Just the Facts: Checkpoint

Calling all cars, calling all cars...Detectives are asked to check in with Headquarters. Please report progress. Headquarters out.

So....the beginning of July came and went in a Montana-vacation-blur and then my laptop died. Finally got it back today and so...now it's time to see how our detective challengers are doing with their notebooks. Back in the fall when I put together the latest version of the Vintage Mystery Challenge, I randomly selected items from the notebooks for our checkpoints. Here are the categories for our second checkpoint (January - July 25, no books posted after this checkpoint goes live):

WHO: Retired from OR In the Armed Services
WHAT: Animal in the title
WHEN: During a trip/cruise/vacation/etc.
WHERE: In a locked room
HOW: Death by strangulation
WHY: An author you've never tried

You may enter once for every item checked off in your notebooks. Both Golden & Silver cards count. Please use the linky below and enter your items under the following "Name":

Your name (Category) Card 
 ~Example: Bev (Armed Services) Silver

If you do not have a blog or other way to link up below, then you may use the above format for all of your items and list them in the comments below. You will also earn one entry for every item.

The linky will be open until midnight on Wednesday, August 1. Sometime on Thursday, I will pull out the Custom Random Number Generator and select a winner. Good luck!


   

    An InLinkz Link-up
   

Gun in Cheek: Review

Gun in Cheek (1982) is a collection of the "best" of the worst in American and British crime fiction. Bill Pronzini provides the reader with a run-down of synopses and large snatches of quotations of what, in his opinion, represents some of the worst stories and writing in various subgenres of mystery--everything from hard boiled dicks to Had-I-But-Known damsels in distress and amateur detectives to the boys in blue and everything in between. Pronzini's got us covered.

Mike Tooney tells us in his review over at Mystery*File that we shouldn't "try to read this book in one sitting because it just might make you dizzy with laughter." Unfortunately, humor is a subjective thing and I think maybe my sense of humor is far afield from Mike's (and most of the reviewers on Goodreads). I just honestly didn't find many instances where the passages were so doggone funny. Most passages were either examples of just plain bad writing or (especially in the hard boiled line) it seemed like business as usual. After all, hard boiled detective stories seem to corner the market on outlandish descriptions such as this:

She was as lovely as a girl could be without bludgeoning your endocrines. (from Killers Are My Meat by Stephen Marlowe)

The best of the book seems to me to be the tidbits of publishing history that Pronzini gives us along the way. For example, the interesting chapter giving background on Phoenix Press. He also provides details on the development of the various subgenres and his comments on various authors and their characters is often more entertaining than the passages he quotes. In fact, I enjoyed it most when it seemed to be at its most serious--giving facts and background rather than trying to provide passages that I thought sure were supposed to be funny....but weren't. ★★★ (primarily for the history and facts)

[Finished 6/27/18. I feel a little--but just a little--bad claiming this for the Humor Challenge. BUT I put it on the list fully expecting it to be funny and many others have found it funny. So--on the Humor Challenge it goes.]

Some Beasts No More: Spoilery Review

Detective Harry James comes back from medical leave to find that a hoped-for position on a new squad has passed him by while he was recuperating from a nasty run-in with some ruffians in a warehouse. Instead, he has been assigned to help Superintendent Hawker who has a bee in his bonnet over a list of people who have all died recently. All of them are, according to Hawker, unconvicted murderers. Those who the police suspected of murderer and were quite sure of, but they could never get the evidence necessary for an arrest. And apparently someone is doling out justice on their own.

Hawker wants James to track down connections between the victims so they can find the murderers' murderer. The trail leads James to the village of Bradshaw where he encounters an eccentric collection of suspects--falling in love with one of them along the way--as well as a baffling set of clues. Another corpse is discovered, things get very murky indeed, and more suspicion is heaped on his lady-love before James gets to the bottom of the murders.


VERY SPOILERY SECTION AHEAD!



So.........either I was sleep-reading during some really crucial portions of this one or some clues were definitely missing because there was no way (that I can see) that I could possibly have figured out the reason (as it appears to me) for the murders is that there was some sort of spy network going on. I mean, one minute we're trying to figure out who killed these old guys in the country who were supposedly murderers and the next thing I know one of the suspects isn't really who we thought s/he was and from the references to Germany I'm guessing s/he was a spy. It's all very confused.

But at least our hero can breathe easy and get on with falling in love with the gal who was the main suspect all along. Because she didn't do it! One thing that could have been made a little more clear is whether the real villain knew all along about her past and deliberately tried to frame her (which, again, is how it appears to me) or if circumstances just made her look suspicious. But don't expect Giles to explain that....

Some Beasts No More (1965) is the first of Kenneth Giles's novels to feature Harry James. I've read two others and I have to say that I'm glad this wasn't the first novel I read. Had it been, I'm not sure that I would have read any more. It's definitely disconcerting to have the entire case shift so drastically right at the very end. ★★

[Finished 6/22/18]

Artists in Crime: Review

In Artists in Crime (1938) Ngaio Marsh introduces Inspector Roderick Alleyn to his future wife. It'snot exactly an auspicious beginning to a romance. Alleyn is on his way back to England by boat from his extended leave and encounters Agatha Troy on the boat deck where they both had sought solitude--he for a quiet, contemplative pipe and she to do a bit of painting away from the other passengers.

    "I had an idea," said the painter, "that if I worked up here on this hideously uncomfortable perch, I might possibly have the place to myself for a bit."

She definitely makes him believe that she doesn't care for him at all.

Then when they've both returned to England, she heads to her country home, Tatler's End, where she paints and hosts students and fellow painters. He stops at his mother's home not far away for a final respite before returning to London, the Yard, and work. They are brought together again when the artist's model hired for the latest class is killed by the very method demonstrated in response to an illustration that one of the students needs to do for a book. A knife was driven through the modeling dais and when Sonia Gluck (the model) was pushed into position the blade went through her heart. Who did it? Was it the sculptor who had tired of their affair? Was it one of the women who were jealous of Sonia's way with men? Maybe it was the man with a title who dabbled in art and who had his own secrets with Sonia. There are hints of blackmail, a whiff of poison, and motives galore. Will Alleyn manage to find the murderer among Troy's friends without alienating the woman he's begun to love?

A clever little mystery with plenty of red herrings and interwoven motives to distract the reader. In addition to reading this, I also listened to an audio novel version read by Benedict Cumberbatch. He does a very good job giving voice to all of the characters--making it quite easy to keep them all straight. A thoroughly enjoyable story in both mediums. ★★★★

[finished on 6/17/18]

The Witch of Lime Street: Review

The Witch of Lime Street by David Jaher was a bit of a disappointment. The subtitle is Seance, Seduction, and Houdini in the Spirit World and quite a big deal is made about the fact that "Margery," the so-called "Witch of Lime Street" and famed medium has to prove herself to Houdini. It's presented as a duel between the two. But--Houdini disappears for a large portion of the book.

The beginning alternates between giving us the background on Houdini and how his escape artist abilities lead him to become intrigued with, investigate, and ultimately debunk the mediums and spiritualists he comes in contact with AND giving the history of the spiritualist movement--including the involvement of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. However, most of the book focuses on a controversial contest that was sponsored by the Scientific American and which offered a large cash prize to the first medium declared genuine by a five-man committee which would include Houdini among its members. But most of the mediums feared Houdini's involvement, so the committee had him continue his escape artist tours and told him they would only call him in if they found a very promising candidate.

There were many failures before Margery came along as Doyle's best hope for authentication. She appeared to be a very powerful medium and produced many dazzling effects--but, again, Houdini wasn't there for most of the tests and she didn't really want to be tested by him. He finally comes along at the end and her powers are thrown into question--enough so that she doesn't win the prize.

The book is well-researched and offers a wealth of information on the spiritualist movement in a highly entertaining manner. But the advertised "duel" between Houdini and Margery is not nearly as dramatic as anticipated and falls rather flat. ★★★

~Fun Fact: The cover glows in the dark with ghostly green and white for the words and images.

[Finished on 6/12/18]

Black Beauty: Review

I wasn't one of those girls who went through a phase of reading all the animal books-- Lad: A Dog, My Friend Flicka, The Black Stallion, etc. So, this is my first reading of Black Beauty.  

A graphic novel edition of Anna Sewell's classic story of a handsome, strong horse--told entirely from his point of view. We read of his early life with a caring man who gently got him used to a bit and saddle. It follows him through a life of good times and bad with understanding masters to cruel men who didn't know how to treat a horse kindly to those who didn't know any better. It finally brings him back to gentle master and his family where he spends the rest of his life.

A terrific classic story that helps young readers consider what life is like for our animal friends and helps them to understand the point of view of others. ★★★

Terror in Times Square: Review

Terror in Times Square (1950) by Alan Handley features Tim, a small-time actor just waiting for the big break that he's sure is coming his way. A Hollywood producer who just happens to take in a play that has this "young actor who's outta this world. You ought to see what he makes of that tiny part that imbecile director gave him!" Or a big even that will get his name and picture in the papers. Well...you know what they say--be careful what you wish for.

One morning Tim is awakened by a phone call from his agent, Nellie, telling him to come to her office pronto. He's hoping it means she's found a part for him. But when he arrives at her office he finds her dead with a sharp filing spindle stuck through her and the only part on offer seems to be that of chief suspect in a murder mystery. After all, doesn't every actor have the urge to kill their agent at one time or another? He spies her appointment book and snags it because he doesn't want any curious cops getting bright ideas about his morning visit. He leaves the building, hoping no one has seen him, and heads straight to his friend and fellow actor's place. Maggie Lanson's name is also in the book and for an appointment earlier than his, but she says she didn't go. She forgot all about it. She doesn't seem at all concerned that their agent has been murdered ("about time too") and doesn't seem to understand Tim's fear that one or both of them might be a suspect.

Tim determines to discover who did it before the police even get around to suspecting and sets out to track down the mysterious "Bobby LeB"--the other name in Nellie's appointment book for the day. His search leads him through the theaters and night clubs of New York to an alley where he's knocked out and into a steam room where the murderer will try to boil him alive. But in the end, Tim will help New York's finest get their (wo)man.

This mystery reminds me of all the HIBK books I've read where the heroine goes and gets herself into all sorts of dangerous situations because her curiosity gets the better of her. If our hero would just sit tight and wait, the police would get the killer and he'd be saved a few injuries. But where would the fun be in that? This a middle-of-the-road mystery. Good characters, but a pretty flimsly plot with a fairly melodramatic ending. A decent, quick read for a lazy afternoon. ★★ ★

[finished 6/5/18]

July Follow the Clues Reviews

 

 

July Mount TBR Reviews

July Key Word Reviews

July Key Words: Blue, Water, Desert, Apple, Many, Wood/s, Stay, Cabin, Between

Please note that you may also post any catch-up reviews here as well--just be clear when you name your link up which Month and Key Word you are posting.

July Just the Facts Reviews

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

The Hellfire Conspiracy: Review

The Hellfire Conspiracy (2007) is the fourth entry in Will Thomas's excellent historical mystery series set in Victorian London. The intellectual, yet physically strong inquiry agent Cyrus Barker and his assistant Thomas Llewelyn, a former Oxford scholar who was falsely imprisoned, are clearly cast in the Holmes and Watson and/or Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin mold. Thomas has steadily built the characters and their relationships (to each other and to other recurring characters) over the course of the series and this installment gives readers a more in-depth look at the events leading up to Llewelyn's imprisonment--ultimately bringing Llewelyn face-to-face with the man he views responsible. Barker manages to set up a way for his assistant to get his own back.

But on to the mystery. The adventure opens with a visit from a distraught major from the guardsmen. Major DeVere's twelve-year old daughter Gwendolyn has disappeared from offices of the Charity Organization Society. Mrs. DeVere did volunteer work there and would bring Gwendolyn along to expose her to life outside their upper middle-class ways. As Barker and Llewelyn investigate, they discover that while Gwendolyn is the first middle class child to disappear there have been several lower-class girls who went missing and were later found dead--strangled and violated. Though the detectives work as fast as they can, they do not find DeVere's daughter in time to save her from a similar fate and Barker begins to suspect that a serial killer is at work. His suspicions are confirmed when he begins receiving taunting letters from a "Mr. Miacca"--a name taken from a grisly children's fairy tale about a child-eating bogeyman.

Barker leaves his comfortable home and sets up in an empty Bethnal Green warehouse so that he and Llewelyn can keep watch over the neighborhood where "Mr. Miacca" has been at work. Their efforts lead them to a revival of the Hellfire Clubs of earlier times and they must determine if the club is behind the killings or if someone is making use of their rituals as a cover for a more deadly game. 

As usual, Thomas does an excellent job immersing the reader in the world of Victorian London. He brings in pertinent social and political topics and uses them to good effect to propel the plot. What I always appreciate is the way he introduces such topics and informs the reader on them without making it seem like a lecture or an info dump. He weaves the information into the story so the reader learns what's needed (should they not be familiar with the topics), but does not feel overwhelmed. I also enjoy the development of our two detectives and the background that is gradually filled in during the course of each book. Learning the details of Llewelyn's previous difficulties makes his character far more interesting.

The mystery is not overly complicated. Seasoned mystery readers may well spot the villain of the piece before Barker and Llewlyn tracks them down, but the plot is woven so well and the is so well-written that it shouldn't dampen your pleasure much--if at all.  ★★★★

[Finished on 6/1/18]

DeKok & Murder by Installment: Review

DeKok & Murder by Installment (1985) by A. C. Baantjer finds Inspector DeKok a bit disgruntled at the beginning of the novel. Not that this is unusual. The older cop has an allergy to the new-fangled things that have been trying to encroach on his well-worn methods. He's never really got used to buzzing around in cars--he didn't mind riding a police bicycle. He liked writing up his reports in long hand and now the department wants them submitted on computer-written pages. And that's where we, the readers come in, Baantjer is complaining about how much more work the computer reports are (not for him, of course--he wangles it so his younger partner Vledder does the honors)--that handwritten reports encouraged officers to be straightforward and succinct resulting in shorter reports and less work. Vledder argues that now he can write up once and print out all the copies needed for various departments and senior officers rather than copying it out by hand every time.

As he and Vledder debate the merits of the computing age, the watch commander Kuster comes along with something new for DeKok to be disgruntled about. An eighteen-year-old boy has been brought in on a cocaine charge and DeKok & Vledder are the only detectives available at that time of night so DeKok's protests that this is a job for narcotics fall on deaf ears. But then his own ears perk up when Kuster mentions that the boy also had huge amounts of money (translated by our 2006 translator as "a hundred thousand Euros" which doesn't jibe with the 1980s) taped around his waist. DeKok wants to know what a boy that age is doing with that much cash. His curiosity leads him and Vledder into a case with a series of sinister murders which are somehow connected to the boy and his money...and his brother who soon dies from AIDS.

Various members of a golfing club begin to die--each bashed over the head by an oddly-shaped weapon. It's no spoiler to tell you that it's a golf club--even the most dense reader must figure that out before DeKok. Yes, dear reader, the members of the golf club are done in by a golf club. Is there special significance in that? I'll never tell. What DeKok and Vledder must discover is what is the connection between the young men and the dead men. Why were the men wearing necklaces with the wrong astrological sign? And why has the murderer targeted them?

This is another interesting entry in this series from the Netherlands. Plenty of background color. Several quirky local characters. The mystery isn't breath-takingly original but DeKok is and he and Vledder are really what makes these books. I enjoy DeKok's methods and his peculiar take on police work. Good solid ★★★  effort. 

[Finished on 5/30/18. One of these days I'm going to get caught up on my reviews....]

The Mystery of the Blue Train: Review

The Mystery of the Blue Train (1928) by Agatha Christie

Ruth Kettering's father, the wealthy Rufus Van Aldin, loves only one thing more than he loves making money--his beautiful, willful daughter. The only time she really disappoints him is when she becomes involved with men. Her first love affair was with a scoundrel, Armand the Comte de la Roche. He managed to break that up successfully, only to watch her marry Derek Kettering--a British man in line for a title but badly in need of money. When Kettering breaks her heart by becoming entangled with a Parisian dancer, Van Aldin purchases a priceless necklace containing the famous ruby, "Heart of Fire," hoping it will distract her enough to enable him to persuade her to sue for divorce.

It seems to work, though Ruth seems curiously reluctant to be rid of her husband, and he puts things in motion--notifying Kettering that he may want to consider a settlement. Kettering knows that a divorce suit may ruin him financially and that it will be difficult to fight a case supported by the Van Aldin wealth, but he refuses to consider coming to terms, telling Van Aldin that he may find that Ruth has a counter-suit to answer. Ruth is evasive when her father asks her to be honest with him about her affairs and the matter is far from resolved when she sets out on a trip to the Riviera aboard the luxurious Blue Train.

There is plenty of intrigue on the train. Ruth has her own affairs to sort out and is on her way to meet her own lover, Armand who she never really got over. And, unknown to her, Derek and his dancer Mirelle are also on the train. Monsieur Hercule Poirot, the famous detective, has also chosen the train for a journey. There is a possibility that a famous jewel thief, the Maquis, is on the train as well--perhaps with his sights set on the legendary ruby. Katherine Grey, a young woman setting out on her first adventure after coming into a small inheritance, may find herself in the middle of a much bigger adventure than she could have imagined. Ruth Kettering will die. The rubies will disappear as will her maid. And Katherine Grey will find herself attracted to two men--one of whom might be a murderer. Poirot is, naturellement, called upon to give his expert aid to solve the crime.

One of the things I like best about this Christie novel is the characterization--particularly of Katherine Grey and Derek Kettering. Katherine is a very strong character and Christie gives her a more complete background than many of her characters get. She is a very solid, down-to-earth person who has played the supporting role for most of her life and is just now getting a chance to spread her wings on her own. But there is a sense of humor and a strain of knowledgeable common-sense running through her that makes her very interesting. She is amused at Poirot's interest in her reading habits and she is perfectly aware of the ulterior motives behind her distant cousin's invitation to stay. Kettering, while being presented as an aristocratic wastrel, begins to make us wonder whether the spoiled daddy's girl was more to blame for the marriage going bad than he. I particularly like that he says no to the pay-off (bribe, as he calls it)--knowing that daddy can bury him in court no matter what evidence of counter-suit he might bring should he stoop to do so.

Poirot is, of course, Poirot and follows his own path even when the police are at first convinced that the Comte is the villain of the piece and then, when that falls through, going so far as to arrest Kettering. Poirot is not so sure that the motive is as evident as it appears and he produces the correct one...and the correct villain... with his usual panache. ★★★★

[Finished on 5/28/18. I spy with my little eye through the magic of Goodreads that Kate @ crossexaminingcrime has read this in the past and it would be a blunder of the first order if Agatha's biggest fan, Brad @ ahsweetmysteryblog, had neglected one of her stories (he hasn't)--so this counts for the "read by a fellow blogger" category on the Just the Facts Challenge.]

By the Light of the Study Lamp: Review

I read a couple of Dana Girls mysteries when I was young (and those books are packed in a box somewhere)--but I really couldn't tell you a thing about them, unlike the Nancy Drew books I read. So when I saw a few titles on one of our antique mall expeditions, I decided to get them and give the girls another try. By the Light of the Study Lamp (1934) was one of the books I picked up--a good place to start since it's the first of the series.

In their first adventure, Louise and Jean receive a surprise present from their Uncle Ned--a beautiful antique study lamp that they plan to use when they return to Starhurst (their boarding school). But not long after they open the present, the lamp is stolen from their home. The girls are disappointed and arrive at Starhurst in a subdued mood, but are heartened when Mrs. Crandall, the head of the school tell them that they have been assigned the second-floor study room that they had requested the previous term. Their good fortune earns them an enemy in Lettie Briggs, a spoiled rich girl who had set her sights on that very room. Later, they cross her again when they spy a lamp that looks like their stolen present in a local antique shop and buy it. [Lettie had been in the shop earlier, wanted the lamp, but thought the price too high.]

It winds up that their lamp...and their study room...is the center of an old mystery. Their friend Evelyn Starr used to live at Starhurst--when her family was wealthy and owned the property. But misfortune struck, the family jewels were lost, and Evelyn's brother can barely afford to send his sister to the school in their old home. There are clues to be found in the study and the Danas are led through a maze of crooked shopkeepers, crafty gypsies, and a suspicious handyman before they solve the mystery and come to the aid of their friend.

The Dana Girls are obviously molded in the pattern of Nancy Drew (though they are orphans and don't have a wealthy father to provide all their needs). The mystery is very like those solved by Nancy and the girls show the same resourcefulness and independence. This is a fun, simple mystery from a simpler time. I will say that I don't particularly care for the "mean girls" story line--where Lettie is set up as their rival and enemy. I just don't think that particular angle works well and it definitely is unnecessary. If this remains a prominent story element, then I'm not sure how many Dana Girls I will pick up (and read) in the future. ★★★

[Finished 5/25/18]