Read It Again, Sam 2021

 

For those of you who love to revisit old friends in the book world, I present another round with Sam at the piano for all your reading music needs. While not quite as popular as the Color Coded Challenge, this one still has its devotees.

Rules:

~Challenge runs from January 1 to December 31, 2021. And any book read after January 1 counts regardless of when you sign up.

~Levels:

   Déjà vu: Reread 4 books

   Feeling Nostalgic: Reread 8 books

   A Trip Down Memory Lane: Reread 12 books

   Living in the Past: Reread 16+ books

~Once you choose your challenge level, you are locked in for at leas that many books. If you find that you're lost in a nostalgic haze and want to tackle a higher level, then you are welcome to upgrade. You cannot change down, however.

~Crossovers with other challenges are fine.

~To Sign Up (now that my linky provider has limited the number of "parties" I can host): If you have a blog, please post about the challenge on your site and post a link to your sign-up in the comments below. you may also post a link to a Goodreads or Library Thing list, etc. If you do not have a blog and cannot comment below, then please send me an email at phyrne1969 AT gmail DOT com and I will add you myself.

~If you would like to post review links, you may do that here as well.

Color Coded Reading Challenge 2021

 

Once again the categories will be more open--the color may either be named in the title or it may appear as the dominant color for the cover of the book. For "implies color" the image implying color should dominate the cover--for instance a large rainbow, a field of flowers, or the image of a painter. Get ready for a rainbow of reading in 2021. 

General Rules:

~Challenge runs from January 1 through December 31, 2021 and any book read after January 1 may count regardless of when you sign up. You may sign-up any time.

~Read nine books in the following categories:

1. A book with "Blue" or any shade of Blue in the title/on the cover.

2. A book with "Red" or any shade of Red in the title/on the cover.

3. A book with "Yellow" or any shade of Yellow in the title/on the cover.

4. A book with "Green" or any shade of Green in the title/on the cover.

5. A book with "Brown" or any shade of Brown in the title/on the cover.

6. A book with "Black" or any shade of Black in the title/on the cover.

7. A book with "White" or any shade of White in the title/on the cover.

8. A book with any other color in the title/on the cover (Purple, Orange, Silver, Pink, etc).

9. A book with a word/image that implies color in the title/on the cover (Rainbow, Polka-dot, Plaid, Shadow, Paint, Ink, etc).

~Crossovers with other challenges are fine.

~To Sign Up (now that my linky provider has limited the number of "parties" I can host): If you have a blog, please post about the challenge on your site and post a link to your sign-up in the comments below. You may also post a link to a Goodreads or Library Thing list, etc. If you do not have a blog and cannot comment below, then please send me an email at phryne1969 AT gmail DOT com and I will add you myself.

~At the beginning of the new year, I will put up posts for review links for each color category and the sidebar image will be updated to the new challenge links.

Vintage Scattergories: Vintage Mystery Challenge 2021

2021 marks the ten-year anniversary of the Vintage Mystery Reading Challenge. I began the celebration this year with a Vintage Mystery Extravangaza which included a look back on all of the variations of the challenge over the years. In order to mark a decade of mystery challenging, I decided to go back to the early days and revive the Vintage Scattergories edition. Once again, I'm offering a bit of a smorgasbord with a huge selection of categories to choose from. Your mission, should you wish to accept it, will be to fulfill at least eight of the categories in a single vintage era and, as always, you are welcome to complete all categories and both eras if you would like. You are also welcome to be creative with the categories as long as you can make a good case for how your book fits.

General Rules:

~Challenge runs from January 1, 2021 through December 31st, 2021. Any books read January 1 or later may count regardless of sign-up date.

~To complete the challenge you must read at least eight books that fulfill eight of the categories listed. All eight books must be from a single vintage era (see descriptions below).

~All books must be from the mystery category (crime fiction, detective fictions, espionage, etc.). The mystery/crime must be the primary feature of the book--ghost stories, romance, humor, etc. are all welcome as ingredients, but must not overshadow the mystery element.

~Each book may count for only one category within the challenge--but you are welcome to use books read for this challenge for other challenges as well.

~For the purposes of the challenge, Golden Age mysteries must have been first published before 1960. Golden Age short story collections (whether published pre-1960 or not) are permissible provided all of the stories in the collection were originally written pre-1960. Please remember some of our Golden age authors wrote well after 1959--so keep an eye on the original publication date and count them appropriately. Silver Age mysteries may be first published from 1960-1989 (inclusive). Again, Silver Age short story collections published later than 1989 are permissible provided none of the stories are first published later than 1989. Yes, I admit my dates are arbitrary (and personal to me) and may not exactly meet standard definitions of Golden or Silver Age.

~If you have a blog please post about the challenge and a little about your commitment--if you're going for Silver or Gold...or perhaps both. Then sign up using the form below. Please use the url link for your challenge post and not your home page. Those without blogs may leave that blank or enter the url for a Goodreads or Library Thing list, etc.

~If all goes well, I plan to offer prizes. I hope to be able to sponsor a drawing among all successful participants as well as provide a prize to our most ambitious reader--the one who reads the most books. 

Categories:

1. Colorful Crime: A book with a color or reference to color in the title

2. Murder by the Numbers: A book with a number or quantity in the title

3. Amateur Night: A book with a detective who is not a P.I.; Police Officer; or other official investigator (Nurse Keate, Father Brown, Miss Marple, etc.)

4. Leave It to the Professionals: A book featuring cops, private eyes, secret service, professional spies, etc.

5. Jolly Old England: A mystery set in the United Kingdom

6. Yankee Doodle Dandy: A mystery set in the United States

7. World Traveler: A mystery set in any country except the U.S. or U.K.

8. Dangerous Beasts: A book with an animal in the title

9. A Calendar of Crime: A mystery with a date/holiday/year/month/etc. in the title

10. Wicked Women: A book with a woman in the title--either by name (Mrs. McGinty's Dead) or by reference (The Case of the Vagabound Virgin)

11. Malicious Men: A book with a man in the title--either by name (Maigret & the Yellow Dog) or by reference (The Case of the Haunted Husband)

12. Murderous Methods: A book with a means of death in the title (The Noose, 5 Bullets, Deadly Nightshade, etc.)

13. Staging the Crime: A mystery set in the entertainment world (theatre, musical event, pageant, Hollywood, etc)

14. Scene of the Crime: A book with the location of the crime in the title (The Body in the Library, Murder at the Vicarage, etc)

15. Cops & Robbers: A book that features a theft rather than murder

16. Locked Rooms: A locked-room mystery

17. Impossible Crimes: Any other impossible crime (locks not necessary)

18. Country House Criminals: A standard (or not-so-standard) Golden Age-style country house murder

19. Murder on the High Seas: A mystery involving water

20. Planes, Trains, & Automobiles: A book with a mode of transportation in the title

21. Murder is Academic: A mystery involving a scholar, teacher, librarian, etc. OR set at a school, university, library, etc.

22. Things That Go Bump in the Night: A book with something spooky, creepy, gothic in the title (The Skeleton in the Clock; Haunted Lady; The Bat; etc)

23. Repeat Offenders: A mystery featuring your favorite series detective or by your favorite author or reread an old favorite

24. The Butler Did It...Or Not: A mystery where the butler is the victim, the sleuth...(gasp) the criminal...or is just downright memorable for whatever reason.

25. A Mystery by Any Other Name: Any book that has been published under more than one title (Murder Is Easy--aka Easy to Kill [Christie]; Fog of Doubt--aka London Particular [Christianna Brand], etc.)

26. Dynamic Duos: A mystery featuring a detective team (Holmes & Watson; Pam & Jerry North; Nero Wolfe & Archie Goodwin, or a little-known team that you introduce to us)

27. Size Matters: A book with a size or measurement in the title (Death Has a Small Voice; The Big Four; The Weight of the Evidence; etc.)

28. Psychic Phenomena: A mystery featuring a seance, medium, hypnotism, or other psychic or "supernatural" characters/events

29. Book to Movie: A book that has appeared on screen (feature film or TV)

30. The Old Bailey: A courtroom drama mystery OR a mystery featuring a judge, lawyer, barrister, district attorney

31. Serial Killers: Books that were originally published in serial format (from the pulp era) OR a book that includes three or more deaths--all committed by the same person.

32. Killed in Translation: A work that originally appeared in another language and has been made available in English--original publication date determines Gold or Silver Age--OR if your native language is not English, then a work that originally appeared in English which you read in your native language.

33. Blondes in Danger: A variation on "Colorful Crime." A book that features a blonde in the title (The Blonde Died First; The Case of the Black-Eyed Blonde) or another shade of hair color (The Case of the Substitute Brunette)

34. International Detectives: A variation on "World Traveler"--but instead of the crime being set in another country, the detective is not from the U.S. or U.K.

35. Somebody Else's Crime: Read a book that someone else has already read for the challenge.

36. Genuine Fakes: Read a book by an author who wrote under a pseudonym (Josephine Tey [Elizabeth Mackintosh]; Nicholas Blake [Cecil Day Lewis]; etc.)

37. Hobbies Can Be Murder: A mystery that involves a hobby in some way: stamp, coin, book collecting, etc; knitting; birdwatching; hunting; etc.

38. Snatch & Grab: Read the first book you pick up off your shelf or TBR stack/s

39. I've Got You Covered: Pick a book to read based on the cover

40. Get Out of Jail Free: One per customer. You tell me what special category the book fits and it counts--the only thing I won't accept is "It's a vintage mystery!" The genre/time period is a given.

2021 Beachcomber Reading Challenge

 

Rick has changed up his bingo challenge--taking us from the bingo hall to the beaches of Maine in a quest for items to place in our mystery beach bags. The cabanas of the Beachcombers Reading Challenge are waiting and beachcombers can fill their bags from now until December 31, 2021. For full details, check out the link.

I'm in and already at the beach!

Weapons

Rope: By Hook or by Crook by Anthony Gilbert (11/31/20)

Falling Object: Why Mermaids Sing by C. S. Harris (10/26/20)

Poison, etc: Where Serpents Sleep by C. S. Harris (11/11/20)

Motor Vehicle (wreck)--unsuccessful--but still used: An Ad for Murder by John Penn (4/18/21)

Fire: What Remains of Heaven by C. S. Harris (12/17/20)

Hand Gun: Where Serpents Sleep by C. S. Harris (11/11/20)

Knife: Death of a Warrior Queen by S. T. Haymon (10/18/20)

Rock, Brick, etc: Death of a Warrior Queen by S. T. Haymon (10/18/20)

Axe/Hatchet: Why Kings Confess by C. S. Harris (4/12/21)

Pointy object: Where Serpents Sleep by C. S. Harris (11/11/20)

Motor Vehicle (struck by): The Hound of Death by Agatha Christie (12/20/20

Motor Vehicle (carbon monoxide): The Whispering Death by Roy Vickers (11/23/20)

Free Square: Hit by sailing vessel [non-motorized] Why Mermaids Sing by C. S. Harris (10/26/20)

Drowning/water/ice: Why Mermaids Sing by C. S. Harris (10/26/20)

Bomb/Explosion: Gently in the Sun by Alan Hunter (4/5/21)

Push/Fall: The Disappearance at Pere-Lachaise by Claude Izner (11/2/20)

Fright/heart attack: The Hound of Death by Agatha Christie (12/20/20)

Pillow/smother/etc: Money in the Morgue by Ngaio Marsh/Stella Duffy (3/29/21)

Animal attack/bite: Mortmain Hall by Martin Edwards (11/28/20)

Dagger: Why Mermaids Sing by C. S. Harris (10/26/20)

Medicine/drugs: [alcohol poisoning] Why Mermaids Sing by C. S. Harris (10/26/20)

Household object: [Poker] Why Mermaids Sing by C. S. Harris (10/26/20)

Hands/fists: "A Matter of Time" Sidney Chambers & the Shadow of Death by James Runcie (1/14/21)

Rifle/shotgun: The Double-Jack Murders by Patrick McManus (2/2/21)

Stocking/scarf/etc: The Ultraviolet Widow by Frances Crane [belt] (5/31/21)

Crime Scenes

Boat: "Mr. Cork's Secret" by MacDonald Hastings in Crimson Snow by Martin Edwards [ed] (1/12/21)

Library/bookstore: Thirteen at Dinner by Agatha Christie (12/18/20)

Kitchen/bakery: "Rum Punch" by Christianna Brand in Bodies from the Library by Tony Medawar [ed] (3/10/21)

Pathway/forest: Why Mermaids Sing by C. S. Harris (10/26/20)

Airplane/airport: The Coconut Killings by Patricia Moyes (3/22/21)

Lake/ocean: Miss Maple: The Complete Stories by Agatha Christie (12/3/20)

Alley/mews: Where Serpents Sleep by C. S. Harris (11/11/20)

Lawn: Peril at End House by Agatha Christie (11/19/20)

Basement: The Ivory Snuff Box by Arnold Fredericks (4/27/21)

Attic: The Haunted Attic by Margaret Sutton (5/10/21)

Bar/store/restaurant: "A Matter of Time" Sidney Chambers & the Shadow of Death by James Runcie (1/14/21)

Cliff/roof/high place: Why Mermaids Sing by C. S. Harris (10/26/20)

Free square: [cemetery] Why Mermaids Sing by C. S. Harris (10/26/20)

Taxi/bus: "The Man with the Twisted Thumb" by Anthony Berkeley in Bodies from the Library by Tony Medawar [ed] (3/10/21)

Train/subway: The Hound of Death by Agatha Christie (12/20/20)

Stairs: The Cannibal Who Overate by Hugh Pentecost (2/14/21)

Hotel: "A Christmas Tragedy" by Agatha Christie (in Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories) [12/3/20]

Street/sidewalk: "The Man with the Twisted Thumb" by Anthony Berkeley in Bodies from the Library by Tony Medawar [ed] (3/10/21

Island: The Coconut Killings by Patricia Moyes (3/22/21)

Swimming pool/spa/jacuzzi: The Dragon Murder Case by S. S. Van Dine (12/16/20)

Garden/park/gazebo: Why Mermaids Sing by C. S. Harris (10/26/20)

Home or business office: Blue Otavo by John Blackburn (3/12/21)

Bedroom: Look Your Last by John Stephen Strange (11/18/20)

Bathtub/Shower/Bathroom: Death & the Dutch Uncle by Patricia Moyes (1/18/21)

Beach/shoreline: Death of a Warrior Queen by S. T. Haymon (10/18/20)

Detectives

A: Maggie Hope [Princess Elizabeth's Spy by Susan Elia MacNeal] (1/2/21)

B: Det. Dave Batterby [Death of a Warrior Queen by S. T. Haymon] (10/18/20)

C: Arthur Crook [By Hook or by Crook by Anthony Gilbert] (11/21/20)

D: Superintendent Ditteridge [Foot in the Grave by E. X. Ferrars] (10/28/20)

E: Sheriff Bill Eldon [The Clue of the Runaway Blonde/The Clue of the Hungry Horse by Erle Stanley Gardner] (12/28/20)

F: Peter Frain [Princess Elizabeth's Spy by Susan Elia MacNeal] (1/2/21)

G: Mrs. Goodge [Mrs. Jeffries & the Feast of St. Stephen by Emily Brightwell] (12/4/20)

H: Det. Sid Hale [Death of a Warrior Queen by S. T. Haymon] (10/18/20)

I: Inspector Witherspoon [Mrs. Jeffries & the Feast of St. Stephen by Emily Brightwell] (12/4/20_

J: Det. Inspector Ben Jurnet [Death of a Warrior Queen by S. T. Haymon] (10/18/20)

K: Det. Jack Ellers [Death of a Warrior Queen by S. T. Haymon] (1018/20)

L: Victor Legris [The Disappearance at Pere-Lachaise by Claude Izner] (11/2/20)

Free Square: Hercule Poirot [Peril at End House by Agatha Christie] (11/19/20)

M: Miss Marple [Miss Marple: The Complete Stories by Agatha Christie] (12/3/20)

N: Inspector Narracott [The Sittaford Mystery by Agatha Christie] (11/29/20)

O: Philo Vance [The Dragon Murder Case by S. S. Van Dine] (12/16/20)

P/Q: Lord Peter Wimsey [The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L. Sayers] (11/2/20)

R: Rachel Savernake [Mortmain Hall by Martin Edwards] (11/28/20)

S: Smythe [Mrs. Jeffries & the Feast of St. Stephen by Emily Brightwell] (12/4/20)

T: Jeff & Halia Troy [If the Shroud Fits by Kelley Roos] (11/13/20)

U: Inspector Duke [The Sittaford Mystery by Agatha Christie] (11/29/20)

V: Sir Henry Lovejoy [Why Mermaids Sing by C. S. Harris] (10/26/20)

W: Sgt. Bowles [Death of a Warrior Queen by S. T. Haymon] (10/18/20)

XYZ: PC Wyatt [Death of a Warrior Queen by S. T. Haymon] (10/18/20)

XYZ: Viscount Devlin, Sebastian St. Cyr [Why Mermaids Sing by C. S. Harris] (10/26/20)

 

Victims:

A: Adam Bellamy [Why Mermaids Sing by C. S. Harris] (10/26/20)

B: Barclay Carmichael [Why Mermaids Sing by C. S. Harris] (10/26/20)

C: Annie Chance [Death of a Warrior Queen by S. T. Haymon] (10/18/20)

D: Dominic Stanton [Why Mermaids Sing by C. S. Harris] (10/26/20)

E: Edward Bellamy [Why Mermaids Sing by C. S. Harris] (10/26/20

F: Mr. Faifax [Why Mermaids Sing by C. S. Harris](10/26/20)

G: Gideon Forbes [Why Mermaids Sing by C. S. Harris] (10/26/20)

H: Francis Hilliard [Why Mermaids Sing by C. S. Harris] (10/26/20)

I: Mr. Canning [Why Mermaids Sing by C. S. Harris] (10/26/20)

J: Jeff Deacon [The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L. Sayers] (11/2/20)

K: Igor Krassin [The Shadowy Third by Marco Page] (11/22/20)

L: Max Ludlow [Where Serpents Sleep by C. S. Harris] (11/11/20)

Free Square: Hiram Stone [Look Your Last by John Stephen Strange]

M: Mrs. Heacham [One Foot in the Grave by E. X. Ferrars] (10/28/20)

N: Nicholas Thornton [Why Mermaids Sing by C. S. Harris] (10/26/20)

O: Odette de Valois [The Disappearance at Pere-Lachaise by Claude Izner] (11/2/20)

PQ: Pere Moscou [The Disappearance at Pere-Lachaise by Claude Izner] (11/2/20)

R: Rachel Fairchild [Where Serpents Sleep by C. S. Harris] (11/11/20)

S: Lord Stanton [Why Mermaids Sing by C. S. Harris] (10/26/20)

T: Tasmin Poole [Where Serpents Sleep by C. S. Harris] (11/11/20)

U: Rochelle Curtis [A Halo for Nobody by Henry Kane] (11/26/20)

V: Armand de Valois [The Disappearance at Pere-Lachaise by Claude Izner] (11/2/20)

W: Edward Ware [Why Mermaids Sing by C. S. Harris] (10/26/20)

XYZ: Joey Corvin [Death of a Warrior Queen by S. T. Haymon] (10/18/20)

XYZ: Andy Barge [Death of a Warrior Queen by S. T. Haymon] (10/18/20)

Complete! 5/31/21

Murder on the Eiffel Tower

 Murder on the Eiffel Tower (2003) by Claude Izner (Liliane Korb & Laurence Lefevre) is the debut novel in a historical mystery series set in France at the end of the 19th Century. As the title would indicate, it revolves around a set of murders that occur on the Eiffel Tower, at the 1889 World Exposition where the tower was unveiled, and to others who had visited the tower during the Exposition. The first death to attract major attention (though, not precisely the first of the string of murders) occurs on the upper platform. An inoffensive poor relation who had escorted her niece and nephews to see the sights and exhibits dies suddenly from an apparent bee sting. 

Several similar deaths occur and a brand new newspaper Le Passe-partout manages to scoop the other papers each time. Marius Bonnet and his team of journalists are on the spot (having a luncheon at the Tower's cafe) when poor Eugenie Patinot dies and they make the most of it. And even though the police keep insisting that bees are the culprit, the paper keeps hinting that a murderer is loose among the exhibits. 

Victor Legris, a friend of Bonnet, is a bookseller and literary man who has been invited to the luncheon and to contribute literary articles for the paper. He soon notices that various people, including his mentor and business partner Kenji Mori, seem to be on the spot each time a new death occurs and begins to investigate on his own. He sets out initially to prove that Mori couldn't be involved in such wickedness but the more he discovers the more unsure he is. But his other main suspect doesn't make him any happier. Through the newspaper, he has met the beautiful  Russian illustrator Tasha and begins to fall in love with her. But...she also has been in the vicinity each time death has struck and there are certain clues that he thinks could well point to her. It isn't until someone tries to eliminate Victor and carelessly leaves behind a most illuminating clue that he begins to see the real plot. He'll need to rush back to the Tower--but will he be in time to prevent one more death?

This is another middle-of-the-road read for me (I seem to be on a string of those). There were enough clues that, had I paid proper attention to them, I could have figured things out before the reveal. The setting is charming and I found the descriptions of both Paris in the late 1800s and the World Exposition in particular to be quite entertaining and interesting. The murder method, plot and motive were all interesting as well. I wish I could say as much for Victor as our protagonist. He really is something of a goop and certainly isn't a born detective. He is all set to suspect the man who has served as a substitute father and his mentor of murder on the flimsiest of evidence. Then he's ready to suspect the woman who he's falling in love with on...well, not flimsy evidence, but very ambiguous evidence. And he's so wishy-washy about it all. One moment he's certain she did it and is clumsy enough to let her see it--making her mad if she's innocent and tipping her off if she's not. The next moment some other tidbit comes along and he's quite sure and hugely relieved that she didn't do it. He sortof recognizes that there are other suspects, but for about 80% of the book he's too busy being worried about the people he cares about to really work on figuring out whether somebody else is the murderer.

The characters with the most interest for me are Joseph, the bookshop assistant, and Tasha, the beautiful artist (though I don't get why she keeps letting Victor come back after every episode where he pretty much accuses her of being a heartless murderer...). Joseph has way more brains than Victor and could probably have identified the killer at least three murders earlier if he'd had access to all the clues his employer had stumbled across. But poor Joseph, he's stuck in the bookshop dealing with obnoxious lady customers while Victor bumbles picking up clues that he doesn't really recognize the significance of. And Tasha is an intelligent, independent woman. Although she has this overpowering attraction to Victor (that's the only explanation I can come up with for why she keeps allowing him back), she's set on keeping her independence even when the murders are all solved and he wants her to marry him (or at least live a lot closer to him in a nicer apartment).

It would seem that the Izner books focus on Victor as an amateur detective and I have picked up several more in the series. I'm willing to give the series another look. I hope that Victor's skills as an investigator improve and become as interesting as the setting and plot. ★★★

First line: Storm clouds raced over the barren plain between the fortifications and the goods station at Les Batignolles, where the scrubby grass smelled unpleasantly of sewers.

Last line: Before they left she looked around happily at the untidy room: she had uncovered the dormer and sunshine was now flooding in.

***********

Deaths = 6 (five poisoned; one stabbed)

Shadow on the Wall

 Shadow on the Wall (1934) by H.C. Bailey

People do sometimes tell the truth. Unintentionally. ~Reggie Fortune (p. 49)

This is the first full-length novel featuring Bailey's doctor-detective, Reginald Fortune. Fortune is a country doctor at heart, but acts as a special advisor to Scotland Yard. The story opens with the good doctor giving the final verdict on a young society matron's death--suicide, no question. His friend Lomas, Chief of the Yard's C.I.D., thought something seemed vaguely off about the situation but when Fortune tells him that there is no doubt about suicide he is ready to wash his hands of the case. Fortune sees it as a beginning to more deadly things, however, when the woman's husband, a pilot, dies in an aircraft accident that could well have been a suicide as well. He's particularly disturbed when the couple's young daughter receives a nasty note indicating that there was more to mummy's death than met the eye.

The scene then shifts to Lady Rosnay's house and garden party--a party that she practically begged Fortune and Lomas to attend. The doctor obliges and is met with gossip and scandal swirling about the name of Poyntz (the couple in question) and a certain up-and-coming member of Parliament by the name of Simon Osmond. There are whispers about women and drugs. Lady Rosnay's granddaughter Alix is in love with Osmond and means to marry him and Lady Rosnay means that she shouldn't. Then the old lady tumbles downstairs and Fortune finds her bruised and missing her tiara while footsteps run away and a man's shadow flickers on the wall. Murders soon follow, a drug ring tied to a perfumier on the continent is discovered, and it becomes clear that Osmond is implicated--but is he an active participant or is someone trying to get him out of the way? Is the target really Lady Rosnay or is someone trying to derail Osmond's political career?

Fortune is convinced that he and the Yard are being forced to see what the opposition wants them to see: "we're only seeing what's arranged for us and the shadows of the people behind." It isn't until Fortune takes the offensive and makes the deadly mischief makers react to his moves that he begins to see the pattern behind the spree of killings; a pattern that includes the shadow flickering on the wall, a girl who dies from morphia tablets that were not what they seemed, a perfume labelled Le Matin d'un Faune, and a dead monkey. He has a bit of a job making Lomas believe that it is all connected--even the Poyntz suicide--but the Yard man can't deny the logic once Fortune's case is made.

On the whole, I found this full-length Fortune adventure to be a bit of a toss-up. On the one hand, I quite liked the set-up--most of the deaths are arranged to look like suicide and accident. And, but for Mr. Fortune, they might have passed for such. Of course, once Fortune gets involved and takes the offensive the murderer gets flustered and the deaths get a bit more messy (and more obviously murder). But, initially, it is interesting to watch Fortune try to make a case to Lomas that there is an evil guiding hand behind all these deaths. Just following this storyline is quite absorbing and interesting. 

The primary distraction from the plot is Reggie Fortune himself. If there was a single page where he was not moaning or described as plaintive, I'm afraid I missed it. It really is quite annoying. I don't recall his plaintive personality getting in the way so much in the short stories I've read and I honestly think he's best suited to that medium. In this, I apparently agree with Dorothy L. Sayers who said of Fortune in her May 6, 1934 review, "Mr. Fortune moans and mumbles even more than usual over this perverse series of villainies, and, on the whole, his eccentricities of manner seem best suited to the short-story form...." She does go on to say that "his swiftness and sureness of psychological deduction carry him triumphantly through the intricacies of the longer plot and keep the interest well sustained." And I also agree that despite his plaintive moaning and mumbling I did stay interested right through to the end.

The other difficulty with the plot is also mentioned by Sayers. When the final reveal occurs, both she and I felt that the psychology of the motive was a bit lacking. Not only (as Sayers says) was there little indication of the motive throughout the book, resulting in a lack of fair play for the reader, but I also found it difficult to believe in the motive when it was presented. Of course, that may have been precisely because I hadn't been prepared for it throughout the story and so there was no "Ah, so that's why so-and-so did this or said that" moment. We just don't see the person in question displaying any behaviors that make the motive make sense. ★★★

First line: The history of this war may most lucidly begin with a certain garden party at Buckingham Palace.

Last lines: Yes, that's the real force of progress, old thing. The common man's common virtues. Not the eminent expert.

*********

Deaths = 7 (two shot; one airplane crash; one fell from height; two poisoned; one stabbed)

Talking About Detective Fiction

 Talking About Detective Fiction (2009) by P. D. James

A somewhat disappointing overview of primarily British detective fiction from a highly respected recent author in the genre. Disappointing in several ways. First, don't read this if you haven't read all of Agatha Christie and all of Josephine Tey and a smattering of others. James, who ought to know better, spoils several plots in her meandering walk through the Golden Age of murder mysteries. Some of her spoilers are mere references, but she comes right out and tells you whodunnit in Christie and the main plot point in Tey. Second, although she claims to have enjoyed these Golden Age authors, she comes across as slightly condescending towards them--all those delicate sensibilities of the Golden Age who had their murders decently off-stage and dealt in very little blood and violence; little depth to the characters (meaning that we didn't get to see all the motivations which drove the evil-doer to do the wicked deed). But then she turns round and decries the current trend towards angsty detectives with all sorts of emotional baggage and background, saying how it would be refreshing to have a nice, dull, happily-married detective instead. [I thought she was plumping for interesting characters? I guess she means suspects and not detectives.] Third, unless you're brand-new to the detective genre, she doesn't really have much new too say. Which may seem contradictory to my statement that you shouldn't read this unless you have read a fair amount in the field. That's part of the problem--a book of this sort should bring new insights into the genre, especially having been written by an author, without spilling the beans on her colleague's work. I mean--if you haven't already read The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, why would you bother to do so after James told you straight up who did it? There are many other books that have come before [and since] that have provided fresh insights and interesting information on mysteries while avoiding spoilers--or, at the very least, when spoilers seem necessary, giving fair warning to the reader. I'm really a bit baffled why this book won both a Macavity and an Anthony Award for Best Mystery Nonfiction and Best Critical Non-Fiction when it contributed so little in fresh material--unless it was simply the name of the author.  ★★

The Revenge of the Wizard's Ghost

 The Revenge of the Wizard's Ghost (1985) by John Bellairs is the fourth in a series of middle grade Gothic mystery/adventure books featuring thirteen-year-old Johnny Dixon and his friends, Professor Childermass and Fergie. In the previous story (The Spell of the Sorcerer's Skull), Johnny had helped break a spell that held the professor helpless. But now the wizard has a bone to pick with the boy who spoiled his plans and sends the evil ghost of one of his relatives, Warren Windrow, to possess young Johnny. 

The professor calls on one of his friends, a priest, to perform an exorcism, but the evil spirit proves too strong. So, it's up to Professor Childermass and Fergie to discover the means to save their friend. Research into the Windrow family history reveals that the source of the wizard's power comes from ancient Jewish artifacts that are rumored to be buried on the family's abandoned estate. But they will have to decipher clues relating to the final resting place of one of the Windrow family. Will they be able to find the artifacts in time to save Johnny...and themselves?

This is the first book that I have read by Bellairs--I somehow missed him when I was a young reader. I noticed that many reviews on Goodreads say that this is not Bellairs at his best. But I must say that I thought this a very nice middle grade book and I'm quite sure I would have loved it when I was young. I love the cover illustration and frontispiece by Edward Gorey. I enjoy the three main characters, even though we don't see as much of Johnny since he spends a great deal of time possessed or in a coma-like condition. And the action that takes place in the gloomy Windrow mansion is good and spooky. The only real issue is the ending--the way the artifacts are employed in order to save Johnny is a bit of a let down. After the wizardry that goes on in the house, one might expect a little more pizazz in the rescue. So, I'll give this one ★★★ and a half.

First line: No! No! Keep then off me! Keep them off!

Last line: Reaching into his other coat pocket, he took out another cigarette box, opened it, fished out a real cigarette, and lit it while everyone laughed.

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

Deaths = one hanged

Friday Fright Night: The Spiral Staircase

  Recently Curtis Evans of The Passing Tramp fame put out the call to fellow bloggers to take part in a month-long event sure to prepare us for Halloween. Friday Fright Night will find us serving up spooky, spirited reads at the end of each week throughout October. You'll see familiar faces from the Tuesday Night Blogger crew but all bloggers are welcome to serve up ghastly delights. These are being gathered up on the Golden Age of Detection Facebook page, but if any of my readers would like to join the fun you are welcome to leave a link in the comments and I'll link you up. 

In 2016, I read Ethel Lina White's The Spiral Staircase and I definitely think this qualifies as Friday Fright Night-worth and tailor-made for Halloween reading.

As  Helen opened the door of Miss Warren's room, a small incident occurred which was fraught with future significance.

It was a dark and stormy night....no, really, it was. Fortunately, Ethel Lina White was a much better author than the potboiler creators who are generally credited  with starting their books in such fashion. The Spiral Staircase (1933; originally titled Some Must Watch) is a suspense thriller with a damsel in distress that makes excellent use of the dramatic storm-tossed night to provide a top-notch novel filled with Had-I-But-Known moments.  
She was visited by no prescience to warn her that--since her return--there had been certain trivial incidents which were the first cracks in the walls of her fortress. Once they were started, nothing could stop the process of disintegration; and each future development would act as a wedge, to force the fissures into ever-widening breaches letting in the night.

Things start off calmly enough. Helen Capel is over-joyed to find a position as lady's help at the Summit, Professor Warren's remote estate on the Welsh border. After all, apart from the loneliness of the locale, the post is a very good one--offering her a very nice room and sitting room of her own, good food, and she's even allowed to take her meals with the family. It is a bit worrisome that there is a murderer loose in the countryside. A mysterious killer who has chosen as his prey young women who work for their living. Some think he may be a man who believes these women have taken jobs away from men. 

But, reasons Helen, all the girls who have been killed have been alone.  And the murders have taken place at a good distance from the Summit. Surely she, and the others in the house, will be safe if they keep the place shuttered and bolted at night and they all stay inside. Yes, she's sure of it. Until a victim is strangled in a house just five miles away. Until the next victim is found murdered just on the other side of the estate. Death and terror creep closer to the Summit, but still Helen feels safe...until the stormy night when she bolts herself in the house only to find that the danger was somewhere inside and had chosen her as the next target.

White also provides the typical suspense-thriller heroine in Helen Capel, a self-identified independent-minded young woman who none-the-less does remarkably silly things for someone who suspects she's in danger. Through various plausible-sounding means, several of the inmates leave the house, a few of them are drugged, drunk or otherwise incapacitated, and Helen promptly goes about alienating one of the few people who couldn't possibly be the killer--thereby setting herself up to slip into the maniac's clutches. 

White manages to bring about a quite nifty ending--I won't spoil it by giving even a hint of what I mean. The book is a classic example of good suspense done right without blood and gore or explicit scenes. It is also a terrific character study with plenty of misdirection to allow the reader to question each person's motives and whether they are really what they seem. A very good read for a dark and stormy night of your own. Just make sure to lock all the doors. You might want to check under all the beds first, though.

October Vintage Mystery Extravaganza Reviews

 

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The Mystery of the Skeleton Key

 The Mystery of the Skeleton Key (1919) by Bernard Capes

"What about your average inventive intelligence, Baron?"

"I said, specifically, a man's," pleaded Le Sage. "Women, fortunately for us, are not eligible for the detective force."

The main action of our story takes place at Wildshott, the Hampshire seat of the Kennetts, though it opens in France and the tragedy has its roots there as well. Sir Calvin and his son have each invited friends down for the weekend. Baron Le Sage will be on hand to offer Sir Calvin a battle at the chessboard and Hugo Kennett has sent an urgent message to his friend, Mr. Bickerdike begging for his assistance in some mysterious problem (Kennett is apt to blow minor contretemps into major catastrophes). Also among the party throughout the weekend are Sir Calvin's daughter, Audrey, and their neighbor Sir Francis Orsden, Audrey's ardent admirer. 

Tragedy strikes after shooting party attended by the young men when the body of one of the maids is found shot to death on a deserted pathway. Hugo had stopped to light a cigarette and exchange a few words with the young woman and carelessly left his shotgun leaning against a tree. Suspicion focuses on various members of the household from the Baron's valet who fancied himself a romantic conqueror to the butler who had considered the girl his until the Gallic casanova came along to Hugo who had dallied with the girl himself. Le Sage may seem to be nothing more than a genial houseguest intent on a game of chess with his host, but the clever young Sergeant Ridgway who is assigned to the case soon finds that chess strategies aren't the only puzzles the baron can unravel.

Bickerdike, who comes across as a very pompous young man, also tries his hand at sleuthing, but fastens his attention on the Baron. He has thought there was something not quite right about the man from their first chance meeting in Paris (in our opening scenes). He noticed immediately that "[the Baron] could not, or would not, answer a direct question directly; he seemed to love secrecy and evasion for their own sake, and for the opportunity they gave him for springing some valueless surprises on the unsuspecting." Bickerdike also observes his man behaving most peculiarly late one night in Sir Calvin's study and definitely suspects the worst. 

This may have been quite thrilling back in 1919 when it was published and folks were a little more used to the style of writing and hadn't already encountered a similar solution. But Capes takes a long time to get where he's going with some of his paragraphs. It's particularly rough going when we're getting the point of view of Bickerdike--who keeps his journal in the same pompous style as he conducts his social interactions. I much preferred the third person sections of the novel. I'd say that this mystery is definitely for those who have a deep affection for early British detective novels and who can appreciate the early forms of their beloved mysteries. 

The solution didn't come as a surprise to me--I thought it was telegraphed pretty plainly even though there weren't any real clues that the reader was allowed to see. Baron Le Sage follows in the footsteps of Sherlock Holmes and keeps what clues he finds very close to his chest* so there isn't any way to spot the criminal except through inference--but, for all that, I do like the character of Le Sage and wish that Capes had lived long enough to provide us with some more adventures. ★★★

Kate over at crossexamingcrime has also reviewed this one and has given it a similar rating.

*Like the titular skeleton key, for instance. I kept waiting for it to show up. It doesn't make an appearance until the big reveal at the end.

Quotes

First line: Some few years ago, in the month of September, I happened to be kicking my heels in Paris, awaiting the arrival there of my friend Hugo Kennett.

I had expected from him, on her disappearance, some significant look or gesture, betokening his acceptance of the inevitable conclusion; but he made no such sign, and merely resumed his business conduct of the case. He knew better than we, no doubt, that in crime the most obvious is often the most unreliable. (p. 57)

But Audrey was prejudiced against him, and the prejudices of young people are like their loves, unreasoning and devastating. (p. 156)

Are we not a little apt to judge a man by his business--as that a lawyer must be unfeeling, a butcher cruel, a doctor humane, and a sweep dishonest? But it is not his profession which makes a man what he is, but the man who makes his profession what it appears to him. A lawyer does not appropriate trust funds because he is a lawyer, but because he is a gambler...a detective is not impeccable because he is a detective, but because he is an honest man. (Baron Le Sage; p. 175)

Last line: Now let us talk of something else.

***********

Deaths = 2 (one shot; one natural causes)

Friday Fright Night

 Recently Curtis Evans of The Passing Tramp fame put out the call to fellow bloggers to take part in a month-long event sure to prepare us for Halloween. Friday Fright Night will find us serving up spooky, spirited reads at the end of each week throughout October. You'll see familiar faces from the Tuesday Night Blogger crew but all bloggers are welcome to serve up ghastly delights. Curtis is gathering these up on the Golden Age of Detection Facebook page, but if any of my readers would like to join the fun you are welcome to leave a link in the comments and I'll link you up.

Like Kate over at crossexaminingcrime, I'm not a huge horror fan (in fact, I'm a big weenie when it comes to such things), so my postings may be a bit tame, but I definitely want to try for the spirit of the thing. This week, I'm going to feature a few of the spooky covers from my collection. For full reviews of those I've served up on the Block over the years, just click on the relevant title. First up, the inspiration for our Friday Fright Night logo: the Avon Ghost Reader. This short story collection features the likes of H. P. Lovecraft, August Derleth, A. Merritt, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Bram Stoker and the stories range from a Southern ghost appealing for help to a stalking mother cat exacting revenge on her kitten's killer. 

 Another creepy cover from Avon is found on the Avon Mystery Storyteller. This is another short story collection with stories from Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham, John Dickson Carr, and Mignon G. Eberhart as well as lesser known authors. It includes stories of murder and mayhem as well as spine-tingling adventure. Of the two Avon collections, I found that this one contained the most even selection of stories--rating it as an overall fine collection.

Next up from Avon: Seven Footprints to Satan. A. Merritt's story has been billed as mystery, horror, and thriller--and I'd say it's quite a mix of all three, leaning more towards thriller with bits of mystery and horror thrown in for flavor. The super-villain reminds me of Fu Manchu mixed with Moriarty. I was surprised at the time of reading at how much fun and how engaging this trip in to a fantastic pseudo-cult could be Satan really is quite nasty and the delight he takes in destroying those who fail him is really diabolical--and all without the blood and gore that is prevalent in more recent thrillers. There are also interesting questions to consider is Satan as supernatural as he claims or is he just an incredibly intelligent and persuasive human master criminal.

 Moving on from Avon to Bartholomew House, we have D. B. Olsen's The Clue in the Clay. Olsen's story reminded me of many B-mystery movies that I watched on Saturday and Sunday afternoons in the days of yore (before the American Movie Channel and Netflix...and even before DVDs). It's a delightfully fun kind of spooky mystery rather than the "I'm gonna have nightmares about this" creepy book. There are so many people in and out of the "murder house," there's the creepy druid statue, there's the long-abandoned mine, there's the mysterious private eye that no one can lay hands on, and there's more people popping in and out of the bushes than several rounds of "Pop Goes the Weasel."

4 Feet in the Grave by Amelia Reynolds Long is another Bart House selection. This one is even more appropriate for our Friday Fright Night extravaganza because the action takes place at the end of October and includes a ghost sighting. Katherine "Peter" Piper, a mystery writer by trade and amateur detective by inclination, is invited to Ghost Walk, the home of a fellow author, for a little Halloween get-together--an ordinary Halloween party with "Materialization and other psychic phenomena guaranteed." Of course, it turns out to be not-so-ordinary with murder an mayhem as well as a ghostly appearance.

 The Seventh Mourner by Dorothy Gardiner is an unusual mystery. The cover has a somewhat somber, somewhat Gothic look--but the flavor is more comic than mysterious. Following Moss Magill through his adventures in Scotland and discovering the murderer in their midst is more fun than puzzling, more entertaining than mystifying. But it's good solid entertainment and if you're looking for light mystery fare this Halloween, then this is just the thing. If you don't expect complex plotting and serious sleight-of-hand with clues, then you'll be ready to settle down for a pleasant read.

 

The last of the covers already reviewed on the blog, The Mystery of Hunting's End is a book that I've had a long love affair with. It was a gift from a beloved grandma and it was the very first locked room mystery I ever read. I first read it in the Crime Club hard back edition (no dust jacket) which came from Grandma. Then, somehow mysteriously, that edition disappeared and when I went looking for another copy I found the paperback edition pictured here. I spent many (re-)reading hours in that creepy, isolated hunting lodge being spooked (along with Nurse Keate) by the dog that seemed to see ghosts.