p. 151)

Yoo-hoo there, Larwood, it's me here--ace investigator Catseyes Cantrip reporting back to base. Bet you'll never guess what I'm doing in Monte Carlo. Well you won't, not in a million years, so I'll tell you. (Cantrip--by telex; p. 154)

I was on my own in the office at the back of the Alexandra and I suddenly saw this awful face at the window--sort of inhuman-looking, with glaring eyes and lots of teeth. First thing I thought was that it was a werewolf or something from outer space. Second thing I thought was that it looked just like old Wellieboots [Judge Welladay] when someone tries to cite the Duke of Westminster's case. Third thing I thought was that it actually was old Wellieboots, and I was right....Well, you don't find High Court judges prowling round Sark glaring through office windows just for the fun of the thing, do you? (Cantrip--by telex; pp. 154-5)

The trouble with real life is that you don't know whether you're the hero or just some nice chap who gets bumped off in chapter five to show what a rotter the villain is without anyone minding too much. (Cantrip; p. 173)

Nutty as a fruitcake. And the problem about people going nutty is that it's jolly difficult to tell whether they're harmlessly nutty or dangerously nutty. (Cantrip; p. 203).

Last line: No doubt she was right; but we had been dealing, as I pointed out, with a deplorably old-fashioned murder.

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Deaths = 2 (one drowned; one fell from height)

Mrs. Jeffries & the Feast of St. Stephen

 Mrs. Jeffries & the Feast of St. Stephen by Emily Brightwell (Cheryl Lanham Arguile)

In the weeks leading up to Christmas Mrs. Jeffries and the rest of the servants at Inspector Witherspoon's residence are getting ready for the holidays when their master is handed a rather unpleasant Yuletide gift. The wealthy Stephen Whitfield had been hosting a seasonal dinner of his own his sister-in-law and a few friends when he fell dead into his plate of soup. Whitfield just finished telling those gathered that he had a very special announcement. He then turned red, began to shake, told the guests they had all turned blue and something was wrong with the lights before falling forward onto the table. They are all shocked, but believe he has suffered from a heart attack until the doctor who had been quickly summoned from across the street announced that he believed it was poison and that the police must be called in.

It is soon established that the cause of death was a liberal dose of dried fox gloves leaves in the bottle of Bordeaux brought as a gift by Maria and Basil Farringdon, two of the guests. Whitfield had been the only one to drink the wine--everyone else sticking to the usual sherry before dinner. But Whitfield had guzzled the stuff down like a man who'd just crossed the desert with no liquid refreshment at hand. At first glance you'd think the Farringdons the likely culprits, but it winds up that anyone in the house could have dumped an envelope full of dried bits into the wine at any time. The butler had opened the wine and left it on the stand in the drawing room. Then Whitfield led his guests off to admire his Christmas decorations and everybody milled about in such a way that nobody knew where anybody else was for sure at any given time. It's all a muddle for Inspector Witherspoon--everyone had an opportunity, but the motives keep fading away like snow flakes on a warm window. His superior officer is being pressured to have the case solved by Christmas and so Witherspoon is pressured as well. He just doesn't think his "inner voice" (as his housekeeper Mrs. Jeffries has called it) is going to speak up this time.

But his secret weapon is at work--the secret weapon he doesn't know he has. Mrs. Jeffries, Mrs. Goodge (the cook), Smythe (who handles the horses), Betsy (the maid), and Wiggins (the footman) are all on the case...along with his good friends and neighbors Mrs. Luty Bell Crookshank and her butler Hatchett. Each of these characters have their own sources and methods and can usually collect enough gossip and clues to help Mrs. Jeffries unobtrusively direct Witherspoon's inner voice to reveal the solution. The group have a tough case this time....and Witherspoon is on his way to meeting where the case will most likely be reassigned to another inspector when light finally breaks and the inner voice can speak. 

These Victorian era mysteries are very light and fluffy and this one was just what I needed at the moment. A little bit of holiday festivity thrown in with the cozy little investigations of the servants. I did spot the murderer and how exactly it all happened before Mrs. Jeffries, but I didn't mind. It was nice to visit these old friends (I've read several of these over the years). A good solid read for when you don't want anything too taxing. ★★★

First lines" "I do hope you like this, Stephen." Maria Farringdon smiled as she handed the bottle of Bordeaux to her host.

Last line: "And if he does, I 'elp ya hunt him down," Wiggins offered.

***********

Deaths = 5 (poisoned)

Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories

 Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories (1985) by Agatha  Christie (all stories originally published 1960 or earlier). This collection includes all the Miss Marple stories from The Thirteen Problems, The Regatta Mystery, Three Blind Mice, and Double Sin. The first of a set of stories centered around Miss Marple, her nephew, and some friends who comprise the "Tuesday Night Club"--a gathering where each member submits the story of mystery to which only they know the answer. The others are supposed to try and figure out the answer. Of course, Miss Marple outshines them all. Later stories show her involved in mysteries as they happen to folks in St. Mary Mead and to her friends in other villages. A very nice, comfortable little collection. ★★★

"The Tuesday Night Club":  Here Sir Henry Clithering tells the story of poisoning. Three people sat down to a dinner and it seems that all three ate the same things. But only one of them dies of arsenic poisoning (or even gets sick). How was it done? And who did it? Miss Marple knows.

"The Idol House of Astarte": Dr. Pender takes center stage next with a tale of a seemingly impossible murder cloaked with a bit of mysticism. The murder was committed on the night of a costume party near the grove of Astarte. The grove was on the estate of Sir Richard Haydon, a man who was rival of his cousin Eliot for the love of the beautiful Dianna Ashley. The grove contained a mysterious summer house which was rumored to have been a place where secret rites were held long ago. Diana decided to dress the part of Astarte--appearing in a mysterious glow in the summer house. The vision startled Sir Richard and he then stumbled to the ground. when the others reached him, he was dead from a knife wound...but there was no knife to be found.

"Ingots of Gold": Raymond West, Miss Marple's nephew and a famous author, tells of a visit at the home of his friend John Newman. Newman has started a search for a Spanish ship, which has been rumored to have sunk off the Cornish coast during the rout of the Spanish Armada--with a cargo of gold. Also in the vicinity Inspector Badgworth who is more interested in the recent sinking of the Otranto, a ship that most definitely did have gold ingots aboard but the gold has been stolen. Newman disappears and when he's found tied up in a hollow near the cliffs, he tells West and the Inspector that he ran afoul of the men who have absconded with the ingots. Can Miss Marple get to the bottom of this mystery?

"The Bloodstained Pavement": Joyce is the artist in the group and she tells a story that speaks to her artistic eye--noticing details that only an artist...or another woman like Miss Marple might see. Her story also takes place in Cornwall in a small coastal village where she had gone to paint. A couple comes to the same hotel as does a previous acquaintance of the husband's. The three arrange to meet at a nearby beach--the couple rowing to the sight and the other woman walking along the coast. Later, Joyce notices the wet bathing things hanging out to dry while she is painting and chatting with a man from the town. She's aghast when she sees that she has painted bloodstains on the pavement in front of the hotel. The man tells her a story of previous violence at the hotel and says that whenever someone sees the bloodstains, then a death will follow within 24 hours. Two days later, she reads in the paper that Margery (the wife of the pair) had disappeared while swimming in the sea at another location. A week later her body is found with a wound in the head. Was it just a fatal accident or was it murder?

"Motive v. Opportunity": Next up is the attorney Mr. Petherick. He tells the club about Simon Clode, a wealthy client who has long since passed on. At one time he had a granddaughter on whom he doted, but she died while young. Clode became more and more obsessed and depressed by her death and turned to a questionable spiritualist to contact his daughter in the afterlife. After several "conversations" with the little girl, he decides to leave Eurydice Spragg, the medium, everything he has to the disadvantage of his niece and two nephews. Mr. Petherick disapproved, but had no valid reason to prevent the short and to-the-point will from being witnessed and signed in his presence. After Clode died, everyone was surprised when the envelope containing this latest will was opened and the paper was blank. The club investigates, but it seems that those who had a motive to substitute a blank page had no opportunity and those who had an opportunity had no motive. Miss Marple sees straight through to the truth.

"The Thumbmark of St. Peter": Miss Marple tells the story of her niece Mabel who wed unwisely and soon regretted it--for her husband was a bit of bully and they quarreled often. After one particularly heated argument, the husband died mysteriously the next night. Small villages just can't resist gossip and soon rumors are flying round that Mabel has poisoned her husband. Mabel called upon her aunt to help her out of her mess. Miss Marple was able to discover that the man was indeed poisoned and the guilty party was soon identified.

"The Blue Geranium": This time the story-telling takes place around the table at the Bantrys. Arthur Bantry tells about his friend George Pritchard, who had a very irritable, semi-invalid wife with a fondness for psychics. Mrs. Pritchard consults Zarida, the last in a long line of such women, who gives her a dire warning: On the full moon, she must watch for the signs. A blue primrose means caution, a blue hollyhock means danger, and a blue geranium means death! Over the course of the moon's phases, the signs appear--on her floral wallpaper flowers that were never blue before suddenly change color. And on the morning she is found dead within her locked room, there is a blue geranium just above her bed.

"The Companion": Dr. Lloyd tells of two middle-aged women he saw when on a holiday (for his health), Miss Mary Barton and her companion Miss Amy Durant. He was sure that they were just the type of women that nothing exciting ever happened to. But he was wrong. The very next day Miss Barton is drowning and Miss Barton attempts to bring her ashore and save her. Dr. Lloyd appears on the scene and artificial respiration is unsuccessful. The next thing he knows, Miss Durant is dead too. She apparently committed suicide and left a note that seemed to indicate that she was remorseful for having caused Miss Barton's death. But there's more to the story...as Miss Marple knows.

"The Four Suspects": Sir Henry gives us another tale about Dr. Rosen who was instrumental in the downfall of a secret German organization. The doctor knew that eventually members of the group who had escaped punishment would seek him out and exact revenge, but he was satisfied that he had done the right thing and hoped to finish a research project before they got to him. He is found dead at the bottom of his staircase--possibly an accident, possibly not. The four members of his household fall under suspicion, but they all claim to have been out at the time (but no corroboration of their whereabouts). Miss Marple uses clues from the story and her own knowledge of gardens to point out the culprit.

"A Christmas Tragedy": Miss Marple relates the time she was certain that a man was going to kill his wife while they were all staying at the same hotel over the Christmas holidays. There were several "accidents" which could have been fatal. But when the wife is killed in what looks like a burglary gone wrong, the husband has a cast iron alibi. If Miss Marple hadn't noticed two key facts while on the scene, the murder might not have been solved.

"The Herb of Death": Mrs. Bantry takes her turn at presenting a puzzle for the group. She tells of a dinner party where fox gloves leaves were mixed in with sage and everyone at the dinner became ill. Everyone recovered except the ward of the host. The young woman died and it was initially thought that the leaves were simply mixed in by mistake. But Miss Marple spots the clues that prove murder...and correctly names the murderer as well.

"The Affair at the Bungalow": Jane Heiler, a beautiful actress, tells this story. She presents it as having happened to "a friend," but the others are quite sure that the story is Jane's own. While on tour with a play, she was called in by the police to be identified by a young man who claimed she had written a letter and requested his presence at a certain bungalow which belonged to another actress. He had met her there and then been drugged.  A robbery had taken place at the bungalow and he is being held as a suspect. But when Jane arrives at the police station, the man says that she isn't the right woman. What really happened? Miss Marple knows...even though she says she doesn't while the group is all together.

"Death by Drowning": Rose Emmett has been found drowned in the river near St. Mary Mead. She was pregnant and her lover had refused to marry her so everyone thought she had killed herself. But Miss Marple knew she'd been murdered. When she hears that Sir Henry Clithering is in town for a visit, she asks him to investigate. She has no proof and doesn't think the local police will take her reasons seriously. She writes down the name of her suspect and asks Sir Henry to find a way to discover whether she's correct. When an apparently unshakeable alibi is produced, it begins to look as if Miss Marple has made her first mistake....but Christie fans know that can't be possible.

"Miss Marple Tells a Story": Mr. Petherick brings a man accused of murdering his wife to see Miss Marple. When the man sees the elderly sleuth, he's doubtful that she can help him, but Petherick convinces him to tell his story. Mr. Rhodes and his wife were staying at a hotel. She had gone to bed and he was working in the adjoining room. Only he and a chambermaid (who brought fresh towels) had access to the rooms and there are witnesses who can state that no one else came near the rooms. The case looks very black against Mr. Rhodes and he didn't impress the jury much at the inquest. But never fear...Miss Marple can prove his innocence if anyone can.

"Strange Jest": Two cousins, Edward Rossiter and Charmian Stroud are introduced to Miss Marple at a party. They become convinced to share a problem with the lady. It seems that their recently deceased uncle had always told them that they'd be well taken care of when he was gone. But when he died, they found that he had sold securities and withdrawn his money from the bank with no evidence as to what was done with it. He had talked a lot about gold and burying your treasures in the garden, so the pair had gone on a digging spree with no luck. After Miss Marple hears what happened on his deathbed, is taken to the house where he lived, and has a good look round, she's able to help the young people find their inheritance in an unlikely place. But then elderly men do sometimes like to have their little jokes.

"The Case of the Perfect Maid": Miss Marple's maid asks her mistress to help her cousin Gladys--also a maid. Though Gladys is a bit outspoken in her ways, she's an honest girl. But now there is a stain on her character. She had been working for the Misses Skinner and one of the ladies' brooches had gone missing. It was found but then, after a dish was broken, Gladys was given notice and now people are starting to talk. Miss Marple has barely begun to work when the Skinners find a paragon to replace Gladys...but all is not what it seems.

"The Case of the Caretaker": Miss Marple has had the flu and is still feeling rather peaked, so Dr. Haydock brings her a little puzzle to get her mind off her troubles. He has written up the details of mysterious death and wants to see if she can give him the solution. The story concerns the return of handsome Harry Laxton to the village of his childhood. The boy who was a bit of scapegrace has done well for himself and married a beautiful young woman of wealth. He takes over what's left of his childhood home--tears it down and builds a lovely house for his new bride. But the villagers can't give up the gossip about his past and there's one person who is very upset that the old house has been torn down. When tragedy strikes, who is behind it?

"Tape-Measure Murder": Mrs. Spenlow is late for her appointment with Miss Pollitt, the dressmaker. Miss Pollitt has been ringing and knocking at the door to no avail. Mrs. Spenlow's neighbor soon notices the commotion and comes to help--when Miss Hartnell tries to look in the windows, she discovers Mrs. Spenlow dead on the hearthrug. Everyone is convinced that the husband did it, after all the man showed so little emotion when he was told his wife was dead. And what kind of alibi is it to say that he'd received a phone call from Miss Marple asking him to come to her cottage and then the lady wasn't home. Miss Marple is certain he's telling the truth, but how to prove it? 

"Greenshaw's Folly": Raymond West winds up witnessing an old lady's will and finding out that she needs someone to compile her grandfather's diaries for publication. He suggests his niece Louise for the job and then, after only two days at the lady's home at Greenshaw's Folly, she witnesses a murder that couldn't have happened. Miss Marple is able find out how it was done and by whom.

"Sanctuary": Diana "Bunch" Harmon is intent on placing her flower arrangements in the church when she finds a dying man on the chancel steps. The man tries to speak, but is only able to say "sanctuary" and something that sounds like her husband, the vicar's name Julian. She gets help quickly, but nothing can be done to save the man who was shot. His relatives arrive--insist that he'd been depressed lately and must have killed himself and seem more concerned about collecting his possessions (especially his coat) than they are about the man's death. Bunch can't get his last words out of her head and she takes the problem straight to Miss Marple. The two women find themselves in the middle of a rather exciting adventure and eventually discover why the man was seeking sanctuary.

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Deaths (from all stories) = 21 (five poisoned; six natural; two stabbed; two hit on head; two drowned; one fell from height; two hanged/strangled; one shot)

The Sittaford Mystery

 The Sittaford Mystery (1931) by Agatha Christie is a non-series mystery (no Poirot, no Miss Marple, not even Colonel Race). It opens at Sittaford House in a small village on Dartmoor. Mrs. Willett and her daughter Violet have rented the house in the country from Captain Trevelyan. The villagers all think it a bit odd that the ladies from South Africa would want to come to the middle of nowhere in the dead of winter--but there's no telling what foreigners will do, is there? The ladies are quite outgoing and issue invitations to call to all and sundry. Captain Trevelyan is a self-declared "woman hater" and refuses all advances.

But that doesn't stop the ladies from having regular dinners and little parties--even when it's snowing like no tomorrow. The story opens with one such party. Captain Trevelyan's long-standing friend, Major Burnaby, Mr. Rycroft. Mr. Ronnie Garfield, and Mr. Duke all brave the winter storm to attend. But due to the heavy snowfall, the Captain isn't expected to make it from Exhamptom--his current place of residence while the Willetts occupy his home. And he doesn't.

When it becomes apparent that they all don't play bridge, it's suggested that they indulge in a harmless bit of table-turning. It's all fun and games until the spirits suddenly tells the group that Captain Trevelyan is dead. The spirit's communication ends with a single word...M-U-R-D-E-R! At first they assume that one of the group is just playing a somewhat morbid joke, but there's a certain unease and Major Burnaby, who had declared it all "Tommy rot!" before they began, becomes worried. Since it's an evening that he and Trevelyan normally got together for chess and acrostics, he decides to venture out into the snow and walk the six miles to his friend's place.

When he arrives, he can't get an answer to his repeated knocks and peals of the doorbell so he drags the local constable and doctor away from their warm fires to help him investigate. They find the captain dead from blow to the head with a sandbag...and if the doctor's estimate is correct, he was killed at 5:25 pm--the exact time of the spirit's message. Inspector Narracott is summoned from Exeter to sift through the clues and suspects. All of the Captain's relatives inherit equal shares of his rather large fortune and all but one have alibis. When it's discovered that James Pearson was actually on the spot at the right time and that he has a very pressing need for cash, it looks like the police will have a quick wrap-up to the case. But Pearson's fiancée knows her Jim and knows that he couldn't possibly kill anyone. Not that he's a saint...but she knows what his limits are. So, she forges an alliance with a willing young reporter and sets out to prove Jim's innocence. It isn't long before she provides the police with broken alibis and a renewed cast of suspects.

An entertaining read from Dame Agatha. I spotted the murderer right away, but I'm quite sure that was because I've read the novel before. I know that I didn't figure it out the first time I read it. And I'm pretty sure who I chose as suspect #1 before, because s/he tempted me into changing my mind again this time around. This is classic Christie with several possible solutions, red herrings galore, and all the clues on display. I gave the story four stars the first time I read it and I give it ★★★ and a half now--only because she didn't quite fool me on the re-read. She very often does--if enough time has elapsed between reads.

First line: Major Burnaby drew on his gum boots, buttoned his overcoat collar round his neck, took from a shelf near the door a hurricane lantern, and cautiously opened the front door of his little bungalow and peered out.

Last lines: "She never gave him the chance," said Mrs. Curtis. "Ah!" said Mr. Curtis.

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Deaths = (one hit on head)

A Halo for Nobody

 A Halo for Nobody (1947) by Henry Kane is the first of his Peter Chambers series and it features quite a murder fest. Peter Chambers is the tough guy, rougher half of Scoffol and Chambers, Investigators. One evening he is an eyewitness to the murder of Rochelle Curtis, wife of the wealthy Blair Curtis who owns half of an elite jewelry business. But when Blair Curtis approaches him to investigate it isn't his wife's murder that he's most interested in--it's the fact that he thinks he's being blackmailed. Getting to the bottom of the blackmailing business, will lead him to find connections between Rochelle's murder, the death of Joe Pineapple (one of the men involved in Rochelle's shoot and run death), as well as half a dozen more deaths including that of a reclusive, wealthy bookmaker. Curtis doesn't think it really has anything to do with him or his circle...Chambers may just prove him wrong.

Kane's story takes us on fast-paced journey through seedy dives and upscale clubs with equal abandon. Chambers may walk the mean streets but he glides easily between the two worlds and just as easily sidesteps threats from both the upper class and the denizens of New York's underworld. Along the way he manages to collect quite an arsenal of hand weapons from those looking to ensure that this case is his last...he'll prove them wrong as well.

Hardboiled crime fiction isn't my usual fare and for those who like this sort of thing, I'm not sure that it's the most shining example. But I liked it. There was something about Chambers and his methods that just clicked with me. It's amazing that he didn't get knocked off several times in this book (but then Kane wouldn't let that happen to his hero, would he?). I did enjoy how one of the suspects underestimated him and misjudged exactly what Chambers would or wouldn't do. Not that the estimation was all that misguided given past performance, but Chambers has a few tricks up his sleeve that he only uses when necessary. 

Certainly not a fair play mystery, but I don't expect that from this type of crime fiction. A fun, fast-paced read that made for an enjoyable afternoon. ★★★

[Finished 11/26/20]

First line: I saw the thing happen, and in a cockeyed, roundabout way I was mixed up in it, so the policeman had every right in the world to ask questions.

Last line: "Ah," I said, "the lovely Lolita..."

Quotes: 

I fully realize that the man was trying to do his job of work and I was doing my darnedest to be nice and proper and placid, but his method  and his manner were about as efficacious as sandpaper on the rough edge of a tombstone, and it was becoming irritating. (p. 5)

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Deaths = 9 (eight shot; one fell from height)