Crimson Roses: Review

Crimson Roses (1928) was the first Grace Livingston Hill I ever read and it is my favorite. I borrowed an old edition from our church library. Years later I found a paperback copy--and I bought it out of nostalgia with plans to reread it. Then I found a first edition with dust jacket that I just had to make mine. This year I decided to finally revisit the book and see if it still held up as my favorite.

The story centers on a Cinderella-style heroine, Marion Warren, who has spent the last two years of her life nursing her sick father. This was a labor of love--because she and her father were very close. But when her father passes away no will can be found and her brother uses his force of personality to make decisions regarding their now jointly-owned property. Despite knowing their father's wishes that Marion stay in the city and complete her education, Tom wants to sell the city house and move to a farm in the country where his wife will be happy and his children will have plenty of room. Unknown to them both, his wife has hidden the will that would have given Marion the house she grew up in as well as enough money for her education. The wife, although not as cruel as the stepmother in the fairy tale, also expects that Marion will come along and help her with the housework and the children.

Marion decides that she can't bear to do that and to follow her father's wishes (and, truth be told, her own dream) and finds herself a job in a department store and a small apartment. The life is hard and she has to really manage her money, but she saves up enough to purchase season tickets to the symphony...and that's when the magic happens. No fairy godmother this time, but a single crimson rose each night in her seat. And roses delivered when she's sick. And a mystery person who shelters her with an umbrella one stormy night after the symphony. Little does she know that she has caught the eye of the wealthy Jefferson Lyman who longs for a real woman--a woman who shares his interests (music, knowledge, and culture) and not one of the flighty socialites who have set their caps for him. 

When it becomes obvious where Jeff's interests lie (though Marion can scarcely believe it), one of those socialites, Isabel Cresson, makes trouble--accosting Marion at her ribbon counter in the department store and then arranges for an embarrassing social event. But Marion has her champions--her fellow workers know what kind of woman she is and stand up for her and Jeff manages to rescue her from the event before her reputation can be ruined. And like the fairy tale, there is a happy ending in store.

To modern sensibilities it may seem like Marion is a meek little doormat--but she is actually a very strong young woman who sticks to her beliefs and convictions and also shows determination to make the life she wants long before the "wealthy savior" comes along to take her out of poverty. She defies her brother and her sister-in-law--who are quite convinced that she'll come crawling back to them for shelter once she's had enough of hard work and little money. The scene at the end when Marion and Jeff stop by unexpectedly is quite delightful. And, through it all, Marion remains sweet and kind and true to herself and her beliefs. 

Crimson Roses is a lovely romance from early last century and should definitely be read with that in mind. I enjoyed it every bit as much now as I did nearly 35 years ago. ★★★★★

Star Trek Fotonovels: An Overview

In the 1970s, long before VCRs were a standard thing in most homes, Bantam Books in conjunction with Mandala Productions gave Star Trek fans the chance to relive some of the shows episodes through series of twelve fotonovels. These books were essentially proto-types of the graphic novels so prevalent today that re-tell classic stories and used actual film stills from the show with word  bubbles and explanatory text to accompany the photos. I found my first few in the early days of book-collecting and was finally able to complete the collection in 2012 when my husband and I came across a treasure trove at my now favorite used book store in Illinois. I recently decided to catch up on reading those that I had never gotten to.

The Devil in the Dark (Fotonovel #9) is based on one of the episodes that most clearly emphasizes Star Trek's premise (voiced through the Vulcan philosophy) of "Infinity Diversity in Infinite Combinations." That we shouldn't make judgements based on how someone or something looks and acts--sometimes we need to take the time to understand those who look different and understand their motivations. The Horta, the "devil in the dark," looks like a menacing monster and has, admittedly, killed Federation personnel, but when Captain Kirk and the his officers investigate they find that the Horta had very good reasons to defend her home and her unborn children. Star Trek has always taught us lessons and this is a very important one. ★★★★

 

The episode  Day of the Dove which is featured in Fotonovel #10 focuses on the militaristic tendencies in both humans and Klingons and it emphasizes the need to overcome those tendencies and work together--especially when facing a common threat. In this case, an energy being that feeds on the negative and bloodthirsty drives that accompany the military mindset. Kirk and Kang, his Klingon counterpart, agree to put aside their differences and refuse to fight just for the pleasure of the creature. As Kang says, "We need no urging to hate humans. But only a fool fights in a burning house."  ★★★★

 
In The Deadly Years (Fotonovel #11) the Enterprise is on schedule to drop off supplies to a research station on Gamma Hydra IV on their way to deliver Commodore Stocker to his new assignment at Starbase 10. Instead of the young research team, they find two elderly-appearing people and Chekov, when searching for the others, stumbles across an ancient dead body. And whatever has caused the rapid aging afflicts the landing party as well--everyone but Chekov. If they can't figure out why Chekov has been spared, then they all may join the ancient corpse. This episode doesn't have near the deep underlying meaning of most Star Trek episodes. It does take a look at how aging affects ability, but if it had wanted to explore aging in depth, it could have addressed ageism. Still--this is a very interesting story and it's great fun when Chekov is going through all the tests to figure out why he's different. He comes back to the bridge muttering, "Give us another blood sample, Chekov. Give us another skin sample, Chekov. If I live long enough...I'll run out of samples." Sulu replies, "You'll live." "Yes....But I won't enjoy it." ★★★★ 

 Amok Time (Fotonovel #12) is one of the gold standard episodes in Star Trek. It gave fans information about the home world of one of their favorite characters--revealing customs and philosophy of Vulcan life. It marked the first use of the Vulcan salute and salutation "Live Long and Prosper." The story also highlighted the deep friendship and loyalty among Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. When T'Pau, the leader of Spock's family--and, incidentally, all of Vulcan--challenges Spock's inclusion of outworlders in Vulcan ritual, she asks him how he will pledge their behavior. And he responds, "With my life." He is willing to sacrifice just as Kirk has been willing to sacrifice his career in Starfleet by disobeying orders to bring Spock to Vulcan...and ultimately is willing to risk his life in the Vulcan mating challenge (to the death!) to help his friend.  ★★★★★

The Affacombe Affair

According to legend, Monk's Leap is a site near Affacombe where one of the Priory's brethern had leapt over the edge, hotly pursued by the Devil in the guise of a beautiful woman. The monk was said to have landed safely on a rock midstream in the River Sinnel below. Years later, no such miracle happens for Sister Roach, a nurse at the school which now makes up most of the Priory's building and grounds. The nurse goes missing one afternoon during a Games Day and her body is discovered at the bottom of the cliff. Investigation by the local police reveals the nurse to have been an experienced blackmailer and it would seem that she got hold of the wrong end of a blackmailing stick. Maybe more than one stick--for they soon find that Sister Roach had several victims on her blackmail list. The only trouble is they all either have unshakeable alibis or there is no proof that they were on the spot when the nurse was pushed.

When Chief Detective Inspector Tom Pollard of the Yard is called in, he discovers that her blackmailing ways have, indeed, been the cause of her death....but not in the way his colleagues thought. In one particular case, she thinks she sees one kind of improper behavior going on, but it winds up that what she has seen is a cover-up for another crime. The criminal decides that even though she hasn't spotted the real reason for what she's seen that she must be eliminated before she figures it out. The entire plot is centered on a case of mistaken identity and that mistaken identity--deliberately manufactured by the criminals in aid of an alibi--more than her blackmailing activities cause her death.

 In The Affacombe Affair (1968) by Elizabeth Lemarchand, the disguise employed is meant to provide an alibi for those engaged in a completely separate crime. It leads to murder...and finally to another round of make-up artistry (on the part of the police this time) which is used to jolt the villains into giving themselves away. Disguise plays a triple part here--as alibi (for both the initial crimes and the murder), as motive, and finally to facilitate the solution.  

It was very interesting to see disguise--or at the very least, identity misdirection--used in more unusual ways. This novel addresses the idea of identity in a manner that allows the author to play with alibis and motives and to add an extra layer of mystification to the plot. Very enjoyable for those looking for a little different twist on the idea of disguise and misdirection. Lemarchand also provides the reader with well-defined characters--from Pollard and his assistant Sergeant Toye to the local detectives to the inhabitants of Affacombe. There is a Miss Marple type--not a spinster, but still an observant widow who seems to be everywhere and to pop up with useful clues whenever Pollard needs a nugget of information. Mrs. Strode may not solve the crime herself, but she certainly provides much of the straw with which Pollard can construct bricks to build his case. ★★★★

*************
This fulfills the "Policeman" category on the Silver Vintage Scavenger Hunt card.

TNB: Crime in Costume--Identity Misdirection {Spoiler Alert!}

The Tuesday Night Bloggers are getting ready for Halloween. So for October we have chosen "Crime in Costume" as our month-long topic. All mysteries that feature costume/disguise/appearance misdirection EXCEPT theatrical mysteries (we're saving that for another time) are fair game. If you'd like to join us for discussion of the use of costumes, masks, masquerades, costume parties and the like in the mystery genre--particularly Golden Age dangerous dress-up, but all are welcome--then please stop in every Tuesday as we gather at Kate's place over at crossexamingcrime. Pull up a chair and have a scone or two...

You know, it's interesting how it sometimes happens that when a certain topic comes up, you immediately start seeing it everywhere. We decided on costumes in crime and suddenly my reading choices reflect that (without my having the least idea that such things would be involved before picking up the books). My last two detective novels have featured a "disguise" of sorts and I hope it won't be stretching things too far--both in terms of my rather loose definition of disguise and in time period. Neither of my examples this week come from the golden age. I also want to warn readers that there is going to be some spoiling ahead, although I will try very hard to discuss my points without giving too much away. Nonetheless--continue at your own risk if you have not read Jonathan Ross's A Rattling of Old Bones (1982) and Elizabeth Lemarchand's The Affacombe Affair (1968). 

Each of these novels center around a question of identity and the use of disguise to provide much needed alibis. Ross's novel makes use of a shriveled and mummified body to assist in the disguise of identity. The body is found in Judith Quint's home and there are various points of identification which make the police, her family, and friends believe that the body is indeed hers. But is it really? And, if it's not hers, then whose body is it? And where is Judith Quint? The problems of identification are further complicated by the culprit's use of an unusual circumstance to provide the perfect disguise. It's not a disguise that one would have elected--if one had the choice, but in this instance the disguise was, quite honestly, forced upon them. Detective Superintendent George Rogers will finally be able to sort out the proper identities with the assistance of a cat. No--this isn't one of those cute cats and crime novels where the cat solves the mystery, but without the cat's assistance Rogers most likely would not have seen through the disguise. 

The Affacombe Affair is a murder mystery where, in the final summing up, the murder seems almost incidental. There is another crime afoot and the disguise is central to the plot. And it winds up being the motive for the murder. The nurse at the local school, Sister Roach, goes missing and her body is discovered at the bottom of a cliff. Investigation reveals the nurse to have been an experienced blackmailer and it would seem that she got hold of the wrong end of a blackmailing stick. She thinks she sees a spot of adultery going on, but she hasn't actually seen who she thinks she has. That case of mistaken identity--deliberately manufactured by the criminals in aid of an alibi--more than her blackmailing activities cause her death. 

In this story, the disguise employed is meant to provide an alibi for those engaged in a completely separate crime. It leads to murder...and finally to another round of make-up artistry (on the part of the police this time) which is used to jolt the villains into giving themselves away. Disguise plays a triple part here--as alibi (for both the initial crimes and the murder), as motive, and finally to facilitate the solution. 

It was very interesting to see disguise--or at the very least, identity misdirection--used in more unusual ways. Each of the novels addresses the idea of identity in a manner that allows the author to play with alibis and motives and to add an extra layer of mystification to the plot. Very enjoyable for those looking for a little different twist on the idea of disguise and misdirection.

Mount TBR Checkpoint #3 Winner!

It's time to take a break at the end of a busy day to haul out the random number generator and select a checkpoint winner for this quarter in mountain climbing. Let's feed in all the entries, listen to it clank and whir, and we have a winner!  Our lucky climber is #2!

A quick peek at the Checkpoint Post tells me that our winner is Link #2 Barbara H. at Stray Thoughts! Congratulations, Barbara! I'll be contacting you with the prize list very soon.

Thanks again to all of you who checked in...and to all who are busy climbing with us! We're heading into the home stretch. See you at the finish line!

A Rattling of Old Bones: Review

A Rattling of Old Bones (1982) by Jonathan Ross is the eight book in this police procedural series starring Detective Superintendent  George Rogers. Rogers is a solid and very human policeman who has a knack for brilliant and startling solutions to often baffling crimes. This time out he catches petty thief "Lying Willie" Blore in mid-burgle at a house in his neighborhood. He turns Willie in to the duty officers and heads home...but is called back later that night when Willie reveals that he had spotted something a bit odd on an earlier job.

Willie had broken into the abandoned rectory looking for any knick-knacks with which he could make a few easy bucks. He got more than he bargained for when he jimmied open an old linen closet and found the mummified remains of a woman. Everybody thought that the owner Judith Quint had left town five years ago. It looks like everybody was wrong. Rogers has a difficult case in front of him--he and one of his men had a run-in with Judith's estranged husband in an earlier case which will make it difficult to keep it professional. There were rumors that he had hit his wife. And digging up the past will dig up other painful memories--Judith was a woman who liked men and she had several lovers who might have had a reason to get rid of her as well. She even tried to add two of Britain's finest to her string...including George Rogers.

In addition to all the known men in her life, Judith had also managed to have a falling out with her sister. And there's the gardener who disappeared about the same time she did. And there's a woman who claims to have been Judith's friend, but Rogers thinks there's something a bit off there. There is something a bit off in the investigation...but it will take all of Rogers's brilliance to spot it this time. There's also a bit of disguise/misrepresentation going on that fits well with our Tuesday Night Bloggers theme for October...but I'm going to save that for my TNB post {plus...I don't want to spoil anything for anyone....}

This story shows Rogers at his best. He's struggling with his memories of Judith Quint and trying not to let the past interfere with his investigation. He shows as very human--nearly failing in his detective work because he's been too close to the victim. Jonathan Ross provides a very clever wrap-up. It's a plot twist that has been used before, but it's well done and not everyone will spot the trick. Overall, a very satisfying read. ★★★★

Avon Mystery Story Teller

The Avon Mystery Story Teller (1946) edited by Joseph Meyers and E. B. Williams is a collection of mystery and mayhem ranging from Agatha Christie's "The Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan" (1925) to "The Old Man in the Window" (1946) by Margery Allingham. These and other well-known authors such as John Dickson Carr and Mignon G. Eberhart are joined by authors who may not be quite so familiar to the average reader--like J. S. Fletcher and Michael Fessier. [Although faithful readers here on the block will have noted a recent review of Fletcher's The Middle Temple Murder.]

These are stories of murder and spine-tingling adventure. And, of course, as with all collections, some are better told and more spine-tingling than others. (For instance, "The Man in the Black Hat" by Michael Fessier really doesn't seem to belong here--it's more on the fantastic side than the mysterious. But over-all this is a very fine collection. ★★★★

A run-down of the stories:

"The Old Man in the Window" by Margery Allingham: Stanislaus Oates has just been promoted to Superintendent and he and Albert Campion are out for a bit of celebration. During the course of their dinner, they witness a love triangle involving Denise Warren, Arthur March, and Rupert Fielding, a brilliant young surgeon. The lady in the case breaks up with her fiance (March) and it isn't long before a wedding is announced between Warren and Fielding. But then, complications arise--an elderly member of Campion's club, whose traditional seat has been in the window of the establishment, is found to be ill and later pronounced dead by Fielding (also a member). Scandal...and more...erupts when the victim comes back to life.

"Death by Accident" by Francis Cockrell: Henry Earle, an assistant cashier, decides to run off with $150,000 of the bank's money. But before he can make good his get-away, his rented car is found in flames over an embankment...with a body inside. Detective Joe Mudd, smells a rat, especially when there is no trace of the money (in ashes or otherwise). And even though the teeth say it's the cashier, Mudd begins to wonder. But if it isn't Earle...then where did this body come from?

"The Silver Curtain" by Carter Dickson: Jerry Winston is having terrible luck at the gaming tables. Then a man comes along and offers him ten thousand francs to just go to a doctor's house and pick up some pills. Sounds like an easy way to earn some cash. But then that same fellow winds up dead with a knife in his back outside the doctor's establishment....and there's one around but Jerry. And he didn't do it. Fortunately, Colonel March of Scotland Yard is on hand to explain.

"The Man Who Was Missing" by Mignon G. Eberhart: Susan Dare takes up residence in a rooming house to discover how a ballerina's fiance could disappear from a locked house.

"The Man in the Black Hat" by Michael Fessier: A very weird little story about a man whose luck changes when he accepts a "free car" from a man in a black hat like our hero "used to wear when the horses ran right or the stock market chart didn't look like a cross-cut saw." Everything goes swimmingly, until he decides to ask the man who he is. He doesn't actually find out...and maybe that's a good thing.

"His Heart Could Break" by Craig Rice: Why did Paul Palmer, accused murderer, hang himself just when his lawyer John J. Malone had managed to get him a new trial and another chance for an acquittal. The key just may be in an old prison song...

"Three O'Clock" by William Irish: A jealous man is convinced that is wife is meeting a lover while he's at work at his watch-repairing shop. So, he decides to set up a nice little time-bomb surprise for her...at three o'clock. But a set of burglars manage to throw a wrench in the works.

"Treasure Hunt" by Edgar Wallace: The deceptively mild mannered detective, Mr. J.G. Reeder uses the legend that all detectives are on the take and have a secret treasure somewhere as a cunning plan to set a thief to catch a murderer. 

"The Lighthouse on Shivering Sand" by J. S. Fletcher:  Murder comes to the lighthouse when two mortal enemies are assigned to duty at the same time. The third man devises a plan to keep them apart, but when a man is determined....

"The Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan" by Agatha Christie: Poirot and Hastings are on holiday at the grand hotel when they meet a wealthy stockbroker and his wife. After Poirot amuses them with stories of cases which have involved some very famous jewels, the wife rushes off to retrieve her one-of-a-kind pearl necklace. But--it has disappeared! There are only two people who could have taken it...but they both appear to be innocent. Leave it Poirot to find the culprit.

"The Proverbial Murder" by John Dickson Carr: Dr. Gideon Fell takes on the impossible shooting of a suspected German spy. It all depends on a stuffed wildcat, the use of a gun that couldn't have made the fatal shot, and....Fell's memory of a proverb.

*******
This fulfills the "Evil Eyes" category on the Golden Vintage Scavenger Hunt card. Actually finished on 10/2/16.

Hooiser Hills Book Fair

It's that time of year again--when I head out to the Monroe County Fairgrounds and see how many books I can stuff into my rolling shopping bag and how much money I can spend on books in the name of a good cause. For the first time ever, I decided to spend an extra $10 and attend the first day of the Hoosier Hills Community Book Fair. I was curious to see how much difference it made in what I found. What I discovered was that most of the people who were lined up for first dibs at the books were NOT looking for mysteries and did not seem to interested at all in the vintage mysteries that I was looking for. That was all to the good. I did come home more books--not quite as many really good digest size (like Mapbacks) as I dreamed of, but I certainly can't complain.

Here is Thursday's haul (81 books)

Hardbacks
The Corpse in the Snowman by Nicholas Blake (Books, Inc, 1944)
The Doyle Diary by Michael Baker (Paddington Press Ltd, 1978)
Crime for Christmas by Thomas Godfrey, ed (Avenel Books 1989)
Skull Mountain by Dean Hawkins (Crime Club, 1941)
The Clue in the Diary by Carolyn Keene (Nancy Drew, tweed cover w/DJ, 1956)
The Clue of the Black Keys by Carolyn Keene (Nancy Drew, tweed cover w/DJ, 1951)
The Witch Tree Symbol by Carolyn Keene (Nancy Drew, tweed cover w/DJ, 1955)
Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy L Sayers (Grosset & Dunlap reprint, 1935ish)
Murder at the Mardi Gras by Elisabet M. Stone (Sheridan House, 1947)
Footprints by Kay Cleaver Strahan (Crime Club edition, 1929; I have been looking for this title For. Ev. Er.)

Vintage Paperbacks 
The Fear Sign by Margery Allingham (MacFadden Books #50-15, 1963)
Call for the Saint by Leslie Charteris (Avon #526, 1953)
Featuring the Saint by Leslie Charteris (Avon #803, 1958)

The Saint Intervenes by Leslie Charteris (MacFadden Books #50-262, 1966)
The Saint vs. Scotland Yard by Leslie Charteris (Avon #T-199, 1957)
The Big Four by Agatha Christie (Dell #0562, 1965)
Double Sin by Agatha Christie (New Dell #2144, 1970)
The Golden Ball & Other Stories (New Dell #3272, 1972; first paperback)
The Mousetrap by Agatha Christie (New Dell #5360, July 1969)
Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie (New Dell #5946, 1970)
Murder in Retrospect by Agatha Christie (New Dell #6030, 1970)
An Overdose of Death by Agatha Christie (Dell #6780)
Partners in Crime by Agatha Christie (Dell #6848, 1967)
13 at Dinner by Agatha Christie (New Dell #8742, 1969)
Green Hazard by Manning Coles (Doubleday Dolphin #C293, 1961)

A Toast to Tomorrow by Manning Coles (Bantam #118, 1947)
Death of a Racehorse by John Creasey (Berkley Medallion #F757, 1963)
Hang the Little Man by John Creasey (Berkley Medallion #F-1280, 1966)
Murder Tips the Scales by John Creasey (Berkley Medallion #Y649, 1962),
The Horizontal Man by Helen Eustis (Doubleday Dolphin #C318, 1962)
Bats Fly at Dusk by A. A. Fair [Gardner] (New Dell #0476, 1963)
The Navy Colt by Frank Gruber (Superior Rprint #M649, 1945)
This Is It, Michael Shayne (Dell Mapback #533, 1951)
Six Black Camels by Edwin Lanham (Pocket Books--Permabook Edition #M4280, 1963)
Headed for a Hearse by Jonathan Latimer (Dell #D196, 1957)
Date with Death by Elizabeth Linington (Popular Library, 1966)
Death of a Tall Man by Frances & Richard Lockridge (Dell Mapback #322, 1949)
Warrant for X by Philip MacDonald (Dell #D194, 1957)
Scales of Justice by Ngaio Marsh (Berkley Medallion #F986, 1964)
Old Bones by Herman Petersen (Dell Mapback #127, 1946)
Innocent Bystander by Craig Rice (Dell Mapback #461, 1950)
The Nine Tailors By Dorothy L. Sayers (Four Square Books #157, 1959)
The Bell in the Fog by John Stephen Strange (Doubleday Dolphin #C43, 1936?)


Recent and/or Reprint Paperbacks
The Fennister Affair by Josephine Bell
The Piccadilly Murder by Anthony Berkeley (Dover Edition)
The Foggy, Foggy Dew by Charity Blackstock
A House Possessed by Charity Blackstock
The Corpse in the Snowman by Nicholas Blake
Blotto, Twinks & the Bootlegger's Moll by Simon Brett
Rehearsal for Murder by P. M. Carlson
Poison in Jest by John Dickson Carr
Storm Center by Douglas Clark
The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy 
The Bahamas Murder Case by Leslie Ford
The Black Envelope: Mr. Pinkerton Again! by David Frome
The Eel Pie Murders by David Frome
Mr. Pinkerton at the Old Angel by David Frome
Mr. Pinkerton Grows a Beard by David Frome
Mr. Pinkerton Has the Clue by David Frome
Two Against Scotland Yard by David Frome
Death Among Friends & Other Detective Stories by Cyril Hare
Death Is No Sportsman by Cyril Hare
By Hook or By Crook by Emma Lathen
Death Shall Overcome by Emma Lathen
A Place for Murder by Emma Lathen
Exercise Hoodwink by Maurice Proctor
Rogue Running by Maurice Proctor
Not Me, Inspector by Helen Reilly
Death in Harley Street by John Rhode
Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy L. Sayers (1st ed 1960s/70s Avon edition)
Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy L. Sayers (1st ed 1960s/70s Avon edition) 
The Documents in the Case by Sayers & Robert Eustace (1st ed 1960s/70s Avon edition)
Blood on the Dining-Room Floor by Gertrude Stein
The Six Iron Spiders by Phoebe Atwood Taylor
Basil of Baker Street by Eve Titus
Basil & the Pygmy Cats by Eve Titus
Basil in Mexico by Eve Titus
Bony & the Kelly Gang by Arthur W. Upfield
The Bushman Who Came Back by Arthur W. Upfield
No Footprints in the Bush by Arthur W. Upfield
The Chinese Nail Murders by Robert van Gulik
The Adventure of the Peerless Peer by John H. Watson, M. D.; ed by Philip Jose Farmer

And...I made a second trip with the hubby on Friday for 22 more! And a total of 103 so far. That's the most I've brought home to date.

Hardbacks
The Man from Nowhere by Victor Bridges (reprint w/dust jacket)
The Ebony Bed Murder by Rufus Gilmore
The Amazing Web by Harry Stephen Keeler
Untidy Murder by Frances & Richard Lockridge (1st edition w/dust jacket) Find of the Week!

Vintage Paperbacks
Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie (Dell #5982, 1969)
The Beauty Queen Killer by John Creasey (Berkley Medallion #F1095, 1965)
The Blind Spot by John Creasey (Berkley Medallion #F1052, 1965)
The Killing Strike by John Creasey (Berkley Medallion #Y695, 1961)
Be Shot for Sixpence by Michael Gilbert (Doubleday Dolphin #C229, 1956)
Silence Observed by Michael Innes (Berkley Medallion #F915, 1964)
Ten Days' Wonder by Ellery Queen (Pocket Book #740, fine condition, 1950)
The Door by Mary Roberts Rinehart (New Dell #2138, 1st printing, 1964)
Figure Away by Phoebe Atwood Taylor (Pyramid #X1579, 1967)
Of All Possible Worlds by William Tenn (Ballantine Books #407K, 1960)

Recent and/or Reprint Paperbacks
Trent's Own Case by E. C. Bentley
Room for Murder by Doris Miles Disney (MacFadden Books #75-448)
The Maltese Manuscript by Joanne Dobson (refers to Hammett's works)
Tenant for the Tomb by Anthony Gilbert (Beagle Books #95173, 1971)
Puzzle in Paisley by Elizabeth Gresham
Ashes to Ashes by Emma Lathen 
Lord Peter Views the Body by Dorothy L Sayers (1st 60s/70s Avon Edition)

TNB: Sayers and Crime in Costume

The Tuesday Night Bloggers are getting ready for Halloween. So for October we have chosen "Crime in Costume" as our month-long topic. All mysteries that feature costume/disguise/appearance misdirection EXCEPT theatrical mysteries (we're saving that for another time) are fair game. If you'd like to join us for discussion of the use of costumes, masks, masquerades, costume parties and the like in the mystery genre--particularly Golden Age dangerous dress-up, but all are welcome--then please stop in every Tuesday as we gather at Kate's place over at crossexamingcrime. Pull up a chair and have a scone or two...

When I was hunting a likely cover to convert for our October logo, I came across Therese Benson's Death Wears a Mask. I found it so intriguing that I immediately went online to see if there were any reasonably priced copies--and snagged one (without the lovely dust jacket, unfortunately). I'll be serving that up in a future TNB post. In the meantime, I've been considering Dorothy L. Sayers use of costumes and misdirection in a few of her short stories and, particularly, in Murder Must Advertise. I thought it fitting that since I ended with Sayers in September that I should lead off with her in October. 

First up is the short story "The Queen's Square." This story is set at a Christmas season masquerade ball hosted by Sir Charles Deverill. Most interesting to me is theme of the party--everybody has come as a game. Which, as one party-goer notes, "cuts out all those wearisome pierrots and columbines." Lord Peter Wimsey is dressed as the Jack of Diamonds, his mother is the Queen of Spades, and other costumes include Badminton, Water Polo, and one unfortunate young man who has devised a really clever rendition of a billiard table that doesn't allow him to sit down unless he wants to "hitch [his] behind on a radiator, and as they're all in full blast, it's not very cooling." The center of the story focuses on the White Queen, Charmian Grayle--an unashamed flirt who winds up strangled and the question of costumes provides Lord Peter with a key clue to the crime. 

Sayers short stories also feature several occasions where Lord Peter goes undercover or in disguise, as it were. These include "The Adventurous Exploit of the Cave of Ali Baba" where Wimsey goes to the extreme of being declared dead so he can go undercover amongst a den of ruthless thieves who hold their meetings while masked and are identified by only numbers; "The Incredible Elopement of Lord Peter Wimsey" which sees Wimsey appear in a small Basque village as a wizard of sorts, performing various small wonders, and eventually rescuing the wife of a cruel and vindictive man; and "The Bibulous Business of a Matter of Taste" where not one, but two Wimseys, as well as a man claiming to be Death Bredon--a cousin of Lord Peter--present themselves at the home of a man with secrets to sell to Britain and must prove, through a knowledge of wine and their palates, which of them is the bona fide representative of His Majesty's government. 

But the finest example of Lord Peter in disguise is presented in Murder Must Advertise--for not only does Wimsey set himself up as an advertiser in Pym's Publicity under those very useful middle names Death Bredon, but he also does a bit of extra costume flim-flammery as the flamboyant Harlequin who so fascinates Dian de Momerie. As Bredon, he is appears as a Bertie Wooster type, the money-come-down-in-the-world sort who seems to be a friend of the boss and whom no one expects to make a copy writer. They would be wrong. Mr. Bredon seems to have a flair for bon mot turned advertising slogan and a way with witty literary quotes and puns. Just the thing to make the client's advertising heart all a-flutter. He also seems to have a nose for gossip and soon has turned the entire staff inside out on the subject of Victor Dean and his tumble down the firm's deadly staircase.

Little does Pym's know that they are nursing a detective in sheep's clothing and in their

midst is none other than Lord Peter Wimsey that aristocratic sleuth-hound. Hot on the scent, Wimsey confirms that Dean had found that something was a bit odd in the advertising house and that porridge and sanitizers and household supplies aren't the only things being advertised in Pym's campaigns. Before he's uncovered the entire scheme, there will be masquerades and unmaskings....and, of course, a spot of murder. Dressed as Harlequin, he attends a masquerade party at a certain Major Milligan's and comes across the de Momerie woman--who is rich and bored silly and ready for anything to get a new kick out of life. Harlequin provides the kick through wild stunts and a daredevil car race and pumps Dian for information on Milligan and his crowd. 
Sayers novel is a brilliant use of disguise to ferret out the crimes committed and it is particularly fun to watch the disguise within a disguise. It is even more fun to watch the misdirection put into play when Lord Peter and Inspector Parker use a clever bit of sleight-of-hand to establish that Death Bredon and Lord Peter Wimsey are two separate individuals--one a shady character of interest to the police and the other the well-known scion of the aristocracy.

October Read It Again, Sam Reviews

October Vintage Scavenger Hunt Reviews

October Mount TBR Reviews

Vintage Scavenger Hunt Check-in Post #3 (aka Prize Opportunity!)

Calling all scavenger hunters! We have passed the mid-way point in our vintage mystery cover scavenger hunt. Back in November 2015 when I launched this year's version of the reading challenge, I randomly picked categories for various check points along the way. Here are the categories for this round:

1. Bottle/Glass for Drinking
2. Boat
3. Skeletal Hand
4. Clock/Timepiece
5. Hand Holding Weapon
6. Library/Book

You may enter once for every object already found and claimed prior to this post going live. Objects count from both Gold and Silver cards. Links may point to relevant reviews OR you may create Check-in Specific posts. Please use the following for the link title for the Check-in:

Name (Object) Card   [example: Bev (Clock) Silver]  

OR

Name (Checkpoint Summary) 

If you use a checkpoint summary post, I will enter you for the number of items you list as found. Checkpoint posts must include either the cover used or some means of pointing me to the cover on the internet.

If you do not blog (or have a way to link up through Goodreads, etc), please enter in the comments and point me to the cover of the edition you read.

The linky will be available until Tuesday, October  11th. On Wednesday, I will use the magic random number generator to draw a winner who may choose a prize from my prize vault. 

Mount TBR: Checkpoint #3

Oh my goodness!  Where does the time go?  Last I checked, September was just starting....and now it's gone and it's time to get the third quarterly checkpoint up and running. Let's see how our challengers are doing after they've got 9 months under the ol' mountain-climbing belt.  

For those who would like to participate in this checkpoint post, I'd like you to do two things:
 

1. Tell us how many miles you've made it up your mountain (# of books read).  If you're really ambitious, you can do some intricate math and figure out how the number of books you've read correlates to actual miles up Pike's Peak, Mt. Ararat, etc. 

2. Complete ONE (or more if you like) of the following:

A. Who has been your favorite character so far? And tell us why, if you like.

B. Pair up two of your reads. But this time we're going for opposites. One book with a male protagonist and one with a female protagonist. One book with "Good" in the title and one with "Evil." Get creative and show off a couple of your books.

C. Which book (read so far) has been on your TBR mountain the longest? Was it worth the wait? Or is it possible you should have tackled it back when you first put it on the pile? Or tossed it off the edge without reading it all?

D. Choose 1-4 titles from your stacks and using a word from the title, do an image search.  Post the first all-eyes-friendly picture associated with that word.

Please prepare your answers in a Checkpoint blog post and link up below.

And what do you get for all that hard work (and distraction from the actual climb)? The link will close at 11:59 pm on Saturday, October 8.  Sometime next Sunday I will crank up the Custom Random Number Generator and pick a winning climber. He or she will have the chance to add to their TBR stack via my gently-used book vault (prize list will be sent). Just think, if you win a book you can start up a pile for next year's Mount TBR Challenge. 

Even if you're not in the mood for a prize or you've already finished your climb, I'd love to have you check in with us and tell us all your news!

***Please note--the linky is for Checkpoint posts only.  The link must be to a specific Checkpoint post (not your blog's home page in general). Links that are not Checkpoint-specific will be removed--to make it easier for me to track a winner.  Enter here OR on my Goodreads Challenge site (but not both places, please).

Sign in below with your Checkpoint post.

September Wrap-Up & P.O.M. Award

It's time to put together my wrap-up post for September I also have a contribution for Kerrie's Crime Fiction Pick of the Month. It's hard to believe that we're heading into the last three months of the year. Will I finish off the 40-ish more books needed to defeat all my reading challenges? We'll have to see. Meanwhile, here's what happened here on the Block last month.... 
   
Total Books Read: 15 
Total Pages:  3,200
Average Rating: 3.5 stars
Top Rating: 4 stars 
Percentage by Female Authors: 33%
Percentage by US Authors: 47%
Percentage by non-US/non-British Authors:  7%
Percentage Mystery:  80%
Percentage Fiction: 93%
Percentage written 2000+: 0%
Percentage of Rereads: 7%
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: 22 (67%)

Well....it's encouraging to see the numbers holding steady (I might just finish 160 books after all), but there are still way too many books that need reading for challenges and I'm still running a bit behind schedule if I'm going to get 40,000 pages done by the end of the year. And now for the P.O.M. Award in Mysteries.


As mentioned above, Kerrie had us all set up for another year of Crime Fiction Favorites. What she was looking for is our Top Mystery Read for each month. Of the fifteen books read in September, twelve were mysteries (or near-cousins. Here are the mystery-related books read:



The Wheelchair Corpse by Will Levinrew (4 stars) The Mystery of Burnleigh Manor by Walter Livingston (3 stars) While the Wind Howled by Audrey Gaines (3 stars) The Eye of Osiris by R. Austin Freeman (4 stars) The Case of the Baker Street Irregulars by Robert Newman (3.5 stars) Stories of the Supernatural selected by Dorothy L. Sayers (2.5 stars) 
The Suicide Club & Other Stories by Robert L. Stevenson (3 stars) Home to Roost by Andrew Garve (3 stars) The Seventh Mourner by Dorothy Gardiner (3.5 stars) Death in the Andamans by M. M. Kaye (3.5 stars) The Middle Temple Murder by J. S. Fletcher (4 stars) The Clue in the Clay by D. B. Olsen (3.5 stars)

And now it's time to look for our P.O.M. Award Winner. We've got three contestants in the running for September: The Wheelchair Corpse by Will Levinrew, The Eye of Osiris by R. Austin Freeman, and The Middle Temple Murder by J. S. Fletcher. And all three have definite attractions.

Levinrew's book is a delightfully fun murderous romp. Sure, folks are dying through the most outlandish means. Yeah, there's a bit of esoteric scientific knowledge necessary for the solution that the average Joe or Jane probably doesn't have. There's a rather unbelievable bit of (redacted so I won't give away a plot point) going on.  But it doesn't matter. This is just fun. The characters are engaging and book moves along at a terrific pace and before you know it, you're at the end of the story with the plot all wrapped up and Professor Brierly bemoaning the lack of perspicacity of his companions.

Freeman makes the running again for the second month in a row. This is another fine intellectual puzzle featuring Dr. Thorndyke. Thorndyke is perhaps a little long-winded in his scientific lectures when it comes to the mystery of the missing archeologist John Bellingham, but all is forgiven when the reader gets to enjoy the comic scenes in the coroner's inquest (where it is to be decided if the bones are Bellingham and, if so, how he met his death) and the probate court. Mr. Pope, one of the members of the coroner's jury is priceless--subjecting every witness to his stolid questions and disbelief of anything but the most obvious of proofs. He plays merry hell with Mr. Jellicoe's and Mr. Hurst's plan to get the bones identified as Bellingham's by raising enough doubt that the inquest is adjourned. 

And The Middle Temple Murder is a fast-moving story which follows our investigators from one adventure to the next, from one witness to another in their efforts to discover who killed the mystery man whose body was left on the doorstep of one of the Temple chambers. There are several features that would become standard in mystery stories--mysterious man from the past killed for unknown reasons, wealthy man of business with mysterious background, the missing child--but here, because it is such an early example, they seem fresh. The main disappointment I have with the book is the denouement. The reveal of the culprit at the end comes much too quickly and with too little explanation. One can just see the motive for the murder, but Fletcher gives the wrap-up very little effort. It's as if he said--"Well, X did it. That's all you need to know." Other than the ending, this is a fine example of an early mystery story and, from what I read on the internet, one of Fletcher's better efforts. 

It's been a difficult job for our judges this month. But, after considering the pros and cons of each of our contestants, the winner is...

Freeman is one of the early master's of the scientific mystery and the settings and character descriptions are really quite delightful in The Eye of Osiris. Well worth your time.