Give the Little Corpse a Great Big Hand

 Give the Little Corpse a Great Big Hand (1953) by George Bagby (Aaron Marc Stein)

George Bagby is both the pseudonym used by Stein for his most prolific series and the persona employed as the narrator for these Inspector Schmidt mysteries. Little Corpse is the 23rd book in a series of just over 50. In this particular outing, Schmidt and Bagby attend the opening of a brand new night club where an unexpected murder is going to take center stage. A new night club might not feature prominently in the interests of an NYC Inspector, but it's always interesting to see what Little Alfie Jessup is up to and whether this time he might be up to something they can put him away for. Schmidt is also taking a personal interest because the daughter of his good friend, beat cop Halloran, is worried about his daughter.

His daughter Margie sings like an angel and, having recently taken charge of her personal life, has begun singing for money. Her newest gig is as the vocal portion of the entertainment at the brand new Limehouse Club. Neither Halloran nor Schmidt like the idea of Margie in close contact with such a slippery little eel like Alfie--regardless of the fact that she assures them she can handle herself. So, Schmidt, Bagby, and Marie's parents all attend opening night. Margie's act goes well and she seems to have quite the following of well-to-do young people on hand to give her support.

The other big act for the evening is Goldie Gibbs. She's brought onto the stage in a golden mummy case, carried by big and strong, well-oiled (literally) young men, She's wrapped up, mummy-like, in golden wrappings and the audience is prepared to watch her emerge from the case and shed her wrappings. But Goldie's first performance is her last--someone embalmed her with chloroform and she falls to the stage floor in a heap when the mummy case is opened. 

But Goldie's murder isn't the biggest story to hit the Limehouse and Broadway--while all those well-to-do young people were busy having dinner, listening to Margie sing, and then being appalled when the dancer died, their homes were quietly relieved of all the valuable jewelry a gang of burglars could find. Inspector Schmidt is convinced that Little Alfie is behind the burglaries, but he can't see how the murder fits in and until he understands the murder he's pretty sure Little Alfie will be safe. Bagby follows the inspector around like a shadow--sees all the same clues and hears all the same witness testimony, but is surprised when Schmidt produces the murderer (and, incidentally recovers all the jewels) in the last chapter. 

I have to say--I wasn't shocked at the identity of the murderer....I saw it coming. Though I did get thrown off a bit when he revealed the hiding place of the jewels. I can't tell you why; it would spoil the plot. This was my second adventure with Schmidt and Bagby and I found it almost as enjoyable as The Body in the Basket. There's lots of action and Schmidt does a bit more detecting here, but it lost just a little bit of the sparkle of fun that the previous book had. Perhaps it's because more of the characters are so shady or downright unlikeable (I'm looking at you in particular, Edward L. Harper). I wish we could have had a bit more of the two young medical students who are paying their way through school by being buff , shiny mummy case bearers--they were great fun.  ★★★ and a half for a good plot and a good second visit with Schmidt and Bagby.

First line: If you ask around in Times Square, at Lindy's and at Sardi's and around the Astor lobby, you'll turn up people who may remember it when it was the Limehouse Club.

It must strain your credulity, sir, but it is true. We've been hoping you might understand that we have known such very peculiar people that we have come to expect almost anything of them and we have learned that when they are being peculiar they resent interference. It is best to pretend one had not even noticed it. (Harvey Alden; p. 32)

That was one unchanging characteristic of Jessup's friends. They were just not the sort who could have a good time when there were police around. (152)

Last line: "There should be a law, but there isn't."

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Deaths =  2 (one poisoned; one strangled)

What Just Happened

 What Just Happened: Notes on a Long Year (2021) by Charles Finch

"What Just Happened" is, I think, a legitimate question from anyone who made it through that horrific last year of 45's presidency. From the pandemic and all it entailed to watching a black man killed by police right there in front of us to a sitting president encouraging his base to go "protest" a legitimate election with the resulting coup attempt--so much of what happened is enough to make me wonder if we all haven't just been living in a very bad dream. A bad dream that we don't, even now, seem to be able to awaken from. Covid-19 goes on. Perhaps not as deadly as it was at its worst, but people are sill dying. People still have long-Covid, the lingering symptoms that just won't go away. Inflation is at an all-time high because the greedy corporations and millionaires & billionaires who somehow managed to keep making all-time high profits during the pandemic haven't had enough and are still raising prices--only now they get to blame it on the war in Ukraine. And so it goes. [A phrase used often by Finch in an echo of Vonnegut.]

Sorry...didn't mean to turn my review into a rant...but there it is. And I'm not changing a word.

Charles Finch is such a gifted writer. It was both harrowing and cathartic to read his diary and relive and remember how very stressful and scary and just plain awful it was. To repeatedly come across phrases that represent exactly what I felt/thought/said at precisely those moments. To see confirmation that I wasn't the only one who felt the disconnect and who didn't want to work (how could I work when so many were dying needlessly; when I might be next or my loved ones might be next). But he also injects just the right amount of humor to keep us from getting mired in the horrific, to keep us on an even keel. And to even show us a bit of hope.

I appreciated most the absolute honesty of the work. He gives us everything--his fears, his anger, even his craziest thoughts. It is an open, authentic view of what he experienced during what is arguably one of the worst years our country has faced in a very long time. Thank you, Charles Finch, for all of it. ★★★★★

First line: March 11 There is an emotional chill in the streets today for the first time.

Last line: And so the days glide forward, into a future we have to hope other people haven't already made for us.

Still Life with Crows

 Still Life With Crows (2003) by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child

Medicine Creek, Kansas, like many small towns across America, is slowly dying. The young people grow up, leave town, and never come back. There's only one major employer--a turkey processing plant--and it has had to cut back on the number of shifts. The University of Kansas is looking for an area to test a new hybrid corn and they have narrowed the location down to Medicine Creek and the nearby town of Deeper. Being awarded the deal could breathe new life into the chosen community.

But just as negotiations reach the final stages, people begin dying in earnest. The first body is found in circle-shaped clearing in the middle of one of the miles of cornfield. The woman has been horribly mutilated and arranged in a tableau complete with dead crows atop genuine, Civil War-era Native American arrows.Sheriff Dent Hazen doesn't know it yet, but his first murder case is going to be a doozy. FBI Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast arrives from New York, suspecting that the murder bears the hallmarks of a serial killer. When more murders follow, it looks like he is right. The folks of Medicine Creek would like to believe that a crazed stranger is responsible, but Pendergast also suspects the culprit is more of the home-grown variety.

The arrows and the fact that the murdered woman had been digging in the Mounds just outside Medicine Creek revive the legend of the "Curse of the Forty-Fives," a story about a group of ex-Confederates who brutalized the Cheyenne--killing women and children--and who were, in turn, killed by the angry and anguished men who returned to find their families gone. The attack took place atop the Mounds and it is said that the leader of the ex-Confederates cursed the ground for all time. There is something supernatural about the strength needed for the particular method of murder and those who get a glimpse of the murderer and manage to survive describe him/it as a great hulking "creature." Has the creature been summoned by the disturbance of the Mounds? Or is there a more human agent using the legend for his own ends? Pendergast takes on a local young woman as an assistant who is snatched by the murderer. He will have to work quickly to put the clues together and find her before she becomes the latest victim...

Preston and Child certainly know how to write an edge-of-the-seat, scare-the-crap-out-of-you thriller that is so absorbing and fast-paced that even I (the biggest coward when it comes to horror and grisly murders) can read the thing straight through, hanging on every word, and impatient to find out what it's all about. Pendergast is an interesting, nuanced character. We get hints that his is an unusual back story and I certainly hope that we learn more about him as the series goes along. I appreciated seeing his softer side as he plainly wants to give Corrie Swanson (the assistant he takes on from Medicine Creek) a way to make a new start in life (if she gets a chance...).

Spoiler--encoded in ROT13: V ernyyl rawblrq gur jnl Cerfgba naq Puvyq cynlrq bss bs ahefrel eulzrf sbe gur fbyhgvba bs jul gur xvyyre ynvq bhg uvf ivpgvzf va gur cnegvphyne gnoyrnhf ur qvq--naq jung gur pebjf naq gur qbt'f gnvy zrnag. V unira'g ernq fhpu n tbbq hfr bs ahefrel eulzrf fvapr Ntngun Puevfgvr. V nz n ovg crecyrkrq nf gb jul yvivat va gur qnex pnirf jbhyq znxr gur zna FB rkgen-fgebat (V zrna fgebatre guna nirentr, lrf--ohg gur srngf ur cresbezf frrz n ovg bire-gur-gbc) naq rfcrpvnyyl FB snfg. Jung unf yvivat va gur pnir tbg gb qb jvgu fcrrq?

But, beyond the small quibbles mentioned in the spoiler above, overall this is another excellent thriller Preston and Child. I look forward to reading more of the Pendergast series. ★★★★

{If you'd like to decode the spoiler, copy & past the coded portion, click on the link and follow the directions to reveal all.}

First line: Medicine Creek, Kansas. Early August. Sunset.

Time is a storm in which we are all lost, Mr. Hoch. (Pendergast; p. 40) 

Medicine Creek is an all-American town, and everybody's got a skeleton in his closet. Or her closet. (Corrie Swanson; p. 80)

I have found that liars in the end communicate more truth than do truth tellers....Because truth is the safest lie. (Pendergast; 134) 

I find nothing more tiresome in life than explanations. (Pendergast; 210)

It is a capital mistake to develop a premature hypothesis in the absence of hard data. (Pendergast [echoing Holmes]; 213)

Last line: The cluster of psychiatrists and students at the glass did not even notice the dark, slender presence slip away, they were so busy discussing just where the diagnosis would be found in the DSM-IV manual--or if, indeed, it would ever be found there at all.

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

Deaths = 11 (two shot; four strangled; one boiled to death; one natural--died of fright; two fell from height; one hit on head)

May Pick of the Month (Better Late Than Never)

 I just realized that another month is in the books (😉) and I forgot to see what I read in May and which mystery stands out among the crowd. I'm keeping up my pace--trudging right along. I managed another 17 books and all but two had a mystery flair. I'm still trying to manage my reading rate so I'll be planting a flag on Mount Olympus on Mars (in my Mount TBR challenge) before the year is out.  I've also been looking for that elusive five-star rating for a new-to-me mystery novel. And I finally got it! Now I just have to decide if I'm going to give another P.O.M. award to C. S. Harris (she's won twice in the past, I believe). We'll take a look at the mystery star ratings in a moment, but before we hand out the shiny prize/s, let's take a look at the stats.

Total Books Read: 19
Total Pages: 4,722
Average Rating: 3.68 stars  
Top Rating: 5 stars 
Percentage by Female Authors: 53%

Percentage by Male Authors: 47%

Percentage by both Female & Male Authors: 0%
Percentage by US Authors: 68%
Percentage by non-US/non-British Authors:  16%
Percentage Mystery: 89%

Percentage Fiction: 95%
Percentage written 2000+: 21%
Percentage of Rereads: 26%
Percentage Read for Challenges: 100% {It's easy to have every book count for a challenge when you sign up for as many as I do.}    
Number of Challenges fulfilled so far: 14 (42%)

Mysteries Read:

 

Parcels for Inspector West by John Creasey (4 stars) 

Flying Too High by Kerry Greenwood (4 stars)

When Blood Lies by C. S. Harris (5 stars)

Killer Loose! by Geneveive Holden (3 stars) 

The Parchment Key by Stanley Hopkins, Jr. (3.5 stars)

The Clue in the Crumbling Wall by Carolyn Keene (4 stars)

The Counterfeit Lady by Kate Parker (3 stars)

The Vanishing Thief by Kate Parker (3.5 stars)

Reliquary by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child (3 stars) 

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

Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers (5 stars)

Lock 14 by Georges Simenon (2.75 stars)

Murder on "B" Deck by Vincent Starrett (3 stars)

Murder Down Under by Arthur W. Upfield (2.5 stars)

The Corbin Necklace by Henry Kitchell Webster (3.5 stars)

Going Public by David Westheimer (4 stars)

The Body That Wasn't Uncle by George Worthing Yates (2.5 stars)

So, as you can see When Blood Lies by Harris and two Dorothy L. Sayers novels, Gaudy Night & Busman's Honeymoon, each gathered up five stars. The Sayers mysteries are both rereads (several times over), so, I'm sorry, Dorothy, but you're out. When Blood Lies is another knock-out historical mystery by Harris that just came out this spring. I had been impatiently waiting since last July (when I finished the previous book in the series) and I devoured it immediately as soon as my turn come in the library holds sweepstakes. I love this series so much that...yes, I AM going to give C. S. Harris another P.O.M. Award....

But...I am going to make her share it. Let's look at the contenders with four stars. Flying High by Kerry Greenwood and The Clue in the Crumbling Wall by Carolyn Keene are both rereads, so they're going to join Sayers on the sidelines. Which leaves us with two possibilities. John Creasey's Parcels for Inspector West is a police procedural set at Christmastime. Creasey is terrific with characters and manages to give everyone attention in the short space afforded. We feel like we really know the Bryants--even though some of the family are on stage for extremely brief periods. We become very invested in the family and even more interested in seeing the killers brought to justice. And Going Public by David Westheimer isn't really a true mystery at all. It is focused on a trio of young men who have found profit in murder and are looking to incorporate the business, sell shares in the company...and make a financial killing.

The Inspector Roger West books are my favorites of the various series Creasey writes (under various names), but I believe the other winner of a May P.O.M. Award is....

 

 

This is just enormous fun. It skewers the business industry so expertly, that you would think one of the Willies had performed the "undertaking." All the worst qualities of the business world are put to use to further the ends of the undertakings--and it is usually men who display those worst qualities who become "units" in the company's production line. It also shines a light on the religious faction who don't seem to mind being hand-in-glove with dirty business practices as long as they can claim profits "for the glory of the Lord." A terrific commentary on big business with comments that are just as applicable to the business practices of today (unfortunately) and all done with murder mayhem and good humor.

 

Trixie Belden & the Black Jacket Mystery

 Trixie Belden & the Black Jacket Mystery (1961) by Kathryn Kenny

Trixie and the Bob-Whites are getting ready to hold an ice carnival on the Wheelers' lake. Trixie and Honey's pen pals in Mexico have been through an earthquake. The disaster destroyed their school library and they don't know how the books will ever be replaced. So, Trixie comes up with the idea of the carnival to raise money and seek book donations. You'd think she'd be too busy to get mixed up in a mystery...but not our Trixie. 

Regan, the Wheelers' groom, is acting oddly. Trixie overhears him asking her mom for advice for some sort of situation and then later she accidently sees a paper in the tack room that indicates some sort of legal trouble. Regan has to go into New York City on some sort of business and the next thing the Bob-Whites know there is a new boy at school. A boy who apparently came from the city and who wears a black leather jacket, cowboy boots, and a peaked black cap. He spends the lunch hour talking about how he and his "club" deal with people. 

He struck a fist into the palm of his other hand forcefully. "Pow!"

Despite the Bob-Whites making efforts to be friendly, he remains stand-offish and even a bit rude. Trixie speculates that his club must really have been a gang and when Honey's watch comes up missing and is found sold to a local store, she suspects Dan of being responsible. Then the clubhouse is broken into and their petty cash stolen. But there are conflicting clues--while there are cowboy bootprints in the dirt floor of the clubhouse, they look to be too big for Dan's foot. But who else could it be? No one else in Sleepyside wears pointy cowboy boots. It's a mystery Trixie just has to solve.

This story represents both a thing I like least about Trixie and something I like best about her and the Bob-Whites. One of the most annoying things about the girl who wants to grow up and have her own detective agency is the way she jumps to conclusions. Jumps, did I say? How about takes a running, flying leap at them. For a girl who has a heart big enough to want to host an ice carnival to to raise money to replace books destroyed in an earthquake, she closes that heart up right quick the minute she sees Dan Mangan in his black jacket and cowboy boots. She decides on little evidence that he must have "stolen" (picked up out of the snow) Honey's watch and then broken into the Bob-Whites' clubhouse. And even when the evidence found proves it couldn't have been him--the footprints are too big and the boots which made the prints are the wrong color--she immediately jumps right back on the "Dan's a bad boy" band wagon the next chance she gets. 

But as mentioned, she does have a big heart. And I love the way she and the others are always finding ways to those in need. Having the ice carnival for their pen pals in Mexico who need to replace their school library books, is a wonderful idea. It was great fun to watch the show come together. I just wish Trixie could be a little bit more open to people right in front of her. Yes, Dan is acting rude. But both Honey and Mart notice that he looks more scared than tough. I'm glad that Trixie did come round to seeing that Dan just really needed the right kind of friends. ★★★ and 1/2

First line: "Bobby! If you don't hold still, I'll never have you ready in time to catch your bus!"

Last line: To which Mr. Maypenny nodded and said, "Amen."

The Trouble with Tribbles

 The Trouble With Tribbles (1977) by David Gerrold

The third of twelve fotonovels featuring original Star Trek episodes and published in the 1970s. The books tell the stories in a graphic novel style, using stills for the television show and using comic book balloons for the dialogue. These books were a real treat for fans of the show before VCRs and DVD players allowed us to re-watch episodes whenever we wanted. 

Gerrold's story is a fan favorite--who can resist those furry little bundles? It begins with the Enterprise responding to a priority distress call from Space Station K-7 only to find that undersecretary Nilz Baris wants Kirk to provide security for storage containers of grain. The Federation and the Klingons are in competition to prove to the Organians (who administer the peace treaty between the two) that their people are best suited to develop the disputed Sherman's Planet. Baris is convinced the Klingons are out to destroy the Federation's efforts. He also thinks that the means of sabotage will be the cute little animals called tribbles--but he'll find that he has the furry creatures to thank for giving clues to the plot as well as the spy behind all the trouble.

This has always been one of my favorite episodes. I enjoy the humor and I especially enjoy the scenes with Scotty and Chekov in the bar right before the brawl with the Klingons and then Kirk's interrogation of the men when he's trying to discover who threw the first punch. It is always fun to revisit the classic Trek episodes--whether by viewing them or reading this beautifully done fotonovels. ★★★★★

First line: Captain's Log: Stardate 4523.2 Our path is taking us into a quadrant of the galaxy that has been under dispute between the Klingons and the Federation since initial contact.

Last line: Before they went into warp, I transported the whole kit and kaboodle into their engine room where they will be no "tribble" at all!

All Hallows' Evil (Spoilerish)

 All Hallow's Evil (1992) by Valerie Wolzien

It's Halloween and the ghosts & goblins are out and about. And so are the monsters and....murderers. While a children's Halloween party is going on in the children's section, an unknown man is stabbed to death at the back of the nonfiction area. Susan Henshaw is looking at the cookbooks when she notices the body slumped against the wall. At first she thinks he's just a Halloween prop, but then he lets out a groan, looks at her briefly, and she realizes she's watching a man die. A second body, also stabbed, is found on his front porch--but this man isn't unknown. He is Jason Armstrong, the celebrity host of a popular morning talk show. Jason's wife, Rachel, is so upset and doesn't want to be home alone, so Susan and her husband invite her to stay at their house, little realizing the media circus they're about to become the center ring for...

When a homeless man confesses to the murders, Susan doesn't believe he's guilty and can't believe her old friend Police Chief Brett Fortesque is taking the confession seriously. She's quite sure that something fishy is going on at the library and that it's nothing to do with the homeless. She just doesn't realize how many dirty little secrets are hidden among Hancock's quiet citizens. But which secret drove a killer to stab these particular men?

Spoilers Ahead--Read at Your Own Risk!

So...this wasn't terribly good. The amateur detective solves this by pure inspiration, apparently. Stopping in the middle of thinking about where the first body lay and just shouting, "Brett! I know." Boom. Haven't really gathered any clues. Haven't really gotten anybody to talk about the mystery at all. But, hey, we know who did it. Oh, and the whole bit about having Rachel stay at Susan's house and the television folks creating havoc? I'm thinking that was supposed to comic relief or something. If so--it wasn't. It was just plain annoying. As was the nosy neighbor, Amy Ellsworth. And, for the record, the motive is bizarre and makes zero sense--even when s/he explains their reasoning (if you can call it an explanation) I know the killer winds up being a tad on the paranoid side, but even paranoidal killers have a certain logic. The logic may make sense only to them, but there is usually a credible logic once you look at things from their point of view. Here, the killer says they had to kill the first man because "he knew too much." There is no evidence whatsoever that the victim knew anything at all about the secrets our killer is hiding or that the killer found them anywhere that might lead them to believe the man had discovered anything. The man had been in the library exactly one time and that was the morning he got killed. When exactly was he supposed to have found out what he "knew"?? The second murder makes even less sense. You kill somebody that knew who this unnamed person was so that someone else will be blamed for both deaths??? And the person you have all lined up for the frame-up has zero reason to kill either of them and especially not the second one. I'm sorry, but I'm just not buying what you're selling. I actually do like the lead character but I wish she worked a little more logically. If I hadn't needed this book for challenges, I don't think I would have finished it and I most likely won't pick up another in the series. ★ and 1/2.

First line: An angel was checking out books at the circulation desk, a mermaid was sprawled on the floor in the magazine sections, and a tall gray-haired witch was helping a four-foot werewolf search for a 1976 almanac.

Last lines: "Lead the way. It's a crime I can ignore."

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Deaths = two stabbed

The Bluebeard Room

 The Bluebeard Room (1985) by Carolyn Keene

Nancy, Bess, and George are visiting Nancy's Aunt Eloise in New York City. They are invited to a society function and just happen to meet British rock star Lance Warrick of the super-group Crowned Heads. But it's Nancy who has turned his head. Nancy also meets Olive Harwood, mother of one of Nancy's friends from River Heights. Lisa Harwood had married a British aristocrat in a fairy tale wedding, but from what Mrs. Harwood tells Nancy, it doesn't sound like they are living happily ever after. Lisa looks thin and haunted and Mrs. Harwood wants Nancy to go to England (at her expense) and get to the bottom of whatever is troubling her daughter. 

Nancy agrees to go and finds herself in the middle of a mystery involving ancient statues, drugs, witchcraft, hypnosis, and hidden caves. She also finds herself juggling the attentions of Lance Warrick and a handsome young reporter by the name of Alan Trevor. Both men help Nancy unravel the mystery. But Nancy is the one who tracks down all the clues.

The basic mystery is pretty good as Nancy Drew plots go. Nancy makes logical deductions based on what clues she's able to find and takes the lead in investigating the hidden cave. But I do take great exception to the ghost writer having Nancy call Carson Drew "Daddy" (which she never did in the original hardbacks) and having her so very caught up in how she looks. It seemed to me that whoever wrote this under the Keene name had very little real knowledge of the character. And don't get me started on how many times her "heart skipped a beat" or her "pulse quickened" and it wasn't about some mysterious clue she noticed--oh, no. It was all to do with Lance "rock star" Warrick. I've never taken to the idea that her special beau Ned is being quietly shoved aside in these later novels. And I certainly am not a fan of making Nancy behave like the heroine of a romance novel. ★★

First line: "Guess who's at the party, Nancy!"

Last line: Nancy kissed each of her suitors and replied lightly, "I guess that's one riddle I haven't solved yet!"

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

Deaths = one burned at the stake

Bullets for Macbeth

 Bullets for Macbeth (1976) by Marvin Kaye

Hilary Quayle and her assistant Gene, of Hilary, Ultd., are asked by an old friend of Hilary's to manage the publicity for an elaborate production of Macbeth scheduled to open at Madison Square Garden's Felt Forum. It's going to be quite a job--especially since the director and producer have waited until practically the last minute to settle on publicity. But it becomes even more of a job when Hilary and Gene wind up looking for a present-day murderer as well as the identity of Banquo's third murderer.

Shakespearean scholars had long debated the latter and it seems like a long-shot that our publicity folks will solve the puzzle--but they have a more pressing reason do so than all those scholars did. Michael Godwin (the old friend and director of the production) had come up with a new theory on who the third murderer was and planned to reveal his choice during the production. He claimed that there was textual evidence in the play itself that supported his theory. He kept his plan secret from everyone in the company--practicing in secret with the actor who was to play the part. When Michael Godwin (the old friend and director) is shot and killed during the dress rehearsal by what appears to have been the third murderer, solving the identity of Shakespeare's third murdered will most likely reveal who was responsible for Michael's death. Hilary and Gene's friend, Inspector Betterman of the NYPD, think their idea is so much eyewash, especially since the man who owned the gun has taken a powder. But then the police's main suspect is stabbed and it looks like the amateurs may have a good idea after all. Will they be able to pinpoint Banquo's murderer in time to prevent more deaths?

I have mixed feelings about this one. On the plus side, I enjoyed the way Kaye works the mystery of Shakespeare's third murderer into the present day murder. Since I'm not a Shakespearean scholar, I don't know if the identity in the play is still in hot debate or not, but I do think Kaye (through Hilary) makes a compelling case for the choice made here. And for what Kaye wanted to do with plot, it dovetails very nicely. However, taking the present-day murder on its own merits, I don't find the chosen culprit satisfying. I believe there was a much more interesting solution--one that could have worked with the clues we were given and it would have been far more satisfying to me. 

Another plus was our narrator, Gene. I enjoyed viewing events through his eyes and it was really nice to see the character who is set up as the Watson to our lead detective (Hilary) actually solve the mystery himself. She manages to solve the Shakespearean question--independently, but Gene follows the modern-day clues and has the entire wrap-up scene entirely to himself. This was especially satisfying to me because, quite frankly, Hilary is not my favorite person in Kaye's world. She's alternately nasty and nice to Gene--who has a thing for her and I can't for the life of me figure out why. She constantly accuses him of certain behaviors and then gives him zero chance to explain himself. We've watched him the entire time, so we know who side we're on. I thoroughly enjoyed watching him solve the mystery without her. I think part of the problem is that Kaye doesn't write women well. He has great difficulty representing them whenever they are not being b-----s, so giving them authentic emotions and behaviors beyond the negative seems to be out of his league.

Overall--a nicely done mystery, especially for those who like their mysteries with a literary bent. I would have given higher marks if the solution (which is solid, don't get me wrong) had been more satisfying to me personally and if Kaye had more range when portraying female characters. ★★★

First line: So, I'm impressed.

Last line: Privately, I wondered how the hell I was going to break my date with Pat Lowe without hurting her feelings.

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Deaths = 3 (one shot; two stabbed)

Death Among the Sunbathers

 Death Among the Sunbathers (1934) by E. R. Punshon

The second in the Bobby Owens detective series--where Owens is much talked about, but little seen. As one of the characters says:

...but he's there...all the time...that's what gets on your nerves...you never see him, but all the time you know he's there and all the time you keep hearing things...

Superintendent Mitchell and Inspector Ferris are returning to London from an interview with a very upset Lord Carripore. Carripore is the chairman of Universal Assurance, the primary insurer which has been hit hard by a series of fire claims. There is a bit of trouble with their car and while their driver sets about seeing to it, they witness a woman zip by, driving like blazes. They're not too surprised, therefore, when they hear the tell-tale sound of an accident. Quickly piling into the car, they arrive at the accident site in time to drag the woman's body from the burning car, but she's past help. They are puzzled that, despite her speed, she happened to have an accident at that particular point--the road was nice and straight. It isn't until a doctor arrives that it's revealed that she was dead before the car hit the embankment--for a gunshot.

They soon discover that the dead woman is a well-known journalist by the name of Jo Frankland and there are several possible motives. She had just been to Leadeane Grange, a kind of spa for sun worshippers (and sometimes nudists). That's a major fad just now, but not really hot news. Did something else draw her to spa? A fellow journalist seems to think she was on to a hot story. Maybe she meddled where she shouldn't have? But then there's also the huge fight she had with her husband and it appears that he was in the area at the right time. He was also seen to wave a Browning automatic around during the argument. His wife just happens to have been shot with a Browning automatic--and he has disappeared. There is also Maurice Keene, the young man her sister has been seeing. And Jo Frankland was actively trying to break that relationship up. He was also at the Grange that afternoon. Was that worth killing for? There's an old lag named Bobs-the--Boy hanging about as well. Why is he doing odd jobs for the Grange...and for Horace Hunter, a dealer in furs? Has Bobs-the-Boy started dealing in murder? And what about the mysterious motorcycle rider who had an argument with her on the road that day? He too has most conveniently disappeared right after their altercation.

While Mitchell and Ferris interview the suspects and follow the clues in the usual way, Bobby Owens is following his own line and keeping a low profile. He sends in regular reports to Mitchell with "information received" through his less obvious means of investigation. And, of course, he's johnny-on-the-spot when it comes time to round up the culprit/s.

So, despite this receiving a fairly positive review from Dorothy L. Sayers in her crime reviews (her main complaint is that we see far more of the villainous side of things than we do of Superintendent Mitchell and, most definitely, Bobby Owens), I found this to be far less engaging than Information Received (the first Bobby Owens book). I agree with Sayers that the format which focuses on the criminal/s is less than ideal and I was not fooled for a moment by activities of Bobby Owens. [to say more would let several cats out of the bag] I did appreciate the way all the plot threads were tied together and thoroughly enjoyed all the time we did get to spend with Mitchell and Ferris (though if Mitchell had said that something would "bear looking into" one more more time....). Overall, a solid plot and it was quite clever of Mitchell to spot the initial clue as to when Jo Frankland was killed. ★★★

First line: A slight defect had developed.

"Ah," Bryan said quickly, "you're thinking of what I said about sun bathing being good for the mental activity as well. But Dodd--well, after all, the sun can't work miracles, can it? It must have something to go on on, mustn't it?" (p.98)

That's the worst of a woman, Ferris; what they mean and what they say are two things with a strictly limited connection. (Superintendent Mitchell; p. 102)

Last line: "You can cut away to bed now and I'll let you know when your fresh instructions are ready."

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

Deaths = one shot

Book Challenge by Erin 17.0

 

Book Challenge by Erin

First and foremost, have fun. Don't stress. No one is being judged, graded, or penalized. Even if you finish only one book the entire challenge, if you enjoy it and it's an accomplishment for you, then that's awesome.

 

The challenge will run from July 1, 2022 to October 31, 2022. No books started before 12 a.m. on July 1 or finished after 11:59 p.m. on October 31 will count. (We live in different time zones--follow according to your own time zone.)

 

Each book must be at least 200 pages long. Audio books are fine too.

 

Read one book for each category.

 

For full details see Erin's page on Facebook (link above). You will need to join the private group to view.

My List:

1. Freebie: Seven Tears for Apollo by Phyllis A. Whitney (224 pp) [7/4/22]

2. Brings Joy: Paperbacks, USA by Piet Schreuders (259 pp) [I love vintage paperbacks and I expect this book to make me very happy indeed.] (7/3/22)

3. Set in Canada: The Suspect by L. R. Wright (224 pp) [7/18/22]

4. Author of different race/religion from me: Mycroft Holmes by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar--and Anna Waterhouse (336 pp) [7/16/22]

5. Flower in title/on cover: Secret of the White Rose by Stefanie Pintoff (370 pp) [7/20/22]

6. Book, Books, Bookstore, Bookshop, OR Library in title: Murder off the Books by Evelyn David (288 pp) [7/13/22]

7. Published year of Significant Event: The Body in the Vestibule by Katherine Hall Page [pub. 1992--year my son was born] (211 pp) [7/6/22]

8. Recommended by Librarian: Relative Fortunes by Marlow Benn (306 pp) [7/14/22]

9. Book with vacation/trip/holiday: Voyage into Violence by Frances & Richard Lockridge (223 pp) [7/9/22]

10. Book with earth/air/fire water/space in title: The Woman in the Water by Charles Finch (292 pp) [7/10/22]

First round completed 7/20/22.

June Reading by the Numbers Reviews

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June Virtual Mount TBR Reviews

 

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June Mount TBR Reviews

 

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June Vintage Scattergories Reviews

 

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