MY READER'S BLOCK

Monday, January 2, 2023

2022 Catch-Up: POM Awards for November & December

So....life went a little off the rails at the end of November. My husband suffered a mild stroke and once we got him diagnosed and analyzed and released from the hospital and settled into a therapy schedule, I discovered that it was almost mid-December and I hadn't awarded a P.O.M. for November. So I decided to do November and December all in one go, with two winners: one from each month. The good news for the POM awards is that all but one of the books read were mysteries. The bad news is few garnered more than three or three & a half stars. Here's how things look for the last two months of 2022:

Total Books Read: 25 (which early in the year was about a month's total)

November = 14; December = 11
Total Pages: 5,724
Average Rating: 3.04 stars
Top Rating: 4.5 stars
Percentage by Female Authors: 48%

Percentage by Male Authors: 44%

Percentage by both Female & Male Authors: 8%

Percentage by US Authors: 52%
Percentage by non-US/non-British Authors: 4%
Percentage Mystery: 96%

Percentage Fiction: 100%
Percentage written 2000+: 16%
Percentage of Rereads: 24%
Percentage Read for Challenges: 100% {It's easy to have every book count for a challenge when you sign up for as many as I do.}
Number of Challenges fulfilled so far: 34 (100%)

Mysteries Read:

Murder Impossible by Jack Adrian & Robert Adey [eds] (3.5 stars)

Wrapped Up in Crosswords by Nero Blanc (2.5 stars)

A Nameless Coffin by Gwendoline Butler (2.5 stars)

The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding by Agatha Christie (4 stars)

Sweet Poison by Douglas Clark (3.5 stars)

The Old English Peep Show by Peter Dickinson (1 star)

Streaked with Crimson by Charles J. Dutton (3 stars)

The Hanover Square Affair by Ashley Gardner (2.5 stars)

Holmes for the Holidays by Martin H. Greenberg, Jon L. Lellenberg, & Carol-Lynn Waugh [eds] (3.5 stars)

The Last Noel by Jean Hager (3.5 stars)

The Candle Shop Mystery by Eileen Hill (3 stars)

The Mist in the Mirror by Susan Hill (4 stars)

The 10:30 from Marseille by Sebastien Japrisot (3 stars)

The Clue of the Velvet Mask by Carolyn Keene (3.5 stars)

The Triple Hoax by Carolyn Keene (3 stars)

The Longer the Thread by Emma Lathen (2 stars)

The Man from Beijing by Henning Mankell (2.5 stars)

Death Beneath the Christmas Tree by Robert Nordan (3 stars)

The Old Dark House by J. B. Priestley (2 stars)

The King Is Dead by Ellery Queen (3.5 stars)

No More Dying Then by Ruth Rendell (3 stars)

Murder in Black Tie by Sara Rosett (3.5 stars)

Down Among the Dead Men by Stewart Sterling (3 stars)

Murder at the College by Victor Whitechurch (4.5 stars)

As you can see, I never did capture that elusive five-star read from a new-to-me or at least new to the POM awards author. We came close with a few 4.5 stars, but every five-star winner this year was someone who had already won several times (Agatha Christie And C. S. Harris) or were books from outside the mystery genre. And now that I'm looking at the list--our winners are obvious. The two highest ranking books were read in different months, so our November POM goes to....

The Mist in the Mirror by Susan Hill. Hill can writes a really good mystery with a ghostly, gothic feel. We're not told explicitly, but I get the idea that the events Sir James describes take place in the early 20th Century while what he finds out about Vane must have taken place in the mid- to late-Victorian period. The atmosphere is just right for a nice shivery, spooky story and I enjoyed what we learn from Sir James's point of view. Overall, a very absorbing read from the author of The Woman in Black (one of my favorites) with just the right mix of mystery and the supernatural--but a somewhat anticlimactic ending and a few quibbles kept it from either a 4.5 or 5 star rating.

Which leaves our December POM award for....

Murder at the College by Victor L. Whitechurch. This was one of my picks for the annual Reprint of the Year award and, as far as I'm concerned you can't beat a good academic mystery. As I said at the time of reivew: this is just a delightful book. If you like college-settings, then this is a book for you. If you like interesting characters, then you'll find some here. If you like cryptic clues, then Whitechurch has you covered. If you like a surprise ending, then he manages to give you that as well. If you're just looking for a fun, fast-moving read, then here you go. Whitechurch ticked off so many boxes that needed covered for me, that I'm tempted to sit down and read it again just for the pure pleasure of experience. There is a slight disappointment at the end (which is more a "me" thing than a Whitechurch thing), otherwise I would probably give this five stars. That's how much I enjoyed it.

And now...stay tuned. The My Reader's Block end of year wrap-up is coming soon--including the big reveal: The Mystery Pick of the Year.

Mrs. Frisby & the Rats of NIMH

Mrs. Frisby & the Rats of NIMH (1971) by Robert C. O'Brien

Mrs. Frisby, a widowed mouse, and her four children split their year between a summer home and a winter home. Currently, they are living in their winter home within a cinder block buried in Farmer Fitzgibbon's field. But days are warming up and soon it will be Moving Day and Mrs. Frisby has a problem. Her youngest son, Timothy, has pneumonia and old Mr. Ages, a mouse who knows a thing or two about medicine, has told her that the young mouse should not be moved for at least three weeks. With the weather warming unusually early, the farmer will be itching to plow his field under and the mice are usually long gone by the time he breaks ground. If they stay, they're bound to be killed when the mechanical monster comes through. If they go, Timothy may die.

When Mrs. Frisby saves Jeremy, the raven from the clutches of the farmer's cat Dragon--he tells her to call on him if she ever needs anything. So, she goes to him for advice. He takes her into the home of an old owl--with Mrs. Frisby trembling in her fur. But when the owl finds out she's the widow Mr. Jonathan Frisby, he loses any thought he might have had about a mouse dinner and directs her to the rats who live under Mr. Fitzgibbon's rose bush. All she needs to do is tell them who her husband was and ask for Nicodemus and he's sure the rats will help her. Mrs. Frisby is bewildered--why should the rats care about Jonathan Frisby's family? But she follows the owl's advice and learns that the rats (and her husband) came from a place called NIMH. Nicodemus tells her an amazing story of their imprisonment there, what happened to them, and how they came to escape...and he and his fellow rats come up with a plan to rescue the mice from the farmer's plow and allow them time to wait until Timothy is well enough to travel.

This is a wonderful children's fantasy novel. Great adventure with some danger and even death--but all of the deaths take place off-stage. I can't believe I missed reading this when I was young. I definitely would have loved it and even in middle-age I found it an absorbing and fun read. ★★★★★

First line: Mrs. Frisby, the head of a family of field mice, lived in an underground house in the vegetable garden of a farmer named Mr. Fitzgibbon.

Last lines: Outside the brook swam quietly through the woods, and up above them the warm wind blew through the newly opened leaves of the big oak tree. They went to sleep.

Sunday, January 1, 2023

Color Coded & Read It Again, Sam Headquarters

These remain fairly popular, so as long as there is a demand I will continue to offer them. However, since I don't monitor these quite as closely as my other challenges, I am setting these up on the same headquarters site. Will continue to use the Google form method for review links.

2024 Challenge Post (Both)

2024 Challengers

2024 Reviews

Click on the first link to submit your review. At the second link you can see links for all reviews submitted for that color prompt and may visit others' reviews, if you'd like.

Color Coded Reviews:

Blue Reviews (reviews submitted)

Red Reviews (reviews submitted)

Yellow Reviews (reviews submitted)

Green Reviews (reviews submitted)

Brown Reviews (reviews submitted)

Black Reviews (reviews submitted)

White Reviews (reviews submitted)

Any Other Color Reviews (reviews submitted)

Implies Color Reviews (reviews submitted)

Read It Again, Sam

2024 Read It Again, Sam Reviews (reviews submitted)

2024 Final Wrap-Up

Calendar of Crime Headquarters

Here you will find a link to the original challenge post and links to the Category and Mystery Author Spreadsheets. This year I have set up Google forms for each month's reviews (first link) as well as links to the reviews already submitted. You will be able to see who else has reviewed books for various prompts and visit those links if you like. There will also be a Wrap-Up link enabled at the end of the year.

2024 Challenge Post

2024 Calendar of Crime Challengers

Calendar of Crime Category Spreadsheet

(Has updated grid for 2024 challenge--use tabs at bottom for each year)

Mystery Author Spreadsheet

January Reviews (reviews submitted)

February Reviews (reviews submitted)

March Reviews (reviews submitted)

April Reviews (reviews submitted)

May Reviews (reviews submitted)

June Reviews (reviews submitted)

July Reviews (reviews submitted)

August Reviews (reviews submitted)

September Reviews (reviews submitted)

October Reviews (reviews submitted)

November Reviews (reviews submitted)

December Reviews (reviews submitted)

2024 Final Wrap-Up

Original 2025 Challenge Post

Reading by the Numbers Headquarters

Here you will find a link to the original challenge post and a list of the challengers. Each month I will enable a Monthly Review link where review posts for the month can be linked up. With the linky provider I currently have, the review link will close on the last day of the month. But no worries--you are welcome to post any review from the previous month on the current linky. There will also be a Wrap-Up link enabled at the end of the year. And the 2022 Wrap-Up Post will remain until it closes

Original 2024 Challenge Post

By the Numbers Challengers

2024 Final Wrap-Up

Original 2025 Challenge Post

January 2023 Reading by the Numbers Reviews

Virtual Mount TBR Headquarters

Here you will find a link to the original challenge post. Also each month I will enable a Monthly Review link where review posts for the month can be linked up. With the linky provider I currently have, the review link will close on the last day of the month. But no worries--you are welcome to post any review from the previous month on the current linky. There will also be a Wrap-Up link enabled at the end of the year.

Original 2024 Challenge Post

2024 Final Wrap-Up

January 2023 Virtual Mount TBR Reviews

Mount TBR Headquarters

Original 2024 Challenge Post

2024 Wrap-Up Post

January 2023 Mount TBR Reviews

Vintage Mystery Scavenger Hunt Headquarters

Original 2024 Challenge Post

Vintage Scavenger Hunt Detectives on the Case 2024

2024 Wrap-Up Post

Original 2025 Challenge Post

Vintage Scavenger Hunt Detectives on the Case 2025

January Vintage Scavenger Hunt Reviews

Saturday, December 31, 2022

A Nameless Coffin (spoilerish)

A Nameless Coffin (1966) by Gwendoline Butler

During a particularly hot June, a rash of purse slashing and snatching breaks out on Inspector John Coffin's patch in London. The thief isn't consistent and a week may go by without an incident, but just when the police think he has stopped there is another outbreak. Meanwhile, in Murreinhead, Scotland, a similar slashing outbreak occurs--but this time it's coats. Coffin is convinced that something worse is brewing and he's proved right when Giles Almond, a clerk of the Murreinhead Court, is attacked and slashed across the stomach. Almond successfully fights off the assailant and isn't hurt too badly, but the same can't be said for the missing Murreinhead woman whose body is found in an old apartment building in London destined to be knocked down to make way for new flats. Why was the woman in London? What connects the two towns? And why is an old woman the next victim on the list?

***************Spoiler ahead. Read at your risk.************

It's been a while since I've read any of the Coffin books, but I don't remember the writing being so disjointed. The narrative jumps around from Coffin's point of view to that of Giles Almond primarily, but also among some of the other characters. The way it's handled is very jerky and the story just doesn't seem to flow properly. There is a lot of potential for an early look at a young psychopath and Coffin's investigation could have been so much more interesting if the narrative had just hung together properly. It's pretty obvious who the culprit is from a very early point in the narrative. I'm afraid my last read of 2022 has been a disappointing one--though I do like that cover--the reversed black and white, pen and ink style with the almost glow-in-the dark green really caught my eye (and would be the reason I picked it for my last category in the Vintage Scattergories Challenge). I had hoped for a much stronger outing with Inspector Coffin. ★★ and 1/2

First line: Agenda for the Burgh Court of Murreinhead, Angus, Tuesday, May 12th, 196--.

Last line: So perhaps this was the real ending to the case.

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

Deaths = 5 (three stabbed; one natural; one bomb)

The Triple Hoax

The Triple Hoax (1979) Carolyn Keene

Nancy, Bess, and George go to New York City to investigate a swindle that has been perpetrated against one of Aunt Eloise Drew's friends. A man posing as a travel agent sold her tickets and hotel reservations to the tune of $3,000, but the tickets were phony and so were the reservations. They learn that Mrs. Richards had attended a magic show put on by a group called the Hoaxters and that part of the show involves asking audience members to come on stage to observe the tricks more closely. While up there, possessions such as wallets, purses, and the like are removed and not returned until the end of the show. Nancy is sure the Hoaxters are up to no good. It isn't long before she's proved right and finds herself on a cross-country trip to bring the con men (and women) to justice. The mystery involves fraud, a stolen ancient vial of poison, and a kidnapped child. But Nancy is quick to pick up the clues that lead to the villains' ultimate hide-out.

I know I enjoyed this one when I was young, but middle-age me wonders how on earth Nancy, Bess, and George (in their late teens) can just flit off to NYC and then Mexico City and then Los Angeles at the drop of the hat. There was an effort to make it realistic by having Mr. Fayne put up a bit of protest about cost when the girls want to take off to Mexico, but it didn't take long for George to jolly him into upping her allowance so she can go (what kind of allowance lets a person fly to NYC, let alone any of the other places?). The mystery itself was good. The plans of the con men actually made sense and reflected actual con jobs that have occurred in real life. So, I enjoyed the mystery and visiting with Nancy and friends again--Ned, Burt, and Dave show up for the grand finale in L.A. But I can't say that this one stands out as a favorite. ★★★ for a middle-of-the-road ND mystery.

First line: "Dad! Aunt Eloise wants me to come to New York immediately to solve a mystery!" eighteen-year-old Nancy Drew called out excitedly.

Last line: As he presented it to her, there was loud applause, a standing ovation, and wild cheering from Nancy's many admirers.

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

Deaths = one natural

Friday, December 30, 2022

Murder Impossible

Murder Impossible (1990) by Jack Adrian & Robert Adey, eds.

As with so many short story collections, this is a mixed bag--ranging from brilliant solutions, to big let-downs (especially after the build-up in the introductions given by our editors) to just plain silly parodies. The best (those rated *****) are true impossible crimes with absolutely terrific solutions and, quite often, a nifty little twist at the end. My favorites are "Coffee Break," "Proof of Guilt," "Now You See Her," and "The Blind Spot." Of those that garnered four stars, Carr's "The House in Goblin Wood" is quite good with a rather macabre solution. Overall ★★★ and 1/2 for whole collection.

"The House in Goblin Wood" by John Dickson Carr: When Vicky Adams was small, she disappeared from a locked cottage and then magically reappeared. Now, twenty years later, it's happened again--right under the now of Sir Henry Merrivale. Is it just a trick or has something more sinister happened this time? (one stabbed) ****

"The Other Side" by Hake Talbot: Rogan Kinkaid and his friend Svetozar Vok (a magician) must prove that a charlatan priest has shot a young woman's guardian through a solid wall--leaving no bullet hole. (one shot) ***

"The Courtyard of the Fly" by Vincent Cornier: A mystery concerning a huge fly that manages to steal a rope of pearls weighing a quarter of a pound. Constable Hamilton--first on the spot--spends years trying to get to unravel the puzzle of how the deed was done.****

"Coffee Break" by Arthur Porges: History and Philosophy of Science Professor Emeritus Ulysses Price Middlebie works with Sergeant Black to plumb the mystery of Cyrus Denning's apparent suicide. He seems to have poisoned himself with cyanide inside his locked cabin turned laboratory. Not only was the cabin locked, but the window was nailed shut and the door under observation during the crucial period. If it was murder, how was it done? (one poisoned) *****

"Bullion!" by W. Hope Hodgson: Gold bullion safely stashed in chests within a locked room on ship bound for London from Melbourne manages to disappear. Strange deaths by "just sickening and going off" and mysterious late-night whisperings haunt the ship. The second mate realizes just in time what it all means. (two poisoned) *** 1/2

"Proof of Guilt" by Bill Pronzini: George Dillon has a meeting with a lawyer named Adam Chillingham. The two go into Chillingham's office, there is a shot fired, and Dillon, when the clerk comes to the locked door, opens the door and calmly tells the clerk that Chillingham has been shot--supposedly while leaning out the window. When it's discovered that Chillingham, executor of Dillon's father's estate, had embezzled a large portion of the money, it seems clear that Dillon must have killed him. But how? There's no gun in the room--nor anywhere outside the room. (one shot; one heart attack) *****

"An Absence of Air" by Jacques Futrelle: Miss Violet Danbury is dead in her hotel room--to all appearances she committed suicide by poison. Except there is no poison found at the autopsy. What is found is an absence of any air in her lungs as if something had sucked all the air out of her. But what could do that? The Thinking Machine, Professor Van Dusen will find out. But not until after a longshoreman is found dead in the same manner. (three suffocated) ****

"The Impossible Theft" by John F. Suter: A man bets his old schoolmate, who collects rare letters and memoranda by famous historical figures, that he can remove one of the items from the man's strong room within 15 minutes of being left alone in the room. If he wins the collector must donate $50,000 to a hospital in need. With all the safeguards, it seems impossible.... ***

"It's a Dog's Life" by John Lutz: Private detective Morgan has a four-legged side-kick by the name of Sam. When Carl Creel is killed and the gun goes goes missing, Sam is the one who finds the weapon which had seemingly vanished into thin air. (one shot) ***

"The Death of Cyrus Pettigrew" by Sax Rohmer: Dr. Saxham and our narrator investigate the mysterious poisoning of Cyrus Pettigrew. Pettigrew and his niece were locked in a first-class train compartment--no one else entered and the man was found poisoned with puncture wounds in his arm. The police suspect the niece who stands to inherit a tidy sum. But how did she do it? No instrument was found in the compartment. (two poisoned) ***

"Ghost in the Gallery" by Joseph Commings: Linda Carewe has had enough of her odious husband and dumps some grains of arsenic in his milk. But...she always said he was the Devil and maybe he made a pact with the demon because she and her lover Borden Argyll start seeing what they think is Carewe's ghost. When it appears that the ghost has killed Argyll's model (he's an artist), they ask Senator Banner to investigate. (one hit on head; one hanged) *** 1/2

"The Missing Romney" by Edgar Wallace: Four Square Jane, a somewhat latter-day Robin Hood, manages to steal a famous painting from a closely guarded display room--all in order to get a sizeable donation for a children's hospital. ***

"The House of Screams" by Gerald Findler: A man rents a county place in England in order to get away from it all and to write his book in peace and quiet. But apparently a ghost has other ideas and after spending a sleepless night listening to horrific screams, he discovers skeletal remains in locked room in the attic. (one natural; one poisoned) ***

"The Impossible Murder" by Edward D. Hoch: Captain Leopold must discover how a dead man could drive a car in a traffic jam and whether his murder has anything to do with his father's death 30 years ago. (one strangled; one shot) *** 1/2

"A Nineteenth Century Debacle" by George Locke: A Holmes pastiche about a man who seems to have been killed twice--at the exact same moment. This one fell a little flat for me--pun jolly well intended. (one fell from height) *

"A Razor in Fleet Street" by John Dickson Carr: Bill Leslie, American, and his British wife visit London together for the first time. Bill has romantic expectations of England--from foggy streets to street music to Scotland Yard inspectors with bowler hats. And England seems to have rolled out all the nostalgic bits just for him. But when he winds up mixed up in a murder and meets a real (bowler-hatted) inspector...it's not quite so romantic anymore. (one stabbed) *** 1/2

"Dinner at Garibaldi's" by Leonard Pruyn: How could a man who dined three times a day at a gourmet restaurant die of malnutrition? (one starved to death) **

"The Hanging Rope" by Joel Townsely Rogers: Tuxedo Johnny, a former cop who worked for old Dan McCue and Big Bat O'Brien of homicide are trying to figure out how McCue's killer (who also knocked off Kitty Kane in the same apartment) managed to get out of a locked apartment with Johnny and another ex-cop right there and the janitor for the building camped out at the bottom of the fire escape. (one hit on head; one throat cut; one blood poisoning; one drowned; one fell from height) * [I just don't seem to get on with Rogers. There are lots of folks who think his The Red Right Hand is all that and I....didn't. This short novella reads very weirdly (and I think the effect is on purpose) and the killer seemed to have a neon "It's me!" glow around them every time they were on the page. So...the "awe-inspiring twist" that Jack Adrian describes in his intro to the piece wasn't.]

"Now You See Her" by Jeffrey Wallman: A woman reports a man in the neighboring building as a Peeping Tom. He sits with his binoculars trained on her window all the time--never seems to move Two detectives come and keep him under observations...meanwhile, the woman's closest friend has disappeared and the detectives are convinced her husband did her in. But what did he do with the body? (one strangled) ***** This story had the surprise ending that Rogers's tale didn't.

"The Blind Spot" by Barry Perowne (Philip Atkey): Mr. James Annixter, playwright, devises the perfect locked room murder plot for the play he's writing, but forgets the solution when in a drunken stupor he gets hit by a taxi. He spends his time after recovery looking for the man in the bar...the only other person who knows the solution. When he finds him, the man claims he's never seen James before in his life. (two stabbed) ***** Another with an absolutely terrific ending.

"Chapter the Last: Merriman Explains" by Alex Atkinson: Pure parody of Carter Dickson (John Dickson Carr) and the style of mysteries in his Merrivale books. *** Fun, but not really a mystery.

First line (1st story): IN Pall Mall, that hot July afternoon three years before the war, an open saloon car was drawn up to the kerb just opposite the Senior Conservatives' Club.

Last line (last story): As I groped my way down the back stairs, I reflected sadly that this would probably go down in history as Merriman's Last Case.