Challenge Complete: I Love Library Books

I Love Library Books Reading Challenge

 Gina @ Book Dragon's Lair

January 1, 2014 – December 31, 2014

 

Gina is encouraged us to read books from our library this year.  And while I planned to read mostly from my own shelves this year, I knew that there would be books calling my name when I go to the library and I would need to get books to fulfill certain challenge categories from somewhere other than my own shelves.  So, I signed right up for the Adult Challenge level which required 36 books. I just finished the last one on Monday. Challenge Complete!

And My List:

1. Dandy Gilver & the Proper Treatment of Bloodstains by Catriona McPherson (2/12/14)

2. The Wonder Chamber by Mary Malloy (1/15/14)

3. The Xibalba Murders by Lyn Hamilton (1/18/14)

4. The Kingdom by the Sea by Paul Theroux (1/20/14)
5. Where There's Love, There's Hate by Adolfo Bioy Casares & Silvina Ocamp (2/5/14)
6. You Can Write a Mystery by Gillian Roberts (2/9/14)
7. Cursed in the Act by Raymond Buckland (2/16/14)
8. XCIA's Street Art Project by Hank O'Neal (2/20/14)
9. To Kingdom Come by Will Thomas (2/26/14)
10. The Poisoned Island by Lloyd Shepherd (3/8/14)
11. It's Not All Flowers & Sausages by Jennifer Scoggin (3/10/14)
12. A Girl Walks Into a Bar by Helena S. Paige (3/12/14)
13. A Tale of Two Biddies by Kylie Logan (3/21/14)
14. Decoded by Mai Jia (4/5/14)
15. After I'm Gone by Laura Lippman (4/6/14)
16. The Mammoth Book of the Lost Chronicles of Sherlock Holmes by Denis O. Smith (4/13/14)
17. Death by the Book by Julianna Deering (4/21/14)
18. The Lady of Sorrows by Anne Zouroudi (4/26/14)
19. The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse by Robert Rankin (5/6/14)
20. The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw (5/9/14)
21. Whispers of Vivaldi by Beverle Graves Myers (5/21/14)
22. Steampunk Poe by Edgar Allan Poe; illustrated by Zdenko Basic & Manuel Sumberac (5/30/14)
23. 12.21 by Dustin Thomason (6/6/14)
24. The Corsican Caper by Peter Mayle (6/11/14)
25. The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkein (6/12/14)
26. This Private Plot by Alan Beechey (6/26/14)
27. A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby (7/8/14)
28. Death in an Ivory Tower by Maria Hudgins (7/16/14)
29. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes (7/21/14)
30. Julie & Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell (7/30/14)
31. The Mangle Street Murders by M. R. C. Kasasian (8/5/14)
32. Book Clubbed by Lorna Barrett (8/16/14)
33. The Late Scholar by Jill Paton Walsh (8/30/14)
34. Vertigo 42 by Martha Grimes (9/5/14)
35. The Unfinished Crime by Elsabeth Sanxay Holding (9/8/14)
36. Wednesday the Rabbi Got Wet by Harry Kemelman (9/8/14)

 

Wednesday the Rabbi Got Wet

Back in the mists of time (when I was in high school), I gave Harry Kemelman's Rabbi David Small series a whirl. I don't have reviews from that era of reading and I apparently didn't even think enough of (or read enough of) my sampling to think it merited an entry with a star rating in my reading log. But it seems to me that Wednesday the Rabbi Got Wet (1976) is the very book I tried and didn't connect with. So, when it came up as I did a search for a suitable "Silver" book that I would have to borrow to read for the Vintage Mystery Bingo Challenge, I decided to give Rabbi Small another try. Unfortunately, I have to report that he still doesn't do a whole lot for me. Oh, the plot is serviceable enough, but the characters just don't engage me. According to the book flap on my library's edition, Rabbi Small is supposed to be one of the "most endearing sleuths in modern fiction." I'm afraid that I just don't see it; he comes across as rather bland to me. But...let's talk about the plot for a moment.


This sixth outing for Rabbi Small involves the mysterious death of an elderly man with his fair share of enemies. Old man Kestler dies from an apparent mix-up in medication. Was it an accident on the part of the dispensing pharmacist? Did a family member give him too much--thinking if one is good then two is better? Or was there some malice aforethought? When Kestler's son starts stirring up trouble with threats of a malpractice suit against the doctor involved, Police Chief Hugh Lanigan begins to quietly investigate...taking Rabbi Small into his confidence along the way. But when Lanigan arrests a troubled young man who has come home to his father's pharmacy and who had a past history of difficulty with Kestler, the good rabbi begins to investigate in earnest and finds ties to his own congregation and a planned real estate deal.

As mentioned above, the plot is serviceable. But it is also uninspired and not quite what I expect of a murder mystery (spoiler--in faint-colored font: highlight apparent blank area if interested). I expect an apparent murder to actually be murder. Not death because of unforeseen circumstances. Mischief was planned...but not death.So  I cry "Foul!" It's hard to stay interested when the mystery isn't entirely what one has bargained for. And the characters didn't engage me either. They just seemed to be going through the motions of a role in a mystery story. The book was a quick read for all that and decent. But I'm fairly certain that I won't be revisiting Rabbi Small again. ★★

This satisfies the "Book You Have to Borrow" square on the Silver Vintage Bingo card and gives me my third Silver Bingo.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a bookish meme hosted by Book Journey. Every week we check in with what we read, what we're reading now, and what's next on the reading docket.  I keep falling off the meme bandwagon, but I'm trying again to get back in the swing of things. Here we go....

.

Books Read Last Week (click on titles for review): 

The Late Scholar by Jill Paton Walsh
 The Shakespeare Mask by Newton Frohlich
 Vertigo 42 by Martha Grimes
 Death in a White Tie by Ngaio Marsh
 The Unfinished Crime by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding

 

Currently Reading: 

Wednesday the Rabbi Got Wet by Harry Kemelman: Things aren't kosher in Barnard's Crossing. An unpleasant member of the congregation dies mysteriously and the suspect is a troubled young man. Rabbi Small comes to the case with Talmudic reasoning and insight -- and finds a solution that no one else sees.

**I tried one book in the Rabbi Small series once upon a time back in high school....and didn't really connect with it. I thought I might give it another try.

 

 

Books that spark my interest:
Death Takes a Sabbatical by Robert Bernard 

The Scarlet Pimpernel  by Baroness Orczy

Public Enemies by Bryan Burrough

The Unfinished Crime: Review

Elisabeth Sanxay Holding began writing mysteries or rather suspense novels as a result of the Depression's effect on the sales of her mainstream books. She was one of the first authors to write stories that asked whydunnit rather than whodunnit--or even will they get caught. The Unfinished Crime (1935) is a prime example of a novel in which we know immediately who has done it.

Andrew Bascombe is a tiresome, priggish member of the country-club set. He is independently wealthy and has been left everything in his father's will with the understanding that he will provide for his sister. His understanding of taking care of her seems to mean that he will prevent her from having any social life because nobody out there is good enough to associate with her. He, of course, has no compunction about making friends of his own and falling in love with a woman who he believes to divorced--but discovers that she is merely separated from her absent husband. He feels uncomfortable this for about five minutes.

He's just trying to figure out how to encourage Hilda Patrell to file for divorce so they can marry when Charles Patrell shows up. In a fit of impulsive rage, Bascombe attacks Patrell beating and kicking him to death. He panics at first, but realizes that if he can just hide the body he may be able to get away with it. But then the complications start piling up faster and faster: there’s a witness who must be bought off (will he face blackmail for the rest of his life?); there’s the dead man’s daughter, who saw him and Branscombe together earlier that day; there’s the dead man’s mistress who suddenly appears. Andrew Branscombe just has one problem after another that must be dealt with--will he be able to keep it together and avoid detection?

Elisabeth Sanxay Holding's strong point, I think, are her characters. Very strong and finely drawn--but not always likeable. Andrew Bascombe is particularly tiresome and unlovable...which is okay because I believe that's what Holding intended. He's definitely not a protagonist with whom we're supposed to sympathize. The situation becomes a bit squalid and the reader hopes that Bascombe will get caught, almost more to put him (and us) out of his misery of lies and cover-up than to see justice done. The atmosphere is perfect and the tension well-done. It adds up to a  ★★★ and 3/4 performance (almost, but not quite ★★★★).

Anyone who enjoys Patricia Highsmith or Ruth Rendell's more suspense-driven work will certainly enjoy this early version of the suspense story. I find that while I enjoyed this sort of novel in my late-teens and early-twenties they're not quite my cup of tea any more. I much prefer the straight puzzler--less high tension suspense, a real hunt for the unknown killer, and definitely not following the perpetrator about. I actually read this one as the first novel in a newer 2-in-1 edition published by Stark House in 2013. But I'm afraid that I won't be reading The Girl Who Wouldn't Die and, since each was originally published as a novel in its own right, will be claiming only The Unfinished Crime for challenges.

This fulfills the "Read One That You Have to Borrow" square on the Golden Vintage Bingo card.

I Dare You To... Challenge

 

Image Credit

So...I really need to just stop looking at challenges sites on GoodReads and A Novel Challenge.  Really. 'Cause I'm kindof out of control here. But...the "I Dare You To" Challenge has no time limit, so I can do as much or as little as like in whatever time I like. Right? Yeah...like I'm not going to set a goal.  Here it is: My Goal will be to read at least 70 of these--with a sub-goal of at least 10 by the end of the year (so I can count it towards my 2014 challenges fulfilled). I went ahead and removed the dares that I know I will not take (not even if you double-dog-dare me :-) ) Why don't you join us (click the link--you know you want to)? I Dare You.


I DARE YOU TO 
(sponsored by Joanne♥~Bookworm Extraordinaire at All Challenges, All the Time)

Goal of Ten Dares for 2014 Completed: 9/28/14

1. Read a book in one day: Death on Allhallowe'en by Leo Bruce (started and finished on 10/11/14) 
2. Read a book over 450 pages: Two for Sorrow by Nicola Upson [482 pages] (9/27/14)
3. Read a book over 1000 pages
4. Read a novella (under 200 pgs): A Death for a Dancer by E. X. Giroux [180 pages] (9/28/14)
5. Read a book from a listopia list (link the list): The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham (1/22/15) [Best Dysopian & Post-Apocalyptic Fiction]
6. Read a book on one of your GR friend's shelf: Nor Live So Long by Sara Woods [on my friend Abbey's To-Read shelf] (10/26/14)
7. Read a book released this year (2014): Death by Hitchcock by Elissa D. Grodin [released March 2014] (10/6/14)
8. Read an ARC book: The Edison Effect by Bernadette Pajer (9/20/14)
9. Read a book with a one word title: Panic by Helen McCloy (2/22/15)
10. Read a book with at least 5 words in the title: The Curious Affair of the Third Dog by Patricia Moyes (11/24/14)
11. Read a book where the author's name is above the title on the cover: The Labors of Hercules by Agatha Christie (10/11/14)
12. Read a book where the author's name is below the title: Oxford Knot by Veronica Stallwood (11/20/14)
13. Read a book where the title and the author's name are two different colors: Only a Matter of Time by V. C. Clinton-Baddeley (10/13/14)
14. Read a book from your favorite genre: Sick to Death by Douglas Clark [mystery] (12/17/14)
15. Read a book from a genre that you dislike [hard-boiled]: Murder on Her Mind by Vechel Howard (6/27/15)
16. Read a book whose cover is your favorite color: Tzimmes by Arthur Marshall Fell [blue] (12/31/14)
17. Read a book whose cover is a color you don't like: Poison Jasmine by Clyde B. Clason [yellow & gree] (4/5/15)
18. Read a book in a male POV: Red Cent by Robert Campbell (9/10/14)
19. Read a book in a female POV: The White Dress by Mignon G. Eberhart (12/15/14)
20. Read a book with two or more POV's (multiple POVs): Past Encounters by Davina Blake [3 POV's, Rhoda, Peter, & Helen] (11/29/14)

25. Read a book set in your country/location/state: The Lack of the Irish by Ralph McInerny [Indiana] (7/11/15)
26. Read a book set in a country/location/state that is different from yours: Mayhem in B-Flat by Elliot Paul [set in France] (12/4/14)
27. Read a book that is set in the same hemisphere as where you live: Trick or Treat Murder by Leslie Meier [Northern Hemisphere] (11/12/14)
28. Read a book that is set in a different hemisphere than where you live: The Crime & the Crystal by Elizabeth Ferrars [Southern Hemisphere] (7/9/15)
29. Read a sequel: A Curtain Falls by Stefanie Pintoff [#2 in Simon Ziele series] (12/10/14)
30. Read a standalone: Guest in the House by Philip MacDonald (11/2/14)
31. Read a book with less than 1,000 reviews: Bleeding Maize & Blue by Susan Holtzer [91 ratings on Goodreads] (9/30/14)
32. Read a book with more than 10,000 reviews: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (9/19/15)
33. Read a book that starts a new series: A Dead Man in Trieste by Michael Pearce [1st in a new-to-me series] (1/27/15)
34. Read a book that ends a series
35. Read a book that was originally written in a language that is not your own: The Dark Ring of Murder by Misa Yamamura [Japanese] (11/19/14)
36. Read a book that was turned into a movie: The Great Dinosaur Robbery by David Forrest (5/15/15) [filmed as One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing by Disney)
37. Read a book that was turned into a tv series: The Ringmaster's Secret by Carolyn Keene [Nancy Drew was turned into a TV show in the 70s] (4/16/15)
38. Re-read a favorite book: Death of a Tall Man by Frances & Richard Lockridge (1/31/15)
39. Read a book that you have given up on (give it another try): The Poe Shadow by Matthe Pearl [3rd attempt to read & like] (9/25/15)
40. Read a book by your favorite author: The Underdog & Other Stories by Agatha Christie [one of my favorites--I cannot pick ONE favorite author] (3/17/15)
41. Read a book by a new to you author: The Mind-Murders by Janwillem van de Wetering (10/30/14)
42. Read a book by a new to you genre
43. Read a book on your TBR list: The Pavilion by Hilda Lawrence (11/17/14)
44. Read a book that you own: Lament for the Bride by Helen Reilly (11/24/14)
45. Read a book that you borrowed from a library: Wednesday the Rabbi Got Wet by Harry Kemelman (9/8/14)
46. Read an ebook: The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy [from Project Gutenberg] (9/21/14)
47. Read a classic novel: Paris in the Twentieth Century by Jules Verne [1863] (10/11/15)
48. Read a novel you read in high school: Briar Rose by Jane Yolen (9/14/15)

50. Read a banned book: The Giver by Lois Lowry (9/4/15)
51. Read a non-fiction book: American Eve by Paula Uruburu (11/11/14)
52. Read a book outside of your comfort zone: The Witch's Grave by Philip DePoy (10/5/14)
53. Read/Listen to an audio book: Ten Little Indians (aka And Then There Were None) by Agatha Christie [read by Norman Barrs] (9/11/14)
54. Read a (auto)biography: Glenn Ford: A Life by Peter Ford (3/9/15)
55. Read a hardcover book: Two Men in Twenty by Maurice Procter (11/14/14)
56. Read a paperback book: Death of a Dutchman by Magdalen Nabb (11/18/14)
57. Read a book on one of the groups you are in shelves (tell us what group its from): Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood [from Crazy Challenge Connection bookshelf] (8/16/15)
58. Read a book that will help you with a challenge: Death by Sheer Torture by Robert Barnard [final book needed for Vintage Mystery Bingo] (11/15/14)
59. Read a book recommended to you: The Poisoner's Handbook by Deborah Blum (3/22/15) [Recommended through Book Bloggers Recommend Challenge]

61. Read a book set somewhere you have gone on vacation to: The Final Deduction by Rex Stout [New York City] (11/10/14)
62. Read a book set in a place where you would like to go on vacation to: Death of a Dwarf by Harold Kemp [England] (1/25/15)
63. Read a book set in the country your ancestors are from (if your of a dual heritage you can pick whichever country yous like): Brighton Rock by Graham Greene [England] (3/2/15)
64. Read a book with a main character who has a silly/weird name: Black-Headed Pins by Constance & Gwenyth Little [character name = Berg Ballister] (12/7/14)
65. Read a book set in a school: The Summer School Mystery by Josephine Bell (6/29/15)
66. Read a book set in the past: The Lady in Black by Anna Clarke [written in 1977; set in 1882] (11/1/14)

70. Read a book on the Good Minds Suggest list: People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks {Ayelet Waldman's Favorite Books About Lost (and Found) Artifacts
71. Read a book with people on the cover: Words for Murder Perhaps by Edward Candy [5 people on cover] (12/16/14)
72. Read a book with an animal on the cover: The Footprints on the Ceiling by Clayton Rawson [Bunny on cover] (9/25/14)
73. Read a book with some kind of scene on the cover (beach scene, night scene, ect): The Haunted Lady by Mary Roberts Rinehart [Spooky scene] (10/19/14)
74. Read a book with an inanimate object on the cover: Roast Eggs by Douglas Clark (10/25/14)
75. Read a book with only one person on the cover: Madman's Bend by Arthur W. Upfield (10/24/14)
76. Read a book with a person from the waist down ONLY on the cover: Lament for a Maker by Michael Innes (10/8/14)
77. Read a book where the title's font is bigger than the author's name font: Alone Against Tomorrow by Harlan Ellison (11/30/14)
78. Read a book where the author's name font is bigger than title's name font: Head of a Traveller by Nicholas Blake (10/29/14)
79. Read a book (novel) by two authors: A Crossworder's Holiday by Nero Blanc [pseud. for co-authors Cordelia Frances Biddle & Steve Zettler] (12/21/14)

81. Read a book by an author who uses at least one initial in their name: Murder on Mike by H. Paul Jeffers (10/15/14)
82. Read a book by an author who doesn't use any initials in their name: Star Wreck III: Time Warped by Leah Rewolinski (12/26/14)
83. Read a book by an author who has at least 3 names (first, middle, last; middle name must be spelled out): The Unfinished Crime by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding (9/8/14)
84. Read a book by an author who uses at least 3 names where the middle name is an initial only: Murder in the Wind by John D. MacDonald (4/13/15)
85. Read a book by a male author: The D. A. Breaks a Seal by Erle Stanley Gardner (11/16/14)
86. Read a book by female author: The Circular Staircase by Mary Roberts Rinehart (11/4/14)
87. Read a book by a debut author: The Ghost Writer by John Harwood (10/16/15)
88. Read a book by an author who has at least 10 books published: Appleby's Answer by Michael Innes [81 books] (10/17/14)
89. Read a book of short stories: Ten Thousand Light-Years from Home by James Tiptree, Jr. (1/2/15)
90. Read a book by an author who is from the same country/state/location as you: The Secret of Magnolia Manor by Helen Wells [U.S. author] (2/24/15)
91. Read a book by an author who is from a different country/state/location than you: Death & Mr. Prettyman by Kenneth Giles [British author] (3/6/15)
92. Read a book by an author who shares your birthday month (if you really want a challenge try to find an author who is born on your birth date, excluding the year: The Witch & the Hysteric by Alexander Doty & Patricia Clare Ingham [P. Ingham shares my birthdate: July 1] (7/14/15)
93. Read a book that you've been avoiding
94. Read a book in a trilogy: The Cavalier in White by Marcia Muller (4/18/15)
95. Read a book in a series that has at least 10 books in it: The Finishing Stroke by Ellery Queen [26th in the series] (12/13/14)
96. Read a book in a series that will bring you up to date on the series (No books that end the series are allowed for this one): Murder with a Twist by Tracy Kiely [next one due out in 2016] (11/8/15)
97. Read a book from a series that you have been meaning to get back into or that you forgot about: Malice Domestic by Sara Woods [Antony Maitland series] (3/26/15)
98. Read a book that you just found out about and want to read: The Secret of the Gondola by David Alan Brown (12/7/14)
99. Read a book with an author whose first name starts with the same letter as your first name: Call for Michael Shayne by Brett Halliday (4/22/15) "B" for Bev
100. Read a book with an author whose last name starts with the same letter as your last name: Into the Valley by John Hersey (2/28/15) "H" for Hankins
101. Read a book with an author whose first name starts with the same letter as your last name: Too Many Doctors by Holly Roth (10/22/14) "H" for Hankins
102. Read a book with an author whose last name starts with the same letter as your first name: Death Takes a Sabbatical by Robert Bernard (9/16/14) "B" for Bev
103. Read a book whose title starts with the same letter as your first name (exclude A, An and The): Blood on the Stars by Brett Halliday (10/4/14)
104. Read a book whose title starts with the same letter as your last name (exclude A, An and The): Harlan Ellison's City on the Edge of Forever by Ellison; Adapted by David & Scott Tipton (6/5/15)
105. Read a book of your choice: Top of the Heap by A. A. Fair (3/11/15)

Death in a White Tie: Review

Death in a White Tie is a reread for me. I discovered Ngaio Marsh back at my hometown Carnegie Library (more moons ago than we need to count) and I promptly read through all the Marsh books they had. Later, about twenty years ago, I read some of them again and Death in a White Tie was one simply because it's one of my favorites. There are so many things I enjoy about this tale of murder and blackmail amongst the London Society at the height of the Season--from the witty dialogue, to the scenes at the various society dos (debutante balls and teas and Agatha Troy's one-man art show), to the understated romance between Alleyn and Troy, to his affection for his mother, to the undercurrents of gossip in the chaperone circle at the dance. It's all so veddy, veddy British and elegant and well-done. And Marsh presents us with one of the most sympathetic victims--who doesn't want Bunchy's killer found and punished to the full extent of the law?

The story begins with Inspector Roderick Alleyn asking Lord Robert "Bunchy" Gospell to assist him in tracking down a despicable blackmailer who is at work among the cream of London society. Bunchy moves through society like everyone's favorite uncle. He can talk to anyone and go anywhere and no one would suspect that behind his twinkle and rather high, almost silly voice lies a very sharp brain that has helped the officials with other difficult problems in the past. His first assignment--to attend a performance of Bach at one of the new concert-rooms and attempt to find out who collects the blackmail money which the latest victim has been instructed to leave in her purse stuffed into a blue sofa.  As Alleyn tells him:

Bunchy, let nothing wean you from the blue sofa. Talk to Mrs. Halcut-Hackett. Share the blue sofa with her and when the austere delights of Bach knock at your heart pay no attention...

Lord Robert does his job well and becomes convinced he knows the blackmailer's identity even though the lights were dimmed when the bag was collected. But he wants to be sure of his facts and confirmation comes at the next society function, a ball held by Lady Carrados for her daughter's coming-out. He calls up Alleyn before he leaves (to be sure the Inspector will still be at the Yard) and, unfortunately, someone walks in on his conversation. Two hours later, a taxi rushes up to the Yard with the driver announcing that his fare's been murdered. He's right...and the murdered man is Lord Robert Gospell.

Alleyn is dismayed and clearly shaken, not because he's lost a vital witness but because he's lost a very dear friend. He also feels directly responsible since Lord Robert was involved purely at his behest and he gives us a bit of the avenging hero speech when he speaks to Bunchy's sister.

I tell you this, Mildred, if it takes me the rest of my life, and if it costs me my job, by God! if I have to do the killing myself, I'll get the murderer and see him suffer for it.

He quickly realizes the melodrama of his words and says, "Good Lord, what a speech! Bunchy would have laughed at it." But, with the aid of  Detective-Inspector Fox, he sifts through the movements of each suspect and makes good on his vow--bringing the crime home to murderer in less than two days.

This is, I believe, one of Marsh's best novels. It doesn't matter that I've read it before and know who the culprit is. I enjoy every minute that I spend in the company of the dashing gentleman policeman, Roderick Alleyn. ★★★★  and 1/2 for a lovely vintage read.  

The story was adapted for television as part of a BBC mystery series and I've also viewed the episode starring Patrick Malahide as Alleyn in honor of the book's entry in the book to movie portion of one of my challenges. While the series is very good and engaging, I do take exception to a few changes made to the story--particularly one character's response to his wife's experience of being blackmailed and the loss of Alleyn's poetic way of declaring his love [quotes below]. Malahide, although not quite the handsome detective I pictured, absolutely owns the character of Alleyn. An excellent performance following the most excellent read. As an added bonus, I also listened to Benedict Cumberbatch read a slightly abridged version of the novel through Youtube.  You could say that I've had quite the White Tie orgy.

Quotes:
It is a curious thing that when one speaks from the heart it is invariably in the worst of taste. (Roderick Alleyn; p. 61)

She's extremely common, but that doesn't matter. Lots of common people are charming. Like bounders. I believe no woman ever falls passionately in love with a man unless he has just the least touch of the bounder somewhere in his composition. (Lady Alleyn; p. 196)

Vassily broke into a loud laugh, excused and bowed himself out, and shut the door behind him with the stealth of a soubrette in a French comedy. (p. 246)

He stooped, took her face between his hands, and kissed her hard on the mouth. He felt her come to life beneath his lips. Then he let her go.
"And don’t think I shall ask you to forgive me," he said. "…I’m your man and you know it….When I kissed you just then you seemed to meet me like a flame. Could I have imagined it?"
"No." 
"It was as if you shouted with your whole body that you loved me. How can I not be arrogant?" 
"How can I not be shaken?”   (Roderick Alleyn, Agatha Troy; p. 248)

AT: I’ve been very weak. When I said I’d come I thought I would keep it all very peaceful and impersonal. You looked so worn and troubled and it was so easy just to do this. And now see what’s happened.
RA: The skies have opened and the stars have fallen. I feel as if I’d run round the world in the last hour. And now you must leave me. (Roderick Alleyn, Agatha Troy; p. 249)

AT: How extraordinarily well-trained your eye must be! To notice the grains of plate-powder in the tooling of a cigarette case; could anything be more admirable? What else did you notice?
RA: I notice that although your eyes are grey there are little flecks of green in them and that the iris is ringed with black. I notice that when you smile your face goes crooked....
AT: Please tell me the end of the case.
RA: I would rather tell you that since this afternoon in the few spare moments I have had to spend upon it I have considered your case and that I have decided to take out a warrant for your arrest. The charge is impeding an officer of the law in the execution of his duty." (Alleyn, Troy; p. 271)

Troy, I love you more than anything in life. I've tried humility: God knows, I am humble. And I've tried effrontery. If you can't love me, tell me so, and please let us not meet again because I can't manage meeting you unless it is to love you. (Alleyn; p. 273)

Friday Memes

I've been very delinquent in my meme participation, but here I am trying to get back in the swing of things.

Book Beginnings on Friday is a bookish meme now sponsored by Rose City Reader (who originally inspired the meme). Here's what you do: Share the first line (or two) of the book you are currently reading on your blog or in the comments section. Include the title and author so we know what you're reading. Then, if you are so moved, let us know what your first impressions were based on that first line and if you did or did not like that sentence. Link up each week at Gilion's place.

Here are the first few lines from Death in a White Tie by Ngaio Marsh:

 

"Roderick," said Lady Alleyn, looking at her son over the top of her spectacles, "I am coming out."

"Out?" repeated Chief Detective-Inspector Alleyn vaguely. "Out where, mama? Out of what?"

 

The Friday 56 is a bookish meme sponsored by Freda's Voice. It is really easy to participate. Just grab a book, any book, and turn to page 56. Find a sentence that grabs you and post it.

 

Here is the mine from Death in a White Tie by Ngaio Marsh:

"This bloody murder, this is, and I want to see this Mr. Clever, what's diddled me and done in as nice a little gent as ever I see, swing for it."

Vertigo 42: Review

Superintendent Richard Jury meets Tom Williamson, a friend of a friend, at the Vertigo 42--a swanky bar on the 42nd floor of a building in London's business district. Williamson has never accepted the general belief that his wife's death seventeen years ago was an accident resulting from her vertigo. He firmly believes she was murdered and wants Jury to take a look at the case, which was brought in as an open verdict. Jury's colleague Brian Macalvie was the officer in charge of the case and he never believed in accident or suicide either, but he was also unable to find firm evidence otherwise. He turns copies of the case files over to Jury and the Superintendent and Sergeant Wiggins begin sifting through the details. The further they dig the more convinced Jury becomes that Tom's wifes death is connected to a previous death at the Williamson house. Five years prior to Tess's plunge down the garden stairs a nine-year old girl died in an apparent accident while at the Williamson's place for a children's party--she was found dead at the bottom of an unused pool. Tess was first on the scene and she never escaped the stigma of blame--either direct blame for the child's death or a charge of simple neglect for not ensuring the safety of those under her care.

Meanwhile, Melrose Plant and his happy band of friends are interested in a local death of their own. A young woman has fallen from a tower--dressed to the nines in a designer dress and four-inch heels. Again, the probability of accident or suicide is slim and the question was she pushed lingers. There's also a little matter of a stray dog named Stanley to sort out. When the identity of the woman reveals a connection to the Williamson case, Jury and Wiggins find themselves following up clues in London and in Devon and in the British countryside and they will have to get to the bottom of three other deaths in order to make sense of Tess Williamson's.

To read a Martha Grimes mystery is to step into a world filled with quirky characters and twisty plots. And a thoroughly enjoyable world it is too. It's been quite some time since I visited with Richard Jury, Melrose Plant, Carol-Anne, Aunt Agatha, Ruthven, Marshall Trueblood and all the rest of Jury & Plant's entourage. I had a good time settling in with them again and sorting through all the clues and references to the Hitchcock movie and trying to decide which ones were really pointing to the killer. It produces an interesting motive for murder that I'm not sure I'm sold on--but Jury and company provide good solid entertainment and make things interesting enough that I'm willing to accept it. ★★★★

Quote

Melrose was so concerned that the [book]shop might close for lack of business, that he had suggested he would like to invest in it or even become a silent partner. "You see, books have always been a hobby of mine." Books had never been a hobby; they were a necessity. (p. 153)

R.I.P. Film Review: The Thirteenth Guest

Peril on the Screen:

And just like that....One film screening down. I love the people on Youtube who spend time posting those old black and white movies like the ones I used to see on Saturday/Sunday afternoons--back before DVDs or even the AMC channel were thought of. The first entry for Carl's R.I.P. Reading Event is The Thirteenth Guest (1932) featuring Ginger Rogers and Lyle Talbot, among others.

The story opens with Marie Morgan (Rogers) returning to the family home on the event of her 21st birthday. The house has been abandoned since a dinner party hosted by her father on the occasion of reading his will--a party that ended with his death. She has been advised by Mr. Barksdale, the family lawyer, to visit the house and follow instructions left by her father. As she sits at the dining table remembering that dinner thirteen years ago, she hears a noise and goes into the hallway to investigate. A shot is heard, corpse is found--but electrocuted, not shot--and the mystery is off and running.

Image Credit

Captain Ryan of the local police investigates with the aid of a rather dim-witted plainclothes detective, but winds up calling on wise-cracking private detective Phil Winston (Talbot) to get to the bottom of things. It appears that someone, perhaps the mysterious "13th guest" from that original dinner party, is killing off the family one by one--and seating the corpses round the dinner table just as they were seated thirteen years ago. Will Winston and Ryan be able to catch the killer and discover how s/he did it before the macabre guest list is complete?

This is a fun little B movie. Lots of spooky old house atmosphere, especially at the beginning, and there's the creepy killer scuttling through the shadows and in secret passages (albeit wearing the utterly ridiculous hooded outfit--one movie poster makes it look like Batman--without the bat "ears"--is abducting Ginger Rogers). There's a fair try at plot twists...that don't quite work. I still spotted the culprit. And the comic relief provided by the dim-witted detective is a bit heavy-handed. But the story is fast-paced, fun, and a good way to kick off the R.I.P. Event.

R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril IX

(Art used for banners is the property of the wonderful Abigail Larson)

Wow...September just crept right up on me. Creeping is pretty appropriate...considering September begins Carl's ninth annual R.I.P. (Readers Imbibing Peril) reading event (he doesn't like to call it a challenge) over at Stainless Steel Droppings. It's the time of year to pull out those creepy, mysterious, suspenseful books and movies and enjoy giving ourselves a scare on our way to Halloween. 

As Carl says: 

Nine years ago [NINE?!?! Inconceivable!!!] I became aware of reading challenges and wanted to start one of my own, hoping to find others who shared my Autumnal predilection for the works of Edgar Allen Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, Bram Stoker and other authors contemporary and classic who captured the spirit of gothic literature. All these years later we are still going strong, welcoming September with a time of coming together to share our favorite mysteries, detective stories, horror stories, dark fantasies, and everything in between.

I welcome you to join us.

September 1st is right around the corner. [It's here! It's here!] It is time to begin.

Mystery.
Suspense.
Thriller.
Dark Fantasy.
Gothic.
Horror.
Supernatural.

Or anything sufficiently moody that shares a kinship with the above.
That is what embodies the stories, written and visual, that we celebrate with the R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril event.

As time has wound on I’ve honed this event down to two simple rules:
1. Have fun reading (and watching).
2. Share that fun with others.

As I do each and every year, there are multiple levels of participation (Perils) that allow you to be a part of R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril without adding the burden of another commitment to your already busy lives. There is even a one book only option for those who feel that this sort of reading is not their cup of tea (or who have too many other commitments) but want to participate all the same.
R.I.P. IX officially runs from September 1st through October 31st. 


Multiple perils await you. You can participate in just one, or participate in them all.

Visit the R.I.P. Sign Up site and check out all the options.

Review Site for books read and films watched.



I plan to participate at two levels.


Peril the First:
Read four books, any length, that you feel fit (the very broad definitions) of R.I.P. literature. It could be King or Conan Doyle, Penny or Poe, Chandler or Collins, Lovecraft or Leroux…or anyone in between.

1. Vertigo 42 by Martha Grimes (9/5/14)
2. Death in a White Tie by Ngaio Marsh (9/6/14)
3. The Unfinished Crime by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding (9/8/14)
4. Wednesday the Rabbi Got Wet by Harry Kemmelman (9/8/14)
5. Red Cent by Robert Campbell (9/10/14)
6. Ten Little Indians by Agatha Christie (9/11/14)
7. The Sittaford Mystery by Agatha Christie (9/12/14)
8. The Herb of Death & Other Stories by Agatha Christe (9/14/14)
9. Death Takes a Sabbatical by Robert Bernard (9/16/14)
10. The Edison Effect by Bernadette Pajer (9/20/14) 
11. The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy [the threat of the guillotine is enough to scare anyone...] (9/21/14)
12. The Footprints on the Ceiling by Clayton Rawson (9/25/14)
13. Two for Sorrow by Nicola Upson (9/27/14)
14. A Death for a Dancer by E. X. Giroux (9/28/14)
15. Bleeding Maize & Blue by Susan Holtzer (9/30/14)
16. Blood on the Stars by Brett Halliday (10/4/14)
17. The Witch's Grave by Philip DePoy (10/5/14)
18. Death by Hitchcock by Elissa D. Grodin (10/6/14)
19. Lament for a Maker by Michael Innes (10/8/14)
20. The Labors of Hercules by Agatha Christie (10/11/14)
21. Death on Allhallowe'en by Leo Bruce (10/11/14)
22. Only a Matter of Time by V. C. Clinton-Baddeley (10/13/14)
23. Murder on Mike by H. Paul Jeffers (10/15/14)
24. Appleby's Answer by Michael Innes (10/17/14)
25. The Haunted Lady by Mary Roberts Rinehart (10/18/14)
26. Too Many Doctors by Holly Roth (10/22/14)
27. Madman's Bend by Arthur W. Upfield (10/24/14)
28. Roast Eggs by Douglas Clark (10/25/14)
29. Nor Live So Long by Sara Woods (10/26/14)
30. Head of a Traveller by Nicholas Blake (10/29/14)
31. The Mind-Murders by Janwillem van de Wetering (10/30/14)
32.



Peril on the Screen:
This is for those of us that like to watch suitably scary, eerie, mysterious Gothic fare during this time of year. It may be something on the small screen or large. It might be a television show, like Dark Shadows or Midsomer Murders, or your favorite film.

I recently got hooked on the full-length youtube versions of some of those delightful murderous movies from the 30s and 40s. I'll post reviews of a marathon of such treats.

1. The Thirteenth Guest (1932) [9/3/14]
2. Death in a White Tie (BBC TV episode, 1993) [9/6/14]
3. Hardy Boys Mysteries "The Mystery of the Haunted House" (1977) [9/22/14]
4.