The Man Who Didn't Fly

 The Man Who Didn't Fly (1955) by Margot Bennett

Four men--Joseph Ferguson, Maurice Reid, Harry Walters, and Morgan Price--decide to book a private plane for Dublin. They all claim to have business in Ireland and plan to come back to their family and friends at home. But those who saw the plane start its westward journey across England tell of a fireball that plunged into the Irish Sea. But when an investigation is mounted, the police find that only three of the men joined the pilot in that disastrous journey. The difficulty is finding out which man didn't fly. No one who saw the men--from the bus driver who took passengers to the airport to the barman at the small airport to the men who helped get the plane ready can swear to which men were actually there. There were too many other people milling about and there was no reason to take special notice of any of them. The only things the detectives assigned to the case have to go on is a half-heard conversation that mentions Australia...or maybe South Africa and the fact that at least one of the men might have smoked and might have had a silver cigarette case.

It is odd that the man who didn't fly doesn't come forward. Did he somehow arrange for the plane to go down? If so, how? And why? The investigation comes to center on the family left behind--listening to their version of what happened in the days leading up to the plane's take-off. Other clues crop up in the conversations and eventually the police are able to fit all the pieces of the jigsaw together.

I have to say that I'm not finding the revival of Margot Bennett stories to be very satisfying. I wasn't nearly as impressed with her The Widow of Bath as some of my Golden Age Mystery friends (see linked review) and The Man Who Didn't Fly was just as disappointing. This time around the characters are not nearly as well-drawn (though they are just as un-engaging). I had a hard time keeping all the men straight (Was "Uncle Joe" the one who might have been in the plane or was it Hester's father?). And, speaking of Hester--she may not be "bitter, dreary, and cruel" as I have described the heroine of Bath, but she's definitely not one of the shining lights of GAD leading ladies. Her relationship, such as it is, with Harry is not at all believable. Why on earth both she and her step-mother (?--I'm not really sure about the relationships of all the women in the case either) are both attracted to him is a mystery to me. And the rest of the women are just as unimpressive. Added to the lack of interesting characters is a lack of interesting detection. We've taken what could have been a very engaging mystery (the premise really hooked me when I purchased this copy) and dragged it out through an endless parade of "here's what happened--in excrutiating detail--on the Monday before they all left" and "here's what happened on Tuesday"...rinse and repeat for each day leading up to the plane crash. Even breaking up the recollections with other bits of investigation didn't help me. By time things picked up and we were finally getting some action and interesting discoveries I was too numb to even care. ★★

But--my friend Kate over at Cross Examining Crime gave this a glowing review--so your mileage may vary.

First line: At eleven in the morning the aeroplane began its westward flight across England; shining like snow under is blue sky; losing its glitter in the thick white clouds; passing, heard but unseen, over the Welsh hills.

"Would you be willing to say that one of them wore a hat?"
"No. and I'll tell you why. Because I didn't see. and, if I did see, I didn't remember. And if I didn't remember, it was because I was thinking of something else. And, if I was thinking of something else, it was the three thirty at Lingfield. And if I was thinking of the three thirty at Lingfield, there's no law against it." (Police detective, Mr. Crewe; p.4)

He is a poet in words. That is now of no importance. I am a poet of money. Words! We have too many words. Word poets talk all the time of love and death. People fall in love and they die and no amount of poetic advice has ever helped them to do either of those things more successfully." (Joe Ferguson; p. 55)

"Let me try curling my lip. Do you suppose when people curl their lips it's convex or concave?" She went to the glass over the mantlepiece. "It looks queer both ways. If I curl it up towards my nose it is worse, don't you think? People in those books must look odd most of the time." (Prudence Wade; p. 116)

Last line: She kissed him and there was nothing left of Harry, except a small handful of poems for the anthologies.
*****************

Deaths = 5 (four airplane crash; one shot)

The Widow of Bath (spoilerish)

 The Widow of Bath (1952) by Margot Bennett

Hugh Everton, who has served a short prison sentence for a dud check he never should have written, is adjusting to life after prison by working as a dreary food/hotel critic making his way along the coast. He's made his way to a particularly dreary little hotel with really bad food and extraordinarily bad waiters. But Everton's life is about to get more exciting. In the hotel bar, he meets Jan who he once thought he was in love with. Then his old flame Lucy comes in with her husband, the ex-Judge Gregory Bath. Bath is Jan's uncle. In their entourage is a man named Gerald Cady and another man named Atkinson, who Everton is sure he knows by an entirely different name. It's such a cozy little get-together. Lucy turns on the charm and invites Hugh back to the house for some drinks. As soon as he gets in the house, Hugh realizes there is an air of tension and everyone seems to be waiting for something to happen. 

They sit down for a nice little round of bridge, the judge invites him to the balcony to look at the sea--and to have an uncomfortable little chat. The judge heads to bed and Hugh returns to the bridge game where everyone keeps glancing at their watches. And then something does happen. They all hear a shot and Lucy decides she ought to go see what it's about. The judge's room is a mess and Bath lies shot in the middle of the room. Hugh gets curious about what happened, why Lucy insisted he be there, and what all those poor waiters at his hotel have to do with everything. He'll get knocked out a couple of times, someone else will die, and the police will be pretty exasperated by his meddling--but in the end, he'll figure out whodunnit. 

*******Spoilers abound ahead--though nothing explicit about who did it. Read at your own risk******

I seem to be an outlier amongst my Golden Age mystery friends here in the blogging world. Both Kate at Cross Examining Crime and Sergio at Tipping My Fedora have given this very positive reviews. Martin Edwards (of Do You Write Under Your Own Name) sings her and its praises in his introduction to the British Library Crime Classics edition which I read.

Margo Bennett was one of the finest British crime writers of the 1950s, and The Widow of Bath, first published in 1952 is one of her most impressive books. The mystery puzzle is intricate, the characterization strong, the setting evocative, and the prose elegant and witty.

I hate to disagree with such eminent reviewers and writers, but Bennett's book doesn't do a whole lot for me. I may agree that most of the characters are well-drawn--but none of them are engagingly well-drawn. The judge, though his time on stage is brief, is possibly the strongest character. We get a solid sense of his commitment to law and order...the foundation of why he had to die. Our "hero" (I use the term loosely) Hugh is well-drawn as a conflicted, bitter, goop. He just oozes along getting himself into all kinds of trouble--mostly because he has some sort of fatal attraction Lucy, but also because he just can't seem to stop meddling in police business. [You'd think with his background, he'd want to fly under the police radar--but, no.] Lucy is supposed to be some sort of femme fatale luring Hugh to his doom. She's definitely not a nice woman to know and Bennett makes that plain enough through her descriptions. What one wonders is with all the pointers about what a bad girl she is why on earth does it take Hugh so long to catch on? Hugh and Jan seem to go out of their way to be as unpleasant as possible to each other. Even after Hugh "sees the light" about Lucy and seems to think he's really in love with Jan. Then, at the end, the two kiss and suddenly declare themselves engaged. But there's  no sense at all that these two people are really getting along and will ride off into the romantic sunset together. In fact, as the book ends, the two aren't even in the scene together. The other guests on the night of Judge Bath's death are less distinct. Other than descriptions of what they look like, I have no real sense of Atkinson and Cady at all. I know that Cady is an unpleasant fellow, but if you asked me to describe him right now without referring to the book at all, I couldn't tell you a thing about him as a person. [And I just finished the book.] And don't get me started on Inspector Leigh. Yes, he's described perfectly for the type of policeman he is: "Inspector Leigh was a shadowy, yawning figure....a flabby, loose man, with a truculence that suggested he was not the perfect bureaucrat." And not the perfect detective either. He's hardly seen and when he is we don't see him doing a whole lot of detecting. He has two moments--in the beach dressing shed and in regards to the balcony--but that's it.

And elegant and witty prose? Um, no. Unless I'm totally missing something. Dorothy L. Sayers managed to be both elegant and witty when she had Lord Peter and Harriet interact during Have His Carcase. Harriet is still bruised and struggling with her feelings of debt and gratitude (and attraction to Peter, though she doesn't want to admit it). She lashes out at him--much as Hugh and Jan lash one another--but Sayers' prose is everything Bennett is reported as being, but isn't. Even at her most bitter, Harriet is far more elegant and witty than Hugh or Jan will ever be. They are dreary, bitter, and cruel. Beyond the interactions between the two, the prose style is just, quite honestly, confusing to me. For example, when Hugh isn't being outright unpleasant to Jan, he speaks in this supposedly lyrical, literary style--throwing in quotes here and there like a chef who has no clue how to cook, but knows one should toss in some herbs and spices (what kind doesn't really matter) to make things flavorful. There is no flow and the quotations and allusions a) make no sense to this reader and b) don't seem to have much to do with what he and Jan are talking about. The same thing happens when he speaks with Mrs. Leonard--except they both do it.

The plot is fine--nothing spectacular--and the motive makes perfect sense, given the character of the judge. Though how we were supposed to know that particular person would have that kind of motive before we're told at the end, I don't know (or I missed it as I worked my way through the supposedly elegant prose). I'm hoping that The Man Who Didn't Fly (which is waiting on the TBR pile) provides a more entertaining mystery. ★★ Though, as noted above, others have liked The Widow of Bath much more than me, so your mileage may vary.

First lines: "I've eaten this meal so often," the young man said to the waiter. "I know it's face, but I forget its name."

Last line: When he came to the road he turned inland, leaving Mrs. Leonard alone forever with the birds and the sea. 
*******************

Deaths = 2 (one shot; one drowned)

Buzzword Challenge 2026

For a while now Books and Lala has sponsored the Buzzword Reading Challenge on the blog and on Storygraph (see links on blog). The goal is pretty simple--just read one book per month which has the following prompt words in the title. Last year she added a second challenge to the mix--the Buzzword Cover Reading Challenge where you read books that have the prompts somewhere on the cover. So, of course, I'm going to do both and record them both here. Titles listed below are tentative possibilities--will update with final choice once read.

Buzzword Reading Challenge Prompts

Buzzword Title Challenge

January "Before" or "After": Shadows Before by Dorothy Bowers (1/18/26)

February Keyboard Key: Escape While I Can by Melba Marlett (2/19/26)

March "This" or "That": That Affair Next Door by Anna Katharine Green (3/11/26)

April Ordinal Numbers: Murder on the Thirty-First Floor by Per Wahlöö (4/6/26)

May "Make": These Names Make Clues by E. C. R. Lorac (5/12/26)

June One-Word Title: Spellbound by Francis Beeding (6/13/26)

July Occupations: Titanic Captain by G. J. Cooper (7/4/26)

August Groups/Clubs: A Catered Book Club Murder by Isis Crawford (8/3/26)

September "My" or "Me": Who Killed Me? by Joan Allan (9/9/26)

October Parts of a House: The Opening Door by Helen Reilly (10/18/26)

November Instructional Title: HIllary Waugh's Guide to Mysteries & Mystery Writing by Hillary Waugh

December Superlatives: Best Dr. Poggioli Detective Stories by T. S. Stribling

Buzzword Cover Challenge

January An Internal Body Part: Old Bones by Herman Peterson (1/20/26)

February Silhouette: The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Great War by Simon Guerrier (2/7/26)

March Implies Action: The Gaunt Stranger by Edgar Wallace (3/16/26)

April Wearable Accessories: Harriet Farewell by Margaret Erskine [scarf] (4/8/26)

May Border/Frame: Murder Mayhem Short Stories by Christopher Semtner (5/2/26)

June Wings: The Man Who Didn't Fly by Margot Bennett (6/8/26)

July Metallic Element: The Benson Murder Case by S. S. Van Dine [gold on cover] (8/1/26)

August Damage: Murder & Sullivan by Sara Hoskinson Frommer [bloodstains] (8/22/26)

September Fire/Smoke: The Man Who Killed Fortescue by Dorothy Stockbridge Tillett (9/19/26)

October Doors/Keys/Locks: The Opening Door by Helen Reilly (10/18/26)

November Reflection: Death on a May Morning by Max Dalman

December Musical Item: The Hymn Tune Mystery by George Birmingham [pipe organ]

The 1952 Club

 

Twice a year Stuck in a Book and Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings sponsor a group book club where those who would like to read books from the declared year. This October, the chosen year is 1952-which will take me into Golden Age mystery territory (Pre-1960). As I prepare for next week's reading, I thought I'd take a look at what 1952 books I've already read and list those that are on the TBR mountain range and could be used for the event.

Here are the books from 1952 that I've read and reviewed previously on the Block:
 The Widow of Bath by Margot Bennett
Beverly Gray's Island Mystery by Clair Blank
Imagination Unlimited by E. F. Bleiler & T. E. Dikty
London Particular (Fog of Doubt) by Christianna Brand
Crossed Skis by Carol Carnac
The Youth Hostel Murders by Glyn Carr
The Nine Wrong Answers by John Dickson Carr
The Underdog & Other Stories by Agatha Christie
Night Train to Paris by Manning Coles
The Crimson Clue by George Harmon Coxe
The Blind Spot by John Creasey
Bartholomew the Beaver by Ruth Dixon
Top of the Heap by A. A. Fair
The Case of the Grinning Gorilla by Erle Stanley Gardner
Murder Rides the Campaign Train by The Gordons (Mildred & Gordon Gordon)
The Sunburned Corpse by Adam Knight
Dead as a Dinosaur by Frances & Richard Lockridge
Trial by Terror (Death by Association) Lockridge
The Sleep Is Deep by Hugh Lawrence Nelson
The King Is Dead by Ellery Queen
Black Widow by Patrick Quentin
The Swimming Pool by Mary Roberts Rinehart
Ambush for Anatol by John Sherwood

And once again, most of my reading is in mysteries. There are a few more mysteries and non-mysteries among the books I read pre-blogging (so no reviews). I may choose to revisit some of these:

The Tiger in the Smoke by Margery Allingham
The Clock Strikes 13 by Herbert Brean
Mrs. McGinty's Dead by Agatha Christie
Murder with Mirrors (They Do It With Mirrors) by Agatha Christie
A Case for Mr. Crook by Anthony Gilbert
The Old Man & the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
Mystery at the Ski Jump by Carolyn Keene
Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis
The Borrowers by Mary Norton
Excellent Women by Barbara Pym
Curious George Rides a Bike by H. A. & Margaret Rey
The Singing Sands by Josephine Tey
Last Seen Wearing by Hillary Waugh
Ladies Bane by Patricia Wentworth
Charlotte's Webb by E. B. White

Below are the books on the TBR pile that may be up for inspection: 
Murder, Maestro, Please by Delano Ames
The Corpse with Sticky Fingers by George Bagby
Stranger on a Cliff by Josephine Bell
Downbeat for a Dirge by Brandon Bird
Death in the Fifth Position by Edgar Box
Timeless Stories for Today & Tomorrow by Ray Bradbury
We All Killed Grandma by Fredric Brown
The Scarlet Slippers by James M. Brown
Cold Blood by Leo Bruce
Alias Uncle Hugo by Manning Coles
A Town of Masks by Dorothy Salisbury Davis
The Gallows in My Garden by Richard Deming
Behind the Crimson Blind by Carter Dickson
Dead Men's Plans by Mignon G. Eberhart
Death Begs the Question by Lois Eby & John C. Fleming
Look Behind You, Lady! by Margaret Erskine
The Missing Link by Katharine Farrer
Wake the Sleeping Wolf by Rae Foley
The Bahamas Murder Case by Leslie Ford
The Case of the Moth-Eaten Mink by Erle Stanley Gardner
The Court of Last Resort by Erle Stanley Gardner
A Hole in the Ground by Andrew Garve
The Danger Within by Michael Gilbert
The Body on the Bench by Dorothy B. Hughes
One Man Show (Murder Is an Art) by Michael Innes
Eyes That Watch You by William Irish
Death & Little Brother by Clifford Knight
The Dog It Was That Died by E. C. R. Lorac
Himalayan Assignment by F. Van Wyck Mason
Grow Young & Die by William O'Farrell
Dead Babes in the Wood by D. B. Olsen
Murder Doll by Milton K. Ozaki
A Shot in the Dark by Richard Powell
Double Jeopardy by Fletcher Pratt
Calendar of Crime by Ellery Queen
The Double Man by Helen Reilly
The Mamo Murders by Juanita Sheridan
The Haploids by Jerry Sohl
The Long Green by Bart Spicer
They Had a Glory by Davenport Steward
The Corpse That Refused to Stay Dead by Hampton Stone
Don Among the Dead Men by C. E. Vuilliamy
Pigs Have Wings by P. G. Wodehouse

Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks

 

Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks

hosted by Robyn

I'm ready for year nine! The rules are simple. Just read one book per week for a total 52 books in the year. I generally have no problem reading at least one book per week...so this is one of my slam dunk challenges. I will list my books below as I read them. If you'd like to join in, just click the link above. Robyn offers other challenges as well--including a perpetual Agatha Christie challenge and a book bingo among others.

 

1. Death, My Darling Daughters by Jonathan Stagge (1/1/24)

2. The Passenger from Scotland Yard by H. F. Heard (1/11/24)

3. There Is a Tide by Agatha Christie (1/14/24)

4. Bimbos of the Death Sun by Sharyn McCrumb (1/21/24)

5. Murder & Mendelssohn by Kerry Greenwood (1/27/24)

6. Death Has a Small Voice by Frances & Richard Lockridge (1/31/24)

7. Inspector of the Dead by David Morrell (2/7/24)

8. Gently Down the Stream by Alan Hunter (2/13/24)

9. A Fete Worse Than Death by Dolores Gordon-Smith (2/20/24)

10. The Hollow (aka Murder After Hours) by Agatha Christie (2/26/24)

11. One by One They Disappeared by Moray Dalton (3/2/24)

12. Dorothy & Jack: The Transforming Friendship of Dorothy L. Sayers & C. S. Lewis by Gina Dalfonzo (3/11/24)

13. Q-Squared by Peter David (3/17/24)

14. Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney (3/26/24)

15. Seance for a Vampire by Fred Saberhagen (4/9/24)

16. Unnatural Ends by Christopher Huang (4/14/24)

17. Mystery at Greenfingers by J. B. Priestley (4/23/24)

18. Cold Bed in the Clay by Ruth Sawtell Wallis (4/30/24)

19. The List of Adrian Messenger by Philip MacDonald (5/4/24)

20. Twice Retired by Richard Lockridge (5/17/24)

21. What Cannot Be Said by C. S. Harris (5/22/24)

22. The New Shoe by Arthur W. Upfield (5/25/24)

23. Old Hall, New Hall by Michael Innes (6/12/24)

24. The Dragon Boat Mystery by John Bechtel (6/19/24)

25. Fer-de-Lance by Rex Stout (6/25/24)

26. The Phoenix Crown by Kate Quinn & Janie Chang (7/4/24)

27. Murder on Deck! by Rosemary Herbert, ed (7/17/24)

28. Death in a Small World by Laura Colburn (7/20/24)

29. A Body at a Boarding School by Benedict Brown (7/23/24)

30. Crossed Skis by Carol Carnac (7/31/24)

31. The Widow of Bath by Margot Bennett (8/18/24)

32. Dance of Death by Helen McCloy (8/21/24)

33. Castle Skull by John Dickson Carr (8/25/24)

34. The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton (8/28/24)

35. Pieces of Justice by Margaret Yorke (9/2/24)

36. Nothing Like Blood by Leo Bruce (9/4/24)

37. The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin (9/15/24)

38. The Rising Tide by Ann Cleeves (9/17/24)

39. Wycliffe & the Guild of Nine by W. J. Burley (9/29/24)

40. Coronation Year by Jennifer Robson (10/2/24)

41. Never Cross a Vampire by Stuart Kaminsky (10/15/24)

42. The Mystery of the Coughing Dragon by Nick West (10/15/24)

43. Wicked Uncle by Patricia Wentworth (10/22/24)

44. You'll Die Today by Marjorie J. Grove (10/24/24)

45. Eleven Came Back by Mabel Seeley (10/31/24)

46. Heberden's Seat by Douglas Clark (11/3/24)

47. Nightmare at Noon by Stewart Sterling (11/20/24)

48. Scarhaven Keep by J. S. Fletcher (11/25/24)

49. Eight Detectives by Alex Pavesi (11/29/24)

50. Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson (12/7/24)

51. The Twelve Deaths of Christmas by Marian Babson (12/16/24)

52. The Clue in the Old Stagecoach by Carolyn Keene (12/22/24)

Linz the Bookworm/Logophile Reading Challenge

 

Linz the Bookworm and Tress @The Logophile co-sponsor a 2024 Reading Challenge that works on a tiered-level format. There are five levels for a total of 60 books if all levels are completed. I plan on opting in for the first level: Book of the Month Club. After that, I may read more books for the challenge--just to see how many categories I can fill--but my personal commitment will be met at Level 1. I've filled in possible choices.

Level 1 Book of the Month Club

1. Book you got for free: Murder by the Book: Mysteries for Bibliophiles by Martin Edwards, ed [Christmas gift] 

2. Book by an author you've previously read: Man of Two Tribes by Arthur W. Upfield (2/22/24)

3. Book Under 400 pages: Bodies from the Library 3 by Tony Medawar, ed [374 pages] (1/7/24)

4. Book published in 2014: The Penny Detective by John Tallon Jones (11/14/24)

5. Reread a book you've recommended to someone: The Mirror Crack'd by Agatha Christie (8/29/24)

6. A fairytale or classic book retelling: It's Not Little Red Riding Hood by Josh Funk (7/4/24)

7. Read a comedy/satire: Mystery at Greenfingers by J. B. Priestley (4/23/24)

8. Book that's been on the shelf over a year: The Emperor's Snuff Box by John Dickson Carr [on my shelf since 2010] (1/3/24)

9. Book with a color in the title: The Blue Geranium by Dolan Birkley (3/3/24)

10. Book from LA Public Library Staff Recommendations: The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa (2/14/24)

11. Read a caper story (heist/theft/etc.): Grand Cru Heist by Jean-Pierre Alaux & Noel Balen (3/28/24)

12. Free Space (any book): The Passenger from Scotland Yard by H. F. Wood (1/11/24)

Commitment Complete (11/14/24)

Level 2 Casual Reader Club

13. Book One of a Duology: Bimbos of the Death Sun by Sharyn McCrumb (1/21/24)

14. Book Two of a Duology: Zombies of the Gene Pool by Sharyn McCrumb (3/27/24)

15. Book about faeries: 

16. Book you meant to read for last year's challenge:

17. Book with 3 or more colors on cover: The Mystery at Orchard House by Joan Coggin (1/13/24)

18. Book by author who shares a name with a family member: A Guilty Thing Surprised by Ruth Rendell [Grandma Ruth] (1/28/24)

19. Published by Simon & Schuster (or one of its imprints)

20. Book with "Dark" in the title: Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney (3/26/24)

21. Book published in 2004: The Blood-Dimmed Tide by Rennie Airth (2/16/24)

22. Book with a Gothic theme: Six Queer Things by Christopher St. John Sprigg (5/21/24)

23. Banned Book:

24. Free Space (any book): There Is a Tide by Agatha Christie (1/14/24)

Level 3 Dedicated Reader Club

25. Enemies to Lovers Story:

26. Lovers/Friends to Enemies Story: The Widow of Bath by Margot Bennett [Hugh/Lucy] (8/18/24)

27. Starts with Letter "S": (The) Silent Speaker by Rex Stout (3/5/24)

28. Book from Refinery 29's "The Ultimate Book Bucket List": 

29. Book with a grey cover: Death has a Small Voice by Frances & Richard Lockridge (1/31/24)

30. Book by author with an interesting name: Playing with Myself by Randy Rainbow (1/31/24)

31. Historical fiction novel: Murder & Mendelssohn by Kerry Greenwood (1/27/24)

32. Place name in title: The Cambridge Murders by Glyn Daniel (1/24/24)

33. Book about a vet/someone who works with animals: The Tenth Life by Richard Lockridge (5/23/24)

34: First in a series you've wanted to start: A Fete Worse Than Death by Dolores Gordon-Smith (2/20/24)

35. Published before you were born: The Song of Roland translated by Dorothy L. Sayers (2/2/24)

36. Free Space (any book): Murder in C Major by Sara Hoskinson Frommer (1/15/24)

Level 4 Speed Reader Club

37. Book by Eleanor Hibbert (or one of her pseudonyms): Bride of Pendorric by Victoria Holt

38. Memoir:

39. Book referenced in a film/TV show:

40. Book with a skull on the cover: Twice Retired by Richard Lockridge (5/13/24)

41. Book with "Truth" in the title:

42. Book that involves a game/fandom/geek culture: Making It So by Patrick Stewart [he talks about his interactions with Trek fans at conventions in one section] (4/10/24)

43. Book with scientist main character: Death, My Darling Daughters by Jonathan Stagge (1/1/24)

44. Takes place in a cold climate:

45. Book with double letters in the title: The HoLLow (aka Murder After Hours) by Agatha Christie (2/26/24)

46. By two or more authors: Death Takes a Bow by Frances & Richard Lockridge (2/24/24)

47. Book involving/inspired by Egyptian mythology:

48. Free Space (any book): The Final Days of Abbot Montrose by Sven Elvestad (2/3/24)

Level 5 Overachiever Club

49. Book with a unicorn in it: The Unicorn Murders by Carter Dickson (2/28/24)

50. Takes place in the 18th Century:

51. Book by Jonathan Coe

52. Book over 700 pages:

53. Title has five words: One by One They Disappeared by Moray Dalton (3/2/24)

54. A Non-fiction book: Dorothy & Jack: The Transforming Friendship of Dorothy L. Sayers & C. S. Lewis by Gina Dalfonzo (3/11/24)

55. Picture of food or drink on cover:

56. Author has "Fred" in their name: The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Seance for a Vampire by Fred Saberhagen (4/9/24)

57. Takes place in South America:

58. Book previously started but did not finish: Q-Squared by Peter David (3/17/24)

59. Rickrolled: Book that has one (or more) of the following words in title--Never Going To Give You Up: Reading Up a Storm by Eva Gates (9/7/24)

60. Free Space (any book): Inspector of the Dead by David Morrell (2/7/24)

2026 Vintage Scavenger Hunt: My Sign-Up

 

My own Vintage Mystery Reading Challenge is near and dear to my heart. It's the first challenge I sponsored here on the Block and mysteries are my genre of choice--if I'm forced to choose. We're back again for another round of the Vintage Mystery Scavenger Hunt. The mission is to find as many objects on the scavenger hunt list as possible, although finding a total of eight on either card will technically fulfill the challenge. You can play along in either the Golden or Silver (or, for the more adventurous, both) and all the rules may be found at the link above. I will be searching for both gold and silver treasure--eight on each card will allow me to count my challenge complete, but I will definitely be trying to find them all. Hope you will join me!

1. Don Among the Dead Men by C. E. Vulliamy (1952) [Other Animal] (1/7/26)

2. The Division Bell Mystery by Ellen Wilkinson (1932) [Clock] (1/12/26)

3. Shadows Before by Dorothy Bowers (1939) [Policeman] (1/18/26)

4. Old Bones by Herman Petersen (1943) [Map] (1/20/26)

5. A Pocket Full of Rye by Agatha Christie (1953) [Bottle of Poison] (1/25/26)

6. The Plumley Inheritance by Christopher Bush (1926) [Dead Body] (2/13/26)

7. Escape While I Can by Melba Marlett (1944) [Country Scene] (2/19/26)

8. The Fourth Postman by Craig Rice (1948) [Cigar--cigarette, etc] (2/25/26)

Commitment Met

9. The Avenging Chance & Other Mysteries from Roger Sheringham's Casebook by Anthony Berkeley (2004--all stories pre-1960) [Furniture] (2/28/26)

10. That Affair Next Door by Anna Katharine Green (1897) [Curtains] (3/11/26)

11. The Gaunt Stranger by Edgar Wallace (1925) [Hat] (3/16/26)

12. Murder Enters the Picture by Willetta Ann Barber & R. F. Schabelitz (1942) [Art Equipment] (3/20/26)

13. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie (1926) [Telephone] (3/22/26)

14. Shadow of Madness by Hugh Pentecost (1950) [Redhead] (3/23/26)

15. Destination Unknown by Agatha Christie (1955) [Plane] (4/3/26)

16. Hercule Poirot & the Greenshore Folly by Agatha Christie (originally written in 1954) [Coat] (4/9/26)

17. Dead Man's Mirror by Agatha Christie (1937) [Broken Object] (4/11/26)

18. Murder in Bright Red by Frances Crane (1953) [Two People] (5/4/26)

19. Who Killed Alfred Snow? by J. S. Fletcher (1933) [Painting] (5/8/26)

20. These Names Make Clues by E. C. R. Lorac (1937) [Chandelier] (5/12/26)

21. The Buttercup Case by Frances Crane (1958) [Spooky House] (5/23/26)

22. The Six Iron Spiders by Phoebe Atwood Taylor (1943) [Weirdest Item] (5/30/26)

23. The Man Who Didn't Fly by Margot Bennett (1955) [body of water] (6/8/26)

24. Spellbound by Francis Beeding (1927) [brunette] (6/13/26)

25. Winds of Evil by Arthur W. Upfield (1937) [Skull] (7/7/26)

26. The Benson Murder Case by S. S. Van Dine (1926) [Book] (8/1/26)

27. Strong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers (1930) [Food] (8/7/26)

28. The Charteris Mystery by A. E. Fielding (1925) [Magnifying Glass] (8/18/26)

29. A Matter of Accent by David Keith (1943) [Written Document](8/28/26)

30. Beverly Gray's Return by Clair Blank (1939) [Boat] (9/5/26)

31. Death Likes It Hot by Edgar Box (1954) [One Person] (9/17/26)

32. The Man Who Killed Fortescue by Dorothy Stockbridge Tillett (1928) [Moon] (9/19/26)

33. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (1939) [Revolver/Gun] (10/1/26)

34. Death Draws the Line by Jack Iams (1949) [Red Item--dress] (10/7/26)

35. The Opening Door by Helen Reilly (1944) [Door] (10/18/26)

36. Happy Returns by Manning Coles (1955) [Drinking Glass] (10/24/26)

37. The Mystery of Jockey Hollow by Cleo F. Garis (1934) [Stairs] (10/27/26)

 

1. Death on the Slopes by Norma Schier (1978) [Magnifying Glass] (1/9/26)

2. Masterpieces of Mystery: Amateurs & Professionals by Ellery Queen, ed (1978) [other color--gold decorations] (1/31/26)

3. Aristotle Detective by Margaret Doody (1978) [Statue] (2/3/26)

4. Troubled Daughters, Twisted Wives (2013--all stories pre-1980) [Scarf] (2/18/26)

5. Tied Up in Tinsel by Ngaio Marsh (1972) [Christmas Tree] (4/4/26)

6. Murder on the Thirty-First Floor by Per Wahlöö (1964) [Shadowy Figure] (4/6/26)

7. Harriet Farewell by Margaret Erskine (1975) [One Person] (4/8/26)

8. Treasure of Hemlock Mountain by Virginia Frances Voight (1961) [Musical Instrument] (4/11/26)

Commitment Met

9. The Methods of Sergeant Cluff by Gil North (1961) [Other Building--Church] (4/13/26)

10. The Body in the Dumb River by George Bellairs (1961) [Body of Water] (4/16/26)

11. Squire of Death by Richard Lockridge (1965) [Tree] (5/17/26)

12. The Evil That Men Do by Hugh Pentecost (1966) [Dead Body] (5/19/26)

13. The Cat Who Could Read Backwards by Lilian Jackson Braun (1966) [Cat] (5/21/26)

14. A Conspiracy of Poisons by J. G. Jeffreys (1977) [Tombstone] (6/28/26)

15. The Eve of the Wedding by Lionel Black (1980) [Door] (6/30/26)

16. DeKok & the Somber Nude by A. C. Baantjer (1967) [Painting] (7/10/26)

17. A Dying Fall by Hildegarde Dolson (1973) [Any Other Weapon--pointy statue on cover] (7/26/26)

18. Murder, Murder, Little Star by Marian Babson (1977) [Drinking Glass] (8/25/26)

19. Death of a Harvard Freshman by Victoria Silver (1984) [Revolver] (8/31/26)

20. Who Killed Me? by Joan Allan (1979) [Policeman] (9/9/26)

21. The Property of a Lady by Anthony Oliver (1983) [Car] (9/12/26)

22. Murder in Luxury by Hugh Pentecost (1981) [Hat] (9/15/26)

23. Mystery of the Moss-Covered Mansion (1971--Revised Text) [Spooky House] (9/23/26)

24. Random Killer by Hugh Pentecost (1979) [Gloves] (9/25/26)

25. The Clue of the Broken Locket by Carolyn Keene (1965--Revised Text) [Red-Head] (9/25/26)

26.

Pick Your Poison 2024

 

I've been anxiously awaiting the new Pick Your Poison Reading Challenge for 2024. I first found Gregory's challenge in 2020 and have enjoyed the prompts that he devises.  As I have in the past, I'm going to commit to a Baker's Dozen (13 books). I'll probably do more, but my commitment will be met at 13.

The Standards

~A Thriller: Red Bones by Ann Cleeves (3/24/24)

~A Classic: Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers (3/21/24) [classic mystery from  1923]

~A Mystery: Death, My Darling Daughters by Jonathan Stagge (1/1/24)

~A Fantasy: The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa (2/14/24)

To Coin a Phrase

~Coins on the Cover:

~Author Known for Introducing a Phrase:

~Title Based on a Well-Known Phrase: There is a Tide (aka Taken at the Flood) by Agatha Christie ["There is a tide in the affairs of men. Which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune." ~from Julius Caesar by Shakespeare] (1/14/24)

~Book About Language:

Our Amazing World

~Book About the Ocean

~Memoir About Living with Nature

~Book About an Explorer

~Book About a Lost Species

Classic Computer Games

~Oregon Trail (characters might die of dysentery): Man of Two Tribes by Arthur W. Upfield (2/22/24)

~Legend of Zelda (protagonist is not the title character): The List of Adrian Messenger by Philip MacDonald (5/4/24)

~Pacman (maze on the cover)

~Space Invaders (book with aliens): Q-Squared by Peter David (3/17/24)

Roadkill

~Book About Something You Might Find Dead on the Road:

~Mystery Set During a Vacation: The Puzzle of the Blue Banderilla by Stuart Palmer (4/18/24)

~Hotel on the Cover: The Widow of Bath by Margot Bennett (8/18/24)

~Something Flat on Cover: Miraculous Mysteries by Martin Edwards, ed (2/9/24)

How Does Your Garden Grow?

~Author with Plant/Flower Name: Murder on Deck! by Rosemary Herbert, ed (7/17/24)

~Coming of Age Story:

~Three Main Characters: Death Takes a Bow by Frances & Richard Lockridge [Mr. & Mrs. North and Lt. Weigand] (2/24/24)

~"Silver" or "Shell" in Title:

Bright & Shiny

~Book Released in 2024: What Cannot Be Said by C. S. Harris (5/22/24)

~Memoir/Biography of Someone with a Hollywood Star: Making It So by Patrick Stewart (4/10/24)

~Book with Gold or Silver Cover: Sepulchre Street by Martin Edwards (5/8/24)

~Picture of the Sun on Cover: Doom in the Midnight Sun by Eunice Mays Boyd (6/4/24)

Things That Are Good For Us

~Vegetable in the Title:

~About Walking Away:

~Lots of Fresh Air on Cover: A Fete Worse Than Death by Dolores Gordon-Smith (2/20/24)

~About Positive Changes:

Shhh...

~"Secret" in the Title: The Secret of High Eldersham by Miles Burton (7/3/24)

~Someone Sleeping on the Cover:

~About a Secret Society: The Moneypenny Diaries by Kate Westbrook (2/29/24)

~Book You Hope Will Quiet Your Mind:

Reasons a Book Might Be Banned

~About Gender Identity:

~Written by a POC: The House of Dies Drear by Virginia Hamilton (4/25/24)

~Offensive Language: Think Twice by Harlan Coben [lots of swearing]  (9/22/24)

~Talking Animals: The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame (3/22/24)

Reflections

~Mirror on the Cover: The Mirror Crack'd by Agatha Christie (8/29/24)

~About Looking Back: Zombies of the Gene Pool by Sharyn McCrumb (3/27/24)

~Book You Know Will Make You Think:

~Antonyms in the Title: The Silent Speaker by Rex Stout (3/5/24)

Book Cliches

~The Butler Did It (book with a butler): Murder & Mendelssohn by Kerry Greenwood [a butler named Mr. Butler] (1/27/24)

~It Was a Dark & Stormy Night (great first line): Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney ["I was born with a broken heart."] (3/26/24)

~Once Upon a Time (fairytale retelling): It's Not Little Red Riding Hood by Josh Funk (7/4/24)

~There Can Only Be One (book pits characters against each other): Unnatural Ends by Christopher Huang (4/14/24)

Swashbuckling

~Book with Pirates: The Dragon Boat Mystery by John Bechtel (6/19/24)

~Sword on the Cover: The Song of Roland translated by Dorothy L. Sayers (2/2/24)

~Daring Adventure Graphic Novel:

~About a Stowaway:

New Year's Resolutions

~Read Anything--Goal Is to Read More: The Emperor's Snuff Box by John Dickson Carr (1/3/24)

~Title That Sounds Like Exercise: Dance of Death by Helen McCloy [Dancing = exercise] (8/21/24)

~About Cleaning House/Getting Organized:

~About Getting Away From It All: Pieces of Justice by Margaret Yorke [several of the stories about getting away on holiday] (9/2/24)

How Do You Want Your Eggs?

~Hardboiled Crime: Who Rides a Tiger by Colin Robertson (12/9/24)

~About Finding the Sunny Side of Life:

~Book with a Poacher:

~Devil as a Character: The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis

Doing It "Old School"

~Stamp or Rotary Phone on Cover: One by One They Disappeared by Moray Dalton (3/2/24)

~Author Old Enough to Be a Grandparent: Inspector of the Dead by David Morrell (2/7/24)

~About Someone Traveling by Foot

~Set Before You Were Born: The Passenger from Scotland Yard by H. F. Wood (1/11/24)

Generational

~Written by Someone Same Generation As You: Mad About the Boy? by Dolores Gordon-Smith (3/13/24)

~Multigenerational Story: Terrace Story by Hilary Leichter (9/10/24)

~Set When the Boomers Were in Their Prime: A Guilty Thing Surprised by Ruth Rendell (1/28/24)

~Book That Generates Hope:

Food Groups

~Dairy (a cheesy book):

~Meat (book you can sink your teeth into):

~Fruit (fruit in the title): The Case of the One-Penny Orange by E. V. Cunningham (11/14/24)

~Grain (Set in a farming community):

Love Them Pockets!

~A Key or a Pocket on the Cover: Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz (3/16/24)

~Read a "Pocket Guide":

~Purse on the Cover:

~Book That Might Have Been Carried in a Soldier's Pocket: The Blue Geranium by Dolan Birkley [has "send this book to the soldiers when you're done with it" blurb at the back] (3/3/24)

Just Desserts

~Book About Revenge: The Cambridge Murders by Glyn Daniel (1/24/24)

~Something Sweet on the Cover:

~Book You'd Like to Settle in With an After Dinner Drink:

~Author Who Has a Good Reputation With Fans:

Color Me Up!

~Color Word in Title: Mystery at Greenfingers by J. B. Priestley (4/23/24)

~Favorite Color on Cover: 

~Author with Color Name: Playing with Myself by Randy Rainbow (1/31/24)

~Book That Looks Like Someone Went Crazy With Crayons:

Seems Sketchy

~An Illustrated Book: Amphigorey by Edward Gorey (5/24/24)

~Unreliable Narrator: The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton (8/28/24)

~Sketchbook/Notebook on Cover:

~"Fake" in Title:

TBR Busters

~Meant to Read Last Year:

~Any From TBR Pile: Murder in C Major by Sara Hoskinson Frommer (1/15/24)

~Gift You Haven't Read Yet: Cold Bed in the Clay by Ruth Sawtell Wallis [Xmas 2018] (4/30/24)

~Has a Dusty Cover:

Fakes

~About a Monster Nobody Believes Exists: Seance for a Vampire by Fred Saberhagen (4/9/24)

~Author Who Uses a Pseudonym: When Blood Lies by C. S. Harris (Candice Proctor) (2/18/24)

~Fiction Based on True Story: The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff (10/10/24)

~About Something Counterfeit: Find a Crooked Sixpence by Estelle Thompson (10/16/24)

Spice It Up

~Nonfiction About a Controversial Person:

~A Spice in the Title:

~A Spicy Cover:

~Set Somewhere Known For Its Cuisine: The Unicorn Murders by Carter Dickson [France] (2/28/24)

The Long & the Short of It

~Over 500 Pages:

~Under 150 Pages: Grand Cru Heist by Jean-Pierre Alaux & Noël Balen (3/28/24)

~Title At Least 7 Words Long: Murder by the Book: Mysteries for Bibliophiles by Martin Edwards, ed (1/20/24)

~Author Whose Last Name Has No More Than Five Letters: The Blood-Dimmed Tide by Rennie Airth (2/16/24)

Wild Cards

~Gothic Novel:

~A Geeky Character: Bimbos of the Death Sun by Sharyn McCrumb [a whole convention full of them] (1/21/24)

~About Prophecies:

~Book Someone Says "Changed Their Life": The Midnight Library by Matt Haig [several people have said so in reviews--but I didn't think it was that astounding] (4/24/24)

~About Someone With a Disability: Kill the Boss Good-by by Peter Rabe [the boss has a loyal sidekick with disabled leg/foot] (9/11/24)