Eight Detectives

 Eight Detectives (2020) by Alex Pavesi

Grant McAllister was a mathematician in the 1930s with an interest in murder mysteries. He determined that all murder mysteries follow a simple set of rules that could be explained as a mathematical formula. He wrote a scholarly paper about it and then put together a set of short stories titled The White Murders with seven examples of the "permutations of murder" (as he called them). The book sold modestly during the boom years of the Golden Age of mysteries but never reached the fame that McAllister hoped for. The book fell out of publication and Grant McAllister disappeared.

Years later, Julia Hart is on a mission to find him. When she tracks him to a Mediterranean cottage, she sends him a letter from Blood Type Books, a publisher that, after discovering an original copy of The White Murders, would like to bring out a new, annotated edition of his only mystery work. He invites her to visit and as they work through the stories together, she realizes that there are more mysteries here than just those on the written page. McAllister is an older man, but is he really so old that he's forgotten how/when/why he came to write the stories? And why are there references to a real unsolved murder throughout the book--not least the title itself? And who exactly is/was Francis Gardner? 

For the most part, this seems to be a love it or hate it kind of book. There are a few reviews out there that hit the middle of the road, but not many. Personally, I love it--with two qualifications. I think it's a very clever twist on the classic murder mystery. It takes tropes from the Golden Age and gives them a little whirl. I enjoyed the way the story was framed and that there are mysteries surrounding the mysteries and even when you think Pavesi has twisted things round as much as possible, there is one more up his sleeve. My only qualifications--First, Pavesi is obviously well-versed in his Agatha Christie. So much so that he steals the plot of two of her most famous stories. One practically point for point. Yes, there is a twist in the tale that is clever* (see below for a spoiler point), but I'm not in favor of this kind of poaching. Second, as the Puzzle Doctor points out in his review, the short stories within the story have a pretty modern feel for work that was supposedly written in the 1930s. But neither of these qualifications kept me from enjoying myself thoroughly. There is a lot to like for those who enjoy classic mysteries--if only to spot the tropes that have appeared in stories actually written during the Golden Age.  ★★★★

SPOILER AREA

*Just a couple of spoilerish points: I am curious, however, to know how the Colonel's wife plans to get away with the only murder that wasn't part of the original ten. Is she going to plead ignorance--that her husband opened that drawer and fell prey to a booby-trap that neither or them knew was there? Oh--and for a man who had served in the army, he seems awfully squeamish about danger and bodies and such....

First line: The two suspects sat on mismatched furniture in the white and almost featureless lounge, waiting for something to happen.

Last line: But in his soaked white suit he looked like a snowman, already starting to melt.
*********************

Deaths = 31 (four stabbed; four poisoned; seven natural; four fell from height; one drowned; seven strangled/asphyxiated; one hanged; one hit on head; two burned to death)

Only in Books

 Only in Books (1996) by J. Kevin Graffagnino

From a child...all the little money that came into my hands was ever laid out on books. ~Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)

Absolutely. 100%. From the time I was earning an allowance, I would drag my parents to bookstores and the book sections of stores and eagerly hand over my hard-earned cash for books. When I was old enough to walk downtown by myself (much younger than today's parents would even think about...), I would go to Mason's Rare & Used Bookstore during happy hour (for half-price books!) and stumble home with as many as I could carry. I had a library card of my own at the earliest age I could get one and, again, would take home as many as I could carry. Need I say it? I love books.

This book of quotations is meant for those of us who love books, the written word, and the bookstores and libraries that contain them. It is full of quotations about books, book lovers, and collectors Quotes about bookstores, libraries, and publishing houses. Quotes about authors, editors, and critics. If it's about books in way at all, there's a quote in here about it. And if there's anything I like almost as much as I like books, it's a good quote. And if it's a quote about books and/or bookish things, even better. So, when the local library was purging reference books, this was one of the books of quotations that came home with me. ★★★★

First bookish quote: In every University of character, the library is regarded as of fundamental importance. ~Charles Kendall Adams (1835-1902)

Last bookish quote: The minute arrived when with bated breath, I read that the publisher had decided to publish my book and even stipulated an option for later ones. The package with the first set of proofs came and was untied in great excitement, so as to see the type, the type-page, the very embryo of the book, and then, after a few weeks, the book itself, the first copies. One never tired of looking at them, touching them, comparing them, again and again and again. And then the childish visites to the bookstores to see if copies were already on display, whether they were resplendent in the center of the shop or hidden bashfully at the side. And then to await the first letter, the first notices, the first reply from the unknown, the incalculable. I secretly envy the young man all his suspense, excitement and enthusiasm, who casts his first book into the world. ~Stefan Zweig (1881-1942)

Death for a Dietitian

 Death for a Dietitian (1988) by E. X. Giroux

A departure novel for Giroux--her usual sleuth barrister Robert Forsythe is buried in cases and so when Gavin Lebonhom, aspiring mystery author, invites Robert and his secretary Miss Abigail Sanderson, to a celebrity mystery murder party (with murder plot written by the author himself) set at an isolated inn on an island, Sandy opts to go. It helps that Gavin is married to one of Sandy's friends' daughter. Since Forsythe (known for his sideline in detective work) won't be on hand to play detective for the murder party, Sandy is asked to take his place. She's not sure she can fill her boss's shoes, but she can't turn down a challenge.

Among her fellow guests are Jamaican pop star Reggie Knight, romance novelist, Dolores Carter-White, society's favorite hostess Sybil Montrose, and world-famous chef's chef Felix Caspari and his wife/dogsbody, Alice. Also on hand are the island's handy-woman, Fran Hornblower, and cook, Heilkje. In addition to being a well-known chef, Felix is also known as an incorrigible practical joker and Gavin fears that Felix will ruin the mystery of the plot with one of his jokes. He's right to be concerned because Felix does have a "funny" little surprise planned...except a killer decides to surprise Felix with a deadly joke of their own.

In keeping with mystery tradition, a heavy storm cuts the island off from the mainland. In placid weather, the island is reachable by boat or a somewhat dilapidated causeway--but just to make sure no one can get away, the killer bashes in the bottom of the boat and cuts the phone lines. Are there more victims on the killers to-do list? When questions are asked about connections to the dead man, it winds up that everyone except Sandy has connections to the dead man. So, Sandy is elected to investigate while they wait for the storm to subside. Will she be able to unmask the killer before the island turns into a version of And Then There Were None?

Sandy does a pretty good job filling Robert's shoes and I found this entry in the series to be a nice change of pace. Usually Sandy is doing the research/leg work to help Robert figure things out. Here she has to rely on conversations with the suspects and her observations over the course of the party. She has no access to materials/information that could help verify what the others say. With those handicaps, she does very well indeed. Giroux provides a nice set of red herrings to keep readers guessing and I didn't catch on until right before the close. ★★★

First line: Robert Forsythe cursed explosively and jabbed the bell connecting his desk with his secretary's.

Last line: "Amen." Robert Forsythe touched his glass to hers and they both drank.
***********************

Deaths = 7 (two car accident; two natural; one shot; two stabbed)

The Last Bookshop in London

 The Last Bookshop in London (2021) by Madeline Martin

Grace Bennett and her best friend Viv (Vivienne) head to London in 1939 when Britain is on the brink of war. Grace was forced out of her childhood home when her mother died and her uncle enforced his rights to the house. She tried to live with him and his family as well as to work in his shop for a while, but it just didn't work out. She's come to London hoping to find work. Fortunately, her mum's best friend Mrs. Weatherford has offered her and Viv a room for free while they look for work. Unfortunately, Grace's uncle refused to write her a reference for her good work at his shop (miffed that she "abandoned" him) and she doesn't know who would take on a girl without references.

Not to worry--Mrs. Weatherford has a way of managing things and soon convinces Mr. Evans, owner of Primrose Hill Books, to take Grace on as an assistant. He isn't particularly enthusiastic and seems, at best, very gruff. Both he and Grace are very set on the agreement that she will spend only six months with him--long enough to get experience and, hopefully, a glowing recommendation that will help her get a job at Harrod's (where Viv, with a forged reference--she did offer to do one for Grace, but was declined--now works). But over the coming months, Grace learns to love books--thanks initially to a handsome young man named George Anderson--and to love the bookshop as well. She helps Mr. Evans make several adjustments to the shop that bring in more customers and as the months go by she begins to dread the end of her six month stint. 

Meanwhile, Hitler's army invades Poland and Britain and France declare war on Germany. Colin, Mrs. Weatherford's gentle, animal-loving son, is called up to serve. George also joins up in the RAF. The Blitz begins over England and Viv signs up with the ATS, working in the radar rooms at first and later helping with the anti-aircraft guns which worked to protect London during the air raids. Grace divides her time between the bookshop and serving as an air raid warden. Eventually, her two jobs blend as she begins reading novels to those waiting out the air raids in the London underground in her district.

This is a story about love, friendship, hope, and resilience in the face of war, danger and loss. It was inspired by the few London bookstores which survived the relentless bombing during the Blitz. And Martin works her research into her writing, creating a very realistic look at life during the bombing of London. I love a good story that revolves around books. I love a good historical novel and World War II is one of my favorite time periods. The only thing that could have made the story better for me (being a mystery junkie) would have been a good mystery to solve in the middle of it all. But I enjoyed Martin's style and found her characters engaging an relatable. An outstanding read. ★★★★★

First line: Grace Bennett had always dreamed of someday living in London.

Last line: It was everything and everyone coming together as a community, drawn by the power of literature, that truly made her love of books complete and what put the heart into Evans & Bennett--or as some of her long-time patrons still referred to it, The Last Bookshop in London.

Reading Up a Storm

 Reading Up a Storm (2016) by Eva Gates

Lucy Richardson, a librarian at Bodie Island's Lighthouse Library, has helped host a surprise party to celebrate her boss's tenure at the library. Bertie James has worked there ten years. The party goes off without a hitch, but due to a gathering storm in the Outer Banks the festivities are cut short. Lucy has snuggled down in her apartment above the library floors all set to read more chapters of Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson when she notices lights out on the rolling waves. Surely no one would be out on a boat in this weather...Then she notices more lights onshore, bobbing as if they were attached to moored boats. Not sure of what she's seeing, she calls the Coast Guard and alerts them.

Next morning she learns that William Williamson, a former inhabitant of Nag's Head (the little town on Bodie Island) who made good in the oil fields of Alaska and has just recently come home, and his fiancee Marlene Bergen, were out on a boat which came apart in the storm. They survived the ordeal only long enough for Williamson to found dead in another boat the next morning. But this is no accident...someone stabbed him and left him to die. Lucy finds herself involved when one of her friends comes under suspicion. 

Stephanie Stanton, a lawyer in Raleigh is home caring for her mother who was recently in an accident, had just recently discovered that Williamson was the father who had abandoned her mother when he realized his little fling had resulted in a pregnancy. The detective in charge of the case reasons that Stephanie could have killed out of resentment, revenge, or even the hope of inheritance. Lucy is sure her friend didn't do it and starts an investigation of her own. It doesn't take long to discover that Williamson wasn't precisely what he seemed and had a knack for creating enemies wherever he went. But who really wanted him dead?

I enjoy a good cozy mystery as much as the next cozy mystery reader. And I fully expected to enjoy this one--set in library set up in a lighthouse? Sounds great. Librarian amateur detective? You bet. Working in the dark and stormy night theme? Why not? Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would. I didn't take to Lucy at all. She has an incredible knack for saying all the wrong things at the wrong time. She's not particularly intuitive and not really much of a detective. In fact, there's not a whole lot of detecting going on at all. Things just...happen. She continually gets maneuvered into situations and actions that she doesn't want because she doesn't seem to have a backbone and/or to know the word "No." Don't even talk to me about her interactions with Louise Jane (whose character is the most pointless in the book as far as I'm concerned). Lucy's dilemma with being attracted to two men (who are, of course, both attracted to her) wasn't particularly interesting and her sudden epiphany about which one she really loves seemed to come out of nowhere. But I wasn't convinced that it was a solid epiphany because about a chapter later she's thinking about how attractive the dead man's son is. And, gee, he's interested in her too. (Is every single male? that's what I'm thinking at this point.) 

The mystery was decently set up but I would have appreciated better clues and better detection. ★★

First lines: It was a dark and stormy night.
                  I've always wanted to say that.

Last line: "A haunted lighthouse, of course."
*******************

Deaths = one stabbed

Mystery Muses (mini-review)

 Mystery Muses: 100 Classics That Inspire Today's Mystery Writers (2006) by Jim Huang & Austin Lugar (eds)

It is interesting to me what constitutes a "classic" for these authors. From my 55-year-old perspective, Dennis Lehane (the last author mentioned in this volume) whose referenced work was a mere 8 years old at the time Mystery Muses was published, was nothing like a classic. I still don't think I'd put him in the classic mystery section now that 26 years has passed. It seems to me that it would have been more fitting to say "100 Influential Works" or just "100 Detective Novels." The word classic, to my mind, implies a certain weight and history that many of the mentioned works just don't have. From Poe to Chandler and Christie to Sayers to Marsh and Tey--even including Dick Francis and P. D. James--we have authors who heavily influenced the mystery genre and whose influence is still felt fifty, a hundred years later. Will Lehane have that kind of staying power? Who knows. But certainly eight years out from publication it was impossible to say so. Looking at Goodreads right now, it still has a smattering of recent reviews but nothing like what you'd expect if it were a classic influencer. 

That said, I did enjoy reading about what mystery authors and works influenced some of the mystery writers whose novels I have enjoyed. In addition to talking about the books, they also told stories of how those books came into their lives--through relatives or librarians or teachers who set them on the path of life-long readers and writers. ★★★ and 1/2.

First line (1st essay): When I was just eight, my grandfather lent me a collection of Poe stories.

I think that's just what mystery writers must do, espy human motivations and tell themselves the truth about those observations, and then convert those truths into the most deliciously entertaining "little lies" ever told: mystery stories. (Sharon Short, p. 141)

Last line (last essay): In a similar gesture, Gone, Baby, Gone and its companion books will remain on that eye-level shelf in my office, hopefully joined by new Lehane volumes soon enough, to remind me why I'm writing, and to remind me of the standard I'm chasing.

Write Murder Down

 Write Murder Down (1972) by Richard Lockridge

Once again Lieutenant Nathan Shapiro, the Eeyore of the NYD detective branch, is--according to him--in over his head. Captain Bill Weigand has this tendency to give Shapiro cases where he has to deal with people he just doesn't understand...from artists to actors and now authors. He just doesn't understand what a smart man like Bill Weigand is doing giving these investigations to a man who's just good with a gun. But as Weigand points out to him (for the umpteenth time), he always manages to get his man (or woman as the case may be) without needing his gun.

When Miss A. Jones is found dead in her apartment--an apparent suicide involving pills and slit wrists--homicide detective Nate Shapiro is given the case because of one little detail. The body is chock full of barbiturates and there is nary a pill or pill bottle in the near-empty room. Finding a room key for the Algonquin Hotel leads Shapiro to the discovery that Miss A. Jones is really Miss Jo-An Lacey, a recent best-selling author. Apparently Miss Lacey was using the apartment as a writing hide-away. But the typewriter she worked on and the huge stack of typewritten pages containing what was meant to be her next best-seller have disappeared. Shapiro, assisted by his right-hand man Detective Tony Cook, is going to have to make his way through the foreign world of publishers, agents, options and contracts. A world where someone just might kill to get their hands on a sure-fire best-seller...and most likely has.

Despite his woe-is-me attitude, I like Nate Shapiro. He is a very smart and observant man (his own opinion notwithstanding). He knows when something doesn't look or sound right and when the clues aren't adding up to the obvious solution. But I really like Detective Tony Cook. His work on the cases and his relationship with Rachel really make the Shapiro books for me. It would have been interesting if Lockridge had decided to bring Cook to the forefront in a series of his own. He and Shapiro work very well together and have a good relationship beyond the work. Lockridge is very good with characterization and even characters who aren't on stage for long seem like real people. Since Lacey and her brother (who is on the scene because he had been worried about a lady like his sister being at the mercy of a Northern big city) are Southerners (deep South Southerners--dilapidated family plantation and all), Lockridge is able to provide an interesting contrast to his usual cast, as well as make some subtle comments on race. There are unpleasant racial stereotypes in play--but Lockridge makes it clear where he stands on the subject. Our heroes always look askance at anyone who employs such language and make it clear that they don't hold with such views.

My one complaint about this (and several of the Lockridge books) is the lack of real suspects. There aren't many to choose from, so the mystery itself isn't terribly complex. The real difficulty as far as I can see is proving it. I'm just not sure the District Attorney is going to have a solid case to go to court. ★★★ and 1/2

First line: They walked down Sixth Avenue from Charles Restaurant.

Last line:He poured them fresh drinks.
******************

Deaths = 3 (two airplane crash; one stabbed)

The Midnight Library

 The Midnight Library (2020) by Matt Haig

From the book flap: Between life and death there is a library. 
Up until now, Nora Seed's life has been full of misery and regret. She feels she has let everyone down, including herself. But things are about to change. When she finds herself in the Midnight Library, she has a chance to make things right.

The books in the Midnight Library enable Nora to live as if she had done things differently. Each one contains a different life, a possible world in which she made different choices that played out in an infinite number of ways, affecting everyone she knew as well as many people she never met. With the help of an old friend she can now undo every decision she regrets as she tries to work out her perfect life. but things aren't always what she imagined they'd be and soon her choices place the library and herself in extreme danger.

My take: So, the synopsis sounded really good. A magical library with books that represent every possible twist and turn your life could have taken. A chance to try those other lives on for size to figure out the perfect combination. I'm not much into the descriptions of most magical realism stories (and I really needed one for a challenge a signed up for), but a story about books and books filled with alternate realities? I was all set to enjoy that. But....I didn't. Or rather I didn't enjoy it like I thought I would. It's a perfectly good story. It has a nice little moral to it. And that's all fine. But the alternate realities weren't all that interesting. And Nora is supposedly extraordinarily bright...but she's a little slow on the uptake when she steps into a new life. Each time she's like, "Man, this is weird. Why is everything so different?" (Oh, I don't know...maybe because that was the whole point--that things would be different and you wouldn't be so sad about your life and want to end it all?) A terrific concept, but the follow-through was not up to expectations. I started out with 3 1/2 stars...but I've thought it over and I don't think it's that good. ★★ and 1/2

First line: Nineteen years before she decided to die, Nora Seed sat in the warmth of the small library at Hazeldene School in the town of Bedford.

Last line: And Nora smiled as she stared at all the pieces she still had left in play, thinking about her next move.

Dorothy & Jack: The Transforming Friendship of Dorothy L. Sayers & C. S. Lewis

 Dorothy & Jack: The Transforming Friendship of Dorothy L. Sayers & C. S. Lewis by Gina Dalfonzo (2020)

What happens when we push past the surface and allow real, grounded, mutually challenging, and edifying friendships to develop? This is the question posed by Gina Dalfonzo in her biographical examination of the friendship between Christian thinkers and apologists Dorothy L. Sayers and C. S. Lewis. The friendship had its beginning in a fan letter that Sayers, then celebrated for her mystery fiction and less known for her Christian work, wrote Lewis the first of what became a fifteen-year correspondence. They met on various occasions, but the friendship grew primarily through the written word--letters exploring their mutually held views, debating their differences, critiquing each others work, bolstering one another on points of perceived weakness, and praising & encouraging strengths. 

"Over the years they had helped, educated, guided, teased, critiqued, chastised, defended, consoled, and laughed with each other."

What more could two friends ask for?

One thing that I found frustrating about this book is that most of the letters which promised (in Dalfonzo's descriptions of them) to be very interesting were "apparently lost." She repeatedly employs references in letters--most often in Lewis's replies to Sayers (DLS appears to have kept nearly everything Lewis sent to her)--which indicate that a previous letter held some interesting or profound observations, but we don't get to see them. And, in fact, Dalfonzo quotes very little of the correspondence even though she quotes Lewis's admiration for Sayers' letter-writing abilities. Which reminds me that I really need to read the two collections of Sayers' letters that I have.

On the plus side, it was very refreshing to read about this amazing intellectual friendship--to watch how each influenced the other over the years and gave to the other something that was missing in their other friendships. Having enjoyed Sayers' translation of Dante, I especially appreciated Lewis's commentary and critiques of that work. A very strong literary biography of the friendship between two of my favorite authors. ★★★★

First line (Intro): They could not have been more alike.

Last line: "He is down on the thing like a rat, he is God's terrier, and I wouldn't be without him for the world." (Sayers about Lewis)

The Cat Who Saved Books

 The Cat Who Saved Books (2017) by Sosuke Natsukawa; translated by Heal Kawai

Rintaro Natsuki has grown up in his grandfather's bookshop, Natsuki Books. When his parents died, Natsuki came to live with his grandfather. An introverted boy who has never felt like he fit in with his classmates, he has enjoyed the comfort and seclusion he found among the books. He is devastated when his grandfather dies. He has inherited the bookstore, but he is going to have to sell it and move in with his aunt. He stops going to high school and then he starts having visitors.

Two of his fellow students stop to visit and let him know they're concerned about him--especially the class president, a girl he never would have believed thought about him at all. And then...the talking tabby cat shows up. Tiger, the cat, needs Rintaro's help in a quest. There are those who are destroying books and not using them the way they are meant to be used and Tiger wants the boy to help him free the books. There's the man who owns thousands of books, but keeps them locked up and on display. And the professor trying to develop a new way to speed-read who thinks chopping books up into digestible "sound-bites" is the answer. And the publisher who produces books that he thinks will sell rather than those that are really worth reading. And one final quest with stakes even higher. His new friend Sayo has been taken and won't be released unless he defeats one final twisted soul in the realm of books.

This book is a fantasy and a parable and a coming of age story. Through his adventures, Rintaro learns the true power of books; that they are more than escapes from the world. They hold power. The power to understand others--people like us who are experiencing what we experience but in their own ways and people who may not look or seem like us. They allow us to visit worlds and peoples we might never know were it not for the power of stories.

Books are filled with human thoughts and feelings. People suffering, people who are sad or happy, laughing with joy. By reading their words and their stories, by experiencing them together, we learn about the hears and minds of other people besides ourselves, Thanks to books, it's possible to learn not only about the people around us every day, but people living in totally different worlds.

Rintaro also learns much about himself. He learns that he has gifts that he never realized and that he can stand on his own two feet now that his Grandfather is gone. He learns that he can make friends and work with others (even a talking cat!). He learns about the power within himself as well as within books.  ★★★★

First line: First things first, Grandpa's gone.

Last line: A gentle breeze brushed the doorbell, and it gave a cheerful ring.

Bimbos of the Death Sun

 Bimbos of the Death Sun (1987) by Sharyn McCrumb

Jay Omega (Professor James Owens Mega) is attending his first ever science fiction convention--as a featured author. Under the pen name Jay Omega, he has written a hard SF novel--which has been given the title Bimbos of the Death Sun and a lurid cover by his publishers--and his partner, Marion Farley (Professor of English, science fiction specialty) advises him that he should go to a convention and promote his book. So he does. He doesn't expect the weekend to involve sharing author honors with one of the most odious fantasy authors, Appin Dungannon, or judging a writing contest or serving as Dungeon Master for a live "Dungeons & Dragons" game...or becoming involved in a murder investigation when somebody decides they've had enough of Dungannon and shoots him in his hotel room. Dungannon's fantasy series may have been beloved by fans...but he certainly wasn't. His idea of author/fan interaction was to insult their intelligence at every opportunity.

Poor Lieutenant Ayhan doesn't know what to make of the case when it's assigned to him.There are elves, Star Trek officers, vampires, storm troopers, and more wandering the hallways of the hotel. Since 90% of the convention attendees are in costume, it's difficult to pin down who's who--and he's never sure when someone mentions a name if it's a real person or not.

"I didn't see....Yes, I did. Going down the hall toward the room, I passed two Imperial Storm Troopers, and when I came out, I ran into Dracula." [Louis Warren]
Lt. Ayhan sighed, "I love this case."

He wonders which of these crazy SF/Fantasy folk went off the murder deep-end and decided to rid the world of the rude author. But, having just met him that weekend, Jay Omega wonders who didn't want to kill him? When Jay's expertise is needed with the victim's computer, they realize that portions of Dungannon's most recent novel have been deleted. Could the deletions hold the key to the murder? 

So, this was hilarious--dated views of women notwithstanding. I never attended a SF convention--I was too young when I was in my full-throttle science fiction phase. But I did write Star Trek parodies and poetry and, had I been able, I'm sure I would have attended a con in full Trek costume. I'm pretty familiar with the rabid fan mentality that McCrumb portrays. I see that some of the reviewers on Goodreads take exception to her poking fun at these things. But I can definitely recognize the types and enjoy the fun being had. I don't think she's being cruel and, quite honestly, some of the behavior is very funny. Full points for setting, background, and general ambiance.

The mystery plot itself is a little obvious. Mainly because I didn't think McCrumb built up enough solid motives among the "suspects"--and really didn't have the lieutenant do much in the way of investigating those suspects. The death occurs rather late in the game and so the ending was a bit fast and forced. An earlier murder with more investigation and motive development would have been welcome. I'm not as familiar with McCrumb's work, so I looked to see if this was her debut mystery, but she had at least three under her belt at that point (and possibly four--depending on the timing between this and Paying the Piper). Still, this was a highly entertaining book and I enjoyed reading it. ★★★ and 1/2.

First line: The visiting Scottish folksinger peered out of the elevator into the hotel lobby.

Science fiction writers build castles in the air; the fans move into them; and the publishers collect the rent. [from the Author's Note; ix)

"Just tell Dungannon it can't be done," said Omega reasonably.
They both looked at him as if he were tap-dancing on a minefield. (p. 9)

"I was just thinking how nice it would be to be famous enough to be difficult." (Jay Omega; p. 10)

Ah, well, he thought, closing the door, it will make a fine story to tell back home. "What did you do in American, Donnie?"--"I loaned chocolate bars to the Martians." (p. 11)

Miles Perry didn't think that homicide detectives ought to giggle while investigating a murder. Still, he supposed, it was better than a granite-faced Joe Friday look that radiated suspicion. (p.80)

Last lines: Apparently they were talking about real life. Real life bored him. Bonnenberger stopped listening and went back to his book.

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

Deaths = 2 (one shot; one electrocuted)

Murder by the Book: Mysteries for Bibliophiles

 Murder by the Book: Mysteries for Bibliophiles (2022) by Martin Edwards [all stories pre-1990]

Another terrific collection of little-known and never-before-collected short stories from the British Library Crime Classics series. This time the mysteries feature books and the written word--from collectors to writers to disgruntled mystery lovers. We have dying clues left in books and clues that could only be understood by someone who is well-read. There are seemingly impossible murders and inverted mysteries where we wonder if the investigator will catch up with the criminal. In fact, we have a little something for everyone. And what book and mystery lover could resist a whole anthology full of book-related mysteries? Not me! My personal favorites: "A Lesson in Crime," "Malice Domestic," "A Savage Game," and . I would have ranked "Murder in Advance" among them but I just don't see all the indications that Dacre says indicates the guilty party.  ★★★★

"A Lesson in Crime" by G. D. H. & M. Cole: A disgruntled (and slightly crazy) mystery fan decides to show a famous detective novelist what the perfect murder is really like. [one strangled]

"Trent & the Ministering Angel" by E. C. Bentley: Philip Trent's friend Arthur Selby presents him with an odd incident which occurred just before Gregory Landell died and asks for Trent's advice. After hearing details of a business transaction that didn't need to take place, Trent decides he simply must view the late Landell's rock garden. And there he finds clues to a hidden will. [one poisoned]

"A Slice of Bad Luck" by Nicholas Blake (Cecil Day-Lewis): At a very Detection Club-like dinner, the mystery writers get a chance to see murder up close and personal when one of their number is stabbed when the lights go out. [one stabbed]

"The Strange Case of the Megatherium Thefts" by S. C. Roberts: When a couple dozen books go missing from the Megatherium Club, Sherlock Holmes is called in to discover which member (or members) is behind the thefts.

"Malice Domestic" by Philip MacDonald: Carl Borden's friends noticed that things just didn't seem right between the writer and his wife. His doctor and his friend suspects even more when Carl has a bout of sickness. And his suspicions seem to be well-founded when he finds arsenic in Carl's food during another bout. But Carl refuses to believe his wife is trying to kill him... [one poisoned]

"A Savage Game" by A. A. Milne: Coleby, a mystery writer, declares that detective novelists are just as good as the police at taking a bunch of clues and devising a story from them. His friend, Colonel Saxe--the Chief Constable, dares him to come up with the correct story to explain the stabbing of an elderly miser. It would seem that one of his heirs must have done it...except circumstances seem to prove that neither one of them could have. [one stabbed]

"The Clue in the Book" by Julian Symons [one poisoned]: A collector of books and manuscripts is killed just after Quarles contacts him about examining certain documents in the manuscript collection. He quickly determines who poisoned the elderly man. *SPOILER: Can I just say that Symons could be rather severe in his critiques of other mystery writers. And the major clue in this one is so absolutely obvious that he might well have just told us in the first sentence who did it. There is zero mystery here. None.

"The Manuscript" by Gladys Mitchell: When one brings former lawbreakers into one's home, one shouldn't be surprised when trouble follows--no matter how reformed they might be. A writer hires a maid with a police record--precisely because she has a record. That fact will be useful for his current book. When her usefulness to him is done with, he fires her and she retaliates by throwing his manuscript in the fire. She's later found dead with her neck broken and the police think there is an obvious answer. But maybe not...(one neck broken)

"A Man & His Mother-in-Law" by Roy Vickers: A fairly self-centered man who thinks his wife should be the "yes-woman" in his life, is brought to grief by his mother-in-law, his wife, and a copy of a book by his mother-in-law's favorite poet. (one natural; two by enemy fire in WWII; one strangled)

"Grey's Ghost" by Michael Innes (J. I. M. Stewart): A man's ghost writer exacts revenge on his ungrateful employer. That'll teach him to underpay the help...

"Dear Mr. Editor..." by Christianna Brand: A very disturbed young woman who tried to kill her sister once and was "punished" (I read put into a facility for the mentally disturbed) is released. She received a letter from a literary editor requesting a murder mystery, so she decides to kill her sister again. But just for the story, you know. (one natural; one shot)

"Murder in Advance" by Marjorie Bremner: A playwright is killed after having announced the premise of his next play--about a man who is blackmailed into leaving his job. Some of the details mirror the fate of his friend, a man who recently died in an airplane crash. When the playwright is shot, Inspector Dacre thinks there must have been something in that blackmail story.... (one shot; two airplane crash; one car accident):

"A Question of Character" by Victor Canning: A well-established mystery author finds himself constantly coming up second to his wife--not just her books, though once she starts writing, they're bestsellers; but also in golf and gardening and...anything she decides to take up after he's shown interest. He meets a nice girl and decides to devise his most fool-proof murder plot ever. (two in a fire)

"The Book of Honour" by John Creasey: A man in the book business in Bombay witnesses the feud between a local man who has become his friend and the man's son--as a result of the son's insolent and illegal behavior. When his friend seems determined to suffer dishonor rather than betray his son, Graham takes matters into his own hands....

"We Know You're Busy Writing..." by Edmund Crispin: What's a man to do when the people in his life--friends, family, neighbors, bare acquaintances--won't leave him alone to do his writing? (two hit on the head)

"Chapter & Verse" by Ngaio Marsh: Timothy Bates, a New Zealand bookman who had become friends with Alleyn when the inspector was in that country, arrives in England with an old Bible with odd inscriptions. Alleyn is not at home & Bates tells Troy that he's got something a bit in Alleyn's line...but he dies in a fall from the church tower before Alleyn gets home.  (four fell to their death)

First line (1st story): Joseph Newton settled himself comfortably in his corner of a first-class compartment on the Cornish Riviera express.

Las line (last story): "And she ought to know," Alleyn said and turned back to the cottage.

Bookish Books Reading Challenge

 

I keep telling myself that I'm going to do fewer challenges....and my self just keeps on finding challenges that look so good that I can't resist. And, hey, I only have to read ONE book to qualify for this one (but you know I'll read more than that...). Here's the scoop on Susan's Bookish Books Reading Challenge:

Read bookish books lingering on our shelves and TBR lists. Any book counts as long as one of its main themes is books (reading them, writing them, hoarding them, stealing them, eating them, burning them, decorating with them, organizing, them,, sniffing them, selling them, etc.). Any book that is essentially bookish in nature counts. all formats are acceptable. Since this challenge isn't about pages read, length doesn't matter. 

There are several levels, but I am going to sign up for Toe in the Door (1-10 books). I may read more, but will count my commitment complete with that level.

1. Murder by the Book: Mysteries for Bibliophiles by Martin Edwards, ed (1/20/24)

2. The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa (2/14/24)

3. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (2/24/24)

4. Write Murder Down by Richard Lockridge [death of an author; backdrop = publishing world] (5/4/24)

5. Mystery Muses by Jim Huang & Austin Lugar (7/21/24)

6. Reading Up a Storm by Eva Graves (9/7/24)

7. The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin (9/14/24)

8. Death for a Dietitian by E. X. Giroux [features two authors] (11/11/24)

9. Only in Books by J. Kevin Graffagnino [bookish quote book] (11/24/24)

10. Eight Detectives by Alex Pavesi [features an author and an editor and the quest to republish a manuscript of mystery stories] (11/29/24)