The Penny Detective (spoilers at the end)

 The Penny Detective (2014) by John Tallon Jones

Stanley Morris-Shannon (aka Morris, aka "Moggsy") is a detective. At least that's what he says. Up till now his cases have involved tracking down missing cats and dogs and photographing insurance liabilities (like dangerous cracks in sidewalks). But in walks Karl Ashford, minor league villain and tough guy, with an offer Morris can't refuse. Karl's brother Billy has been nabbed for the murder of his (Billy's) wife's ex-lover. And Karl says Billy didn't do it. Billy has an alibi. But, since the alibi consists of robbing a warehouse, they're not exactly keen to produce it for the cops. Karl wants Morris to track down the real killer so Billy will be cleared without need of an alibi. Oh...and have we mentioned that Billy's disappeared? Which, of course, has made the cops doubly suspicious. But the more Morris and his sidekick Shoddy dig up, the more it looks like Billy really did do it. But then things take an unexpected turn....

Spoilers ahead!

I would have loved to have been able to give this a glowing review. One of my Secret Santas in 2016 sent me this and the second Penny Detective novel as part of my gift. But I just can't do it. I'm not a huge private eye/hardboiled detective fan, but when I do read them I want them to be good. And this one just isn't. I assume the title is a reference to how much Morris Shannon's services are worth, because he certainly isn't a very good PI. Of course, he really hasn't been all that good or dedicated at any of the jobs he's had up till now, so why would opening up his own private detective business be any different? If he didn't have his ex-cop bestie Shoddy to do his leg work, he wouldn't be solving anything ever. And even when Shoddy serves him up clues on a silver platter, he takes an incredibly long time connecting the dots. Some of the time, he doesn't even connect them, but manages to stumble into the right answer anyway. Added to this, I found it annoying to be set up for some sort of crooked gangland argument turned murder only to find Shannon in the middle of a secret agent/double agent spy thing. the icing on this not-so-delicious cake was the need for a real editor. I don't know if G-L-R (Great Little Reads) is a publisher or Jones' self-publishing moniker, but the number of grammatical errors and editing gaffes is large enough that it was pretty distracting. If the story is engaging enough, I can ignore them and enjoy the story. But I wasn't invested enough in Shannon and his adventures to do that here. I seem to be the outlier among the folks who have given written reviews on Goodreads--so your mileage may vary. ★ and 1/2

First line: I was christened Stanley Morris-Shannon, but only my mum calls me Stanley, and only then when she is ticked off with me.

Last lines: I told him I would think it over.
                 And I still am.

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

Deaths = 7 (one hit on head; one car bomb; two natural; three shot)

Reading Up a Storm

 Reading Up a Storm (2016) by Eva Gates

Lucy Richardson, a librarian at Bodie Island's Lighthouse Library, has helped host a surprise party to celebrate her boss's tenure at the library. Bertie James has worked there ten years. The party goes off without a hitch, but due to a gathering storm in the Outer Banks the festivities are cut short. Lucy has snuggled down in her apartment above the library floors all set to read more chapters of Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson when she notices lights out on the rolling waves. Surely no one would be out on a boat in this weather...Then she notices more lights onshore, bobbing as if they were attached to moored boats. Not sure of what she's seeing, she calls the Coast Guard and alerts them.

Next morning she learns that William Williamson, a former inhabitant of Nag's Head (the little town on Bodie Island) who made good in the oil fields of Alaska and has just recently come home, and his fiancee Marlene Bergen, were out on a boat which came apart in the storm. They survived the ordeal only long enough for Williamson to found dead in another boat the next morning. But this is no accident...someone stabbed him and left him to die. Lucy finds herself involved when one of her friends comes under suspicion. 

Stephanie Stanton, a lawyer in Raleigh is home caring for her mother who was recently in an accident, had just recently discovered that Williamson was the father who had abandoned her mother when he realized his little fling had resulted in a pregnancy. The detective in charge of the case reasons that Stephanie could have killed out of resentment, revenge, or even the hope of inheritance. Lucy is sure her friend didn't do it and starts an investigation of her own. It doesn't take long to discover that Williamson wasn't precisely what he seemed and had a knack for creating enemies wherever he went. But who really wanted him dead?

I enjoy a good cozy mystery as much as the next cozy mystery reader. And I fully expected to enjoy this one--set in library set up in a lighthouse? Sounds great. Librarian amateur detective? You bet. Working in the dark and stormy night theme? Why not? Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would. I didn't take to Lucy at all. She has an incredible knack for saying all the wrong things at the wrong time. She's not particularly intuitive and not really much of a detective. In fact, there's not a whole lot of detecting going on at all. Things just...happen. She continually gets maneuvered into situations and actions that she doesn't want because she doesn't seem to have a backbone and/or to know the word "No." Don't even talk to me about her interactions with Louise Jane (whose character is the most pointless in the book as far as I'm concerned). Lucy's dilemma with being attracted to two men (who are, of course, both attracted to her) wasn't particularly interesting and her sudden epiphany about which one she really loves seemed to come out of nowhere. But I wasn't convinced that it was a solid epiphany because about a chapter later she's thinking about how attractive the dead man's son is. And, gee, he's interested in her too. (Is every single male? that's what I'm thinking at this point.) 

The mystery was decently set up but I would have appreciated better clues and better detection. ★★

First lines: It was a dark and stormy night.
                  I've always wanted to say that.

Last line: "A haunted lighthouse, of course."
*******************

Deaths = one stabbed

The Mirror Crack'd

 The Mirror Crack'd (1962) by Agatha Christie

This story takes Miss Jane Marple into the world of movie stars and a local modern Development when actress Marina Gregg buys Gossington Hall from the widowed Dolly Bantry and brings her director husband and American entourage to live in St. Mary Mead. Jason Rudd, the husband, hopes that living in the small English village will give Marina a bit of quiet and stability--something that has been missing in her life. Marina decides that St. Mary Mead is just perfect and that she wants to really be a part of village life--so she agrees to host the annual fete in aid of the St. John's Ambulance. The party is going well--lots of games and entertainment on the grounds and Marina invites some select guests to come inside to be greeted and to see the house.

It's all going well that is until silly Heather Babcock, connected to the St. John's Ambulance, is introduced to her idol, Marina Gregg. Heather launches into a long and enthusiastic story about how she has already met Miss Gregg before--long ago when Marina was entertaining the troops. Dolly Bantry notices that Marina is no longer really listening to the babbling woman--she's staring over her shoulder with a "frozen" look on her face. When she later describes the scene to Miss Marple, they are reminded of Tennyson's Lady of Shalott:

Out flew the web and floated wide;
     The mirror crack'd from sided to side;
"The curse has come upon me," cried
     The Lady of Shalott.

Just moments after finishing her story and being offered a drink by her idol, Heather Babcock is dead. It doesn't take long to discover that she's been poisoned. But who would poison Mrs. Babcock? She was a self-absorbed woman; nice enough and not at all mean-spirited, but not really thinking about how her actions or words might actually affect others. There doesn't seem to be a motive to kill her, however. Then it's discovered that her drink was spilled and the drink which had the poison in it was Marina's. As Miss Marple mentions when she first hears of the poisoning..."perhaps it was the wrong murder." Now the police are racing to find the killer before they can rectify their mistake and kill Marina after all. But they're going to need pointers from everyone's favorite spinster detective before they arrive at the right solution.

This one continues to delight even after a reread (and watching the filmed versions multiple times). It is interesting to come to it knowing the solution and to watch how Christie practices her art of misdirection. The basic plot is one used in other stories, but I'm always intrigued at the many different ways she was able to use the same idea. 

She also gives us a Jane Marple who has aged and has to come to terms with her advanced years and the changes in St. Mary Mead. The novel is as much social commentary on the post-WWII-era as it is a murder mystery. Given Miss Marple's frailer health, the doctor has suggested she have a companion and Miss Marple is driven to distraction by the woman her nephew has employed for her. She has to find a way to ease Miss Knight out and find someone to live in who won't treat her like an imbecile child. This side story provides Miss Marple with a different way to approach the murder investigation--she isn't as mobile as she once was and all the information has to come to her--through Dolly Bantry and through Inspector Craddock. It is Miss Marple doing her best armchair detective work since The Tuesday Night Club stories.

★★★★  for an entertaining read and interesting social commentary.

First line: Miss Jane Marple was sitting by her window.

CIDC: One of those bossy women?
AC: Very possibly....Still, in my experience, bossy women seldom get themselves murdered. I can't think why not.
(Chief Inspector Dermot Craddock, the Assistant Commissioner; p. 61)

But marriage is not like that, Chief Inspector. There can be no rapture continued indefinitely. We are fortunate if we can achieve a life of quiet content, affection, and serene and sober happiness.
(Jason Rudd; pp. 87-8)

C: One always finds there are more questions as the case goes on.
JJ: You mean it develops, Yes, I can quite see that. Murder develops. Yes, like a photograph, isn't it?
(Craddock, Johnny Jethroe; p.139)

Last lines: He said: She has a lovely face
                  God in His mercy lend her grace.
                  The Lady of Shalott.

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

Deaths = 4 (three poisoned; one shot)

The Widow of Bath (spoilerish)

 The Widow of Bath (1952) by Margot Bennett

Hugh Everton, who has served a short prison sentence for a dud check he never should have written, is adjusting to life after prison by working as a dreary food/hotel critic making his way along the coast. He's made his way to a particularly dreary little hotel with really bad food and extraordinarily bad waiters. But Everton's life is about to get more exciting. In the hotel bar, he meets Jan who he once thought he was in love with. Then his old flame Lucy comes in with her husband, the ex-Judge Gregory Bath. Bath is Jan's uncle. In their entourage is a man named Gerald Cady and another man named Atkinson, who Everton is sure he knows by an entirely different name. It's such a cozy little get-together. Lucy turns on the charm and invites Hugh back to the house for some drinks. As soon as he gets in the house, Hugh realizes there is an air of tension and everyone seems to be waiting for something to happen. 

They sit down for a nice little round of bridge, the judge invites him to the balcony to look at the sea--and to have an uncomfortable little chat. The judge heads to bed and Hugh returns to the bridge game where everyone keeps glancing at their watches. And then something does happen. They all hear a shot and Lucy decides she ought to go see what it's about. The judge's room is a mess and Bath lies shot in the middle of the room. Hugh gets curious about what happened, why Lucy insisted he be there, and what all those poor waiters at his hotel have to do with everything. He'll get knocked out a couple of times, someone else will die, and the police will be pretty exasperated by his meddling--but in the end, he'll figure out whodunnit. 

*******Spoilers abound ahead--though nothing explicit about who did it. Read at your own risk******

I seem to be an outlier amongst my Golden Age mystery friends here in the blogging world. Both Kate at Cross Examining Crime and Sergio at Tipping My Fedora have given this very positive reviews. Martin Edwards (of Do You Write Under Your Own Name) sings her and its praises in his introduction to the British Library Crime Classics edition which I read.

Margo Bennett was one of the finest British crime writers of the 1950s, and The Widow of Bath, first published in 1952 is one of her most impressive books. The mystery puzzle is intricate, the characterization strong, the setting evocative, and the prose elegant and witty.

I hate to disagree with such eminent reviewers and writers, but Bennett's book doesn't do a whole lot for me. I may agree that most of the characters are well-drawn--but none of them are engagingly well-drawn. The judge, though his time on stage is brief, is possibly the strongest character. We get a solid sense of his commitment to law and order...the foundation of why he had to die. Our "hero" (I use the term loosely) Hugh is well-drawn as a conflicted, bitter, goop. He just oozes along getting himself into all kinds of trouble--mostly because he has some sort of fatal attraction Lucy, but also because he just can't seem to stop meddling in police business. [You'd think with his background, he'd want to fly under the police radar--but, no.] Lucy is supposed to be some sort of femme fatale luring Hugh to his doom. She's definitely not a nice woman to know and Bennett makes that plain enough through her descriptions. What one wonders is with all the pointers about what a bad girl she is why on earth does it take Hugh so long to catch on? Hugh and Jan seem to go out of their way to be as unpleasant as possible to each other. Even after Hugh "sees the light" about Lucy and seems to think he's really in love with Jan. Then, at the end, the two kiss and suddenly declare themselves engaged. But there's  no sense at all that these two people are really getting along and will ride off into the romantic sunset together. In fact, as the book ends, the two aren't even in the scene together. The other guests on the night of Judge Bath's death are less distinct. Other than descriptions of what they look like, I have no real sense of Atkinson and Cady at all. I know that Cady is an unpleasant fellow, but if you asked me to describe him right now without referring to the book at all, I couldn't tell you a thing about him as a person. [And I just finished the book.] And don't get me started on Inspector Leigh. Yes, he's described perfectly for the type of policeman he is: "Inspector Leigh was a shadowy, yawning figure....a flabby, loose man, with a truculence that suggested he was not the perfect bureaucrat." And not the perfect detective either. He's hardly seen and when he is we don't see him doing a whole lot of detecting. He has two moments--in the beach dressing shed and in regards to the balcony--but that's it.

And elegant and witty prose? Um, no. Unless I'm totally missing something. Dorothy L. Sayers managed to be both elegant and witty when she had Lord Peter and Harriet interact during Have His Carcase. Harriet is still bruised and struggling with her feelings of debt and gratitude (and attraction to Peter, though she doesn't want to admit it). She lashes out at him--much as Hugh and Jan lash one another--but Sayers' prose is everything Bennett is reported as being, but isn't. Even at her most bitter, Harriet is far more elegant and witty than Hugh or Jan will ever be. They are dreary, bitter, and cruel. Beyond the interactions between the two, the prose style is just, quite honestly, confusing to me. For example, when Hugh isn't being outright unpleasant to Jan, he speaks in this supposedly lyrical, literary style--throwing in quotes here and there like a chef who has no clue how to cook, but knows one should toss in some herbs and spices (what kind doesn't really matter) to make things flavorful. There is no flow and the quotations and allusions a) make no sense to this reader and b) don't seem to have much to do with what he and Jan are talking about. The same thing happens when he speaks with Mrs. Leonard--except they both do it.

The plot is fine--nothing spectacular--and the motive makes perfect sense, given the character of the judge. Though how we were supposed to know that particular person would have that kind of motive before we're told at the end, I don't know (or I missed it as I worked my way through the supposedly elegant prose). I'm hoping that The Man Who Didn't Fly (which is waiting on the TBR pile) provides a more entertaining mystery. ★★ Though, as noted above, others have liked The Widow of Bath much more than me, so your mileage may vary.

First lines: "I've eaten this meal so often," the young man said to the waiter. "I know it's face, but I forget its name."

Last line: When he came to the road he turned inland, leaving Mrs. Leonard alone forever with the birds and the sea. 
*******************

Deaths = 2 (one shot; one drowned)

It's Not Little Red Riding Hood (mini-review)

 It's Not Little Red Riding Hood (2020) by Josh Funk

Josh Funk takes the classic fairy tale and gives readers a fun and updated version. Little Red isn't too sure about some of the rules to this story (sending a little girl off alone into the woods carrying a huge basket?), but she's willing to go along with them. Well sortof. Along the way, unexpected characters pop up and take over traditional roles (is everyone sick in Little Red's neighborhood? is something going around?). The Big Bad Wolf has to take a break and instead we get Big Bad...oops, that would be telling. And this version of Little Red Riding Hood is too much fun for me to spoil. Kids will have a good time looking for all the guest appearances by other fairy tale and children's book characters. And they'll learn a lesson or two about going off-script if the story seems a little sketchy. It's also fun to watch the back-and-forth between Little Red and the narrator (who is determined to tell the classic story with no additions or changes). The story comes with nice illustrations by Edwardian Taylor as well. ★★★★

First line: Once upon a time, Little Red Riding Hood lived with her family in a cottage on the outskirts of the woods.

Last line: Exactly. Maybe your next story is starting right now.

The Tenth Life

 The Tenth Life (1977) by Richard Lockridge

 When M. L. & Susan Heimrich's Great Dane Colonel falls ill, they take him to Dr. Adrian Barton's veterinary clinic. His assistant Carol Arnold tells them that the doctor is finishing up a surgery and will be right with them. But after time goes by and no doctor, Inspector Heimrich asks Carol to check how much longer it will be. Well...it's going to be quite a long time because the doctor is dead. It looks like the middle-aged Barton has had a stroke or a heart attack or perhaps a diabetic coma, but all of Heimrich's police alarm bells are going off and he's not so sure. And when the analyst finds curare in the syringe discovered under Barton's body, it winds up his alarm bells were ringing out murder.

But who wanted the veterinarian dead? Did his wife think he was messing around with the pretty young Carol Arnold and decide death was better than divorce? Did Carol's young man decide the "old" vet was too interested in his young assistant. Did one of the pet owners decide to take revenge for their pet's death? Are any of these motives strong enough to warrant murder? Apparently someone had a grievance strong enough to kill over, but will Heimrich find the right one before the killer strikes again? 

This is the last of the Heimrich novels and it was good to see the Inspector and Lieutenant Charley Forniss and Corporal Purvis in one last outing. The mystery is pretty straightforward and it shouldn't be difficult for those well-acquainted with the series to spot the killer. But I don't really read these for intricate plots. I enjoy the comfortable characters who behave in ways I've grown accustomed to and whom I live very much. Heimrich has been at this long enough that he knows when murder has occurred, even when it's not immediately obvious. And I've been reading the Lockridge books long enough that I know which characters are the most likely villains no matter how many red herrings he tries to throw my way. It was interesting to see curare used as the murder method in a modern mystery (pardon me, my Gen X card is showing--the seventies don't seem like they should be 50 years ago...). I thought everyone had given up the "obscure" South American poison long before then. But it does fit with the veterinary setting since it was used at one time (in very small doses) to immobilize animals for treatment. While this isn't the strongest of the Lockridge books, it was a nice comfortable read and a solid ending for the series. ★★★

First line: It was a few minutes after six in the afternoon, and the afternoon was in mid-July.

Last line: "And no stud fee," Susan said, and picked up the tray.
*****************

Deaths = 4 (one poisoned; three natural)

Six Queer Things

 Six Queer Things (1937) by Christopher St. John Sprigg

Marjorie Easton has grown weary of her uncle's miserly ways. Yes, he took her in when her parents died. But he begrudges every penny spent on food and is incredibly unpleasant to boot. So, when he complains about how little she makes at her current job (and how little her contribution to the household), she determines to get a better job and get out. So, when the opportunity to do "research" for Michael Crispin and his sister comes up--a position that includes room and board--she eagerly accepts. Ted, her young man, is suspicious of the position which will pay five guineas a week--more than he makes. Marjorie insists that it will be perfectly respectable.

She is a bit surprised to find that the "research" involves seances. But she soon gets used to taking notes at the sessions and is utterly convinced of Crispin's powers when her mother speaks to her and tells things that no one else could possibly know. Before she knows it, Crispin reveals that she--Marjorie--has mediumistic qualities and begins to train her. But as her powers as a medium grow, her demeanor changes and her vitality seems to drain. Ted is worried begins a campaign to get Marjorie out of the clutches of the people he believes to be charlatans...or worse. Then...during the first seance that Ted attends, Crispin is killed, Marjorie disappears, and Ted is accused of murder. Inspector Morgan shows up with a full complement of common sense and begins to unravel the mystery of the "six queer things" found in a locked drawer. Items that he's sure will "reveal all."

So...one doesn't really expect to find Victorian Gothic, Wilkie Collins Woman in White vibes echoing so strongly in a Golden Age mystery. Lots of atmosphere. Lots of evil relative, woman in danger stuff. Lots of eager young hero rushing in where angels fear to tread (to not much effect, actually). I wasn't terribly impressed with Inspector Morgan or the queer clues. The best part of the whole book was the opening scenes and the establishment of the characters involved. But the mystery left a lot to be desired and I must confess to skimming my way through in order to finish. I'll probably put this away and give it another try at another time. But right now... ★★ and 1/2 stars (and I'm not sure about the half).

First line: Marjorie's uncle was a fat, white-whiskered accountant who was a popular figure at the Bilford Liberal Club.

Last line: "I shot the bitch dead before I came here."
*****************

Deaths = 4 (two accident; one poisoned; one shot)

Twice Retired

 Twice Retired (1970) by Richard Lockridge

Professor Emeritus Walter Brinkley bounces his way into another murder investigation. That's the way this round little man is described as moving about...he never just walks into a room; he always bounces. He may be emeritus, but he definitely hasn't lost his vitality. This time Brinkley returns to Dyckman University for a book party. He's finally finished and published his A Note on American Regional Accents (having grown from a "note" to a 515 page tome) and the university wants to celebrate him in proper style. But getting to the Faculty Club is quite an ordeal--it's 1970, the Vietnam War is on, and the undergraduates are protesting the war, the establishment, and the police. Roughly in that order. Police are trying to direct traffic away from the center of campus and if the good professor really insists on going to the Faculty Club...well, then he'll have to detour quite a ways around. After the party, Brinkley returns to his car to find a dead man in his backseat. The body is General Philip Armstrong, chair of the board of trustees and a strong believer in putting down the protestors. Someone has put a pig mask on him, making it appear that the general was the target of the protestors--the pig masks had been used to mock the police. Lieutenant Stein and Assistant District Attorney Bernie Simmons have several avenues to follow--from an attack by one of the protestors to a disgruntled professor who just found out he's not getting tenure due to Armstrong's influence to family members who may not have been as devoted to the general as they would like everyone to believe.

I really love the Lockridge mysteries with the bouncy little professor. He doesn't show up quite as much throughout this story, but the opening with him and his little cameos later are perfect. It is somewhat fortuitous that I picked this one up just now. The background for the story is the deep unrest on college campuses and the protests taking place across the country. Here at the university where I work (and at many across the U.S.) we went through a period of protest at the end of the semester. And our brilliant (read that in the most sarcastic tone you can manage) university president decided to call out the state riot police on students peacefully protesting in (take note of this) the designated place on campus for protests and free speech. We had snipers on the roof of our student union building with their scopes on our students. It was appalling. [sorry for the momentary soap box moment...]

The students in Twice Retired aren't peaceful. They're openly mocking and baiting the police and administration. They're throwing things and destroying property. There's plenty of opportunity for someone to get hurt and for someone to get killed. The question is were they killed because of the protests, as a direct statement on the part of the protestors--or were the protests used as a cover for something more personal? After all of the characters are introduced and interviewed after the murder, it isn't difficult to answer that question. The interesting part is following Stein and Simmons to see how they will catch the culprit--how will they break an alibi? Very entertaining. ★★★★

First lines: Walter Brinkley searched his vocabulary, which was more extensive than most, and came up with the word. The word was 'pudgy.'

Last line: It was almost, Bernie thought, as if she's running to open the door.
*******************

Deaths = 5 (two natural; one wartime; two hit on head)

The Midnight Library

 The Midnight Library (2020) by Matt Haig

From the book flap: Between life and death there is a library. 
Up until now, Nora Seed's life has been full of misery and regret. She feels she has let everyone down, including herself. But things are about to change. When she finds herself in the Midnight Library, she has a chance to make things right.

The books in the Midnight Library enable Nora to live as if she had done things differently. Each one contains a different life, a possible world in which she made different choices that played out in an infinite number of ways, affecting everyone she knew as well as many people she never met. With the help of an old friend she can now undo every decision she regrets as she tries to work out her perfect life. but things aren't always what she imagined they'd be and soon her choices place the library and herself in extreme danger.

My take: So, the synopsis sounded really good. A magical library with books that represent every possible twist and turn your life could have taken. A chance to try those other lives on for size to figure out the perfect combination. I'm not much into the descriptions of most magical realism stories (and I really needed one for a challenge a signed up for), but a story about books and books filled with alternate realities? I was all set to enjoy that. But....I didn't. Or rather I didn't enjoy it like I thought I would. It's a perfectly good story. It has a nice little moral to it. And that's all fine. But the alternate realities weren't all that interesting. And Nora is supposedly extraordinarily bright...but she's a little slow on the uptake when she steps into a new life. Each time she's like, "Man, this is weird. Why is everything so different?" (Oh, I don't know...maybe because that was the whole point--that things would be different and you wouldn't be so sad about your life and want to end it all?) A terrific concept, but the follow-through was not up to expectations. I started out with 3 1/2 stars...but I've thought it over and I don't think it's that good. ★★ and 1/2

First line: Nineteen years before she decided to die, Nora Seed sat in the warmth of the small library at Hazeldene School in the town of Bedford.

Last line: And Nora smiled as she stared at all the pieces she still had left in play, thinking about her next move.

The Mystery at Greenfingers

 The Mystery at Greenfingers (1937) by J. B. Priestley

Priestley's mystery play is set at the Greenfingers Palace Hotel on the edge of the Peak District. In fact, one of the characters declares that's it's "easily the highest big hotel in England. We're nearly fifteen hundred feet up." A small group of employees have gone to the hotel in advance of the winter season to make sure the hotel is ready for business. There are several new faces in the crowd--employees who have joined the staff from other hotels--some owned by the same company and some not. A sudden snowstorm strands them all--including Mr. Crowther, a hotel detective sent by the home office to investigate a suspected crime, and Miss Tracey, an investor in the company who has brought along Mrs. Jernigan (described as "her companion."). 

The two ladies are no sooner installed in a couple of empty rooms than the snow cuts the hotel off from outside help, the phone lines go down, and loud bangs that sound like gunshots go off in Mrs. Jernigan's room. When Crowther and the hotel employees reach the room, they find it locked on the inside. The door is forced and, though there is a smell like gunpowder in the room there is no gun and...no Mrs. Jernigan. The windows and the door connecting to Miss Tracey's room are all locked from the inside. Who set off the pistol shots? What happened to the gun? Where is Mrs. Jernigan? And...is she still alive? These are the questions that face Crowther and the hotel staff. And Miss Tracey...for Miss Tracey is a devotee of murder mysteries and she's always fancied herself an amateur detective.

Though Priestley's play does contain a mystery--and a rather cleverly plotted one at that, it is far more steeped in comedy than mystery. It reads like a drawing room comedy where there are people popping in and out of the scene at the oddest moments. You never know who will come through which door next. And I'm quite sure it would have been a hoot to see performed. Miss Tracey reminds me of a far more intense, yet slightly arch Miss Marple or Miss Silver and it was great fun to watch her and Miss Edna Sandars (one of the staff) collect clues that Crowther was too obtuse to recognize. A fun little 1930s mystery/comedy. ★★★

First line: Mrs Heaton (scornfully): I'm sorry to interrupt your performance, Mr. Jordan.

I've no drama going on inside, as all you people have. So I can give all my time and energy to noticing what other people are like. You've no idea what a lot you do notice once you've stopped leading an intense personal life yourself. It's people like me who ought to be the detective. That's why I'm enjoying all this. [Miss Tracey; p. 61]

Last line: Miss Tracey: Wrong number! (All three laugh.)
****************

Deaths = one (but to tell how would be a spoiler)

Making It So

  Making It So (2023) by Patrick Stewart

Covid has struck and it has been nearly a week since I finished this. I'm still not quite up to writing a more substantial review, but I want to get these thoughts down while the book is fairly fresh...

 Sir Patrick Stewart--Shakespearean actor. Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Professor X--the well-known man of stage, television, screen has put together a delightful memoir that takes the reader from his hard early life in Yorkshire, England through school until he found his feet the first time he set foot on stage. He was no instant star and he may have taken a slight detour into journalism before making it his life's work, but he really knew from that first part in a school play that acting was what he wanted to do. He worked his way up through repertory theater to a stint of more than forty years as a part of the Royal Shakespeare to world-wide fame as Captain of the Enterprise and the leader of X-Men. 

It was really interesting to learn about his early years and his experiences in the theater. I felt like I knew about him during the The Next Generation years--both through watching the show and seeing various reunion segments with the actors (clips from conventions or talk shows and whatnot). There are portions of his life that he doesn't spend much time on--mostly about his personal relationships post-Star Trek. It would have been nice to hear a few more stories about his friendship with Ian McKellan. But overall, a very entertaining read. ★★★★

First line: We called it t'bottom field, never wondering where, in relation to "t'bottom," t'middle field and t'top field might be.

Last lines: And I hear Sunny calling. Supper's ready.

Seance for a Vampire

 The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Seance for a Vampire (1994) by Fred Saberhagen

This is a follow-up story to Saberhangen's The Holmes-Dracula File from 1978. Here, Dr. Watson reluctantly calls on the sanguinary count when Holmes is apparently kidnapped by a vampire. But...I get ahead of myself. Ambrose Altamont has lost his eldest daughter in a tragic boating accident. His wife has gotten mixed up with a couple of spiritualists who claim to be able to put them in touch with their beloved Louisa. Altamont is convinced the two are charlatans and wants Holmes to prove it. His wife has become convinced of the spiritualists' power after the last séance produced what seemed to be their dead daughter. When another séance takes place it seems that Louisa has truly come back from the dead, but before Holmes can investigate, he is snatched up by a powerful man who disappears with him into the wood. What Watson witnesses, convinces him that both Louisa and the kidnapper are vampires and his only hope is to summon Dracula to help rescue Holmes and get to the bottom of the vampires' involvement with the Altamont family. They soon discover that the vampire which kidnapped Holmes holds a long-standing (over a century) grudge against the Altamonts and has used their daughter as a means to avenge himself. Holmes has gotten in the way and must be put out of commission. Will Dracula and Watson be able rescue Holmes and then work together with the detective to put an end to the vampire's hold on the Altamont family? 

Life got in the way after I finished reading this and I'm having a bit of trouble gathering my thoughts to put a review together. Saberhagen's second book about the Dracula-Holmes connection is entertaining and I still feel like he got the characters of Holmes and Watson right, but it doesn't quite have the charm of the earlier novel. Dracula isn't quite as appealing and the mystery isn't quite as solid. That's not to say it's a bad book, it's not. It's still quite fun and I enjoyed the alternating narration from Watson and Dracula. Definitely a good choice for those who like a bit of the supernatural mixed with their mysteries. ★★★ for a solid read.

First lines: Of course, I can tell you the tale. but you should understand at the start that there are points where the tell may cause me to become rather emotional.

Last line: In fact, there were witnesses  who heard Mr. Prince, just before departing for Scotland, confide to his cousin Sherlock Holmes that he wanted nothing more to do in any way with Gregory Efimovich Rasputin.
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Deaths = 4 (one strangled; one stabbed; one hit on head; one shot)

Grand Cru Heist

 Grand Cru Heist (2004) by Jean-Pierre Alaux & Noël Balen

Benjamin Cooker, renowned wine critic, is waylaid while on a trip to Paris. He is beaten and his prized classic Mercedes is hijacked. But as upset as he is about the stolen car, he is more upset about the briefcase with his wine-tasting notebook which held years' worth all the wines he had tasted the world over. He is sure he will never see any of his possessions again. He is sent to the Tours region to recover where he meets a suave Englishman a car even better than a Mercedes. Cooker has always wanted a Morgan Plus 8--or at least to ride in one. So he makes friends with Sir Robert Morton and fulfills his dream. 

While Cooker is in Tours a series of thefts involving priceless Grand cru wines takes place. The wines belong to a friend of Cooker. And the very night that Morton leaves the hotel the young woman with whom he had arrived (and who had packed up and left while he and Cooker were out joy-riding) is found strangled. This discovery is followed by the apparent suicide of the concierge--a young man who Cooker had made friends with. The police believe it to be an easy case--Gaetan, the concierge, had strangled the woman and then killed himself in a fit of remorse. But Cooker doesn't believe it and points out a few inconsistencies to the police. But if not Gaetan, then who--and why? Cooker and his assistant Virgile manage to answer those questions as well as help their friend Boüard  get to the bottom of the wine thefts. Oh...and Cooker gets his Mercedes and the notebook back intact too!

This is a perfectly fine little story. Most interesting for the locale and the interesting tidbits about wine. I also really enjoyed Cooker and Virgile and their working relationship. There is, however, no great complex mystery. For one, there just aren't really a lot of suspects to sift through. It's not difficult to figure out whodunnit. Definitely more of a comfort read than an intellectual puzzle. My biggest question is--did the culprit just happen to be in Tours at the same time as Cooker or was it planned? And if was planned, how did they know he'd be there? ★★★

First line: Paris finally returned to its splendor at dusk.

Last lines: "A miracle, yes," Hubert de Boüard said "But also a blessing." 
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Deaths = 3 (two strangled; one drowned)

Zombies of the Gene Pool

 Zombies of the Gene Pool (1992) by Sharyn McCrumb

Jay Omega (Professor James Owen Mega) is back for another mystery set in the world of science fiction fans. This time Erik Giles, fellow professor in the English department (who, once upon a time, was an early fan of science fiction and SF author C. A. Stormcock), invites Omega's partner Professor Marion Farley and Omega to what promises to be the Fan event of the year. In the 1950s Giles was member of a fan group known as the "Lanthanides"--several members went on the be famous as either authors, critics of the genre, or, in the case of "Bunzie" (Reuben Bundschaft Mistral), a famous Hollywood movie producer. 1954 saw the group decide to go cross-country from Wall Hallow, Tennessee to the Worldcon in San Francisco, but their car broke down and they had to return home to the FanFarm. So, they held their own convention and buried a SF time capsule with short stories from all members along with other SF memorabilia. It's time for a reunion and Mistral has set it up with plenty of fanfare. News outlets will be on hand as will representatives of various publishing houses who will bid for the right to sell the collection of SF stories.

But there are a few surprises in store. First, Pat Malone, one of their number who supposedly died long ago, crashes the reunion party. Malone had always been the most caustic of the group and was most famous in fandom for having written a treatise saying most fans and authors had sold out. He hasn't changed a bit and makes several references to events the other Lanthanides would rather forget. Someone decides they don't want Malone ruining their chances for a terrific book deal and poisons him. So Omega goes to work finding out if Malone really did rise from the dead only to be killed or if something else is going on... 

This one didn't have as much charm as the first Jay Omega book (Bimbos of the Death Sun). Part of the fun of that first one was the SF convention setting. The send-up of science fiction fans felt more light-hearted and though it poked fun at the ways and mores of those fans, it didn't seem mean-spirited. Zombies seems to have a touch of meanness. We also have to wait way too long for the murder to happen and then it's wrapped up in a rush. And then there's the fact that there really isn't any way for readers (this reader, anyway) to figure out who did it and why. There's a whisper of a hint early one, but you'd really have to read between the lines (with a crystal ball in hand) to figure out what it really means. There is a surprise at the end that could make up for some of this--but I had a feeling something like it might be in the works. Again--no real clues to say so, but once a similar idea floated through my mind the ending didn't surprise me as it could have. ★★ and 1/2

First line: Jay Omega decided to wait until the shouting stopped before he knocked.

I don't see any harm in keeping quiet about this for the time being. It isn't obstructing justice to refrain from mentioning a death to a bunch of reporters and book editors. (Jim Conyers, p. 116)

Last line: He glanced at it and laughed again. "Fuggheads."
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Deaths = 6 (one car accident; four natural; one poisoned)

Daisy Darker (Spoilerific)

 Daisy Darker (2022) by Alice Feeney

It's time for Nana (Beatrice) Darker's 80th birthday and she decides to invite her dysfunctional family to her tiny tidal island for the celebration. They all come--Daisy Darker, Nana's favorite granddaughter and our narrator. Nancy and Frank Darker, Daisy's parents (now divorced); Rose and Lily, Daisy's sisters (who seem more like the evil stepsisters from Cinderella); and Trixie, Daisy's beloved niece. Also on hand, though late to the party, is Conor Kennedy--a young man who grew up with the Darker girls and was treated like family when his father was "unwell" (read drunk). It's not surprising that the family has gathered, even if they haven't gotten along well for quite some time. Because Nana believes what a fortune teller once told her...that she will die in her 80th year...and plans to reveal what's in her will. They all could use an inheritance and don't mind spending eight hours in each others' company if that means they're in the will. Eight hours? Well, for eight hours after the tide comes in, the Darkers will be cut off from the mainland. And, of course, a nasty storm is thrown in for good measure--just in case someone wants to leave by boat (or swimming) before the tide goes out again.

And why would they want to leave you might ask. Well...just after midnight, Nana is found dead in the kitchen. She appears to have fallen from a chair while chalking a particularly nasty poem on the wall and has a gash on her head where she may have hit the table. But then when other Darkers start dying every hour on the hour, it looks like someone in the house has it in for the family. Which of them is doing it? Or is there someone else on the island that they don't know about? But if so--who could have a grudge against an entire family.

SPOILERS AHEAD! The only way to give my full reaction is to spoil the ending. If you haven't read this and think you might want to, you might want to stop reading the review now.

So....I have mixed feelings about this one. I loved the set-up. Feeney plays nicely on Christie's And Then There Were None theme--with the group trapped on the island, the poems to match the murders, and the murders themselves. She also uses Christie's red herring--again with a twist. The accomplice in this case actually does some killing and isn't knocked off by the herring.  The atmosphere is great and the family relationships (or lack thereof) add to the tension. Feeney does a pretty good job of using Christie-like sleight of hand to mislead the reader about the true nature of our narrator. I had to really think about previous scenes to realize that she hadn't played unfairly. BUT....a ghost? Really? And how on earth is Trixie not going to be arrested and convicted of murdering everyone? We're told that names have been changed--but surely in the "real" world someone will notice that these people who have lives outside of Seaglass island are suddenly not showing up where they're supposed to be and an investigation will be made. Maybe Trixie plans on doing a disappearing act. But we're not told that. 

I had two ideas about the killer (neither correct, of course). One: that Daisy wasn't a ghost and actually did it (after all, she tells us straight up that she lies sometimes and we get to see how she could take revenge). Two: that Conor's dad was really still alive and was hidden on the island and doing it all. I'm still trying to figure out where the men's boots came from....So, yeah, there are a few loose ends here and there.

But overall--I think this was a pretty good effort to walk in Dame Agatha's footprints and I did enjoy it. So.... ★★★ and 1/2.

First line: I was born with a broken heart.

Doesn't everyone wonder who they would have been if they weren't who they were? (p. 22)

My mother used to button up her resentment, but it has grown over the years, and no matter how much she tries to hide it, a little is always left on show. (p. 25)

Sometimes, if the thoughts inside her own head are not forthcoming, she'll scribble an inspirational quote from a dead author on there. The dead often seem to know more about living than those still alive. (about Nana; p. 33)

"There are much cleverer ways of ending a person than killing them." (Nana; p. 36)

We make moments with our families. Sometimes we stitch them together over time, to make more of them than they were. We share them and hold on to them together as if they were treasure, even when they start to rust. (p. 139)

The trouble with little white lies is that they sometimes grow up to become big dark ones. (p. 172)

Life is a performance, and we don't all like the scripts we're given; sometimes it's best to write your own. (p. 181)

When you love someone, you can't just turn it off, there isn't a switch. Even if you hate someone that you once loved, there is still a little bit of love there. Love is like the soil that hate needs in order to grow. (Rose; p. 234)

Where does the love go when someone dies? Their last breath disappears into the atmosphere, their body gets buried in the ground, but where does the love go? If love is real, it must go somewhere. (Trixie; p.328)

Last line: There are some stories only time will tell.
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Deaths =  9 (five poisoned; three fell from height; one shot)

Q-Squared

 Q-Squared (1995) by Peter David

Take Q and make him even more annoying and arbitrary and you get....Trelane. The infamous Squire of Gothos with whom Captain Kirk had a run-in over a hundred years ago. Wound up he was just a kid Q who got loose from his parents and wanted to interact with humans for "fun and games." Well...a century has passed and Trelane hasn't grown up much. But now Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the Enterprise D crew must deal with a Trelane who has tapped into the universal power source and has delusions of godhood. He messes with the powers that keep all alternate mutliverses separate and with the plan this teen-aged Q filled with teen-age angst has for "life, the universe and everything" it seems more like devilhood. Because if Trelane has his way all possible alternate timelines will be gone--but only after the Enterprise crew (and everyone else in the universe) and their alternate selves fight it out to the death to see which one will remain. According to Q, Picard is the only one who can save the universe...and all of its alternates. But how can a mere mortal take on a god...or a devil?

In his introduction, Peter David says that he generally writes two types of Star Trek novels. One is simply problem-oriented--the crew, whether Kirk & company or Next Gen, get involved in events with alien races or whatnot and they have to resolve it. The other takes a look at Trek as a whole and tries to stitch together threads from various iterations of the Trek universe to make a tapestry of sorts. This is the latter type of story. And, overall, I like it very much. I enjoyed the way he brought Trelane into the Q Continuum and made his interactions bridge the time period between Kirk and Picard. I'm also really interested in the multiverse (alternate timeline) trope in science fiction and enjoyed David's take on that concept. The one thing that kept this from a full four-star review was the chaos at the end--I realize that was the point of Trelane's little "experiment," but with all of the various Picards and Rikers and Crushers (both Beverly and Jack [!]), etc. running in and out of each other's timelines it was very difficult to keep everybody straight. And (slight SPOILER ahead)...

even though we're meant to believe that we're back to the "real" universe (that is the one from the TV show) at the end. I'm still a little unsure. A great concept, pretty nicely realized. ★★★ and 1/2.

First line: The child looked up at the adult eagerly, wonderingly in that way that children had.

And which of these multiverses is the real one? (LaForge; p. 126)

Last line: She turned back to ask him why he sounded so strange when he said that...but he was already gone.

Dorothy & Jack: The Transforming Friendship of Dorothy L. Sayers & C. S. Lewis

 Dorothy & Jack: The Transforming Friendship of Dorothy L. Sayers & C. S. Lewis by Gina Dalfonzo (2020)

What happens when we push past the surface and allow real, grounded, mutually challenging, and edifying friendships to develop? This is the question posed by Gina Dalfonzo in her biographical examination of the friendship between Christian thinkers and apologists Dorothy L. Sayers and C. S. Lewis. The friendship had its beginning in a fan letter that Sayers, then celebrated for her mystery fiction and less known for her Christian work, wrote Lewis the first of what became a fifteen-year correspondence. They met on various occasions, but the friendship grew primarily through the written word--letters exploring their mutually held views, debating their differences, critiquing each others work, bolstering one another on points of perceived weakness, and praising & encouraging strengths. 

"Over the years they had helped, educated, guided, teased, critiqued, chastised, defended, consoled, and laughed with each other."

What more could two friends ask for?

One thing that I found frustrating about this book is that most of the letters which promised (in Dalfonzo's descriptions of them) to be very interesting were "apparently lost." She repeatedly employs references in letters--most often in Lewis's replies to Sayers (DLS appears to have kept nearly everything Lewis sent to her)--which indicate that a previous letter held some interesting or profound observations, but we don't get to see them. And, in fact, Dalfonzo quotes very little of the correspondence even though she quotes Lewis's admiration for Sayers' letter-writing abilities. Which reminds me that I really need to read the two collections of Sayers' letters that I have.

On the plus side, it was very refreshing to read about this amazing intellectual friendship--to watch how each influenced the other over the years and gave to the other something that was missing in their other friendships. Having enjoyed Sayers' translation of Dante, I especially appreciated Lewis's commentary and critiques of that work. A very strong literary biography of the friendship between two of my favorite authors. ★★★★

First line (Intro): They could not have been more alike.

Last line: "He is down on the thing like a rat, he is God's terrier, and I wouldn't be without him for the world." (Sayers about Lewis)

The Silent Speaker

 The Silent Speaker (Oct 1946) by Rex Stout

Cheney Boone, the Director of the Bureau of Price Regulation (hereafter BPR) is found beaten to death in his dressing room just before he's set to give a speech at a gathering of the National Industrial Association (NIA). The NIA is made up of a group of big business concerns and there isn't much love lost between the two agencies. Boone was repeatedly struck with a monkey wrench that was among his props for the speech. [Bev's first question: why on earth did the man have not one, but several monkey wrenches for his speech. This isn't really pertinent to the mystery...but inquiring minds want to know.] Given the antagonism which exists between the BPR and the NIA, the NIA has already been found guilty at the bar of public opinion. Public opinion doesn't really seem to care which NIA member did it--they're all guilty by association. 

Nero Wolfe, who has been goaded into figuring out a way to get paid--so Archie, Fritz, Theodore, and all those orchids won't be homeless, puts Archie to work on a scheme that manipulates the NIA into practically begging him to investigate and snatch their chestnuts out of the fire. The key to the case winds up being a leather satchel containing speech recorder cylinders that Boone's confidential assistant Miss Phoebe Gunther seems to have misplaced. Phoebe is next on the killer's hit list. And when the satchel is found, there are only nine cylinders when there should be ten. Whatever was on that last cylinder must be hot stuff and Wolfe pulls out all the stops...including doing a turn as a mental case...to find it.

In the meantime, Cramer is pulled off the case because he's given Wolfe too much latitude (and gotten no results). And he's replaced with Inspector Ash who is a horse's rear-end. Wolfe contrives to pull his rabbits out of hats with Cramer present so he will get the glory and be reinstated. I love the ending where Cramer wants to say thank you (with the gift of an orchid) but doesn't want to be all mushy about it. 

For about half to two-thirds of the book, I felt like this was the same old, same old. Archie goads Wolfe into working. Wolfe defies the police. Wolfe is threatened with jail time. Wolfe, for apparently inexplicable reasons, chooses to keep Archie out of part of the investigation--hiring a detective agency to do a bunch of leg work; using Saul Panzer and not letting Archie listen in on Saul's reports. The story is saved by the ending. Wolfe's theatrics as a man suffering from a nervous breakdown and his interactions with Archie during that period as well as the ending proper where he reveals all (plus Cramer with orchid in hand) makes it all worthwhile. ★★★

First line: Seated in his giant's chair behind his desk in his office, leaning back with his eyes half closed, Nero Wolfe muttered at me.

The hurdles I had to make, you might have thought Hattie Harding was the goddess of a temple and this was it, instead of merely the Assistant Director of Public relations for the NIA, but I finally made the last jump and was taken in to her. (p. 8)

Last line: "If that was it, either primary or secondary, to hell with ethics."
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Deaths: two hit on head

The Blue Geranium

 The Blue Geranium (1941) by Dolan Birkley (Dolores Hitchens)

Janet Cooper, diving instructor at the Hotel Quillan discovers the wealthy Nina Arkwright hacked to death in one of the women's dressing rooms at poolside. She doesn't immediately raise the alarm because she's afraid that the police will hone in on her beloved Joel Markham as prime suspect--especially since he said that Mrs. Arkwright deserved killing not two days before she wound up dead. [I'm not clear on what good she thought a delay would do....] When the janitor goes into the women's rooms to clean up, he finds Nina as well as a cheap green hat that the woman would never have worn a collection of newspaper clippings about an aviator who was lost as sea making a publicity flight in Arkwright's interests, and a broken flowerpot with the blue geranium that it housed--but no weapon. The ax that the killer wielded has disappeared. Only two people were seen leaving the pool area during the crucial period and neither of them could have concealed an ax about their person.

Janet's fears are realized after all those who knew Nina have been interviewed and there are indications--in addition to Joel's incriminating exclamation--that Joel might be the guilty party. It seems that it was likely that Nina was going to kick the scientist off her payroll at a plant where he had made some terrific discoveries. Captain Loring immediately arrests Joel on suspicion of homicide. But Joel doesn't seem worried.

"You'll want a lawyer, I suppose?" Loring said wryly. 

Joel shrugged. "Not right away. You wouldn't let me out anyhow. Take a day or two to find out you've made a mistake."

Janet isn't as confident as Joel and spends the rest of the book playing amateur detective. She blindly goes off to meet mysterious telegram-senders, eavesdrops on conversations, and devises a plan to trap the killer--all without getting herself bumped off in the process. Quite a feat, considering that the killer has no problem killing a second hotel guest with the missing ax when she discovers the secret of the blue geranium. But there are other mysteries to solve before the killer can be pinpointed--why did Nina arrange to have a dinner party with all black decorations--as if for funeral baked meats? Why did she come home late the previous night looking like she'd been in a brawl--with a black eye and bruises? Why did she insist on wearing a cheap green hat which wasn't her style and didn't match what she was wearing? 

This was a fun little mystery--not too difficult to spot the killer, though it took a bit more effort to figure out the exact motive. Janet did get a bit on my nerves towards the end--even after Joel was proved innocent (he was still cooling his heels in jail when the second murder occurred), she was going off on her own and keeping back information from the police. Captain Loring made it clear to her that he was on her side and she still didn't share things. She's fortunate that her meddling didn't get her into bigger trouble than it did. Pretty fairly clued. I didn't pick up on a crucial piece that would have helped with the motive. Very enjoyable.  ★★★ and 1/2

First line: Janet felt the wind freshen as she mounted the ladder to the diving platform, but she was warmer because the sun reached her here.

I see I'm going to have to warn you against meddling. Don't think I'm sore on my own account. Amateurs usually play right into the hands of the police, as you did tonight. What I'm thinking of is your own safety. Suppose that telegram had been sent by someone who decided it shouldn't be known at any cost? [Captain Loring; pp. 69-70]

If you're thinking of blackmailing this person you suspect of killing Nina, you'd better give up the idea. Murderers don't blackmail well, from what I've read. [Janet Cooper; p. 73]

Only God understands a woman's mind, Miss Cooper. Begging your pardon for saying it. [Loring; p. 124]

I'm beginning to think that the people in this thing wouldn't know the truth if they met it out walking. [Loring; p. 145]

Last line: It was then, and at last, that she knew the fearful part was over.
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Deaths = 4 (two hit with axe; one airplane accident; one fell from height)

One by One They Disappeared

 One by One They Disappeared (1929) by Moray Dalton (Katherine Dalton Renoir)

Inspector Collier goes to a hotel for dinner with friends a few days before taking off on a holiday to Rapallo in Italy. By chance, he strikes up a conversation with Elbert J. Pakenham, a New York millionaire who is also waiting for dinner companions. Pakenham is one of nine survivors of the Coptic, a vessel sunk during the first World War. Each year he hosts a dinner for his fellow survivors and gives them a small gift--a token of his appreciation for their taking such good care of an old man while they waited rescue. Last year, he made an even bigger gesture--telling them all that since his nephew died he has made them joint beneficiaries of his will. The inspector happens to see the first of the men to arrive, a blind man named Raymond and a Mr. Freyne.

The morning Collier is preparing to leave for Italy, he reads a story in the newspaper with the headline "FATAL ACCIDENT TO BLIND PIANO TUNER." that makes him change his plans. He recognizes the name of the blind man as that of the man on his way to the anniversary dinner with Pakenham. All of his alarm bells are going off and he decides to take a busman's holiday rather than a trip to Italy (though Italy will play its part in the drama to come). His unofficial investigation reveals that several of the Coptic's survivors have met with fatal "accidents" in the past year and he begins to suspect that someone wants to make sure that the lion's share of Pakenham's estate will come to them. And when his bet friend, Inspector Trask, who has been assisting him with his investigation is nearly killed by an accident clearly intended for Collier, he's sure he's right.

Then Mr. Pakenham goes missing--on a trip of his own to Italy where he just might meet with one of those fatal accidents...will the wily old American and the British inspector be able to beat a clever killer at his own game?

******Warning--a bit of a spoiler ahead. Read at your own risk.******

This is the first of Dalton's Inspector Collier mysteries and as a first in series, it's pretty good. Collier is not your super detective. He makes lots of mistakes along the way and, honestly, Pakenham seems a bit quicker on the uptake in a few of the situations. But Collier is a likeable detective and one hopes that he will get better at the detecting game as the series goes along. The plot is (now) a well-worn one--a tontine-style will where the portions get bigger as the number of potential heirs decreases. But Dalton does well with it and creates some memorable moments along the way. The two things which would have made this better: a stronger detective and a less obvious suspect. The only thing I couldn't quite figure out was how the motive worked for the culprit. The connection isn't nearly as obvious and I don't see how the reader could have figured it out before being told at the end. All that said--an entertaining beginning in a book that was a quick read. I plan to read more by Dalton.

Curtis Evans provides a great introduction to this reprint edition which contains much background information on Dalton. He says: "Only now coming back into print, Moray Dalton (really Katherine Mary Dalton Renoir) resembles the Crime Queens in many ways, having a decided knack for narrative and characterization. Yet for me she is a bit less “posh” (there’s that word again) of a writer than Sayers, Allingham and Marsh and explores sexual and class dynamics in Thirties and Forties Britain in more original ways.  See, for example, Death in the Cup and The Strange Case of Harriet Hall, which have some truly striking and refreshing situations. I think that Dalton, who seems to have lived life as something of a privileged outsider, may have been more of a forerunner of the modern crime novel than these other, more famous women, estimable as they are.  Her primary sleuth, Hugh Collier, is an appealing young police detective." 

 ★★★ and 1/2.

First line: As Inspector Collier entered the hotel lounge he glanced in a mildly inquiring manner at the three men who were sitting together at one of the little tables on his left.

Men expected one to take their advice without question, and they did not like one to be nervous and full of fancies. (p. 17)

Last line: And then, hurriedly, as if ashamed of his lapse, God bless her!
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Deaths =  9 (three natural; one enemy action; one fell from height; one hit by car; one blood poisoning; one suffocated; one stabbed)