John Dickson Carr: The Man Who Explained Miracles

 John Dickson Carr: The Man Who Explained Miracles (1995) by Douglas G. Greene

Carr is widely recognized by Golden age fans as a grand master when it comes to locked rooms and impossible crimes. He spent his writing life coming up with more ways to kill people in impossible situations than just about anybody. And he did it while (mostly) playing fair with his readers. He believed, as did most of the Golden Age detective novelists, that all of the clues should be fairly displayed--that the reader should have every chance to beat the detective to the solution. Or at least arrive there at the same time. Even when he was writing his historical novels, he still included a bit (or more) of mystery and followed the same rule. 

Greene has given mystery fans a detailed, intensely researched look at Carr's life, but more importantly a detailed look at the books he wrote. The themes, the tricks, the process, and the evolution of Carr's series characters. If you haven't read all of Carr's books, then there are parts you'll want to skip because in talking about the author's writing process and themes Greene often needs to spoil a plot or two. But he gives ample warning so no one will read a spoiler unawares.

I will say that this isn't really a book to sit down and read straight through (though I did). It will be far more useful as a reference book to have handy when I read the Carr novels still left on my TBR pile. I'll enjoy reading The Unicorn Murders, for instance, and then turning to Greene's book to see what I missed and how things came together for Carr as he was writing. 

A fine literary biography. Recommended for mystery fans--especially those who enjoy impossible crimes and those written by a master. ★★★★ 

First line (preface): For more than forty years, John Dickson Carr created and explained miracles in novels, short stories, and scripts.

Last lines: When John Dickson Carr was asked whether he would change any part of his life, he answered, "Oh, I've been a damned fool, sometimes, you know, but otherwise, no." The world has plenty of damned fools--all of can claim that title--but it had only one John Dickson Carr.

The Clue in the Jewel Box

 The Clue in the Jewel Box (1943) by Carolyn Keene

A mystery which begins with Nancy looking for the pickpocket who has relieved several of the citizens of River Heights of their wallets--including her own father, Carson Drew soon expands to include a search for the missing grandson of a European queen living incognito in the States. Nancy, Bess, and George assist Madame Alexandra when the frail older woman requests their help in seeing her home--she has suddenly felt ill while out shopping. When the girls are invited to her house for tea, they learn of her aristocratic heritage and while showing them some of the treasures she brought from her home country, they see a picture of a little boy in a sailor suit. Madame Alexandra tells them that he is her grandson Michael who has been missing since he escaped the country with his nurse. She'd given anything to find him. And Nancy promises to do everything she can. Her investigations turn up a man who seems to have the proper credentials--but is he really the long-lost prince? His manners certainly don't seem to be very princely. A clue left by Michael's nurse in Madame Alexandra's jewel box will help Nancy determine who the real Prince Michael Alexandra is. Along the way, she and her friends will also catch a sneak thief or two.

It's a good thing I don't go back and read Nancy for the believability of the plots. Me--I'm just in it for a nice stroll down memory lane and, when I've found the original text version, to see if I spot any differences from the versions I read as a child or spot things that I never even thought about as a child. So--the first thing that stood out to me this time? Where is Nancy's roadster? The girl is biking, walking, or taking a taxi everywhere--no roadster in sight. When I look at the publication date, I realize that because of WWII, it probably wasn't a good idea to have Nancy bopping all over the place and wasting all that gas during wartime. And yet...her old school friend Helen Corning shows up in this one and announces that she and her dad had just returned from a glorious trip to Paris. Say what? Paris? In the middle of WWII? Maybe Nancy could have kept her roadster. 

The other thing is more intangible. Something about this one just doesn't feel right overall. All of the characters seem a bit off to me. And I'm not quite sure what it is--except in the case of Ned and Nancy's other friends. When the man originally identified as Prince Michael gate-crashes their boating trip/picnic, Ned and company decide it would be great fun to strand the guy on the other shore. Nancy protests a bit that it wouldn't be nice--but she's actually more worried about Madame Alexandra's disappointment in her than abandoning the guy. Sure, he's been a rude boor, but I don't remember Ned and the others being so mean-spirited--willing to capture proven bad guys? Certainly. But playing dirty tricks on those who are rude? Not so much. 

I enjoyed the mystery and watching Nancy solve it. I just wish the characters had behaved more as I expected them to. ★★★

First line: "No a silver pen isn't exactly what I want," Nancy Drew explained patiently to the jewelry salesman in the department store.

Last line: " I'll turn over the organization task of the new company to Dad, and my share of the profits to his pet charity, the Boys Club!"

Death of a Doll

 Death of a Doll (1947) by Hilda Lawrence

Hope House, a boarding house for young women, is run by the very genteel Monica Brady and her assistant Angelina "Angel" Small. Seventy girls are given bed, two meals a day, hot water and the opportunity to make friends. The story opens with Ruth Miller, a clerk at Blackman's department store, who has been able to take advantage of an opening at the boarding house. She is so pleased about the fact that she's finally found a place with hot water that she tells her favorite customer, the wealthy young Roberta Sutton, all about it. Roberta has taken an interest in the girl and isn't sure that Hope House is the paradise Ruth thinks. She promises herself to check in on Ruth when she returns from a visit to the country, but when she gets back Ruth is no longer at the store. She is shocked to discover that the young clerk has died from an apparent suicide. 

The doctor on the scene and the police quickly declared it a suicide-though why she should have jumped from her seventh floor room window during costume party where all the girls were dressed as rag dolls is hard to fathom. But Miss Brady and Miss Small both say that Ruth was having trouble fitting in and seemed very withdrawn, nearly depressed--and that is that. Except--Roberta doesn't believe it for a minute. When she left Ruth, the girl was excited about her new living arrangements. And--just the day before the party Ruth had bought a new blue suit that shed been saving up for. Roberta asks her friend Mark East, an investigator, to nose around and see what he can find out. Why would a girl whose luck was on the upswing jump to her death? What the reader knows--but Mark will have to find out--is that in the short time Ruth was at Hope House she had found someone from her past. Someone who scared her upon sight. But who in Hope House is the menacing figure from the past and why did Ruth have to die?

Hope House is full of tension and unexplained suspicion. Beulah Pond, friend of both Mark and Roberta, says that the house "stinks" with an unpleasant atmosphere and once he starts investigating Mark can't disagree. This is in effect even before Ruth meets up with the enemy from the past. I suspect Lawrence was trying for suspense, but I just found it overly oppressive without building any desire in me to investigate the source of the atmosphere. And Mark's detective work, paired with that of Beulah and her tag-along Bessy, seems even more lackluster and haphazard than in the previous book I read. 

On the positive side--there was a major clue to the culprit's identity dropped right in my lap and I missed it. So, Lawrence did a nice bit of misdirection there. But overall I just can't say I recommend her books. When I read my first Lawrence book, Blood Upon the Snow, I said that it was an "almost" kind of book and I gave it 2.5 stars. I followed that with a non-Mark East book, The Pavilion, and it was a bit better--but given that I awarded 2.75 stars, I'd say it still didn't quite hit the target. And here we are again. Death of a Doll is even less captivating than the previous two, so I suspect Hilda Lawrence is an "almost" kind of detective novelist. I've still got one more Lawrence mystery on the TBR stack: A Time to Die, the second of the Mark East books. Maybe that will wind up being her masterpiece...but I'm not going to hold my breath. ★★

For different takes on this novel, please see Kate's review at Cross Examining Crime and John at Pretty Sinister Books.

 

First line: Angeline Small stepped out of the elevator at five o'clock and nodded to Kitty Brice behind the switchboard.

Last line: He answered Roberta, but to himself. He said, Poor Monny.

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

Deaths: one fell from height 

The Floating Lady Murder

 The Floating Lady Murder (2000) by Daniel Stashower

It's turn-of-the-century New York and Harry Houdini is not yet "The Great Houdini" (though he insists otherwise) and his agent (and brother) Dash is trying to secure employment to keep the firm afloat. When the renowned magician Kellar advertises that positions are available with his show, Dash thinks it's the perfect opportunity, but he and Harry's wife Bess have a difficult time convincing him. They manage to spin things so Houdini thinks the opportunity is better than it is and off they go for an audition.

Harry is in the middle of his "Substitution Trunk Mystery" when a lion (which is part of Kellar's act" suddenly gets loose from his cage. While everyone else is panicked, Houdini is cool as cucumber and orchestrates a fantastic capture. Needless to say, he, Dash, and Bess are hired on the spot. They are invited to meet with Kellar himself who reveals that the lion's escape was no accident. Someone filed down the bolts holding the latch. And, in fact, this is not the first "accident" to plague the company. Kellar wants Houdini and company to not only join the company but to investigate these accidents--find out who is behind them and why. 

Kellar is trying to perfect a floating lady trick--something that he and his rival Servais Le Roy have been trying to achieve for some time. Kellar is very close to success and he wonders if Le Roy has spies in his camp who are trying to sabotage his efforts. When the trick is perfected and performed for the first time, it goes fatally wrong; Kellar's levitating assistant plunges over seventy feet to her death. Except...she doesn't die from the fall. Somehow, she was drowned in mid-air before tumbling from the ceiling of the theater. Some start whispering that the trick is cursed, after all the wife of Kellar's mentor fell to her death in a proto-type of the floating lady trick twenty-five years ago. It's up to Harry and Dash to prove that a very human agent is behind the latest death.

This is my second historical mystery with a magician in a row. I have to say that I like Tom Mead's Joseph Spector better than Harry Houdini. Harry is very full of himself...with very little cause so far in his career. He may wind up being one of the greatest escape artists of all time and, yes, I'd think that kind of act would take a great deal of self-confidence but that doesn't make him any less insufferable. The mystery itself is decent, though it becomes obvious very soon what must have happened for the woman to have been drowned in mid-flight (as it were). Stashower does a very good job of hiding the culprit, though, in part, that's because we don't know the motive. And there aren't any clues (that I recognized, even in retrospect) that point towards the motive. ★★★

First line: Again, the dream.

Last line: "Everything in small steps."

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

Deaths = 4 (one natural; one drowned; two fell from height)

The War of the Worlds Murder

 The War of the Worlds Murder (2005) by Max Allan Collins

[a slight reworking of a previous review when read from the library]

Unlike the Sherlock Holmes pastiche of a similar name (which I read in 2010), this War of the Worlds mystery does not take place in the world of the H. G. Wells classic. At least, not exactly. This story revolves around the historic Mercury Theatre radio presentation of The War of the Worlds by Orson Welles which caused mass panic in the United States in 1938. It features Welles, John Houseman, and Walter Gibson (aka Maxwell Grant), creator of the Shadow, among other historical figures. And, as in his other "disaster" mysteries, Collins uses an author of detective fiction (in this case, Gibson) as his amateur crime solver.

The first half to two-thirds of the book is spent in build up. We are introduced to the characters and given a very plausible set up for the murder. Collins gives us a look at the creative spirit of Welles and how the dramatic production of the Martian invasion came about. Gibson is brought into contact with Welles when he (Welles) decides that it would be a great idea to collaborate on a Shadow movie, as a natural extension of the successful radio show. Then Gibson (and through him, the reader) is introduced to the worshipers, admirers, hangers-on...and even possible enemies of the brilliant young actor/director.

Just as the radio production is about ready to go on the air, Welles, Gibson and Houseman discover the body of the young receptionist in one of the empty sound rooms. She had been the latest in a long line of Welles flings--just recently given the heave-ho. There appears to be blood everywhere and and an incriminating knife that points straight at Welles. The door is locked (but there is a window which has given them a view) but by the time the security guard can be summoned to bring a key the body and the weapon have disappeared!

But you know what they say in show business...the show must go on. And so it does. One of the most historic radio programs ever goes on the air and panic takes over the country as thousands believe that the Martians are really invading. In the midst of all this, Gibson is watching, thinking and gathering clues to the real disaster that has taken place off-stage. Who killed the young woman? Was it someone trying to frame Welles--or has the actor/director (and amateur magician) pulled a conjuring trick of his own? And what happened to the body? By the end of the evening Gibson will have answers to all these questions.

Collins, as always, has done his homework--and that is quite evident. Historical and anecdotal details are superb. The tale of the panic-inducing radio broadcast is quite interesting. And exciting--as Collins takes us from snippets of the broadcast to scenes from the world outside the broadcasting studio. He uses stories of actual audience reactions to show how effective the broadcast was. The murder mystery itself leaves quite a bit to be desired. It's not nearly as good as either The Titanic Murders or The Hindenburg Murders, for instance. But for a look at the world of 1938 and particularly for a look at what happened when Welles allowed the Martians to invade...it's very good. ★★★ for a good solid story overall.

First line (prologue): Suddenly 1975 seems like a long time ago.

First line (1st chapter): Walter Gibson had never been on an expense account before.

Last line: At his typewriter.

While the Clock Ticked

 While the Clock Ticked (1932) by Franklin W. Dixon

Raymond Dalrymple comes to the Hardy home looking for Fenton Hardy. He hopes to hire the detective to investigate some odd goings-on at the old Purdy house--a house that the banker has recently bought. But Mr. and Mrs. Hardy have gone on a trip to Maine and won't be reached easily. Frank and Joe send a telegram to their father, but in the meantime they offer their services to Dalrymple. The banker is skeptical at first, but after talking to some folks in town he realizes that the boys have a reputation of their own when it comes to mysteries. So, he decides to take them up on it--at least until their father returns.

The Purdy house used to belong to an eccentric old miser who trusted absolutely no one. So Purdy had a secret room built--a room that operates on a time clock much like the banker's vault. The banker thought the place would be an ideal place for him to get work done in peace and quiet. Supposedly, no one can get in or out of the room until the time lock releases the door. And yet...two days in a row he has found threatening messages in the middle of the work table in the secret room. 

You must leave this house forever or death will await you.

Death while the clock ticks.

There is no evidence of the door having been forced nor any secret second entrance. He wants someone to find out who is leaving the notes and why they are threatening him.

Meanwhile, there have been a spate of thefts and no one knows where the gang is hiding or where the loot is being hidden. It isn't long before the Hardys realize that there is a connection with the Purdy house. But are the thieves behind the threats or is there a second mystery connected to the old house?

This is one of the first Hardy Boys books I read back when I got hooked on them because of the The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries that came on in the 70s. But I read it in the revised text version (pictured below). More recently I acquired the original text copy and it was an interesting read. I'd still rate this as one of my top five Hardy Boys books, but I was surprised to find them at odds with Chief Collig and Detective Smuff. My recollection of the books is that the boys had a good relationship with the police and could count on their help--and also their appreciation of the boys' efforts. Here, Collig and Smuff try to steal the boys' glory whenever Frank and Joe solve part of the mystery.

As a child, I enjoyed the tense adventures that Frank and Joe had and, of course, liked the fact that they outwit the bad guys in the end. Reading it as an adult, I still had a great time even though the mystery plot isn't as intricate as most of the mysteries I read now. ★★★★

First line: Joe Hardy looked out of the second-floor window.

Last line: "Except," added Aunt Gertrude pointedly, "when the bomb was at your feet and the clock ticked."

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

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

Who Is Simon Warwick? (spoilerish)

 Who Is Simon Warwick? (1978) by Patricia Moyes

When Lord Charlton's brother and sister-in-law were killed in a London bomb attack during WWII, he wanted nothing to do with his young nephew and arranged for a quiet adoption to an American soldier and his wife. Charlton had felt ill-used by his family when he was young and so, when he made his millions, he determined that none of them would benefit. For years, his will would leave everything to a foundation whose sole purpose was to dispense the funds to suitable charities with a substantial legacy for his secetary as well. Late in life when his doctor tells him that he has little time to live, he repents of his earlier behavior towards his young nephew and decides to leave everything to the young man who was born Simino Warwick. He hopes to live long enough to meet any claimants.

But who is Simon Warwick? Once the will is signed and his attorney, Ambrose Quince, has placed notices in all the important newspapers (both in England and America), Lord Charlton dies. Soon after two claimants (out of all the usual hopefuls) rise to the top. Each hold important documents that give credence to their claim--Simon Finch has letters from the attorney (not Ambrose Quince) who arranged the adoption to his parents, the Finches and the man currently known as Harold Benson has a passport made out to Simon Alexander Warwick, newborn. Quince believes Finch to be the legitimate claimant and is even more sure after a visit to America. But he still has one question that he plans to put to both men. And he decides to meet them both at the same time, in the hopes that the confrontation will help solve the issue.

The meeting never takes place. Simon Finch arrives early for the appointment and is sent by the secretary to wait in the waiting room. Harold Benson arrives and finds Finch dead. Enter Chief Superintendent Henry Tibbett who must decide not only who the murderer is but also who the victim really was. Is Simon Warwick dead and will the inheritance now (as stated under Lord Charlton's will) revert to the terms under the old will? Or is Benson really Warwick and killed in an effort to claim the inheritance? Tibbett keeps saying that Simon Warwick's identity doesn't concern him...but until he knows who Finch really was, he won't know who killed him.

~~~~~Spoiler ahead! read at your own risk~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is an unusual mystery in a number of ways. Not least because there are actually two mysteries whodunnit and who was it done to. It isn't often that the identity of the corpse is in such dispute because the victim claimed to be someone that they may or may not have been. Another unusual point is Tibbett's apparent lack of concern about the identity of the victim. He does find out during the course of his investigation but it doesn't seem to be all that important to him. And, finally, the big reveal about who Simon Warwick really is. That is a first for me in all of my mystery reading. And, considering when the book was published, it is also unusual in the way it handles certain issues--issues that are very much a hot topic right now in 2023 (and, quite frankly, are not handled nearly as well by a great many in today's world). It is all made to seem very matter of fact by Tibbett and his wife It certainly would have made for an interesting point of law if Warwick had decided to follow up on the claim.

This is, I think, one of the best mysteries I have read by Moyes. An interesting mystery with an intriguing premise and I appreciated how Emmy Tibbett got involved and managed, in certain ways, to save the day. A quick read with plenty of action once the initial groundwork was laid. ★★★★ and 1/2. 

First line: A rainy November night in London.

Last line (of main text--last line of the epilogue is a spoiler): "You know what men are like."

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

Deaths = 9 (five natural; two bombed in WWII; one plane crash; one strangled)

Beverly Gray on a Treasure Hunt

 Beverly Gray on a Treasure Hunt (1938) by Clair Blank

Beverly Gray, aspiring reporter, and her friends are on a sailing cruise around the world on the Susabella. Their trip has taken them to the far east (and included adventures related in the previous two books). Earlier in the journey, they discovered half of an old map with directions to a treasure located on an island near China and had to outsmart a nasty Count to retrieve the other half. The treasure is hidden on an island with hostile inhabitants and when her friends are captured it takes all of Beverly's ingenuity to effect a rescue. The adventures come fast and furious. The exploits include the discovery of a jeweled dagger that must be returned to the Chinese temple where it belongs; Beverly & Larry flying over Mount Fuji (and an emergency parachute jump when the plane loses power); the exploration of an Indiana Jone-style temple with skulls lining the walls; Beverly being swept overboard and rescued during a hurricane; and Beverly's chance at a foreign correspondent job when Shanghai is invaded. 

There really isn't much mystery to be had in this installment--it reads more like the "Perils of Pauline" as Beverly and company repeatedly fall into danger and get out of it again. It almost felt like Clair Blank was trying to stuff as many types of exotic adventures into the book as possible with nothing to hold them together except the idea of travel. I think I would have enjoyed this one much more if there had been a more intricate mystery connected to the treasure hunt and the focus had been there rather than hopping from danger to danger and adventure to adventure. ★★★

First line: A group of six young people waited impatiently on the Shanghai dock and cheered lustily as a girl fled through the crowd.

Last line: Let us say "Aloha Oe" to them here to meet again in "Beverly Gray's Return," when we shall find them in new and exciting adventures.

The Art of the Mystery Story

 The Art of the Mystery Story (1946) by Howard Haycraft (ed)

This is a very comprehensive (for its time) collection of essays and pastiches, poems and lists regarding the mystery. We have everything from "A Defense of Detective Stories" by G. K. Chesterton to Rex Stout's controversial address to a meeting of the New York Baker Street Irregulars title "Watson was a Woman." There are essays dissecting what makes the mystery popular to the best methods of detection to examinations of the various forms. There is a biting parody of Philo Vance in Christopher Ward's "The Pink Murder Case." We are told that the detective sstory is everything from a modern romance with the detective in the role of a modern knight-errant to a morality tale. And, Edmund Wilson's essay "Who Cares Who Killed Roger Ackroyd?" notwithstanding, those of us who love a good mystery will agree with Willard Huntington Wright (known for detective fiction under the name S. S. Van Dine) in "The Great Detective Stories" that

There is no more stimulating activity than that of the mind; and there is no more exciting adventure than that of the intellect. Mankind has always received keen enjoyment from the mental gymnastics required in solving a riddle; and puzzles have been its chief toy throughout the ages.

There are other elements that are important (setting/atmosphere; characters; etc.), but a good puzzle is absolutely essential and we love it when we can solve the puzzle before the sleuth in the story.

I will say that if this volume had not come up as a prompt in the Reading Randomize reading challenge, that I probably would not have read this straight through. My suggestion is that those who are interested should pick and choose--read a few essays here, put the book away for a while, and then come back to it. Trying to gulp all this down in one reading was a bit much. There is a lot to think about and a lot to enjoy and it would be best to do so in small batches. ★★★★

First line (1st essay): In attempting to reach the genuine psychological reason for the popularity of detective stories, it is necessary to rid ourselves of many mere phrases.

Last line (last essay): Possibly the alternative (pace Edmund Wilson!) is for the whodunit to take over the novel of manners.

The World's Best One Hundred Detective Stories Vol. 3

 The World's Best One Hundred Detective Stories Vol. 3 (1929) by Eugene Thwing (ed)

This volume is part of a ten-volume set made up of ten short stories per set. This is the fifth volume of the set that I have sampled. As Thwing says in his introduction, picking the 100 best stories even in the early years of the mystery field was no easy job. It's easier to just select personal favorites--but one really needs to select a wide variety of popular favorites to meet the tastes of more readers. Of course, no matter what an editor does, he will still not pick everyone's favorite and be able to make everyone happy. And this is the third volume that hasn't made this reader very happy. They may have been popular favorites of the 1920s, but these are not very strong selections--especially the stories by Melville Davisson Post which open the book. The best of the bunch are the final two: "The Un-Punctual Painting" and "The White Line," neither of which involve murder. I can only hope that the rest of the collection is better. ★★ 

"Naboth's Vineyard" by Melville Davisson Post: Uncle Abner sets out to prove that a man accused of shooting his employer is innocent. But will he implicate the woman that man loves? (two shot)

"The Problem of the Five Marks" by Post: A story of an innocent abroad. Our narrator, not a man of the world, is sent to France ostensibly to help wrap up the mystery of his great-aunt's death. But he finds himself involved in an adventure with a cryptic clue and a missing pearl necklace. (one natural)

"The Inspiration" by Post: Walker, an American Secret Service Agent, is asked to help get a lovely young girl out of the clutches of her guardian. The young man who loves the girl is certain that the guardian means her no good.... (one frozen to death)

"The Phantom Woman" by Post: Sir Henry Marquis of Scotland Yard aids a young woman in the effort to retrieve her mother's priceless bracelets from the clutches of her stepmother's husband. (one natural)

"The New Administration" by Post: Justices from a very Supreme Court indeed intervene in the trial of a young man about to be sentenced for defrauding his employer. The case is much more complex than the circuit court thought.... (one natural)

"The Pigeon on the Sill" by Herman Landon: Things look bad when a man is released from prison and his uncle, upon whom he vowed revenge, is found shot to death. The truth of the matter rests on a missing cockatoo...and the pigeon on the sill. (one shot)

"The Greuze Girl" by Freeman Wills Crofts: An apparent art swindle leads to a crime of a different sort...

"The House of Many Mansions" by Frederick Irving Anderson: An exclusive apartment complex with its very own gold-plated dining experience houses a den of thieves...and a wily detective who plans on nabbing every one of them.

"The Un-Punctual Painting" by Bertram Atkey: Mr. Bunn & Colonel Fortworth find a kidnapped boy using the clue of the painting that was an hour late...according to the boot-black boy.

"The White Line" by John Ferguson: Two men are making the running for a young heiress's hand aboard a cross-Atlantic liner...everyone on board is placing bets on which will be victorious. The underdog seems to have the upper hand but then one of them is implicated in the theft of the lady's priceless necklace.

First line (1st story): One hears a good deal about the sovereignty of the people in this republic; and many persons imagine it a sort of fiction, and wonder where it lies, who are the guardians of it, and how they would exercise it if the forms and agents of the law were removed.

Last line (Last story): The words in themselves might have committed her to nothing, but there was that in her tones which led every man who heard them to settle his bet without a murmur.

And Be a Villain

 And Be a Villain (1948) by Rex Stout; read by Michael Prichard

According to Archie Goodwin, things are looking bleak at Nero Wolfe's brownstone on West 35th Street. The taxman cometh and there's not enough in the coffers to pay him off and still be able to have gourmet meals and orchids. Unless Wolfe wants to stop reading poetry and do some work. Once Archie convinces him that matters really are as dire as stated, Wolfe decides to take advantage of the fact that Inspector Cramer and company have made little headway in the latest spectacular murder case to hit the papers.

Madeline Fraser is the host of a popular radio talk show, so publicity isn't a new thing for her. But she's not used to the kind of publicity that a murder case brings. Someone decided to polish off her latest guest--Cyril Orchard, the publisher of a weekly horse racing sheet called Track Almanac--while the show was on the air. During a break, Fraser and her guests pour and drink Starlite (Hi-Spot in the audio version), one of the sponsors of the show. On this particular occasion, Orchard's portion contains a dose of cyanide and Fraser's listeners now know what it sounds like when someone dies from poison. 

Wolfe offers his services to Miss Fraser--telling her that she's going to get publicity whether she likes it or not and that she might as well have good publicity. It will look a lot better in the papers if she can say that she's willing to hire the best detective in the business to bring justice for Cyril Orchard. Fraser and her sponsors agree that would be a good idea and so Wolfe takes the case. Who wanted Orchard dead and why? How did the cyanide get in the bottle and how did they make sure he got it? And what, if anything, does Orchard's death have to do with the shooting of another publisher of political journal? Once Wolfe can answer those questions, he'll be ready to hand the murderer over to Cramer on a silver platter.

It's always a treat to visit the brownstone where all is in order--beautiful orchids in the rooms above and delicious meals simmering away in the kitchen. Archie needling Wolfe into work and Wolfe trying his best to pretend he doesn't need to. And, of course, Inspector Cramer chomping through cigars in frustration at Wolfe's antics. This was a particularly good visit because I listened to the story as read by Michael Prichard and he does such an admirable job with Archie's voice. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to most of the mystery on my road trip home to my parents' house and back. The radio program setting was good and I really had a good time listening to Archie's method for bringing Nancylee and her mother to see Nero Wolfe. Very clever, Archie. Stout had me fooled on the culprit until just before the big wrap-up scene in Wolfe's office. But I got there just in time. As Wolfe would say, "Satisfactory." ★★★★

First line: For the third time I went over the final addition and subtractions on the first page of Form 1040, to make good and sure.

Last line: "Good God, no. It begins with a Z!"

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

Deaths = 4 (three poisoned; one shot)

52 Miles to Terror

 52 Miles to Terror (1966) by Ruth Christoffer Carlsen (misspelled on cover) & G. Robert Carlsen (eds)

This is a pretty weird short story collection. Some of the stories are just that--weird, apparently for the sake of being weird. Some are just little fiction vignettes. There's one straight mystery. One where the title makes you think you're getting a mystery (spoiler alert--you're not). One that's just plain fun. And one that's either fictionalized nonfiction or just nonfiction. All have to do with cars and/or racing. I think younger me (in the late elementary school years) might have enjoyed this a lot more than late middle-aged me. ★★ and 1/2--primarily for the more mystery-related portions.

"Fifty-Two Miles to Terror" by Alex Gaby: An odd little story about a man traveling with his family to a relatives house when a souped-up red jalopy challenges him to a drag race and then a game of chicken. What on earth is this middle-aged man thinking?

"The Affair of the Wayward Jeep" by Bill Mauldin: For once the army assigned the man with the right talent to the right job--Private Franklin loves working with cars and is actually assigned to work on the jeeps and supply vehicles. But what happens when he gets pulled to act as driver for a general and he decides to add some refinements to the standard-issue vehicle?

"Hit and Run" by John D. MacDonald: Follows investigator Walter Post as he tries to track down the driver in a hit and run which resulted in the death of a pretty young mother. Just when you think he's found the one responsible, MacDonald adds another piece to the puzzle. [one hit by car]

"1924 Cadillac for Sale" by William Saroyan: A rather bizarre little monologue by a used car salesman. Is he telling the truth? Or is this one elaborate ploy to sell that Caddy?

"Death Saw the Stop Sign" by Kathryn McFaun: A big truck pulling a horse trailer suddenly loses its breaks and makes a mad-dash downhill and through a busy town. 

"Too Big a Dream" by Will White: Another bizarre story...I'm actually not sure what's going on in this one. I think the man has built his own car from scratch. And then he takes "her" out one night for a drive in the moonlight. And....I don't know what the heck that ending means.

"Jalopies I Have Cursed and Loved" by John Steinbeck: Our narrator just gives us a run-down of cars he has had in the past and how people were more connected to their cars when they actually knew how to work on them. But was that a good thing?

"Hearse of the Speedway" by Peter Granger: A race car gets the reputation as a killer when drivers repeatedly get into accidents under the most innocuous circumstances. One man thinks he's mastered the machine after a string of successful (and winning) races. But is he the master or has the machine mastered him? [five auto accidents]

"A Race Driver's Long Good-bye" by Angelo Angelopolous: Short piece based on the actual events of the day prior to and the beginning of the 1958 running of the Indianapolis 500 which infamously opened with a fifteen car pile-up in the first lap.

First lines (1st story): There was a little, persistent ache in his right shoulder, as there always was now when he was behind the wheel for more than an hour or two, but that was all. Everything else was fine.

Last line (last story): Somehow, Bryan drove through it, saddened, to win.--Ed

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

Deaths = 6 (one hit by car; five auto accidents--drivers)

Murder Is Pathological

 Murder Is Pathological (1986) by P. M. Carlson

1969 in a New England college town. Someone seems to be determined to disrupt the experimental phase of Dr. Weisen's revolutionary new drug for brain tumors. First there is the exploding trash can. Then there is the slaughter of a group of experimental rats. Maggie Ryan, statistician for the project, thinks it's more than just random vandals. And when the lab's maintenance man is found dead in a ditch, she refuses to believe that it was the accidental bicycle accident it has been ruled. Of course, the students associated with the project are all her friends and she is reluctant to believe that any of them could be behind the the sabotage and murder.

Enter Nick O'Connor--Maggie's friend who would like to be more than friends. When she sends him a letter announcing that she's managed to sell an article to a leading journal, he comes to Laconia ostensibly to celebrate with her, but really because he wants to try and settle things between them. He listens as she tells him what's been going on at the lab and he decides to be a hero. He goes undercover as a replacement janitor in an effort to find out what and who is behind the mayhem in the biology lab. But what he and Maggie find out may end their chance to find happiness together....in fact it may end things for both of them permanently.

This is the second Maggie Ryan mystery I've read (3rd in the series) and I have enjoyed both. Murder in the Dog Days is the sixth in the series and featured Maggie more as the detective. Here, Nick takes center stage and does quite a good job with his undercover work. He's an actor, so he's used to slipping into character and he never makes a false step while pretending to be "Rick." Well, except for stumbling into the mysterious night-time visitor to the lab and not preventing another massacre of a batch of rats. But "Rick" was hired to be a maintenance man, not a security guard. He quickly deciphers the clue that his predecessor left behind and then he and Maggie work together to figure out how it figures into the bigger picture.

A better academic mystery than my previous read--the atmosphere is good and the mystery plot and investigation hang together better. Maggie is a little bit prickly in this one (compared to my previous) read, but given her romantic track record it's understandable. Her emotional distractions probably keep her from coming to the same conclusions as Nick as quickly, but she still manages to shine as a co-investigator. ★★★ and 1/2.

First line: B-716 was not a particularly happy rat.

Last line: "Well, can't argue with two authorities like that." She yawned again, nuzzled his chest, and slept.

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

Deaths = one hit on head

Murder in Burgundy

 Murder in Burgundy (1989) by Audrey Peterson (Audrey C. Buckland)

When Michael "Poppa" O'Connor's doctor recommends plenty of rest after a couple of serious heart attacks, his family thinks a pleasant cruise down a French canal will be just what the doctor ordered. The famous American musical agent can just enjoy the scenery as they make a leisurely trip from Dijon to lyon. But Poppa can't stand things to be too quiet, so he surrounds himself with musicians from his "stable" as well as inviting Andrew Quentin and Jane Winfield, two musical academics who have been commissioned to write the great man's biography, to join the party.

Things get really interesting when Poppa's ex-wife contacts him just before the group sets sail and surprises him with the news that he really is a Poppa. Apparently Odette was pregnant when she left him and now she wants him to get to know his child--they make arrangements to meet when the cruise is over. Molly, Poppa's adored second wife, is worried about what this means for her two children--Poppa's step-children. Poppa has always provided for them and took Don into the agent business with him. But he refused to adopt Don and Ellen. Molly asks her husband to make a will--providing for all the children equally, but the musical agent has a phobia about wills. And the entire boat hears about it, because Poppa has a booming voice and no sense of decorum.

When Poppa falls into the canal, claiming that he was pushed, it looks like someone has a grudge against him. And when he winds up dead from an overdose of his heart medicine, it looks even more likely. And then Molly is attacked as well. Could it be possible that Poppa's unknown child is hidden among the guests (or possibly the crew) and saw a chance to get their hands on an inheritance? Poppa also had an argument with his star opera singer over a part she insisted he arrange for her--was that worth killing for? There's also a mysterious man on a motorcycle that has been following the boat down the canal and having secret meetings with the stewardess. Is that just a romantic liaison or something more sinister? Andrew Quentin and Jane Winfield had been mixed up in murder before and helped the police solve the case. This time Andrew's French friend is the policeman in charge of the case, so Andrew and Jane are back on the hunt for a killer.

This is a fairly solid cozy mystery. Plenty of suspects and red herrings. I did suspect the final answer--except I just couldn't see how it could be true given certain circumstances. One drawback is that so much is told us--lots of telling instead of showing. Most of the details come out in the suspect interviews. A bit more action would have gone a long way. Also, since it stars academics as the amateur sleuths I would have enjoyed more of an academic connection, but the French locale was nice. I do like Andrew & Jane and I look forward to reading the others in the series that are waiting on my TBR shelf.  ★★★

First line: "I knew I shouldn't have let you out of my sight, Jane."

Last line: "No, darling, but even without the loaf of bread underneath the bough, I'd say we have paradise enow."

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

Deaths = 5 (three natural; one accident; one poisoned)

Mystery of the Hidden Hand (mini-review)

 Mystery of the Hidden Hand (1964) by Phyllis a. Whitney

Gale Tyler is twelve years old and having an adventure of a lifetime on the Greek isle of Rhodes. She, her mother, and brother Wareen are staying with her mother's family while her American father takes care of diplomatic business in Athens. The ancient ruins and beautiful scenery should be exciting enough--but when she and Warren surprise a mysterious figure in a black cape jumping around the suppedly empty fourth floor of the the family's hotel an exciting mystery opens up. Who is the the person in black and why are they leaping about? Why has someone hidden broken pieces of pottery in a box in that fourth floor room? Who is Geneva Lambrou and what is behind her apparent need for revenge? And why is someone in a nearby house signaling with a mirror. Gale's curiosity leads her to a family secret that could bring disgrace to her newly found "Grandfather" Thanos and she and Warren find themselves helping their Greek cousins to clear up the family mystery.

A pleasant little read--but not nearly as mysterious as one is led to believe. Basically, the whole thing could be cleared up if the members of the Greek side of the family would just talk to one another. But misunderstandings and pride get in the way (as is often the case) and so it takes Gale, family--but not directly involved, to show them the way to make everything right. It's interesting how all of these older family members are willing to be instructed by the youngest among them... ★★★

First line: It was a Saturday morning in early June on the Greek island of Rhodes.

Last line: This, she knew was the beginning of her growing up.

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

Deaths = one drowned

Silent Witness

 Silent Witness (1972) by Margaret Yorke

The most silent witness of all is a dead one...

Set at an Austrian ski station at Greutz, we have an international mix of characters. A travel group from Britain, a vacationing couple from Holland, and few Germans. The day before a snowstorm and threats of avalanche cuts Greutz off from the outside world, a young newlywed has a dangerous skiing accident when her skis are tampered with. And why doesn't her new husband visit her more often? One of the guests makes a mysterious visit to local chalet. Fiona, the operator of the hotel discotheque, flirts outrageously with everything in pants but then gets drunk and drapes herself over the quietest, most unlikely guest. Freddie Derrington and Barbara Whittaker claim never to have met, but seem all-too studious in the avoidance of each other. Liz Morris senses tension in the air, but puts it down to the enforced inactivity once the skiing slopes are shut down.

Then Bernard Walker goes missing. At first, no one notices. Walker was such a nondescript man. Didn't really join in with the others in most activities and liked to ski alone after the skiing classes had finished. But after he hadn't been seen at meals and then it was discovered that his bed hadn't been slept in, the travel guide got worried. Liz Morris's fried Patrick Grant, Oxford don and sometimes amateur sleuth, had just arrived with the last group of tourists before the snow storm. He's staying with his friend Professor Klocker. Liz tells him about the missing man and Patrick is sure that something nasty has happened to Bernard. When Bernard's body is found in the stream under the bridge connecting the ski lodge with the village, it looks like an unfortunate accident--at least the burgomeister would like to think so. But Patrick wonders what the fussy little man was doing out in the snow without his galoshes. And why he has a suspicious lump behind his ear. Did Bernard witness something that someone wanted to keep quiet? Was someone jealous of the attention Fiona gave him that night at discotheque? Patrick won't be satisfied until he figures it out

Yorke sets the scene for a nice little closed circle mystery--snowbound ski lodge and tense atmosphere. Lots of red herrings to investigate and wade through before finding the answer. And I love me a mystery with an academic connection--and we have both an Oxford don and a professor in the cast of characters. Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of clues to the murderer and the motive. I actually guessed who the killer was even though I can't point to any good reasons for my guess based on the text. When I found out the motive, the plot fell kind of flat. [spoiler encoded in ROT13*] V jnfa'g ng nyy gnxra jvgu gur snpg gung Tenag'f sevraq jnf gur xvyyre. Naq gura gb unir uvz xvyy Oreaneq orpnhfr ur "guvaxf" gur zna bireurneq uvz gnyxvat nobhg trggvat Senh Uvyyre bhg bs gur pbhagel. Naq, dhvgr senaxyl, jub jnf Oreaneq tbvat gb gryy? Gurl'er fabjobhaq--ab Pbzzhavfg ntragf ner tbvat gb pbzr ohmmvat vagb gur ivyyntr gb gnxr Senh Uvyyre onpx be xvyy ure. Vg jbhyq unir orra qvssrerag vs Oreaneq guerngrarq gb fcvyy gur ornaf be gevrq gb oynpxznvy gurz be vs gurer unq orra n erzbgr cbffvovyvgl gung ur pbhyq trg jbeq gb nalobql jbegu gryyvat. Fheryl gb tbbqarff jr pbhyq unir qrivfrq n orggre zbgvir. Naq bar gung unq qrprag pyhrf juvpu gur ernqre zvtug cbffvoyl unir qvfpbirerq. Naq--jung gur urpx unccrarq gb Znk ng gur raq. Ur unq na "nppvqrag"--ur jnf bar bs gur orfg fxvref va gur tebhc. Ubj qvq ur unir na nppvqrag?

A very middle-of-the road mystery. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't all one could want either. Nice setting and set up, but could have used a better follow through. ★★★

First line: Through the softly-falling snow it came down to the valley, descending the mountain propped like a doll, frozen stiff in its seat.

Last line: "You see, it is best to run away," she said.

[*to decode: cut & paste coded part; click on ROT13 link and use site to read spoiler]

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Deaths = 6 (two gas chambers WWII; one suffocated; one motorcycle accident; one climbing accident; one skiing accident)

Gone West

 Gone West (2012) by Carola Dunn

It's been a long time since Daisy Fletcher (née Dalrymple) has seen Sybil Sutherby. Sybil (then Richland) was a year ahead Daisy at school and the two weren't close friends. So, when a letter arrives saying that Sybil will be in London and would like to meet up with Daisy for lunch or tea, Daisy is both puzzled and intrigued. Fellow classmate and Daisy's best friend Lucy (alias Lady Gerald Bincombe) is sure that Sybil only wants to renew the acquaintance because of Daisy's fame as a writer of magazine articles. Over lunch, it becomes apparent that writing isn't on Sybil's mind--at least not Daisy's writing. She wants Daisy to indulge in her other interest...mystery & mayhem...and come to the country house where Sybil works as a secretary to Humphrey Birtwhistle (aka Eli Hawke, author of Western novels).

When Humphrey came down with pneumonia about three years ago, Sybil became more than a secretary. Humphrey was too sick to meet the deadline for the latest Hawke book and so she heavily edited what was done and ghost-wrote the rest. The editor noticed differences in the style and wasn't too pleased...until sales took off. It seems the reading public really like Hawke's new way with words. Since then, Humphrey has been ailing--he has a few good days, but then immediately relapses in weakness and tiredness. The doctor can't understand it and Sybil suspects that someone in the family is doping the elderly man so Sybil will keep writing and the extra money from the heightened sales will keep rolling in. She hopes she's wrong and, so, she hopes Daisy will come, investigate, and tell her she's imagining things.

 Except she's not. Before Daisy can really get to know the people at Eyrie Farm, Humphrey is dead from a hefty dose of chloral hydrate and everyone is under suspicion. Daisy was supposed to be "under cover"--just an old school friend of Sybil's and no one was supposed to know she was married to an inspector from Scotland Yard. But Sybil couldn't keep the secret from the doctor (who seems to be sweet on her...and vice versa) and he immediately asks the local constabulary to call up the Yard and ask for Inspector Fletcher. Alec Fletcher is none too pleased to find his wife mixed up in yet another murder...

It's also been a long time since I visited with Daisy--long before I began blogging and quite possibly 20 years or so. She's a very likeable character and the time period is definitely one of my favorites. Of course, these are cozy mysteries and I read them more for character, setting, and comfort than for intricate puzzle plots, but this one seems a little lighter than usual. I spotted the villain of the piece right away, but I can't say I'm sold on the motive. It's similar to that of another character--but I'd have to say the motive makes more sense for that character than the actual perpetrator. And speaking of character...few of the characters (beyond Sybil and Daisy) are really likeable. Humphrey's wife Ruby is pretty okay and his son Simon has his moments, but his brother and sister are a nasty pair. They resent Humphrey's return from the States to claim his share of the inheritance, but don't mind when Humphrey's book sales boost the style of living (two maids to help out around the house!). Myra, Humphrey's niece would be better if she were written consistently, but she veers from apparent air-headed flapper interested only in when her next quarter's allowance is due to kind and compassionate when Ruby needs her and back again with surprising speed. It was difficult find anyone to root for (innocence-wise) and one really wouldn't have minded if any one of them wound up guilty. ★★★

First line: The approach was not inviting.

Last line: "Darling," said Daisy, "you know very well, that's a promise I can't possibly make!"

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Deaths = 2 (one poisoned; one influenza)

The Woman in the Picture

 The Woman in the Picture (1944) by John August [Bernard de Voto]

When Senator Tom Fetterman suffers a stroke and lies at death's door, it looks like Tyler Damon will finally get a chance to jockey his puppet, Eugene Penfield, into Congress. The anti-Semitic, fascist-loving Damon and his followers would love to get some power at the national level. All that stands between him and the power he seeks is one frail old man, Scott Warner and a group of liberal patriots, and.....Marta Penfield. Marta Penfield disappeared after her husband's best friend was found shot. The death was ruled a suicide, but many (including Warner) believe that Penfield may have been responsible. It was rumored that Marta Penfield was died...and FBI searches could find no trace of her after she wandered away from a sanitarium into the desert. But Warner believes her to be alive and on the run from Damon's tough guys. If Warner is right, he wants to try to find Marta and convince her to tell what she knows about Dixon Gale's death in that lonely cabin. His colleagues believe it to be a vain hope...but then he spots a profile in a picture proof destined to be printed in a national magazine within a month's time. He has one month to find out if that really is Marta and get to her before Damon sees the next issue of Spectacle....

Not really a straight mystery. It has political intrigue with thriller undertones and a cross-country chase. This is a fun, straight-forward adventure--and, of course, the good guys win. A solid, quick read but not for those who want clues and an intricate plot to unravel. ★★★

First line: In the good old days the newspaper photographer, though perhaps a family man and a good citizen, was not a person of importance.

Last line: "That's for tomorrow, of course...It's such a little way from house to house...I'm sound of limb, my dear, and in your custody."

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

Deaths = three shot; one natural

The Fear Sign

 The Fear Sign [Sweet Danger OR Kingdom of Death] (1933) by Margery Allingham

Albert Campion takes to a bit of thriller/adventurer antics in this fifth entry in Allingham's series. The tiny Balkan principality of Averna becomes a hot-spot when an earthquake opens up a coastline on the Adriatic. There's always been a bit of oil in Averna, but never a good way to get the oil anywhere. Now, it has a handy little place to load up boats with the liquid gold. The hereditary title to Averna belonged to the British family of Pontisbright...but the line is believed to have died out. Campion is called upon to represent British interests and poses as the Hereditary Paladin of Pontisbright and search for the proofs that the place belongs to Britain. There are three proofs that must be found--the crown of Averna, the charter from King Henry the fourth, and a missing receipt for purchase of the land.

But the British government isn't the only party interested in Averna. And Campion and his man Lugg--and loyal friends Eager-Wright, Farquharson, and Guffy Randall are in a race to find the proofs with some very shady and determined characters. They all wind up in the village where the Pontisbright Estate used to stand (it's since been demolished) looking for an inscription on a tree. Near the abandoned estate is an old mill which belongs to the Fittons. In the early 1800s a Fitton tried to claim the Pontisbright Estate--saying that his mother had been secretly married to the Pontisbright heir, but the claim failed for lack of evidence. If Campion can find one group of proofs, he may just find the other--but the ruffians on the other side may have something to say about that...

It had been quite some time since I read a Campion book by Allingham. She really has a way with characters. All of the good guys are quite distinct and their own special flavor. The villains of the piece do get a bit short shrifted...all except for the main villain. So, they don't seem quite as menacing as they might. But the opening scenes with Guffy and the hotel manager are absolutely delightful and well worth the price of admission. In fact, Guffy may just be my favorite character in the book. He is an interesting combination of ready-for-anything.... 

"It sounds mad," said Guffy. "But I'm with you, of course, if there's anything I can do."

and being shy about trying to get hold of one of the clues by false pretenses (posing as lay-members of the local church and trotting off with an old drum in the possession of a museum)...

Guffy looked profoundly uncomfortable. A naturally law-abiding soul, he was appalled by the illegality of the project.

But he's still game to do what has to be done in the name of justice. In fact, all three of Campion's friends are willing to do whatever he needs them to do--even die in the name of Averna, if necessary. But, of course...it isn't. 

My one slight quibble with character is with Dr. Galley. I do think it was a bit much to have the near over-the-top thriller villains vying with the very over-the-top maniacal demon-summoning doctor. His little Ashtaroth ceremony did serve to bring another piece of the puzzle to light, but surely we could have managed that without the theatrics. But overall this was great fun and I enjoyed watching Campion and company get the better of the bad guys. ★★★★

First line: A small window in the sunlit, yellow side of the Hotel Beauregard, Mentone, opened slowly, and through it a hand appeared, which, after depositing a compact brown suit-case upon the sill, speedily vanished.

Guffy clutched at the desk for support, while the manager danced around him like an excited Pekingese.  (p. 15) 

"There is no pastime more calculated to instill into the young gentleman a Thorough Knowledge of Life and a Dignity of Manner than the exercise of polite conversation with his elders. That's on the first page of my etiquette book." (Albert Campion; p. 63)

Last line: Amanda was asleep

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Deaths = 4 (three natural; one crushed by mill wheel)

Phi Beta Murder

 Phi Beta Murder (2010) by C. S. Challinor

Scottish barrister Rex Graves heads to Florida where his son, Campbell, is attending college. Their last phone conversation has led him to believe that something is bothering the young man and he's looking forward to some father-son time. Maybe Campbell will confide in his old man. But Rex has just arrived when something more serious crops up. The RA for Campbell's dorm is found dead behind a locked door--an apparent suicide. When Dixon Clark's parents learn that Rex was first on the scene (he broke in the door) and that he has a law background, they ask him to investigate. Initial conversations with Campbell and his friends lead him to believe that there is more to the death than meets the eye. But that means there is a murderer loose on campus and he fears his son may be in danger as well.

To make things even more complicated, Rex's ex-girlfriend, Moira, shows up. She tried to talk to Rex before he headed for the States, but he wasn't having any. She left him behind in Scotland to do charitable work in the middle east...and took up with another man out there. Now that that man has left her, Moira thinks they can just pick up where they left off. But Rex has moved on to another relationship and isn't interested. But Moira is ready to do what she has to in order to get Rex back...

Juggling an investigation and an insistant ex is difficult enough when one is at home, but handling matters in another country adds an extra element of challenge. Fortunately, Rex has experience in amateur investigations and his instincts lead him to conversations with the right people. Now he just has to find the evidence to back him up...

Challinor gives us an interesting twist on the locked room mystery and does a pretty good job with red herrings and clue placement. And I do appreciate a mystery with an academic bent to it. The plot itself is a good one, but I wasn't taken with the whole Moira side-story. I'm not a big fan of so much personal conflict in the lives of the lead detectives--which is probably why I prefer Golden Age mysteries. The conflict is always centered on the mystery, providing motives and red herrings. The detective is there to do just that--detect. It's nice for the detectives to have a bit of depth to their character but ongoing emotional drama doesn't generally add to a mystery for me (there are some exceptions), especially when it doesn't really add to the story. And I don't feel like Moira adds much here. ★★★

First line: From Blackford Hill, the volcanic formation of Arthur's Seat resembled a pair of buttocks.

Last line: Campbell groaned dramatically and slumping in his seat, covered his ears.

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Deaths = 3 (one car accident; one hanged; one cancer)