Evil Under the Sun

 Evil Under the Sun (1941) by Agatha Christie

Hercule Poirot is taking a holiday at the Jolly Roger Hotel, an exclusive resort on the Devon coast. And, despite his emphasis to his fellow residents that he is definitely not on a case, he finds that murder has decided to holiday on the coast as well. 

Arlena Marshall, a beautiful former actress, is seen by the other guests as a femme fatale. Her long-suffering husband, Captain Marshall, must stand by as men fall over themselves to get close to her. Her latest conquest is Patrick Redfern, a handsome young man with a rather mousy little wife. Poirot observes that Redfern is really quite in love with his wife and that may be so, but the young man seemingly can't resist the siren's call. 

One morning, Arlena asks Poirot to help her launch her little boat--insisting that she wants to be alone for once and that he should tell no one where she's gone. It's obvious to the detective that she has an assignation, but when Redfern appears on the beach and looks about helplessly it would seem that the beautiful Arlena is meeting someone besides the ardent young man. Redfern later goes out rowing with Emily Brewster, a rather athletic young woman who always goes rowing in the mornings, and he just "happens" to row in the direction Arlena had taken. They spot her sunbathing with a large green hat over her face and Redfern insists on going onto the beach and surprising the sunbather. But it's he who gets the surprise...a rather nasty one. He shouts to Emily that Arlena is dead, strangled. He volunteers to stay with the body and sends Emily for help.

Soon Poirot is setting aside his holiday in order to help the local police get to the bottom of the case. Naturally, the local inspector is looking at the most likely suspect--the betrayed husband. But the husband seems to have a perfectly good alibi. There are others who may have wanted Arlena out of the way--from her stepdaughter, Linda Marshall, to Rosamund Darnley, an old friend of Captain Marshall's who perhaps would like to be more than friends. There's also the Reverend Lane who is a bit of a fanatic and may have been pushed over the edge by what he calls a scarlet woman. When a cache of drugs is found in a little cave at the beach where Arlena was murdered, it begins to look like she may have run afoul of drug smugglers. But Poirot is focused on the most likely suspect--a suspect even more likely than the betrayed husband. He'll have to figure out what a thrown bottle, a mid-day bath, some candles and green bits of cardboard, a wristwatch, and an older murder case have to do with Arlena's death before he will be ready to present his case to Inspector Colgate and the Chief Constable, Colonel Weston.

Another great mystery from Dame Agatha. I enjoy the way it seems everyone has an alibi and Poirot manages to figure out how someone who "couldn't possibly have done it" did. It had been so long since I actually read this (junior high school, I believe). I've watched the filmed versions several times since then and it was interesting to see what had been changed for the two films--with Peter Ustinov as Poirot in 1982 and David Suchet in 2001. Ustinov's version is a bit more camp while Suchet's is a bit darker and changes Marshall's daughter into a son (for some unknown reason), but each follows the plot very closely. ★★★★

First line: When Captain Roger Angmering built himself a house in the year 1782 on the island off Leathercombe Bay, it was thought the height of eccentricity on his part.

And Rosamund hadn't treated Linda as though she thought LInda a fool. In fact she'd treated Linda as though she were a real human being. Linda so seldom felt like a real human being that she was deeply grateful when any one appeared to consider her one. (p. 21)

Last lines: "Oh, my dear, I've wanted to live in the country with you all my life. Now--it's going to come true..."

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Deaths = 3 (two strangled; one poisoned [mentioned in passing--but named])

The House on Vesper Sands

 The House on Vesper Sands (2018) by Paraic O'Donnell

Part mystery, part gothic, part paranormal--O'Donnell combines the best parts of each to create an absorbing story about late-Victorian England. We open with Esther Tull, a seamstress who has been employed by Lord Strythe to produce fabulous gowns for an unknown purpose. Well...Esther now knows what it's all about and has determined to make the ultimate sacrifice to try and put a stop to it. She destroys some mysterious bottles of dark fluid, has embroidered a message into her very own skin, and then plunges to her death from an upper story in Lord Strythe's house.

Next up is Gideon Bliss, a religious scholar at Oxford, who has come to London after receiving an urgent summons from his uncle, Reverend Neuilly. Rev. Neuilly has been on a mission of charity--saving young women from a life on the streets and finding them decent employment. But when Gideon gets to London his uncle is nowhere to be found. Gideon briefly encounters Angela Tatton, one of the girls his uncle had assisted and whom Gideon had formed an attachment to when last he visited the reverend. But she soon vanishes as well. Through a bit of misunderstanding, Gideon finds himself playing sergeant to Inspector Cutter who is investigating the death at Lord Strythe's house and he realizes the disappearances and the death of the seamstress are connected. 

In fact, a large number of young women and girls have gone missing--all from the lower classes--and there are rumors of Spiritists being involved. These Spiritists aren't just your run-of-the-mill spiritualists who hold seances and seek to contact the other world. There is an aura of evil surrounding the men and hints of the dark arts. Cutter and Bliss must determine who exactly is behind these men and what they might want with these young women. Meanwhile, Octavia Hillingdon, female reporter, is investigating the disappearance of Angela Tatton as well. All paths lead to Lord Strythe's country estate where our protagonists will have to deal with a man willing to do anything to possess the secrets the Spiritists have been pursuing...and that includes killing anyone who gets in his way.

This was an incredibly absorbing story--particularly so when one realizes that I am not especially fond of either paranormal books or those that keep switching points of view. We start out with Esther Tull. Then move on to following Gideon Bliss (and by extension Inspector Cutter); alternating with episodes with Olivia Hillingdon. This works pretty well, for the most part--but there are a few sections where it becomes difficult to piece together what is going on--we just jump into a scene without proper contextualization. 

The paranormal aspect is quite central to the mystery, so once you accept that what is said to be happening actually can (at least in O'Donnell's Victorian England) happen then all is well. A review from The Irish Times says that "he doesn't rely on ghostly happenings to explain or resolve his plot." That's not precisely true. Without the paranormal, we definitely would not have the ending we are given--the villain may have gotten his due, but certainly not as it was dished up, and one of our heroes would most likely not still be with us. However, having suspended my disbelief and accepted the paranormal aspects as presented, I find the denouement perfectly satisfying.

One of the most delightful parts of the story is the somewhat uneasy (at first) partnership between Cutter and Bliss. The introductory scenes where Cutter assumes Bliss is his new sergeant (and Bliss decides to just go with it) are very funny and I fully appreciate Cutter's sarcastic wit. It looks like the two are set to continue as a team and one must hope that there will be future installments in the duo's detective career. ★★★★★

First line:  In Half Moon Street, just as she came near to the house, Esther Tull felt the first gentleness of the snow.

A degree of suspicion is always warranted, Bliss. I wake up in the morning with a degree of suspicion. (Inspector Cutter; p. 186)

You will find everything present and correct, he said, which would be well and good if I had asked him. I had not asked him, however, and when a fellow volunteers a thing like that, you may take it as a certainty that something is missing. (Cutter; p,189)

Fate is a fairy tale, my darling. In life, there is only opportunity and advantage. (Lord "Elf" Hartington; p. 278)

Her vanished parts had been imperceptible before in daylight and by night only a faint and gaseous tracery had been visible. But they had brightened now, becoming distinct even in the strange dusk that the storm had brought, and she seemed formed in part of a gauzy tissue of radiance, sharpened at its edges so that it might have been etched into the air itself. (p. 375)

For my own part, I have endured this withered life for long enough. I am quite prepared to die today if I must, but if I do, then by God, I will go down swinging this stick. (Lady Ada; p. 376)

You have hardly given me a moment's peace in three months, but I can hardly fault you for it. It is in your nature to make a nuisance of yourself, just as it is mine. It is the rightful order  of things. (Inspector Cutter; p. 393)

Last line: It seemed impossible, even as it faded, to imagine it was anything other than eternal.

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Deaths = 14 (two fell from height; one strangled; one hit on head; one hit by train; one strangled; seven poisoned; one drowned)

~~A purely personal observation--the cover pictured at the top left is the edition I read from the library. But I much prefer the alternate cover pictured at the bottom left. 

Bluegate Fields

 Bluegate Fields (1984) by Anne Perry

The body of a sixteen-year-old boy is found drowned and naked in sewers near the out-take to the Thames. But he wasn't drowned in sewer or river water and his body shows him to be from the upper-classes. Since the lungs are full of bath water, it becomes apparent that this is a case of murder. Inspector Pitt traces the body to the Georgian home of Sir Antsey and Lady Wraybourne. It is that of their eldest son, Arthur. They are, of course, shocked that their son has been murdered. But there is worse to come--his body shows signs of sexual abuse and the beginnings of syphilis.

The family want nothing more than for the investigation to be over quickly and they want the guilty party to be some degenerate ruffian from the streets. Find someone to blame, get the trial over with a little fuss as possible, and make the man pay for his crime. But evidence shows that it must be someone closer to home. Pitt has been given a new sergeant who has a way of ingratiating himself with his betters and he soon digs up evidence that the guilty man is the boy's tutor, Mr. Jerome. Pitt doesn't like Jerome much, but he isn't wholly convinced of his guilt. He has no alternate suspect to suggest, however, so his superior officer orders him to arrest Jerome and stop investigating (and, of course, stop bothering the gentry). The tutor is found guilty and due to be hanged in three weeks' time...Pitt continues to investigate in his off-hours and, of course, Charlotte and her sister Emily and Aunt Vespasia get involved. They begin to see a pattern of behavior...but will it be in time to save an innocent man from the gallows?

This entry in the series is a mixed bag. I wasn't nearly as enthusiastic about the mystery overall (I don't like children in danger) and the background wasn't quite as well-sketched as in previous books. But--it was very nice to see Pitt hard at work investigating (not just endlessly questioning people or disappearing for great portions of the book) and Charlotte's role in finding out the key pieces towards the end worked well without putting her--yet again--into a dangerous situation. ★★★ and 1/2.

First line: Inspector Pitt shivered a little and stared unhappily while Sergeant Froggatt lifted the manhole cover and exposed the opening beneath.

Last lines: And Pitt would go home to Charlotte and the warm, safe kitchen. He would tell her--and see her smile, hold her tight and hard.

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Deaths = 3 (one drowned; one strangled; one shot)

PopSugar 2021 Reading Challenge

 

 

The folks at PopSugar are back with their boundaries-pushing reading challenge for 2021. they encourage us to expand our reading horizons with reading prompts that may push us out of our comfort zones. They give us 40 standard prompts along with 10 more for those who are very committed. We don't have to do all of them--the goal is to read more and to read more of the things we might not normally choose. I wasn't sure I could do enough of the prompts this year, but looking over my reading I've done pretty well. So, I'm putting up a post. As in the past, I have set a personal goal of 20 prompts--from either list--in order to claim the challenge complete. I may do more.

 

Here are the prompts that have most appealed to me--for the full list, please click the link above.

1. Published in 2021: What the Devil Knows by C. S. Harris (7/22/21)

3. With a heart, diamond, club, or spade on cover: Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie (8/22/21)

4. By an author who shares your zodiac sign: The Mystery of a Hansom Cab by Fergus Hume (7/29/21)

5. With a gem, mineral, or rock in title: The Hardway Diamonds Mystery by Miles Burton

6. Main character works at your current/dream job: Final Notice by Jo Dereske [librarian] (4/27/21)

9. Book with a family tree: After the Funeral/Funerals Are Fatal by Agatha Christie (8/14/21)

13. Locked-room mystery: The Clue of the New Pin by Edgar Wallace (5/15/21)

15. Set mostly or entirely outdoors: A Silver Spade by Louisa Revell (6/9/21)

20. Book about do-overs or fresh starts: The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict (8/18/21) [Agatha Christie has a fresh start at the end of the book)

23. Set somewhere I'd like to visit in 2021 (or any time, really): Death Under the Sun by Agatha Christie [the Devon coast in England] (8/10/21)

25. Title starts with "Q," "X," or "Z": Quaker Witness by Irene Allen (7/19/21)

27. About a social justice issue: Bluegate Fields by Anne Perry [Charlotte, her sister, and Aunt Vespasia are organizing other society women to influence their husbands over child poverty and working conditions in Victorian London] (8/6/21)

29. Black & White Cover: Why Kill the Innocent by C. S. Harris (6/23/21)

31. Same title as a song: A Night to Remember by Walter Lord (7/14/27)

35. Different format than you normally read: Murder at Bray Manor by Lee Strauss [audio] (2/21/21)

36. Has fewer than 1,000 reviews on Amazon or Goodreads: The Sound of Insects by Mildred Davis [4 reviews on Goodreads] (8/5/21)

38. About art or an artist: Lord Mullion's Secret by Michael Innes [lead character is an artist] (7/31/21)

39. Everyone seems to have read but you: The Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz (2/4/21)

Advanced/Bonus

41. Longest book (page count) on TBR: Vintage Mystery & Detective Stories by David Stuart Davies [ed]

42. Shortest book (page count) on TBR: Buzzy Beaver by Alice Sankey

44. Ugliest cover: Theoretically Dead by Tinker Marks (5/19/21)

45: On TBR the longest: Rutland Place by Anney Perry [on TBR since 7/1/91] (8/5/21)

46. TBR book meant to read last year, but didn't: The Montmartre Investigation by Claude Izner (5/17/21)

47. TBR book associated with a favorite person, place, or thing: The 13th Warrior (aka Eaters of the Dead) by Michael Crichton [give from Paula--BFF] (5/22/21)

48. Chosen from TBR list at random: Princess Elizabeth's Spy by Susan Elia MacNeal (1/2/21)

50. Free book from TBR list (gift/borrowed/library): Crimson Snow by Martin Edwards (ed) [library] (1/13/21)

Rutland Place

 Rutland Place (1983) by Anne Perry

Caroline Ellison, mother of Charlotte Pitt [our amateur sleuth who is the wife of a policeman], sends a frantic note to her daughter asking for help with a disturbing "event." When Charlotte arrives at her parents' house, she finds her mother nervous and upset over the loss of a small locket. After much difficulty in getting straight answers from Caroline, Charlotte finally learns that the locket contains a somewhat compromising photograph...of a man who is not Edward Ellison. Caroline has also felt like she's being watched, perhaps by someone biding their time before trying a spot of blackmail. She asks her daughter to help her get to the bottom of the matter.

In the course of paying social calls, Charlotte soon learns that others have had items come up missing as well. Is it just petty thievery or is there more going on? When Mina Spencer-Brown dies of a belladonna overdose, it looks like there is something much nastier going on in Rutland Place--especially when it is proved that she couldn't have taken such a large dose by accident, nor that she had access to the poison. Mina was a woman who like to hint that she knew more than others about certain "mysteries" and "scandals" among her neighbors. Did she hint once too often and to the wrong person? Would the Charringtons kill to keep the secret of their daughter Ottillie's death from being known? Would Theodora von Schenck kill to prevent anyone from finding out where her extra funds come from? Are there other, even more desperate secrets worth killing for? And what do the thefts and Caroline's locket in particular have to do with it all.

There is a bit of a dark streak to this one--the reasons behind the deaths are somewhat disturbing, especially the second one. But there are some very fun moments to this one as well--Charlotte's excursion to the music hall is particularly good. I did enjoy watching Emily maneuver her father into paying more attention to his wife--which is just what Caroline needed to get her mind off a silly infatuation.  It was a shame that we didn't see more of Pitt and there is not the urgency in the investigation that we found in the previous book. But overall, a solid mystery and good afternoon's read. ★★★

First line: Charlotte Pitt took the letter and looked at the errand boy in some surprise.

Last line: It wasn't until Inigo Charrington stood in the doorway, his eyes full of sympathy and affection, that at last Charlotte let go of Eloise.

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Deaths = 2 (one poisoned; one run over by a cart)

The Sound of Insects

 The Sound of Insects (1966) by Mildred Davis

Johnny MacLeod, a big-time, small-town blackmailer, has extracted hush money from nearly everyone in town--from his boss, the owner of a big computer company, to the neighbor across the street. But after his latest round of "house calls" on his "customers," Johnny is found dead from an ice pick stab wound and suspicion falls first on five women and then narrows to focus on Stacy and Angela Hubert. There's a whispered telephone campaign to spread suspicion, a little mater of jewelry, a kidnapping, two suicides, and a final dramatic confession before the truth is known and life can get back to normal. But can it ever be normal again after what has happened?

For me, an academic mystery and psychological suspense just don't mix well. I love a good mystery with an academic bent and here we have Stacy who teaches biology involved in the murder of Johnny, a blackmailer. But I'm not a huge fan of suspense and this book just has an overall icky feel with all the secrets, the high-pressure blackmail, and the whisper campaign that starts after the murder. It is usual for me to have some sympathy with those who kill a person who has been putting the blackmail screws on them. Not nearly as much here. Once the reason the killer was being blackmailed was brought out in the final confession, it was more difficult to sympathize. I still think blackmail is a horrible thing--making money or just gaining a feeling of power through other people's weaknesses is despicable, but the sympathy level is much lower than, say, the woman in the Holmes story "The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton."

I do have to give Mildred Davis credit--she is very good at suspense and human relationships. But it wasn't at all pleasant watching the disintegration of a small town's network of friendships when a slimy little blackmailer increases his pressure and winds up stabbed with an ice pick for his trouble. Instead of banding together, relationships are broken, the women in Stacy's family come under suspicion and are treated like pariahs, and her fiance dumps her. Even when Stacy and her mother are cleared, nothing is ever the same again. How do you forget that all your "friends" dropped you like a hot potato before there was any proof of guilt? ★★★

Peggy at Peggy's Porch has also read this one and liked it much better than I did, so your mileage may vary. Her review can be found at the link.

First line: A cicada gave an anguished screech just as Stacy stepped out on the terrace for air.

Last line: "I never did believe the one about 'the sins of the fathers...'"

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Deaths = 3 (one stabbed; one gas/poisoned; one natural/cancer)

Sleight of Crime

 Sleight of Crime: Fifteen Classic Tales of Murder, Mayhem & Magic (1977) by Cedric E. Clute Jr. & Nicholas Lewin (eds)

The editors have put together a selection of stories--nearly all from the 1960s or earlier--which feature magic and magicians. I almost wrote "a selection of mystery stories" but that would not be quite true. There are several stories here that could not, by even a stretch of the imagination, be considered mysteries. As always with such collections, there are good stories and not-so-good stories. And some are downright disappointing. Stephen Leacock, I'm looking at you--twice. And Gibson's first story isn't much better, though his second story, "The Florentine Masks," makes up for it. Yarbro's story is good (I've often enjoyed her writing), but it is more a story of revenge than murder or mayhem. And "A Trick or Two" by Novotny is a nice little bit of writing, but, again, not a mystery. My favorites of the actual mysteries are "From Another World" by Rawson; "Death by Black Magic" by Cummings; and "Murder among Magicians" by Wellman. Lord Peter Wimsey is always a favorite and I could reread his stories any number of times (and have). ★★★ for the collection as a whole.

"The Conjurer's Revenge" by Stephen Leacock: What kind of revenge would a magician take on the wise guy in the audience who reveals all the secrets behind the tricks? We're about to find out....

"From Another World" by Clayton Rawson: Andrew Drake is a wealthy man with a recent obsession with ESP. While participating in an experiment, he allows himself to be sealed up in a room and is then found dead with an unconscious girl nearby. If she stabbed him, then who bashed her on the head? And how did they get out of a sealed room?

"The Episode of the Mexican Seer" by Grant Allen: Sir Charles Vandrift isn't an easy man to fool, but Colonel Clay manages to do so repeatedly in An African Millionaire. This time Clay plays the part of a Mexican seer who can make Vandrift's signature appear magically on his forearm...and perhaps somewhere else as well....

"A Trick or Two" by John Novotny: They say that everybody has a trick...or maybe two. But Jesse is definitely not going to be appreciative of Laura's trick when she offers it in exchange for his.

"Lammas Night" by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro: Yarbro gives us a version Count Alessandro Cagliostro, real-life 18th Century alchemist and conman. He has promised to summon a demon for the other nobles...but they may get more than they bargained for.

"The Man of Mysteries" by Walter B. Gibson: Professor Anthony appears in an office and teaches the occupant a thing or two about mysteries.

"Death by Black Magic" by Joseph Cummings: Senator Brooks Banner is also a magician and a detective and he uses his powers to solve the "impossible" murder of The Great Xanthe. And solves a fifteen-year-old mystery in the process.

"The Adventure of the Hanging Acrobat" by Ellery Queen: An acrobatic vaudeville performer is found hanging in her dressing room and it isn't suicide. Ellery has to answer the question of why she was hanged (there were four other weapons already in the room...somebody had to go to another room to get the rope). There must be a reason why she had to be hanged.

"Murder among Magicians" by Manly Wade Wellman: They say it takes a thief to catch a thief...but does it take a magician to murder a magician? In this case...quite probably.

"The Green & Gold String" by Philip MacDonald: Dr. Alacazar, a mind-reading, fortune-telling rogue unravels the solution of one murder while trying to angle for a $5,000 reward and winds up preventing a second one.

"Professor Swankton's Ruse" by George Johnson: Not really a mystery at all. Just a short, mildly amusing story about an artist who sees through part of a mind-reader's act.

"The Florentine Masks" by Walter B. Gibson: The Great Gerard beats an evil art thief at his own game...with a couple of Florentine masks.

"The Weapon from Nowhere" by Conway Lonstar: A psychic predicts a murder in her house which happens exactly as she saw--despite the presence of the police and the press.

"The Incredible Elopement of Lord Peter Wimsey" by Dorothy L. Sayers: finds my favorite aristocratic sleuth in one of his rare adventures outside England. Lord Peter becomes interested in a rather grotesque revenge--plotted and carried out in the Basque region of northern Spain. It is up to Lord Peter to rescue a damsel in distress from the evil machinations of her jealous husband.

"A Model Dialogue" by Stephen Leacock: How to frustrate a magician in one easy lesson.

First line (first story): "Now ladies and gentlemen," said the conjurer, "having shown you that the cloth is absolutely empty, I will proceed to take from it a bowl of goldfish."

Last line (last story): "It must be such an awfully clever little trick. Good night!"

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Deaths = 11 (four stabbed; three strangled; one natural; three shot)

Resurrection Row

 Resurrection Row (1981) by Anne Perry

The case of the reappearing corpses: Lord Augustus Fitzroy-Hammond of Gadstone Park was properly buried after dying from a heart attack several weeks ago. So what is his body doing sitting atop a hansom cab like some sort of other-wordly cabbie? That's what Inspector Thomas Pitt would like to know. Graverobbing is a crime and he must discreetly try to find out what motive there could be for disinterring a lord and displaying his body on a cab. But Fitzroy-Hammond hasn't made his final appearance. Not long after a second burial, the nobleman makes a second escape from his grave--this time to take a seat in the family pew on a Sunday morning.

From there bodies keep appearing where they didn't ought to be. The gravediggers discover another corpse resting in Fitzroy-Hammond's coffin when it comes time for them to attempt to bury his lordship a third time. But no one know who this fellow is right away. It's thought he might be the body missing from a Mr. Porteus's grave, but the widow Porteus declares that it's not her husband. A third corpse is then discovered and that one is Mr. Porteus. And then another man, a well-known procurer Horry Snipe who was run over by cart, is found wearing a stovepipe hat and sitting on a gravestone in the Resurrection Row cemetery. Eventually the second, unclaimed body is identified as a Mr. Wilson--whose grave doesn't appear to have been dug up. But when Pitt arranges for the grave to be opened up a final body is discovered. 

Up till now all the bodies have died from natural causes or by accident. But not this one--this one has been strangled and is quickly identified as Godolphin Jones, a portrait artist also living in Gadstone Park who was thought to have gone on a trip to France. Pitt's attention is redirected back to the gentry who live near Fitzroy-Hammond and Jones. Who could have wanted the artist dead? He overcharged for his portraits, but surely that isn't cause for murder...or is it? And why play musical graves with four other bodies? Thomas soon notices clues in Jones's paintings which tie in with an odd little notebook and the trail leads him back to Resurrection Row and a secret worth killing for.

This fourth book in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series was the best yet. Perhaps I have an off-beat sense of humor, but I found the idea of corpses popping up in unlikely places quite entertaining. Other bonuses are the reappearance of Aunt Vespasia (whom we met in the last book) and Pitt's emergence as a much more energetic and involved detective. We actually get to see him following up clues and looking through evidence rather than just questioning people and disappearing for a great deal of the book. The plot was a bit twisty--with various threads, some of which are nicely done red herrings. Overall, a satisfying read. ★★★★

First line: The fog swirled thick and sour down the street, obscuring distances and blurring the gas lamps above.

Last line: "In the name of the Queen, I arrest you for the wilful murder of one Godolphin Jones, artist, of Resurrection Row."

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Deaths = 5 (three natural; one run over by a cart; one strangled)

The Secret of Skeleton Island

 The Secret of Skeleton Island (1966) by Robert Arthur

The Three Investigators are off to Skeleton Island off the southeastern American coast. Pete Crenshaw's dad is working for a movie company who is using the island's abandoned amusement park for scenes in their latest film. The island, long known as a pirate headquarters in days gone by, is also said to be haunted. Not, as you would expect, by a pirate. The ghost is that of a young woman who was electrocuted while riding the park's merry-go-round during a storm. The rumors of the ghost hampers the company's efforts to get men to help renovate the park rides for the film. They have also had a number of pieces of equipment stolen or damaged.

Alfred Hitchcock sends Jupiter, Pete, and Bob out to the Island, ostensibly to provide young divers for a short film the company also wants to do--but also to investigate the mystery of the island. They know something is up right away when the man who meets them (supposedly from the company) takes the boys out the the Skeleton's Hand and abandons them. The Hand is separated from the main island and is made of reefy bits that look like a hand from air. They're rescued by Chris, a young Greek boy, who many on the island seem to blame for the troubles experienced by the company. The boys believe Chris to be unfairly suspected and are even more determined to discover what's going on in order to clear their new friend. Jupe is laid low by a cold, but still manages to spot the clues that lead to the solution.

A fun, light mystery--even though it's easy to spot what the secret of Skeleton Island is. There are a few very good scenes--from the cave at the bottom of the Hand to Chris's rescue of Pete & Bob at the end. And the boys face some very real dangers from very real villains. It all adds up to another great adventure with the Investigators. ★★★★

First line: "How are you lads at Scuba diving?" Alfred Hitchcock asked.

Last line: "I can't help wondering--what kind of mystery are those boys going to find themselves involved with next?

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Deaths = one electrocuted {I was surprised to find a death mentioned in a Three Investigators book!}

Henrietta Who?

 Henrietta Who? (1968) by Catherine Aird (Kinn Hamilton McIntosh)

This is the second in the Inspector C. D. Sloan police procedural series and, as with the first--The Religious Body, Sloan finds himself looking to the past to find answers to some very present murders. He and DC Crosby are called to investigate a traffic fatality. What looked at first to be a simple hit-and-run, soon gives evidence of having been a carefully planned murder. But who would want to kill Grace Jenkins, a widow who has always kept herself to herself and had no real friends--let alone enemies. But there are even greater questions ahead. When Grace's daughter Henrietta comes home from university to identify the body, she finds that someone has broken into her mother's desk...but apparently they had a key to the cottage because there's no sign of forced entry.

The next shock in store is when the pathologist discovers that the woman Henrietta has identified as her mother had never borne a child and most likely was never married at all. If Henriett isn't Grace Jenkins's daughter, then who is she? Further investigation by Sloan reveals oddities about the man whose picture has held pride of place in the cottage. A picture of a man whom Grace claimed as her husband--killed in the war and decorated for service. But the medals on the man in the picture and the medals kept in a drawer don't match. Henrietta begins to wonder if anything she she's believed about herself is really true.

The hunt for a murderer by motor vehicle soon turns into a hunt for identity as well--Grace's, Henrietta's, and the man in the photo. If they can just find some proof indicating who any one of these really is, then they'll have something to work with and perhaps be able to find the motive. The man in the photo is eventually traced, but he's killed before Sloan can question him. It isn't until Sloan and Crosby tap into the correct memories from twenty years ago that they find the clue to the modern mysteries.

Sloan is a very low-key detective--no great flights of inspiration, no colorful habits or peculiarities. He just does the day-to-day work of a Detective Inspector (and delegates the more tedious tasks to Crosby--such as searching through the records of past cases and hunting up all the Holly Tree Farms in the area). He has a wry, not quite sarcastic wit that shows itself particularly in interactions with Crosby and his superior, Superintendent Leeyes, but is very humane when dealing with Henrietta, showing great concern for the girl's plight. 

The mystery itself is a very interesting one with both victim and murderer as unknown quantities--and even the relations of the victim having their identities questioned. It's rare to not only have a "whodunnit" but a "who had it done to them" as well. It seems for a while that the identity question has taken over the book, but the reader should never lose sight of the fact that once the identities are sorted, the motive for the murder and the identity of the murderer will become clear. Overall, a highly enjoyable mystery. ★★★★

Also read and reviewed by Aidan at Mysteries Ahoy!, TracyK at Bitter Tea & Mystery, and Les at Classic Mysteries.

First lines: Harry Ford was a postman. He was a postman of a vintage that is fast disappearing--that is to say he still did his delivery rounds on his bicycle.

Last line: I've had a man posted outside his house for days now and the old boy hasn't stepped out of his wheelchair once.

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

Deaths = 5 (two hit by car; three shot)

Paragon Walk

 Paragon Walk (1981) by Anne Perry

Murder strikes the upper classes again and Inspector Thomas Pitt is assigned to the case. Which, of course, means that his wife Charlotte and her sister Emily (Lady Ashworth) will also be sleuthing among soirees and afternoon teas. This time it's a case of murder and rape when innocent Fanny Nash is killed in Paragon Walk. Described by Emily as "too innocuous to arouse passion," it's hard to believe any man felt strongly enough to attack and kill the young woman. But her death proves otherwise. Every man in the neighborhood is suspect--from footman to Pitt's brother-in-law Lord Ashworth himself--until they can provide verification of their whereabouts at the fatal hour.

Pitt interviews all of the inhabitants of Paragon Walk and finds that nearly all of the servants can provide proof of their activities...but most of their masters can't. They all say where they were, but each has moments that are unsubstantiated and nearly all had a window of opportunity when they could have done the deed. Charlotte and Emily start their amateur investigations in an effort to help clear Emily's husband and soon discover a thread of evil which affects everyone on the Walk. When someone is found hanged with an apparent suicide note confession, you would think that everyone would breathe easier knowing the killer had been revealed. But the tension remains and Charlotte suspects that there is more to the story than they know. 

This particular Charlotte and Thomas Pitt novel falls a little short of the mark. Our good inspector really doesn't detect much and after about the half-way mark all but disappears--except to re-interview everyone after the second murder is discovered. I would really like to see Perry give him more to do than just interview people and be insulted by the gentry because he's a policeman (and little better than a tradesman).There is also a supposed clue given early on that could have been worked into the solution quite nicely, but it seems that it was just filler or a somewhat pink herring. It can't be called a proper red herring--it's dropped almost casually into the narrative and then forgotten save for a brief musing by Charlotte in a later chapter (but that leads nowhere). Had that clue actually led anywhere important, it could have been quite interesting. The motives given for the rape and the murders really don't convince me and the plot doesn't gel nearly as well as the previous two novels.

What carries the book is the relationship between Charlotte and Emily and the introduction of Ashworth's Aunt Vespasia. She is a delightful character who deserves to appear again and again, though I doubt she will since she's supposedly just visiting. I could see Aunt Vespasia and Charlotte becoming great friends--they are very like-minded and like-natured. ★★★--just.

First line: Inspector Pitt stared down a the girl and an overwhelming sense of loss soaked through him.

Don't let other people expect you into doing something you don't wish to do. (Aunt Vespasia)

Last line: Charlotte found herself smiling--yes, send for the police--get Pitt! More than anything else--get Pitt!

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

Deaths = 3 (two stabbed; one hanged)

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