The Figure in the Dusk

 The Figure in the Dusk (aka A Case for Inspector West; 1951) by John Creasey

A ruthless killer is stalking the wealthy and he has a brilliant plan. Jump out in front of their fancy cars, force them to stop, and then insist that they give you a ride...at gunpoint. Once you're sure they're rich, direct them to a lonely spot, kill them, take everything of value, grab their keys, and then go rob their houses. Nice and simple--and nearly foolproof. But is the plan really as simple and direct as it seems?

It isn't long before Inspector Roger West discovers a link between the murdered men...a link that's more than just wealth. All are connected to the same family and it seems there is a dirty little secret that might give cause for someone to seek revenge. But the very people he's now trying to protect tell him lies and mislead him and one of his officers is falling in love with a suspect making his job a little bit harder. Just when he thinks he's got the killer locked up, another murder takes place and West finds that he needs to look at the puzzle from another angle.

A highly suspenseful entry in the Inspector West series--full of action and a more thrillerish atmosphere. For quite a bit of the book, it seems that West is just one step behind and we begin to wonder if our detective has met his match. Of the West books I've read so far, this one has the least attention to making a mystery and leaving clues about. We pretty much know who the killer must be from the beginning--what we don't know is the extra details that set the plot in motion. I don't think Creasey has been quite fair with this. I definitely didn't see the final twist coming and even once I finished the book I couldn't really look back and say "Oh...I missed that clue." 

Now, that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the book. I did. It's a good story and I very much appreciate the way West handles the case--as well as how he handles the different personalities involved (including his lovesick assistant). He has a great deal of compassion for some of the suspects in the case as well. A very good--and slightly unusual--addition the inspector's cases. ★★★★

First line: It was dusk, and the man moved from the side of the road, making Arlan start.

Last line: He tossed his cigarette into the fireplace, and slid his arm around her, drew her close and found her lips.

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

Deaths =  9 (five shot; two natural; two hanged)

Half-Time! Second Quarter Reading on the Block

 

Since I started out behind on reporting on my reading this year, I've decided to stick with my quarterly reading round-up. Don't mind the marching band and its half-time show, lets just focus on the statistics. In the past I have done a monthly round-up with statistics and handed out a Pick of the Month (POM) Award to the best mystery read. Let's take a look at the overall stats for the quarter and then we'll see who the big winners for each month are for mystery fiction and hand out those sparkly P.O.M.

Total Books Read for the Quarter: 57 (up 12 over the first quarter results)

  ~I'm a still bit behind my pace for last year. By the end of June 2022, I had read 129 books. This year I'm sitting on 105. 

Total Pages: 13,883

Average Rating: 3.5 stars

Top Rating: 5 stars

Percentage by Female Authors: 42%

Percentage by Male Authors: 44%

Percentage by both Female & Male Authors: 14%

Percentage by US Authors: 58%

Percentage by Non-US/Non-British Authors: 9%

Percentage Mystery: 65%

Percentage Fiction: 91%

Percentage Written 2000+: 40%

Percentage Rereads: 14%

Percentage Read for Challenges: 100% (it's easy when you do as many challenges as I do)

Number of Challenges Complete: 15 (27%)

Mysteries Read

The Mammoth Book of Roaring Twenties Whodunnits by Mike Ashley, ed. (3 stars)

52 Miles to Terror by Ruth Christoffer Carlsen & G. Robert Carlsen (2.5 stars)

Murder Is Pathological by P. M. Carlson (3.5 stars)

Death Turns the Tables by John Dickson Carr (4 stars)

The Four False Weapons by John Dickson Carr (4 stars)

The Beauty Queen Killer by John Creasey (2 stars)

Inspector West Kicks Off by John Creasey (4 stars)

Murder, London--New York by John Creasey (3 stars)

The Curriculum Murders by Marlis Day (2 stars)

And So to Murder by Carter Dickson (4 stars)

Nine--And Death Makes Ten by Carter Dickson (4 stars)

Gone West by Carola Dunn (3 stars)

Blackstone Fell by Martin Edwards (4.5 stars)

The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley (2 stars)

The Gentle Hangman by James M. Fox (3 stars)

Death Among Friends & Other Detective Stories by Cyril Hare (4 stars)

Where Serpents Sleep by C. S. Harris (4 stars)

Pride of the Peacock by Victoria Holt (3 stars)

Murder & Blueberry Pie by Frances & Richard Lockridge (3 stars)

Murder Is Suggested by Frances & Richard Lockridge (4 stars)

Family Skeletons by Rett MacPherson (3 stars)

Murder in Miniatures by Sam Merwin, Jr. (3 stars)

The Distant Hours by Kate Morton (3 stars)

Jimmie Dale & the Blue Envelope Murder by Frank L. Packard (3.5 stars)

Murder in Burgundy by Audrey Peterson (3 stars)

Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine July 1958 by Ellery Queen, ed (4 stars)

Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine Feb 1961 by Ellery Queen, ed (2 stars)

Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine Oct 1965 edited by Clayton Rawson (4 stars)

Death Demands an Audience by Helen Reilly (3.5 stars)

Line-Up by John Rhode, ed (4 stars)

Speakers of the Dead by J. Aaron Sanders (2.5 stars)

Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy L. Sayers (5 stars)

Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield (2.5 stars)

And Be a Villain by Rex Stout (4 stars)

Fatal Enquiry by Will Thomas (3.5 stars)

Mystery of the Hidden Hand by Phyllis A. Whitney (3 stars)

Inquest by Percival Wilde (4 stars)

Danger at the Drawbridge by Mildred A. Wirt (3 stars)

Silent Witness by Margaret Yorke (3 stars)

This year I'm going to try very hard to stick to my no repeat/reread winners policy. It may be difficult--and if doing so means I'll be awarding a POM to book that earned three stars or less then I may have to break policy. If that policy were not in place, then our clear winners for May and June would be Blackstone Fell by Martin Edwards and Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy L. Sayers. Both authors are very deserving...perhaps I should think about establishing a Hall of Fame for obvious repeat winners...

In April we had several four-star winners including two by Carter Dickson (John Dickson Carr) and one by C.S. Harris who are previous POM recipients. That leaves us with Inquest by Percival Wilde. This is an interesting and unusual book. It is entirely set at the coroner's inquest--not a courtroom trial--just the inquest. The only thing we're supposed to determine is how the deceased came by his death--was he shot, did he die of heart failure, sudden apoplexy, or, as has been suggested at the very beginning, a "shock to the nervous system"? For a very long time, it appears that Wilde is merely giving us a commentary on early 20th Century American justice (or miscarriages thereof). We see how (apparently) little towns where everyone knows everyone and officials are either in someone's pocket or have people in their pocket. There is a lot of good local color and Ben Willett is an absolute hoot to listen to. I very much appreciated that our coroner is much shrewder and on the lookout for justice (in its truest sense) than first appears. It was also interesting to have all evidence and clues brought forth in the ramblings of the witnesses at the inquest.

May found Martin Edwards' Blackstone Fell leading the pack with 4.5 stars and John Dickson Carr close behind with two more 4-star winners. Our only newcomer was Line-Up, a short story collection edited by John Rhode. This line-up includes several non-fiction pieces among the collection of short stories. Two of the non-fiction essays are interesting and this is a fairly strong collection of short stories by members of the Detection Club. I am quite sure it was welcomed with open arms by the reading public in the 1940s, especially since this anthology was the first appearance of these stories in anthology form. 

And now for June's POM winner. Dorothy L. Sayers snapped up one of the few 5 star ratings of the year with Busman's Honeymoon and was followed by fellow previous POM awardees, Francis & Richard Lockridge and Cyril Hare with 4 stars. Other 4-star winners include Rex Stout's And Be a Villain and Inspector West Kicks Off by John Creasey. Even though I enjoyed the Creasey novel a lot more than the other recent Inspector West novels, I'm hoping he has an even better one up his sleeve (and on my TBR shelves)--so I'm going to keep him waiting a bit longer for his POM. Which means, the final winner for this quarter is And Be a Villain by Stout. This was a particularly good visit to the brownstone 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." 

July Reading by the Number Reviews

 

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Lessons in Chemistry

 Lessons in Chemistry (2022) by Bonnie Garmus

Synopsis (from back of book): Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an average woman. But it's the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel-prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with--of all things--her mind. True chemistry results.

But like science, life is unpredictable. Which is why a few years later Elizabeth Zott finds herself not only a single mother, but the reluctant star of America's most beloved cooking show Supper at Six. Elizabeth's unusual approach to cooking ("combine one tablespoon acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride") proves revolutionary. But as her following grows, not everyone is happy. Because as it turns out, Elizabeth Zott isn't just teaching women to cook. She's daring them to change the status quo.

Don't get me wrong, this is a good book. But let me get something off my chest at the start--"Laugh-out-loud funny" (from the book blurb), it ain't. There are a lot of heavy topics in here--from misogyny to attempted rape to suicide to atrocities committed in the name of religion. The book had me thinking--about how difficult it was (and still is) for a woman in a man's world; about how we need to do so much better as humans. What I didn't do was laugh. Not once.

But, as I said, this is a good book. It shows where women were...and unfortunately too often still are. There were moments in the 70s where it seemed that women and girls were making progress. I never felt growing up that there wasn't anything I wouldn't be able to do just because I was a girl. I had parents and teachers that encouraged me in every area that I wanted to explore. But something went wrong and well...just look at what the Supreme Court has been doing lately to see where we are now. 

I was rooting for Elizabeth throughout the whole book and enjoyed watching her come full circle back to "real" chemistry. I do wish that we could have represented her as a brilliant woman without making her so abrasively awkward--but I also understand why she is the way she is. And nice girls don't usually finish first in a boy's world anyway. ★★★★

First line: Back in 1961, when women wore shirtwaist dresses and joined garden clubs and drove legions of children around in seatbeltless cars without giving it a second thought; back before anyone knew there'd even be a sixties movement, much less one that its participants would spend the next sixty years chronicling; back when big wars were over and the secret wars had just begun and people were starting to think fresh and believe everything was possible, the thirty-year-old mother of Madeline Zott rose before dawn every morning and felt certain of just one thing: her life was over.

Last line: "Abiogenesis," she said. "Let's get started."

The Distant Hours

 The Distant Hours (2010) by Kate Morton

1992 London. Edie (Edith) Burchill's life is about to get interesting. A long-lost letter from the 1940s--initially mailed during World War II and just discovered languishing in a bagful of mail in a former postman's attic--arrives for her mother. It's obvious from Meredith Burchill's reaction that the letter has upset her, but Edie and her mother have never been very close and Meredith won't answer all of Edie's questions. She does tell her that she had been evacuated during the war and the letter was from one of the sisters she stayed with. The letter wasn't upsetting--just a shock.  But Edie notes the return address on the envelope. 

Through a set of fortuitous events, Edith winds up in the country near Milderhurst Castle--the place where the letter originated and she meets the now elderly women with whom her mother spent time in the 40s. It also just happens to be the home of Raymond Blythe, the author of Edie's favorite children's book The Mud Man. The Blythe sisters have spent their entire lives at the castle--in part because their father's will insisted on it and in part because the elder sisters (twins) have been taking care of the youngest, Juniper. Juniper has never been the same since the night her fiance was supposed to come to dinner and he never showed up--and was never heard from again.

Edie's aunt gives her letters that Meredith wrote to their parents during the evacuation which piques her curiosity even more. She becomes determined to discover the secrets that she's certain her mother is keeping. But there are bigger secrets in the castle--secrets that date from Raymond Blythe's time through the years that Meredith spent at the castle. And it just might be the case that some secrets should never be told.

The heart of the story is a really good one. The mysteries surrounding Meredith's childhood, Juniper's love affair, the origins of the Mud Man, and the Blythe family and their castle were definitely intriguing. And Morton has a definite gift for atmosphere and description of place. You can see the castle in all its dusty ruin. The place is full of despair and broken dreams. The poor Blythe sisters who longed for something more, but whose father arranged things so they could never have it. There are definite Gothic elements and I wanted to just sink into the story and enjoy all the shivers and mystery that come with Gothic. But I just couldn't immerse myself the way I wanted to. 

My biggest quibble with Morton's story is that she not only insists on telling us a great deal of the plot (through second-hand accounts in Meredith's letters and journal) but she then turns around and shows us the same details in flashbacks to the 1940s. We don't need both and it is always preferable to be shown than to just be told what happened and how the characters felt and acted. The book would have been considerably shorter if we could have just followed the action during each time period rather than being told about it first. 

Spoiler encoded In ROT13 (to decode, copy & paste, then click on the link and enter in the appropriate place)

Zl bgure qvfnccbvagzrag jnf jvgu gur npghny fbyhgvba gb jung unccrarq gb Whavcre'f svnapr. V thrffrq cneg bs vg, ohg vg jnf n uhtr yrg-qbja gung gur zna jnf xvyyrq va gur jnl ur jnf. V zrna, yrg gur qrngu unir fbzr zrnavat sbe Crgr'f fnxr. Vg jbhyq unir znqr gbgny frafr vs Crepl unq uvg uvz bire gur urnq naq qvfcbfrq bs gur obql gb xrrc Whavcre sebz zneelvat naq gur pnfgyr orvat tvira gb gur Pngubyvp Puhepu. Crepl jnf fb cebgrpgvir bs gur snzvyl'f vagrerfgf naq jnf fb qribgrq gb gur pnfgyr gung V pbhyq unir obhtug gung. Ohg gb unir uvz gel gb pyvzo hc gur pnfgyr jnyy* va n enva fgbez naq gura Fnssl cnavp (be unir n oenvafgbez--fvapr gung frrzf gb eha va gur snzvyl) be jungrire naq onfu uvz ba gur urnq jnf fhpu na nagvpyvznk. Vg whfg znqr n irel qrcerffvat fgbel nyy gur zber qrcerffvat. Whavcre vf qevira znq jvgu tevrs orpnhfr ure fvfgref xvyy ure oblsevraq (Fnssl) naq uvqr gur obql (Crepl)...naq yrg ure oryvrir sbe gur erfg bs ure yvsr gung ur wvygrq ure.

★★★  for the basis of the story and for the atmosphere. 

More Spoilers: *Naq, ol gur jnl, jung xvaq bs travhf tbrf gb zrrg gurve tveysevraq'f snzvyl sbe gur svefg gvzr naq qrpvqrf gung fvapr gurl nera'g pbzvat gb gur sebag qbbe va n gvzryl snfuvba gung vg jbhyq or n oevyyvnag vqrn gb fpnyr gur pnfgyr jnyy va gur zvqqyr bs n enva fgbez? Lrf, lrf, ur jnf tbvat gb gel naq svk gur fuhggre fb gur yvtug jbhyqa'g fubj va gur oynpx-bhg--ohg fgvyy. Naq jung xvaq bs nhgube znxrf gurve punenpgre qb fhpu na vafnaryl ovmneer guvat--rkprcg gb cebivqr n engure varyrtnag rkcynangvba bs jung unccrarq gb gur cbbe zna?

First line (prologue): Hush...Can you hear him?

First line (1st Chapter): It started with a letter.

Last line: The door closes behind her, leaving the ghostly lovers alone once more in the quiet and warm.

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

Deaths = 19 (nine natural; two shot; two fell from height; five burned to death; one hit on head)

First Chapter, First Paragraph, Teaser Intros & Teaser Tuesday

 

Yvonne at Socrates' Book Reviews hosts a bookish meme where we share the first lines, first paragraph or first chapter of our current read or the next book on our TBR. 

 

 

She's also hooked up with Ambrosia at the Purple Booker for Teaser Tuesdays.

~Grab your current read or next TBR.

~Open to a random page.

~Share two "teaser" sentences--just be careful that they don't include spoilers!

Here's mine from The Distant Hours by Kate Morton:

First lines (before the first chapter): Hush...Can you hear him? The trees can. They are the first to know he is coming.

First lines (of the first chapter): It started with a letter. A letter that had been lost a long time, waiting out half a century in a forgotten postal bag in the dim attic of a nondescript house in Bermondsey. I think about it sometimes, that mailbag: of the hundreds of love letters, grocery bills, birthday cards, notes from children to their parents, that lay together, swelling and sighing as their thwarted messages whispered in the dark.

Teaser (from page 215): But he looked so glum, and the memory came upon me so intensely of how I'd fallen into the world of the Mud Man when I was laid up with mumps or whatever it was, that I couldn't help saying, "If you really want to know, I suppose I could read it to you."

Synopsis (from Goodreads): The #1 internationally bestselling author of The Forgotten Garden mesmerizes readers with a haunting tale of long-buried secrets and the twists of fate that can alter lives forever. This enthralling romantic thriller pays homage to the classics of gothic fiction, spinning a rich and intricate web of mystery, suspense, and lost love.

Inspector West Kicks Off

 Inspector West Kicks Off (aka Sport for Inspector West; 1949) by John Creasey

Guy Randall was on top of the world. He was newly engaged. He had just landed a big contract for his printing company. But someone wanted him dead and stole his briefcase with the details of contract deal after shooting him. When Chief Inspector Roger West is assigned to the case, those who knew Randall are bit taken aback--because there's a great deal of similarity between West and the dead salesman. The shock value comes in handy for a few of the interviews. But the trail is a twisty one and West finds two themes coming up repeatedly--a big food company and a particular football team. It seems that all of the suspects involved in the case are fans of the same team. West has to discover what football and food has to do with each other. And why Randall had to die. An eager journalist is hot on the trail as well and is always one step ahead of the police. But when he disappears, West finds the links that he can make into a chain to trap the villains. The grand finale finds West on the field in front of thousands of spectators facing off with the leader of the gang--and he scores a goal that makes the crowd go wild.

I was so relieved that Turnbull wasn't in this one that I would have given out more stars for that alone. But the story is absolutely worth every star point I give it. West is on the top of his game here and all of his subordinates do an excellent job of detecting as well. The plot is intricate and full of action and I was pleased with how it all came together. My only real quibble is with the motive for Randall's death and how long it took to get even a hint of it. I'm also wondering how often West is going to get hurt in this series and what his secret is for recuperation--he seems to be up and rarin' to go awfully quick for a man who had a large chunk of building fall on him... ★★★★

First line: Guy Randall had no idea that he was going to die.

Last line: But the laughter rang hollow and it was a dejected man who left the house.

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

Deaths = 5 (one shot; two run over by car; one fell from height; one beaten to death)

Busman's Honeymoon

 Busman's Honeymoon (1937) by Dorothy L. Sayers; read by Ian Carmichael

This time of year must be time for Busman's Honeymoon. I listened to Ian Carmichael read this lovely little romantic story with mysterious interruptions in June of last year. Carmichael is perfect when reading the Wimsey books. Petherbridge looks more like Wimsey, but I have a particular fondness for Ian Carmichael since his was the first portrayal of Wimsey that I saw (and heard). For those who need a refresher, here's the synopsis from the last time I read the hard copy (but CAREFUL--Spoilers ahead if you have not read the Wimsey novels which precede this one):

So...Lord Peter finally gets the girl. Well, we knew that at the end of Gaudy Night...what with them kissing madly in the middle of Oxford and all. But this one seals the deal. The book begins with the details of the months leading up to the wedding, the wedding itself, and on to the honeymoon. Not that Sayers is so gauche as to reveal ALL about the wedding night, but it's abundantly obvious that our favorite lord and his new lady have quite a nice time of it.

The mystery fun begins the next day when the body of their neglectful host is found in the basement. It soon becomes clear that the reason the honeymoon house was not prepared was because Mr. Noakes has been dead for almost a week. Harriet rather wishes that Peter need not be bothered with all this murder business while on his honeymoon--if only because it will bring the mobs of reporters descending upon them--but soon realizes that his "job" is something they will need to come to terms with if theirs is to be happy marriage.

What follows is, as Sayers notes in the subtitle, A Love Story with Detective Interruptions. We follow Peter and Harriet as they sort out how their love story will begin and in the intervals they pick up clue after clue that will ultimately lead to the discovery of the culprit. However, the point of the story is not the murder. The point is love and marriage and what Sayers thought was the ideal way for two adults to sort things out.

The mystery isn't a very deep one and it shouldn't be hard for anyone to spot the criminal. But the detective story is not the reason I can read this novel (or any of Sayers' mysteries, for that matter) over and over again. I read them for the language and the characters and their interactions. Rereading Busman's Honeymoon, I was struck once more about how delightful the opening chapter is. It is told entirely in letters and excerpts from the Dowager Duchess's diary and I chuckle over it every single time. The voices of the various characters--from Peter's insufferable sister-in-law to the irrepressible Countess of Severn and Thames--are so distinct and vibrant. And the images they convey are such a hoot--can anyone who has read the stories not snort over the picture of the "hell-hound" reporters trying bribe Bunter? Or Peter and Harriet composing rude rhymes in order to get rid of Helen (the insufferable sister-in-law)?

I love this book. And can only regret that it is the last full-length novel written entirely by Dorothy L Sayers. The books penned by Jill Paton Walsh just aren't the same.

The opening of the story is brilliant. It is so fun to hear all of the different viewpoints in the letters. Bunter's letter to his mother particularly struck me this time and, of course, the Dowager Duchess's diary entries are always a delight--as is she. I also thoroughly enjoyed the latter scenes where Peter and Harriet stay with his mother at the Dower House and Harriet comes across the ghostly Wimsey Gregory. As I said before, there are so many little moments in this novel that I can't possibly talk about them all without completely spoiling the plot. You just need to go read it (or listen to it) yourself. ★★★★★ always.

First lines: Mirabelle, Countess of Severn and Thames, to Honoria Lucasta, Dowager Duchess of Denver. My Dear Honoria, So Peter is really married: I have ordered willow-wreaths for half my acquaintance.

Last line: So she held him, crouched at her knees, against her breast, huddling his head in her arms that he might not hear eight o-clock strike.

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

Deaths = 2 (one hit on head; one hanged)

Murder, London--New York

 Murder, London--New York (1958) by John Creasey

Margaret Roy, a beautiful young woman connected to the art world, is killed--her beauty ruined by the vicious, slashing attack. She and her cousins owned a gallery and business that shipped "old world" art to America. "Handsome" Roger West is assigned to the case and soon finds himself in the middle of an international case that has to do with art dealers, con men, and paid killers. When the elderly owner of the American gallery which handled the British firm's artwork is killed in a similar manner, West sets up an overseas partnership with Lieutenant Goodison of the NYPD. The men work as fast as possible tracking former employees, lovers, anyone who might have a grudge against the art dealers or who might have a stake in what's been going on at the galleries. But it takes time to track down leads and the person behind this is a ruthless killer who doesn't mind murdering anyone who gets in their way...

So...my last Inspector West book (The Beauty Queen Killer) had West dealing with a pretty full of himself, fairly insubordinate young police detective by the name of Turnbull and the murders involved beautiful young women. And wouldn't you know, seven books later, here we are watching West (just promoted to Superintendent) deal with the self-same, just as full of himself, coming back up through the ranks Turnbull. Turnbull bragged at the end of Beauty Queen that busting him back to sergeant wouldn't keep him down for long and, by golly, he was right.  Oh...and the woman who is killed? She was a rare beauty with a sister almost as beautiful as she was.

I didn't care for Turnbull in my last read and he hasn't improved with age. He certainly hasn't learned any tact or how to control his insubordinate mouth/nature. He doesn't seem to have any regard for West at all, despite the fact that the Superintendent stuck his neck to prevent Turnbull from being drummed out of the force altogether the last time. And this episode ends pretty much as that last one did--Turnbull goes off on his own (after being explicitly told to do no such thing), gets injured, nearly gets an innocent person killed, and only the fact that West recognizes full well that his subordinate is doing his own thing again prevents there from being two more deaths added to the score.

Quite honestly, I was disappointed by the ending--not with the mystery. The mystery is fine, though tending more towards thriller than classic whodunnit. I enjoyed the parts with West and Goodison and thought their detective work quite good. But, for the life of me, I can't understand West's continued willingness to cover for Turnbull. The man's insubordination put an innocent person at risk and caused himself and others to be injured. West himself was in danger. And West is "happy" that he can arrange for Turnbull to resign from the force in good standing rather than be dismissed as he should be. The man plans on going off on his own--I assume to be a private detective where he doesn't have to answer to anyone. That ought to work out splendidly.  ★★★--though I'm tempted to go lower simply because of Turnbull.

First line: "Handsome," Turnbull said, from the door of the Chief Inspector's Office.

Last line: He deliberately avoided her, but wasn't surprised when Janet told him, weeks later, that the Turnbulls were going to make a fresh start.

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

Deaths = 7 (two stabbed; one smoke inhalation; one hit on head; two burned to death; one shot)

Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Feb 1961

 Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Feb 1961 edited by Ellery Queen

Another of the EQMM's that I picked up in a search for short stories by the Lockridges. This collection isn't as strong as those I've read earlier in the year. Of the stories, the ones I would recommend are the Lockridge, "The Rubber Doorstops" by Pentecost, and "The Marvelous Mundo Case." The rest are mostly just okay--or barely so. ★★ and 1/2.

"A Winter's Tale" by Frances & Richard Lockridge: A miserly old man who was thought to have died from a fractured skull is found to have froze to death. Captain Heimrich must figure out how he froze to death in an 80 degree house. [one froze to death]

"Dead Heat" by Juan Page: A short little riddle about horse race.

"A Matter of Speculation" by H. C. Bailey: Miss Pumphrey, the last (poorest) of the Pumphreys launches her detective career at the behest of a butler of her acquaintance. The man wants her to look into the bona fides of a new claimant to be an heir of the Madans.[one died at sea; two natural]

"The Rubber Doorstops" by Hugh Pentecost: When a member of a law team set to present a case for the Grand Jury is killed, it looks like the gangster Carl Zorn has made an attempt to "get" Warren Cuyler just as he promised to do. But another member of the staff realizes that all may not be what it seems.[two fell from height; one electrocuted; one hit on head]

"Always Keep Running" (aka "Pale Tea for Hannihan") by Walt Sheldon: Hannihan runs to Japan to get away from his fears--fears of inadequacy as a cop, as a man. But when trouble follows him, he learns that the best way to conquer fear is to face it.

He was beginning to understand that until a man actually risked danger or ruin or death for what he really believed, he never would feel strong, and would always keep running.

"Out of the Darkness" by Gordon R. Dickson: A lighthouse keeper who is on the brink of forced retirement, has one more adventure ahead of him. [two poisoned]

"The Dead Do Not Come Back" by Jack London: Would a man really commit murder over an argument about the reality of existence? [one hit on head]

"The Truelove Chair" by Susan Thimmesch: A slick young man is well on his way to being a con man. But just who is conning who?

"The Marvelous Mundo Case" by June McMahon Roy: Mundo nearly pulls off the perfect method for corpse disposal. If he just hadn't had that one piece of bad luck....[one strangled; one natural]

"The Man in the Next Cell" by Henry Slesar: A businessman speeds through a small town and winds up with a ticket and a visit to a jail cell when he tries to bribe the trooper who stops him. While there, a violent man accused of killing a young woman is placed in the next cell. An angry mob is on its way to make sure justice is served...[one stabbed]

"Exploit at the Embalmed Whale" by Jacob Hay: When the British government decides it wants to get its hands on a ton (really!) of new rocket fuel, they call on their most irritating, yet brilliant spy. He takes the instruction to "steal it from right under their noses" quite literally.

First line (1st story): At a quarter after one on a Wednesday afternoon in mid-January, Florrie Watson parked her battered sedan and for a moment sat in it shivering, hugging a worn cloth coat around her.

Last line (last story): "I shall miss the old girl."

Small Things Like These

 Small Things Like These (2021) by Claire Keegan

When Bill Furlong's unwed mother became pregnant, the good-hearted Mrs. Wilson did not turn her servant out like so many employers in the 1940s would have...and did. She didn't mind what the neighbors might say about the situation. It didn't matter that the more openly religious villagers might think she was condoning sin. She simply did what she considered right according to her own moral code. 

Bill has never forgotten how kind Mrs. Wilson was to him and his mother. Nor has he forgotten how she gave him a start in life when he became engaged to be married. Here and there, he's managed to give a few coins to those less well off than himself and his little family--and his friends and his wife think he's too soft-hearted. Just as Christmas is getting close, he gets an up close and personal look at what goes on at the local convent's laundry business and he's not sure his conscience will let him forget what he's seen. He has to decide if he will follow in Mrs. Wilson's footsteps and do what's right--even if it means the nuns at the convent and his own family will be angry. 

Was it possible to carry on along through all the years, the decades, through an entire life, without once being brave enough to against what was there and yet call yourself a Christian and face yourself in the mirror?

A small book that packs a big punch. It shows the reader how one person can stand up against what is morally wrong--even in the face of a monolithic presence like the Catholic Church in Ireland of the 1940s. And how that act of kindness can affect future generations. Bill has to decide if it's worth it to keep on behaving "respectably," keeping one's head down and not making any waves to make sure he keeps getting by and yet be morally bankrupt. It is sometimes very difficult to go against convention and do the right thing. Bill makes his choice and we have to hope that his family will support him. ★★★★

First line: In October there were yellow trees.

Before long, he caught a hold of himself and concluded that nothing ever did happen again; to each was given days and chances which wouldn't come back around.

Last line: Climbing the street toward  his own front door with the barefooted girl and the box of shoes, his fear more than outweighed every other feeling but in his foolish heart he not only hoped but legitimately believed that they would manage.

6 X H: Six Stories

 6 X H: Six Stories (aka The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag; 1959) by Robert H. Heinlein

Heinlein is an author that I have read only in novel-length works prior to this. His abilities in world-building, stage-setting, and characterization translate well into the shorter form. From the novella-length titular story to the shortest of the short stories, he pulls the reader in and we believe in the time, place, and characters even if we find the story itself a little unbelievable. He gives us a little of everything from straight fantasy to hard science fiction. And, like most collections, he gives us a mix of good stories and not-so-good.  ★★★

"The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag": Jonathan Hoag becomes convinced that he must do something terrible during the day. The trouble is, he can't remember anything at all about what it is. He hires Ted and Cynthia Randall, private detectives, to follow him and find out. But what seems like a simple "tail" job turns into a nightmare for the team when their memories of what happens during the investigation don't match.

"The Man Who Traveled in Elephants": John Watts used to be a traveling salesman and his wife, Martha who loved to travel and see new things, would go with him on the road. They loved visiting all the carnivals and festivals and country fairs that they found along the way. Even after John retired, they still traveled, claiming (to those whose curiosity was such that they just had to know why they traveled so much) that now John "traveled in elephants." And now--now Martha is gone and John is keeping the tradition alive by traveling on his own. But then the bus he's on has an accident and he finds himself at the most fantastic festival he's ever seen.

"--All You Zombies--" A time travel story full of all kinds of paradoxes. Most aptly, a jukebox in the bar which features in the story is playing "I'm My Own Granpaw" on what seems like endless repeat....

"They": Our unnamed protagonist is an inmate in a mental hospital. He is sure that he is one of the few "real" entities in the universe and that those around him are trying keep him from others like him and from finding out the truth. Is he just paranoid? Or is there some truth to his apparent delusions?

"Our Fair City": When a corrupt local government takes on a reporter, a newspaper photographer, and an old parking attendant with an unusual pet, they reap the whirlwind--quite literally.

"And He Built a Crooked House": When Quintus Teal, architect, thinks up a new way to build houses--based on the fourth dimension and the idea of tesseracts, he believes it will revolutionize home-building. It will allow large houses to be built on much smaller plots of land and save on building costs overall. He builds his first model--but a couple of earthquakes thoroughly shake up the process.

First line (1st story): "Is it blood, Doctor?" Jonathan Hoag moistened his lips with his tongue and leaned forward in the chair. trying to see what was written on the slip of paper the medico held.

Last lines (last story): Teal ducked in time. He always was a man of action.