The Birds' Christmas Carol (1886) is a very sweet short novel written by Kate Douglas Wiggin and illustrated by Katharine R. Wireman. It centers around Carol Bird--originally destined to be named Lucy until she arrived unexpectedly on Christmas. She grows to be an exceptionally happy, loving, and generous girl--despite the fact that she is diagnosed with an unspecified illness at age five and is bedridden by the time she is ten. As the story says, "perhaps because she was born in holiday time, carol was a very happy baby...she may have breathed in unconsciously the fragrance of evergreens and holiday dinners; while the peals of sleigh-bells and the laughter of happy children may have fallen upon her baby ears and wakened in them a glad surprise at the merry world she had come to live in." Just by being Carol, she manages to influence her unruly brothers to behave more generously to one another and her entire family learns lessons about the true meaning of Christmas from their very own Christmas Carol.
Carol manages to teach her family and readers alike that it really is better to give than to receive. Her fondest wish is to prepare a gala Christmas celebration for the nine Ruggles children who live in a small house behind her own. She finds a way to earn her own money to provide a Christmas dinner that the children will never forget as well as presents the likes of which they have never seen. While the story is primarily a moral tale about a very angelic child with an incredibly giving heart , it also features some very humorous scenes--particularly when the Ruggles matriarch is attempting to prepare her large brood for their first fine social occasion.
Even though it is tinged with sadness at the end, this is a truly lovely story--entirely suitable to the Christmas season. Five stars.
Quotes:
It is very funny, but you do not always have to see people to love them. (p. 17)
Each girl had a blue knitted hood, and each boy a red crocheted comforter, all made by Mamma, Carol, and Elfrida. ("Because if you buy everything, it doesn't show so much love," said Carol. (p. 58)
"Mamma, dear, I do think that we have kept Christ's birthday this time just as He would like. Don't you?" [Carol]
"I am sure of it," said Mrs. Bird, softly. (p. 62)
Around the World in Eighty Days is a classic adventure novel by Jules Verne. I had seen two filmed versions of the story--the 1956 version starring David Niven and a host of stars in cameo roles and the 1989 TV mini series starring Pierce Brosnan and his own host of stars--but had never read the story (despite having a huge book with all of Verne's major works). I still haven't "read" it. Faced with a long car trip over the Thanksgiving holiday, I popped in the audio version featuring Christopher Plummer as my narrator and listened to Verne's original story. I'm pleased to say that each of the films are remarkably faithful to the original--with only a bit of Hollywood glitz sprinkled in.
The story should be a familiar one, but just in case, here is a brief run-down. Phileas Fogg is an eccentric English gentleman of precise habits. He dines at the same hour every day, arrives at his club exactly on time, and always plays whist with his fellow club members at the same hour and for the same amount of time. He is something of a mystery--beyond his obsession with precision and his preference for the game of whist, little is known about him. That he is wealthy is obvious--how he came to be wealthy is another matter--whether it be through inheritance or sound investments or some other means...no one knows.
Fogg is so particular about the details of his life that as the story opens he has just dismissed his manservant for the inexcusable error of providing shaving water that was two degrees too cold. He advertises for a replacement and a Frenchman by the name of Passepartout arrives at his door in response to the ad. Passepartout has led a rather varied and adventuresome life, but is looking for something quiet and regular. Having heard about Fogg's passion for regularity and precision, he believes this to be the perfect position. Fogg hires him on the spot and sets off for his club.
At cards that evening, the subject of travel and how small the world has become with all the modern travel (trains, steamer ships, etc) options available--why, a man can go 'round the world in three months! Eighty days, is Fogg's reply. His fellow club members scoff at this, but Fogg recites the various methods of travel available, the length of time required for each leg of the journey, and adds it all up to eighty days. After much discussion back and forth, a wager is made. Fogg will offer up twenty thousand pounds (five thousand for each of his colleagues) if he is unable to return to the club in time for their usual whist game in precisely 80 days. He finishes the card game and heads home to inform Passepartout that they must pack and prepare to journey around the world. And so Fogg's grand adventure begins--an adventure that will include saving an Indian woman from being burned on a funeral pyre with her dead husband, preventing American Indians from taking over a train, and inciting a seafaring crew to mutiny in order to reach England in time.
In the meantime, a great bank robbery has taken place and it is said that the thief is--of all things--a gentleman. When the detective on the case--one Detective Fix--hears of Fogg's intended trip around the world, he becomes convinced that this mysterious gentleman with abundant funds but no visible means of support must be the thief and he takes off after him on the famous journey. Fix dogs Fogg's steps until Phileas sets foot on British soil once more...where he serves him with a warrant. By the time it is proved that Fogg is not the thief in question and flies by special train to London too many hours have passed and it looks like Fogg has lost his bet. But there is one last surprise waiting for Fogg, Passepartout, and the Indian woman Aouda. Fogg may collect after all.
This is my favorite Verne novel to date. I've read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Journey to the Center of the Earth and they're both fine adventure stories, but Around the World is the best. I really enjoy reading about the proper, precise British gentleman making his way around the world and overcoming the various obstacles along the way. And Passepartout is such a charming sidekick for Fogg. I'm afraid I don't have much in the way of in-depth analysis on this one--listening to audio novels makes for pleasant driving, but limits my note-taking for review purposes. A delightful novel coming in at four stars....and now I want to pull out my Brosnan version of the film and rewatch it.
I have now completed the Off The Shelf Challenge for 2013. I signed up for the Hoarder Level and declared that I would do 100 books (even though 76 technically met the level requirements).
Challenge Levels
- Tempted– Choose 5 books to read
- Trying – Choose 15 books to read
- Making A Dint – Choose 30 books to read
- On A Roll – Choose 50 books to read
- Flying Off – Choose 75 books to read
- Hoarder – Choose between 76-135 books to read
- Buried – Choose between 136-200 books to read
Here's this year's list:
1. The Man Who Went up in Smoke by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö (1/8/13)
2. The White Dragon by Anne McCaffrey (1/13/13)
3. The Puzzle of the Silver Persian by Stuart Palmer (1/15/13)
4. Slippage by Harlan Ellison (1/19/13)
5. The Web Between the Worlds by Charles Sheffield (1/21/13)
6. Four Lost Ladies by Stuart Palmer (1/23/13)
7. The Case of the Negligent Nymph by Erle Stanley Gardner (1/24/13)
8. Veiled Murder by Alice Campbell (1/28/13)
9. The Cavalier's Cup by Carter Dickson (2/5/13)
10. Corpses at Indian Stones by Philip Wylie (2/7/13)
11. Aaron's Serpent by Emily Thorn (2/22/13)
12. The World's 100 Best Short Stories, Vol. III: Mystery by Grant Overton, ed (2/24/13)
13. Three English Comedies by A. B. De Mille, ed (2/27/13)
14. The Other Side of Tomorrow by Roger Elwood, ed (2/28/13)
15. The Green Plaid Pants by Margaret Scherf (3/3/13)
16. The Vicar of Wakefield by Oliver Goldsmith (3/6/13)
17. The Lady in the Morgue by Jonathan Latimer (3/10/13)
18. Mary Poppins by P. L. Travers (3/11/13)
19. The Diplomat & the Gold Piano by Margaret Scherf (3/16/13)
20. The Lady Vanishes (aka The Wheel Spins) by Ethel Lina White (3/17/13)
21. A Perfect Red by Amy Butler Greenfield (3/22/13)
22. Unhappy Hooligan by Stuart Palmer (3/24/13)
23. Sally's in the Alley by Norbert Davis (3/25/13)
24. Black Widow by Patrick Quentin (4/3/13)
25. In the Shadow of Gotham by Stefanie Pintoff (4/9/13)
26. The Mountains Have a Secret by Arthur W. Upfield (4/16/13)
27. The Devil's Stronghold by Leslie Ford (4/21/13)
28. The Silence of Herondale by Joan Aiken (4/21/13)
29. Holiday Homicide by Rufus King (4/23/13)
30. A Private History of Awe by Scott Russell Sanders (4/27/13)
31. Death Has Green Fingers by Lionel Black (4/30/13)
32. Inland Passage by George Harmon Coxe (5/2/13)
33. The Talking Sparrow Murders by Darwin L. Teilhet (5/6/13)
34. Sleep No More by Margaret Erskine (5/21/13)
35. Death at Crane's Court by Eilis Dillon (5/23/13
36. Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood (5/24/13)
37. The Curse of the Bronze Lamp by Carter Dickson (5/27/13)
38. Miss Silver Deals With Death by Patricia Wentworth (finished 5/28/13)
39. The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes (6/7/13)
40. Murder on Safari by Elspeth Huxley (6/8/13)
41. The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers (6/12/13)
42. Murder Within Murder by Frances & Richard Lockridge (6/14/13)
43. Break Any Woman Down by Dana Johnson (6/17/13)
44. The Chinese Parrot by Earl Derr Biggers (6/18/13)
45. The Father's Day Murder by Lee Harris (6/18/13)
46. Tragedy at Law by Cyril Hare (6/21/13)
47. Death in Zanzibar by M. M. Kaye (6/25/13)
48. Jack on the Gallows Tree by Leo Bruce (6/26/13)
49. The Listening by Kyle Dargan (6/28/13)
50. Mystery Train by David Wojahn (6/28/12)
51. Death & the Gentle Bull by Frances & Richard Lockridge (6/29/13)
52. The Mummy Case Mystery by Dermot Morrah (7/3/13)
53. Dead Man Control by Helen Reilly (7/6/13)
54. The Hollow Chest by Alice Tilton [Phoebe Atwood Taylor] (7/12/13)
55. Twenty First Century Blues by Richard Cecil (7/13/13)
56. The Call of the Wild by Jack London (7/14/13)
57. Spotted Hemlock by Gladys Mitchell (7/18/13)
58. London Particular (aka Fog of Doubt) by Christianna Brand (7/22/13)
59. The Case of the Careless Kitten by Erle Stanley Gardner (7/23/13)
60. Mist on the Saltings by Henry Wade (7/26/13)
61. The Mind of the Maker by Dorothy L. Sayers (7/31/13)
62. Till Death Do Us Part by John Dickson Carr (8/2/13)
63. The Long Farewell by Michael Innes (8/3/13)
64. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton (8/6/13)
65. Andersen's Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen (8/20/13)
66. The Door by Mary Roberts Rinehart (8/22/13)
67. Poems & Prose by Christina Rossetti (8/27/13)
68. Death at the Bar by Ngaio Marsh (8/28/13)
69. Bullet at the Ballet by Caryl Brahms & S. J. Simon (8/28/13)
70. This New & Poisonous Air by Adam McOmber (9/3/13)
71. Murder & Blueberry Pie by Frances & Richard Lockridge (9/3/13)
72. The Croquet Player by H. G. Wells (9/4/13)
73. Malcolm Sage, Detective by Herbert Jenkins (9/8/13)
74. Famous Ghost Stories edited by Bennett Cerf (9/13/13)
75. The Temple of Death by A. C. & R. H. Benson (9/16/13)
76. The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene (9/17/13) [original version]
77. The Dreadful Hollow by Nicholas Blake (9/19/13)
78. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (9/24/13)
79. Death Knocks Three Times by Anthony Gilbert (9/27/13)
80. The Mystery Lovers' Book of Quotations by Jane Horning (ed) [9/27/13]
81. The Prayer of Jabez by Bruce Wilkinson (10/1/13)
82. Foundation by Isaac Asimov (10/4/13)
83. The Haunted Dolls' House by M. R. James (10/9/13)
84. Murder at Cambridge by Q. Patrick (10/15/13)
85. Dead of a Counterplot by Simon Nash (10/20/13)
86. The Water Room by Christopher Fowler (10/25/13)
87. Gently Go Man by Alan Hunter (10/27/13)
88. Once Upon a Crime by M. D. Lake (10/28/13)
89. Through a Glass, Darkly by Helen McCloy (10/29/13)
90. Mystery & Crime: NYPL Book of Answers by Jay Pearsall (10/30/13)
91. By a Woman's Hand by Jean Swanson & Dean James (11/2/13)
92. Shell Game by Richard Powell (11/4/13)
93. Kemp's Last Case by M. R. D. Meek (11/4/13)
94. The Murder Stone by Charles Todd (11/8/13)
95. Death Is in the Air by Kate Kingsbury (11/10/13)
96. Evidence of Things Seen by Elizabeth Daly (11/12/13)
97. Check-Out Time by Kate Kingsbury (11/13/13)
98. The Small Hours of the Morning by Margaret Yorke (11/15/13)
99. The Dorothy Parker Murder Case by George Baxt (11/19/13)
100. The Patient in Room 18 by Mignon G. Eberhart (11/20/13)
The Patient in Room 18 is the debut novel for Mignon G. Eberhart. It is also the book that introduces Nurse Sarah Keate (who would appear in six of Eberhart's 57 novels). Nurse Keate is strong-minded, red-haired, and sharp-tongued. She has a bit of the Had-I-But-Known heroine's attributes and, though often quick-witted, she does fail to recognize certain danger on a couple of instances in this, her first encounter with murder. She is much more assured and consistently perceptive in The Mystery of Hunting's End (my personal favorite)--but I'm sure that, as with all things, practice makes perfect and as her involvement in murders continues she becomes more adept.
In her debut, Nurse Keate faces the theft of radium (being used for medical purposes), the death of a patient and a doctor and the janitor/night watchman. The patient in question, one Mr. Jackson who needs the radium for his treatment, is given a hefty dose of morphine and sent into a permanent sleep. It would appear that the murder was necessary so the villain could steal the very valuable radium. Detective Lance O'Leary, who has a very impressive capture rate, is called in to track down the radium and the killer. And he's the one who discovers the patient's doctor dead in a locked closet. Did the doctor walk in on the killer and get murdered to keep him quiet? Or is there more to this mystery than meets the eye? It would seem that there were at least four people wandering in and out of the Room 18 and most of them were carrying deadly instruments of one sort or another.
And then, in a classic little move, Higgins the janitor/night watchman pops up and confides in Nurse Keate. You see--he's seen something that "just ain't right" and he doesn't know what to do about it. Despite her best efforts Higgins refuses to reveal the most important bits of his information because he simply has to run off and see to his boiler. And even though Nurse Keate sees one of the possible suspects slinking away, it doesn't occur to her that Higgins might actually be in danger because of his knowledge (this would be one of her less-than-stellar moments). Naturally, before too many pages are turned we have another corpse on our hands...poor Higgins.
After finding the radium and losing it again, O'Leary (with helpful tidbits from Nurse Keate) manages to gather enough clues to stage a grand finale in....Room 18. All the suspects are brought together and O'Leary gives us the standard Golden Age wrap-up monologue. Accusations are thrown about until finally the villain slips up and reveals knowledge that only the killer could know. Snap goes the trap! And snap go the handcuffs!
Despite my rather trite summation and being full of standard mystery plot devices, this really was an enjoyable read. I liked seeing Sarah Keate in her first mystery and watching her relationship with O'Leary begin. There are plenty of clues--I picked up on most of them--and plenty of plot twists--I missed some of them. And the denouement was very satisfying. I certainly recommend this early look at a hospital-based mystery with a strongly-written female character. Three and a half stars.
Quotes
Clues are funny things. When they seem to point one way they are very apt, on close investigation to point another way entirely. So please don't hesitate to answer my questions. (Lance O'Leary; p. 93)
Well--here is one definite and concrete trick. As a rule, given enough rope a man can hang himself. Often I find that there will be one little circumstance that only the guilty man knows. Sooner or late he lets it out. Sometimes I have to trap the man I suspect into such an admission. (O'Leary; p. 220)
The Dorothy Parker Murder Case is the first of thirteen fictional celebrity mysteries written by George Baxt. Later novels feature such luminaries as Mae West, Clark Gable, and Bette Davis--to name just a few. While each novel features a different cast of stars, Detective Jacob Singer is the lawman in each case.
The opener has Dorothy Parker, Alexander Woollcott and their Algonquin Round Table colleagues mixed up in a murder mystery that starts with a strangled Ziegfeld Follies girl who is discovered dead in George Kaufman's secret love nest. Kaufman didn't do it and can't figure out who would plant the dead girl on him. The girl was last seen in Rudolph Valentino's company at a high-profile party hosted by the mysterious (and uber-rich) Lacey Van Weber. Valentino is also dead--officially of a severe pleuritis attack, but there are rumors he was poisoned. Are the two deaths connected? Mrs. Parker knows a detective who will help them get to the bottom of things--without immediately assuming that Kaufman is guilty just because the body is in his bedroom.
Mrs. Parker is looking for some excitement in her life (she's just tried to commit suicide...again) and decides that helping Detective Singer look for clues and track down bad guys is just what the doctor ordered. It helps that she gets to spend lots of time posing innocent questions to the handsome, blue-eyed charmer, Van Weber, a man whose life seems to be a mirror of that fictional playboy, Jay Gatsby. The investigation will take Parker, Woollcott, and Singer through speakeasies and playhouses; from Italian restaurants to high class brothels. Others to be questioned include George Raft, Florenz Ziegfeld, Polly Adler, and Texas Guinan. And the trail will lead west all the way to Hollywood and the unsolved murder of director William Desmond Taylor.
This was a fun, tongue-in-cheek look at the Roaring Twenties. Lots of word play, satire, and quips...mostly well-played and only occasionally over-the-top. George Baxt has a way of making it seem absolutely plausible that all these well-known stars might set out to play detective on their own. I've previously read three others of the celebrity series (The Clark Cable & Carole Lombard Murder Case; The William Powell & Myrna Loy Murder Case; and The Alfred Hitchcock Murder Case). So far, I've rate them all at an even three stars. They are light entertainment and not meant to be terribly puzzling. A good read for a lazy afternoon that will make time fly by quickly.
Lorna Gibson is a very lonely, very repressed woman. She longs for contact with someone special, but she doesn't have the personal skills to make it possible. She begins living vicariously through the lives of Cecil Titmuss and his family. Spying on them with binoculars and imagining what it must be like to have such a devoted husband, she becomes abnormally attached to the methodical, quiet librarian.
Ray Brett is a two-bit hood looking for a few big scores to get him out of Felsbury and into London where the action is. By day, he's a delivery man--scoping out businesses and figuring out when the owners and clerks will be transporting cash to the bank or the night deposit. By night, he manages a couple of hit, snatch and runs, but his life of financial crime is on a collision course with murder and mayhem.
Ted Jessop offers a taxi service in Felsbury. His clients are primarily elderly folks who can't manage the drive themselves, a few wealthy businessmen, and an occasional tourist. He's good-looking and unattached and knows how to show a lady a good time without getting entangled. Then he hooks up with one lady too many. You know this just can't end well....
Cecil Titmuss likes his world to be orderly. He's a librarian who never shelves a book in the wrong spot. He empties his pockets at night and lines his coins up by size and denomination. He spends his evenings methodically building elaborate models with matchsticks. And somehow this quiet, ordinary, unexciting man lucked into marriage with the beautiful, vivacious June. He's afraid to shower her with too much attention....she might realize how unexciting he is.
June Titmuss was caught on the rebound. Her fiance had taken off with another woman and the quiet, dependable Cecil was just what she needed to make her feel safe after the emotional upheaval. But, now, two children later, she's feeling the weight of routine and spreading her wings through night classes and a part-time job. Will she fly even further?
Margaret Yorke spins a tale of murder born out of misplaced love. As the story builds, it's obvious that Lorna is a disturbed woman...what isn't obvious is just exactly how she will act upon her repressed feelings. The descriptions of small town life and the normal atmosphere in contrast with Lorna's perceptions are apt. However, there is a slightly claustrophobic feel to the story and the characters are a little too pat without being quite stereotypical. An interesting psychological study of a woman who just really needs a way to relate to other people. As a side note--I really wanted to be able to tell Cecil and June to just talk to each other, for goodness sake--as in real life, so much unpleasantness could have been avoided with just a little heartfelt communication. Three stars.
Check-Out Time is the fifth book in Kate Kingsbury's other mystery series featuring the Cecily Sinclair and the Pennyfoot Hotel. It is also the second book in my "read two books by the same author" entry for the Autumn Semi-Charmed Challenge. The Pennyfoot Hotel books are set during Edwardian times and Cecily's hotel is the place to be for London aristocrats looking for a little seaside holiday. Except it also appears to be the place to be if you want to commit murder. Cecily is as bad as Jessica Fletcher at attracting dead bodies.
In this outing, Sir Richard Malton has taken a nose dive off of his top-floor balcony...and, no, there wasn't a swimming pool below. The local police would like to call it a simple suicide or at least the result of a drunken binge--but it wasn't just a jump over the edge or a drunken slip. Sir Richard hopped up on the railing, walked it like a tightrope artist, and then topped the performance with a little jig. The man was known as a teetotaler who drank milk when he went to the local pub and certainly didn't have acrobatic aspirations. What could make a middle-aged man do such a daring and deadly thing?
Cecily doesn't trust the local police to get to the bottom of things before her clientele move on to quieter and less-deadly lodgings. So, she and her right-hand man Baxter set out to discover what really happened. They'll wind up at a vaudeville-like variety theater before the case is closed (much to Baxter's shock and dismay--madam does not belong there!)--and there will be a last-minute rescue of an unwitting witness before all is well at the Pennyfoot again.
This one wasn't quite as good as the Manor Mystery book I just read (Death Is in the Air). The story seemed very contrived and I'm not buying the murder method. I just don't believe it could be done...and certainly not in such a short period and so little contact. I can't say more without giving it completely away. The ending is rather nice and the heroics make it a bit exciting (which lifts the book to two star status)--but it's not the best Kingsbury I've read. I've sampled a couple of her Christmas-themed Pennyfoot books in the days before blogging and found them to be more interesting. If you're looking to try the series--I'd suggest giving one of those a go.
Evidence of Things Seen is the fifth in the Henry Gamadge mystery series by Elizabeth Daly. It is set in 1942 and Henry is off doing unspecified war work. (In various books it is mentioned that he worked in the US and in Europe for Counter-Intelligence. Whenever he is asked what he did, he says he flew around.) His wife Clara and their maid Maggie have gone to an isolated cottage in the Berkshires for a little vacation and to make the place welcome for Henry's return. Another couple is scheduled to join them--but there is a delay due to sickness. The place is rather remote and just a little bit creepy--and it doesn't help that Maggie and Clara keep seeing a mysterious woman in a purple dress and a sunbonnet that obscures her face. She always appears at sunset and following her appearance they find the formerly latched attic door open.
The clothes belonged to Eva Hickson who had died the year before of "gastric trouble." It is rumored that her sister Alvira may have murdered her for her money. And it does seem strange that Alvira, now the landlady to the cottage and owner of a small farmstead, refuses to set foot in the cottage despite Clara's warm invitations. When Alvira's horse shies and overturns her cart directly in front of the cottage, breaking her ankle in the process, she is brought fainting into the very room where her sister died. Clara and another local couple promise to sit up with her--so she won't have to be alone in the "death room"--but even their presence can't prevent another tragedy when the lady in purple appears once more.
For Alvira is strangled right before Clara's eyes and the local police are forced to believe that 1) Clara is hysterical/crazy and making up ghost stories, 2) Clara fainted even though she swears she didn't and anything might have happened, or 3) Clara killed Alvira herself. Henry shows up just in time to lay the ghost to rest and to prove that there is a flesh-and-blood killer....who isn't Clara.
I've always loved these mysteries with the quiet, unassuming, genteel Henry Gamadge. They are charming slices of life during another period and Daly writes a pretty mean murder plot. She offers up one twist after another....and even though the plot device is one I've encountered before, she still managed to pull the wool over my eyes. I settled on first one suspect and then finally another--and still managed to be wrong. I do appreciate it when the author can fool me. One small point that keeps this one at three and a half stars (although I'll round up on Goodreads) is that periodically I felt out of step in the conversations. It was like I was only hearing one half of what was said or that there were all kinds of unspoken, "between the lines" things going on that I wasn't quite getting. I don't think it affected the mystery plot necessarily--it just made me feel a little off. Otherwise, a highly enjoyable outing with the Gamadges.
Death Is in the Air is a cozy little English village mystery by Kate Kingsbury. It is set during World War II in the village of Sitting Marsh. Elizabeth Hartleigh Compton is the Lady of the Manor--the first woman to lead the village alone in hundreds of years. She is just earning the villagers respect when she does the unthinkable and allows American officers to be housed in the Manor. Feelings run deep--the locals and the British soldiers both take it hard that their girls are running after those "Yanks." Lady Elizabeth works on a plan--a dance!--to try and bring the two sides together, but soon they are brought together by something far more sinister....murder and mayhem!
A German pilot crash-lands near the village and manages to escape into the woods. That very night, a local land girl is found murdered in those very woods. Soon soldiers from both sides of the Atlantic and the remaining local constabulary are joined by a militant band of village housewives bearing kitchen cutlery in a hunt to bring the murderous German to justice. But Lady Elizabeth caught a glimpse of the terrified young boy in the pilot's uniform and is not so sure that he's to blame for the girl's death. There's a bit of jealousy running rampant among the men who sought her affections and the girls who thought she'd stolen their fellows. The culprit may be closer to home than the villagers think....
This was a very pleasant weekend read. The pace is quick and the characters are quite likeable. I definitely enjoyed the growing friendship between Lady Elizabeth and Major Monroe. The mystery isn't a particularly deep or complex one--but the motive is believable. No heavy-duty thinking necessary--I spotted the murderer and the reason fairly early--but it was great fun watching Lady Elizabeth figure it out and bring the crime home to culprit.
This is actually the second on the "Manor House Mysteries" by Kingsbury, but I didn't feel like I had missed anything in not having read the first one. I'm sure there was some background that might have been useful--but nothing that was absolutely necessary to the mystery itself. The setting and the characters are good enough to ensure that I'll look for the next installment. Three stars for a nice cozy mystery.
It is 1916 and World War I is raging--a long, terrible campaign which decimated a generation of young men, often wiping out all the sons of a household in a single sweep. Such is the case with the Hattons. Francesca grew up with five cousins in Francis Hatton's home. Her parents and theirs both long dead in mysterious accidents. When the Great War comes around, each of the boys bravely sign up to do their duty...but none of them come home. Francis collapses after the last telegram arrives, announcing the loss of Harry, the family favorite. Francesca, who has been working in London to offer aid and comfort the wounded, heads back to the estate to nurse her stricken grandfather.
Francesca Hatton barely
has a chance to begin grieving for her beloved grandfather
before she begins to find out that her grandfather may not have been the
man she thought--at least not entirely. At the reading of the will, she finds out that he owned two properties that had never been mentioned. Amongst the papers in his deed box there is a vicious letter cursing Francis and the Hatton desendents. Then when she returns to the desolate house, she finds ex-soldier Richard Leighton on her doorstep--greeting her with accusations that her grandfather murdered his mother.
The Leighton family has long hated the Hattons--with a hate fueled and fanned and kept burning as brightly as possible by Richard's grandfather, Alasdair MacPherson. Having read of Francis's death, Richard has come to see if the man he has been taught to hate left any references to his mother....or, if possible, he had confessed his part in her disappearance. Francesca is bewildered by the accusations and can't believe that the man she knew and loved could have been a part of anything so horrible.
But Richard isn't the only one with accusations and questions. After the funeral--at the meal served at the rectory, several "mourners" show up accusing Francis of nefarious deeds and demanding certain items and property they say was stolen from them and theirs. There is also a woman who claims to have been Francesca's nanny--but who none of the servants recognize.
Was Hatton the loving man Francesca remembers--and are the people mistaken or, worse, playing out some vindictive mission of their own? Or did Hatton lead a double life--showing one face at home and in the Valley and leading a secret life which made him enemies? Did Francesca's grandfather seduce Richard's mother and force her from her family? Did he do worse and kill her when she didn't want to stay with him? Did he also cheat another man out his home and hold another man's property hostage? The accusations pile one on another and Francesca faces more questions than she can possibly answer. But, if she's ever to have any peace, she must find the answers
There is also the question of the Murder Stone. So-christened by one of the cousins, this large white stone has seen its share of blood over the years--both a real body and the imagined battles of the children at play. What secrets could it tell? And why has Francis stipulated in his will that the stone must be dug up and transported to Scotland--to be buried at the point furthest from Exe?
Running counter to the present story, we have "letters" from the dead--the five cousins, as well as Francis Hatton himself. Some of what these voices have to tell us confirms information that Francesca learns....and then there are moments that contradict the actions and stories of our cast of characters. Not only is it difficult for Francesca to learn the truth....but in the end, the reader is unsure whether we have been told the final story after all.
This is an absorbing, gripping story. Told with all the assurance of good research, Charles Todd made me absolutely believe that I was in England during World War I. There is an air of tension running throughout that is tied not only to the mystery itself, but to the backdrop of the conflict. There are wounded men who have been invalided out and those who have escaped hospital who don't quite know who or where they are. As other reviewers have pointed out, this is more of a Gothic mystery story than a straight crime or detective novel. But it is a Gothic mystery done well. Francesca's plight is very real and very affecting and I had to keep reading to see if she ever got her answers. Four stars--highly recommended.
Kemp's Last Case really is the last mystery featuring solicitor Lennox Kemp in the series by M. R. D. Meek. Margaret Reid Duncan Meek was 65 when she published her first Kemp story, With Flowers That Fell, in 1983. Kemp starts out as a disbarred solicitor turned private eye, but returns to a solicitor's practice during the course of the novels. Kemp's Last Case was published in 2004 and Meek passed away in November of 2009.
In this final mystery, Lennox is now happily married and a doting father with a steady practice. But he is
still unable to resist the lure of a mystery. He has been charged with the disposal of the property and earthly goods of the late Dr Ayres. His duty to organize the property for sale to benefit her various charities. As he clears out an ancient roll-top desk, he comes across diaries and newspaper articles referring to a twenty-year-old murder case.
Seven-year-old Rickie Fenwick had been abducted, assaulted, and then murdered and all evidence pointed to a man who died of cancer before he could be brought to trial. There are several odd entries in the diaries which rouse Kemp's curiosity. He had arrived in town the year after the tragedy--at which point no one was talking about it. And no one wants to talk about it now. Every time Lennox broaches the subject, people clam up. Just after he discovers the materials in Dr. Ayres's desk, he is reintroduced to Lettice Warrender and her husband, Dr. Aumary. Lettice, Tovril (or Tod as he's now known) and Lettice's brother Roger were all in the town when Rickie went missing. Kemp tries to use his old connections to get to the bottom of what really happened on that hot August day twenty years ago...but somebody doesn't want to revisit the past and doesn't mind eliminating Kemp if need be.
***Possible spoiler ahead***
I'm in two minds about this one. I really like Lennox Kemp. He's a down-to-earth character. Even though I haven't read any of the previous 13 books, I didn't feel like I needed to. You get to know Kemp right away and Meek quickly fills in the background of why Kemp was disbarred and what he's done about it since. Although he was disbarred for embezzlement, we instantly understand his motives and believe that at bottom he's an honest man. He's certainly a solicitor that I would want on my side. And he's tenacious when it comes to ferreting out the facts. That's all to the good. The difficulty? I saw the solution coming from the moment the villain appeared on the page. I didn't know quite how--but I definitely knew who. No attempts to confuse the readers. No red herrings. And, honestly, it's not as if clues were thick on the ground. It's just that what was there was telegraphed. My other problem? That whole child murder thing. I don't do it well. Fortunately, the details on the actual assault are sparse, so it wasn't as bad as it could be. But it was enough to detract from the pleasure. Two and a half stars. Rounded to three on Goodreads.
A shell-gathering vacation in Florida nearly lands Bill Stuart in the local jail...and before he's done, he may wind up in the morgue instead.
All Stuart wants is to spend some time on the beach--collecting rare shells and admiring the lovely scenery (of the bathing beauty variety). He gets more than he bargained for when he discovers a beautiful young woman hiding under a fishing pier near his favorite stretch of beach. She tells him a rather fishy story (all in keeping with her locale), but he doesn't let it phase him. He offers her a ride back to town and she begs to drive his convertible.
Thinking nothing of it, Stuart agrees and soon they're off on a wild ride. A mysterious gray sedan starts following them and Valerie swerves and dodges and drives the wrong way down one way streets to lose it. She pulls into a bus station and manages to disappear before Stuart can ask too many questions. From there on, Bill has beautiful girls and corpses popping in and out of his life like so many jack-in-the-boxes. When he tries to get the local police chief interested in the missing girl and the mysterious sedan, the Chief is more interested in the traffic violations his little green convertible has collected.
Even the high-powered investigator from up North, doesn't seem very interested in Stuart's story, so he goes on a little hunt of his own. It leads him back to the beach and a cabin near the pier where he met Valerie. And inside....is the body of a recently murdered man. The Chief and his northern counterpart show up just in time to try and fit Stuart for the part of first murderer. But when the few stray prints in the place don't match Stuart's and DO match Valerie's (via a compact that she happened to leave with Stuart), the Chief gets much more interested in the missing girl. Stuart knows he didn't do it and he doesn't believe Valerie did--but can he find the missing girl, the mysterious sedan, and the right culprit before he winds up in jail or worse?
This is another 1950s, fast-paced, humorous mystery with a B-movie feel. There's the hometown cop who doesn't quite know what to do when the crimes are worse than someone feeding slugs into the parking meters. There are tough, gangster-types. There's the hapless hero who seems to be suspected no matter what he does...and he does it all for the sake of a beautiful dame. Lots of fun, lots of hi-jinks, and lots of misdirection. Three stars for a nice, enjoyable read.
Maid to Murder by Roy Vickers (1950)
"It would be grand to help you find poor old Velfrage. Pretty obvious
that something has happened to him. I mean - well, he may have been
murdered, mayn't he?"
Mr. Velfrage is a solicitor charged with the care of the
famously cursed Rabethorpe diamond. Bruce Habershon is a mild-mannered, respectable businessman who is sent home sick by his motherly secretary. On the way home, Haberson quaffs too much quinine (trying to bring that dratted fever down), picks up Velfrage (whose car has broken down) and delivers him to his destination, promptly loses Velfrage altogether, and wakes up in hospital after suffering from quinine-induced delusions and running his car into a lamppost. He finds a glittery, peacock feathered woman's bag about his person and takes it to the local police department. The bag winds up in the hands of Inspector Kyle of Scotland Yard after the infamous Rabethorpe diamond is found in the lining.
When Kyle questions Habershon about the bag, Habershon tells a tale full of disappearing solicitors, Disney dwarves, red-headed maids, gangs of nefarious criminals, open safes, and bodies wrapped in carpets. As Kyle and Habershon try to sift the facts from quinine delusions, Habershon is prompted by two beautiful women who are just as deeply involved in the mystery as he is. Two murders and an attempt later, Kyle gathers everyone concerned--Habershon; the four "gang" members; a real-live, small-time burglar; the two lovelies; and a dotty old woman who may or may not be the Rabethorpe heir--in the house where Velfrage disappeared. Using the classic Golden Age methods, he'll reveal all in the final scene.
Reading this one was like sitting down for one of those old, black & white, B-movie, mysteries that used to get shown on Saturday and Sunday afternoons (back in the dark ages when there weren't hundreds of channels--before AMC and any others dedicated to classic movies). Madcap mystery! Hero hiding out from the law and trying to clear his name! Beautiful dames! Rotten crooks! A bit of amnesia! Cursed jewels! Lots of mysterious goings on and a big reveal at the end. There really isn't much of a surprise when the crooks are fingered--but it's so much fun getting there that you really don't mind. A rollicking good time with a wonderful protagonist--it's great fun watching to see how Habershon's going to prove his innocence. Four stars.
By a Woman's Hand is a mystery reference book by Jean Swanson and Dean James. Published in 1994, it contains over 200 short, succinct profiles of women authors of mystery and suspense
fiction--including Mary Higgins Clark, Sue Grafton, and many others.
The book focuses on writers whose work appeared from the 1970s to the early 1990s. It is a handy little volume which contains entries listing some of the author's best-known books, pen names (if any), style (hard-boiled, romantic suspense, cozy, etc), and offers the reader suggestions for similar authors.
I have owned this book since 1996 and had skimmed through it in the past--primarily to look up an author I loved and find out what other authors might appeal to me. I had never sat down and read the book cover-to-cover. Now I have. It is an interesting reference book--a little out of date, certainly. After all, some of these authors have published much more since this book came out and there are better examples of their work. And, of course, there are many extraordinary women in the field who began their writing careers after 1994. Now that we have the internet, it is much easier to go to sites such as Whichbook or What Should I Read Next to find books that might appeal. And reader sites such as Goodreads and LibraryThing have built-in suggestion functions that will offer up choices based on the types of books you've read.
I did pick up a couple of useful suggestions for authors I haven't tried yet. And if you're the type to prefer a hard copy reference book to the electronic medium then this book or an updated version would be just the ticket. Three stars.
This is a
decent little mystery reference book with some interesting information.
However, I am a little perplexed by a supposed mystery expert who gets
several fairly common (to mystery readers) facts wrong. Hercule Poirot
and Nero Wolfe are private investigators--they get paid for most of
their investigations--therefore, they are not amateurs. Sherlock Holmes made his startling return from the dead in "The Empty House" not The Hound of the Baskervilles. Pam & Jerry North (of the Lockridge mystery series) had several cats over the long series of books--in addition to Martini (which according to Mr. Pearsall is the only cat), there are Gin, Sherry, Ruffy, Pete, Toughy, Stilts and Shadow. Lord Peter Wimsey was a Major in World War I, not a Captain. I could go on. It makes it a bit difficult to take the author's word for it on the information that is new to me, when he is mistaken on several counts throughout the book. There is plenty of correct information, though, so I'll take it in stride.
It is an interesting read and there is a good smattering of quotes from some of the big name books. (I love quotes!). Two and 3/4 stars--rounded to three on Goodreads.
Through a Glass, Darkly by Helen Mccloy opens with Faustina Crayle
being dismissed from her post as an art instructor at an elite girls'
school. The headmistress, Mrs. Lightfoot refuses to give a reason beyond
the fact that Miss Crayle "does not quite blend with the essential
spirit of Brereton." She does, however, give the art instructor six
months' pay after only five weeks of work. Evidence indeed that she
wishes her gone and spare no expense.
Faustina confides in her only friend at the school, Gisela von Hohenems, who suggests she consult a lawyer. When Faustina demurs, Gisela tells her boyfriend,
Dr. Basil Willing--famous psychologist and medical assistant to the
district attorney, about it. He insists on meeting Faustina and
convinces her to allow him to represent her with Mrs. Lightfoot. His
interview with the headmistress is very surprising. It seems that
Faustina has become the center of rumors about a doppelganger. Several
maids and a few of the girls have claimed to see Miss Crayle in two
places at once. A few parents have pulled their girls out of the school because of the unhealthy atmosphere. The practical Mrs. Lightfoot could find no plausible
explanation for the incidents and rather than investigate or allow the
rumors to create even more havoc with her school's reputation she decided to ask Miss Crayle to leave.
As Willing investigates, he discovers that this isn't the first time Faustina has been dismissed from a school because of doppelganger rumors. He will have to sift the supernatural from everyday villainy as he follows a trail littered with superstition and jewels; doubles and demimondaines. There is a tale that says She who sees her own double is about to die...and despite Willing's efforts and his instructions to stay put in a hotel while he investigates, Faustina insists on making a trip to her beach cottage. A trip from which she never returns. Did she truly see her double? Or is there a more solid human agent behind her death? Willing brings us the answer...but the ending is a bit unsettling nonetheless.
McCloy's powers to create atmosphere are at their strongest in this book. Even though we're quite sure that there's some human deviltry behind Faustina Crayle's plight, Mccloy still manages to make the idea of a doppelganger seem almost possible. And the ending leaves us just a little unsure that Dr. Willing has completely explained everything. Yes, it all hangs together. And, yes, I do believe that X really did orchestrate the whole thing and for the reasons given...but what if Dr. Willing is wrong? There's a nice shivery feeling to that thought.
A nicely done, atmospheric piece that also happens to be an excellent detective novel. Often thought to be McCloy's masterpiece, Through a Glass, Darkly is certainly the best I've read by McCloy so far. Four stars.
Quote:
"I knew people were talking about her, but I didn't know what they were saying. And even if I had--one doesn't repeat gossip to the victim, if the victim is a friend. It's one of the things you can't do. Unwritten law. Like telling a husband his wife is unfaithful."
"Even when the victim asks for it?"
"Especially when the victim asks for it! No one really wants to see himself as others see him. If people ask, they're really asking to be reassured. Just as no artist or writer ever wants real criticism for the work he shows you. Just praise."
~Gisela von Hohenems; Dr. Basil Willing (p. 33)
Campus Cop, Peggy O'Neill, is back to crime-busting in M. D. Lake's Once Upon a Crime. The fact that Peggy is represented as little more than a glorified nightwatchman hasn't kept her from landing in the middle of five murder investigations in the previous series books and being on the disabled list won't keep her out of this one. According to Peggy, all she's supposed to do at night is walk the beat, watch out for suspicious-looking loiterers, and shepherd the inebriated undergraduates home. Detective duty is not supposed to be on her duty roster, and yet....
As mentioned, Peggy is on the disabled list--recovering from the lingering effects of her last tangle with a murderer (see Murder by Mail). In her now abundant spare time she meets Pia Austin, undergraduate Hans Christian Andersen scholar and girlfriend to Christian Donnelly--the university's star quarterback. Her friendship will result in Peggy landing a minor role in a play adaptation of The Emperor's New Clothes and a leading role in the investigation of the murder of Pia's father. Pia's dad is Jens Aage Lindemann, Danish scholar and the leading expert on Andersen. Lindemann has been invited as the keynote speaker at the university's symposium on Anderson, an event meant to christen the newly built children's library and special Andersen room.
After the keynote address, Lindemann is found dead in the Andersen room--with a statue of the Little Mermaid as the weapon and a smashed display case at his side. It looks as though Lindemann walked in a thief making off with original letters written by Andersen to a friend and paid for it with his life. But Peggy isn't so sure. What if Lindemann--a man who seems to have gathered more than his share of adversaries and enemies--was the target all along? Peggy will have to wade through academic rivalries and Lindemann's past love life before the motive and the culprit become clear.
This series by M. D. Lake is a very pleasant, very cozy little take on the academic mystery. Peggy O'Neill is a very likable character--and a very down-to-earth, believable one. It is very nice that she is able to manipulate the case so she finally gets a guarantee from her boss that she'll be sent for detective training. She really is wasted on that night beat. The mystery is a pretty straight-forward one with very few bells and whistles. There are, however, enough suspects and red herrings to keep the average reader guessing. I spotted the vital secret--but I must say I wasn't able to spot the correct killer.
My one major quibble is having Peggy act as judge and jury at the end. A character like Holmes or Poirot packs enough punch to carry that off....I'm just not convinced that Peggy does. Three stars for a good solid mystery outing.
Gently Go Man by Alan Hunter is like way out there, man. Like the mostest in the way of late 50s/very early 60s talk. Like maybe too much mostest. You dig me, man?
Okay, I can only do so much of that. Seriously. So...Gently Go Man was first published in 1961. The teddy boys have given way to jeebies (don't ask me, I have no idea). These are jazz-loving, motorcycle-riding teenagers who have had it with the adults and are looking for a way out of squaresville. They find their way out through the kick of riding their motorcycles hard and fast and through the smoke of a stick (that's marijuana to you and me).
Johnny Lister is one of them--until the night he and his girl are riding hard down five miles of straight road with a dead tree at the end of it. Initially, it looks like an accident--because one small mistake when you're clocking over a hundred is all it takes to end it. But there are traces of another rider who may have run Lister off the road and someone stopped to check on the damage (but didn't report the wreck). Superintendent George Gently of Scotland Yard is called in to try and trace the other rider. And while he's at it, he'll trace a line back to the supplier of the sticks and break up a cozy little drug ring.
I must say that I am solidly lodged in squaresville. I just don't dig this book, man. It doesn't reach me. And I have to say that if I didn't know that this was published in 1961 and so Hunter must have had a pretty good idea what the lingo of the day for teenagers was, I would think this was a very bad, over-the-top, stereotype of what the early 60s British teenager was like. There are whole pages of dialogue that is nothing but jeebie slang. And wading through that was pretty tedious. The best part of all that was how Inspector Gently didn't let the jeebies get the best of him. He rolled with it and gave as good as he got. So--star points for Inspector Gently.
And the actual detective work to figure out who was behind the drug trade and the death of Johnny Lister? That was pretty decent as well. Unfortunately, the story and the character of George Gently was nearly buried by the jive-talking jeebies. One and a half stars (rounded to two on Goodreads). Not the best of the Gently series.
As a side-note--while this is the 8th (or 9th, depending on which list you believe) of the Gently series, the plot is used as the pilot story for the Inspector Gently television series. It is updated just a bit (to the mid-60s) and an extra plot line involving Gently's wife and a notorious mobster is added (to spice things up a bit?).
The Water Room by Christopher Fowler is the second book in his Peculiar Crimes Unit series. It stars John May and Arthur Bryant, the octogenarian leaders of a unit of detectives who handle all the cases that the regular detective forces won't touch or can't solve. This one begins with a simple question: How can an elderly woman drown, fully dressed to go out, in her otherwise dry basement? Their search will lead them through a maze of shady real estate men, racist threats, shy academic types with something underhand on the side, lectures on the city's undergound river system, and some lessons in Egyptian mythology. There's a killer on the loose who leaves no clues and who is ruthless in a hunt for a valuable art treasure. Bryant and May are out to locate the treasure and capture the criminal before anyone else has to die.
The use of "water" in the title of this one is very fortuitous...in a way. Because this story is, quite frankly (in my opinion), duller than ditch water. There are long explanatory, historical bits about the underground rivers. There are repeated episodes with one of the characters hearing rushing water in her house, fighting off spiders, and thinking that someone is entering her house when she's not there. There's a long time between the first murder (that no one except Bryant and May considers a murder for quite a while) and the next. There's a lot of talk and not a whole lot of action. The mystery could be a quite interesting one....if the story would just move along....
I read the first of this series quite a while ago (pre-blogging days) and all I can tell you about it is that I enjoyed it enough to snatch up a couple of the books when I got a chance. But I honestly don't think I'll be reading any more. This one just didn't do it for me. One star.