The Red Tassel

 The Red Tassel (1950) by David Dodge

Al Colby, an American private eye who lives in South America, is hired by the beautiful, 20-something Pancha Porter to investigate her late father's Bolivian mine. The lead mine had been putting out a hefty profit for years, but recently profits have dropped by nearly half and she wants to know why. Colby is always ready to work for good money--especially when the good money is being paid out by a lady as lovely as Pancha. But he warns her that the trip is going the be hard on someone who isn't used to the Bolivian heights. The mine is far up in the mountains where the air is so thin it's difficult to breathe. 

Saturnino, assistant to Simon Braillard who manages the mine for the Porter family, meets them with the mine's station wagon.The trip is made even worse by the fact that someone has directed the exhaust fumes to the back of the car where Colby is sitting. Since Colby was an unexpected addition to the party, he can only assume that the near-deadly experience was intended for Pancha. 

Upon arrival at the mine, they learn that the pack-llamas and necessary mining equipment and chemicals are being stolen on a regular basis--which eats into the profits and, of course, delays production which deducts even more. Rumor has it that Yatiri, the local witch doctor, cursed Pancha's father and that is the source of all the trouble. But Colby suspects a deeper plot. He's sure that Brailliard and his near-silent wife Lili know more than they've said. But when Brailliard is found with a knife in his back and a red borla (a woven ear tassel used to mark ownership of llamas) in his hand, Colby is forced to reconsider his suspicions. He needs to find out what's behind the Yatiri rumor before he and Pancha become the next victims.

So...I'm either not in the right frame of mind for this mildly-boiled private eye adventure or this is definitely a man's story. I say the latter judging from the reviews on Goodreads. Nearly all the men who bothered to write reviews gave The Red Tassel four solid stars (plus one short five-star review). But I...well, I felt like I was wading through thick molasses trying to make my way through the plot. The one saving grace is that Dodge actually plants a really nice clue that would allow anyone not absolutely mired in molasses to spot what's going on. (I was too busy trying to get the goo off...). Oh, and Colby is a good example of the type of private eye I enjoy--not nearly as hard-boiled. 

I was aiming to include this in my selections for the Reprint of the Year Awards (hosted by Kate at Cross Examining Crime), but I can't in good conscience beg for votes for a book I don't fell that strongly about. A weak ★★★

First line: Pancha Porter was a surprise package in more ways than one.

Last line: I told her about her redeeming features for a while, but then the moon came up over the cordillera, and the night was too beautiful to waste on talk.
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Deaths = 4 (two natural; one stabbed; one hit on head)

The World's Best One Hundred Detective Stories Vol. Eight

 The World's Best One Hundred Detective Stories Vol. Eight (1910) by Eugene Thwing, ed

[I did, finally, manage to finish this collection--which I started before my husband was hospitalized. I only had three more stories to read, but had difficulty concentrating on much for almost two weeks.]

Billed as the "world's best," this collection is very hit and miss. Mostly miss in these later volumes. The best of this collection are "The Story of O Toyo" and "The Tragedy at St. Tropez." The Bramah stories are also good, but I have read them previously. ★★ and 1/2 for the collection.

"The Last Exploit of Harry the Actor" by Ernest Bramah: Features his blind detective Max Carrados in a mystery about the robbery from several safe deposit boxes in a Lucas Street depository known colloquially as "The Safe." The contents of the boxes are held safe behind multiple barriers--both real locks and bars as well as secret passwords known only to the owners. And yet...a large number of the boxes are plundered. Carrodos, whose other faculties have become stronger to compensate for the loss of his sight, is able to "see" the solution to the mystery very quickly.

"The Comedy at Fountain Cottage" by Ernest Bramah: Carrados is intrigued when his friend Louis Carlyle tells him about his niece's odd neighbor--a neighbor who tosses stewed kidneys over the fence at night. When he digs into the history of Fountain Cottage he learns some interesting facts about the previous owner and what the odd neighbor might have planned. [one natural]

"The Curious Circumstance of the Two Left Shoes" by Ernest Bramah:  When the Enderleigh's silver is stolen--apparently by the Monkey Burglar, Carrodos arrives to track down the real culprit.

"The Jeweled Casket" by Arthur Somers Roche: An "artist" in thievery, John Ainsley, steals from the thieves and gives...to himself. He loves outwitting the White Eagle, one of those supercrooks who thinks he's unstoppable. In this episode, Ainsley plots to get hold of a fabulous jeweled box that the White Eagle has just gotten his hands on. [two natural]

"The Club of One-Eyed Men" by Arthur Somers Roche: John Ainsley is at it again. He sees the White Eagle in close conversation with an American millionaire at a Parisian nightclub. Then sees the criminal mastermind the next day on a street full of men with only one eye. When he finds himself onboard a New York-bound steam ship with the millionaire and one of the one-eyed men, he finds himself set up to take advantage of another White Eagle criminal plot.

"The Pigtail of Hi Wing Ho" by Sax Rohmer: Hi Wing Ho becomes embroiled in a series of mysterious events that threaten his life and the lives of those around him. He is pursued by a group of criminals who are after a valuable artifact that our hero possesses.  

"The Story of O Toyo" by H. de Vere Stacpoole: When some con artists attempt an impersonation of a jeweler, the young Japanese woman who is his servant sees through their plot.

"The Tragedy at St. Tropez" by Gilbert Frankau: When a wealthy financier is poisoned everything points towards his secretary. But the man brought in to translate French for the investigators, can't believe his old school friend is guilty. [one poisoned]

These last two are like "minute mysteries"--the readers are given the story and then supposed to figure out the solution. The authors vary from the very obvious (the first) to impossible to tell how it was done even though the culprit is again obvious (the last).
"The Crawley Robbery" by Evelyn Johnson & Gretta Palmer: A wealthy couple bring home the family jewels so the wife can wear them to a special dinner. While she is dressing the emeralds disappear. Who did it?

"Finger Prints Can't Lie" by Evelyn Johnson & Gretta Palmer: The wife of a German spy is poisoned. The fingerprints on the bottles (poison and the wife's medicine bottle) belong to the maid. Is she guilty? If not, who did it and why aren't the fingerprints telling the truth? [one poisoned]

The Curse of Braeburn Castle

 The Curse of Braeburn Castle (2019) by Karen Baugh Menuhin

It's Halloween in 1921. Major Heathcliff Lennox's friend Jonathan Swift has married, retired from official detective work, and now lives with his wife's family at Braeburn Castle on an island in Scotland. He decides to do a bit of renovation in the section of the castle that holds their living quarters and while doing so makes a discovery within the wall. Lennox receives a message that Swift has found a skeleton wearing a crown and the former inspector wants Lennox to come to Scotland to help investigate.. The discovery has attracted archaeologists (whom Swifts suspects are really treasure seekers) and the head and crown have gone missing. 

The inhabitants of the castle believe the skeleton to be Black Dougal (an ancient enemy to the Braeburns) and that it comes with a curse and ghosts--very appropriate to Halloween. At the very least it comes with murder--because one of the archaeologists is shoved off the battlements to his death. And then someone burns the only boat on the island. Why does the murderer want them trapped? And why was the archaeologist killed? Swift and Lennox investigate and it seems that they will need to dig into the curse (which is a secret held closely by the Laird of the castle) and the history of Black Dougal. Then a second murder takes place and while Lennox has a suspect in mind, it seems impossible that they could have committed the crime. When he figures out how the person could appear to be in two places at once, he's ready to help Swift capture the killer.

Very atmospheric--Menuhin captures the castle setting very nicely. You are very aware of how drafty, yet claustrophobic the place can be. She also gives us good descriptions of the inhabitants and the archaeologist. Well-drawn characters that are clearly defined and work well in the setting. The only one I'm not sold on is Miss Fairchild, a psychic/medium who makes a beeline for the castle as soon as the skeleton is found. She's a nice enough lady and all, but she really isn't necessary to the plot unless the point is to validate the ghosts and whatnot for the Halloween theme. But she's doesn't add anything plot-wise that couldn't have been covered just as well by other characters. The plot itself is well done and I appreciate the way Menuhin has taken a device that provided a solid alibi in a particular Agatha Christie novel and turned it on its head. Very nice! ★★★★

First line: "Are you absolutely certain he said skeleton?" I asked, with a degree of scepticism.

Last line: I picked the little cat up, dropped him gently into my jacket pocket, called my dog and headed off for a long walk in the peaceful countryside.
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Deaths = 5 (one war; one Spanish flu; one fell from height; one stabbed; one buried alive)

Seven Great Detective Stories

 Seven Great Detective Stories by William H. Larson (ed)

One should be careful when choosing titles for books. For instance, if you're going to say that you've got seven Great detective stories, then you ought to be sure that the majority of readers are going to agree with you that all seven really are great...and really are detective stories. As in, there is actually some detecting going on. Of the seven stories in this collection, I'd agree that three are great (the Wade, Futrelle, and Doyle) and one is almost, but not quite (the Chesterton). And I'd agree that most, but not all, are detective stories. The Cooper story has a detective--but we really don't see him detecting. Here we see him trapping the guilty man, but we don't the gathering of clues. Futrelle's story, while be a great look at how Van Dusen thinks, also isn't really a story about detection. And neither is the Kemelman. In fact, Kemelman's story doesn't really hang together all that well. I'm not buying that the professor could just string together all those "logical" inferences and, hey, presto, actually solve a crime he didn't even know had been committed. 

My favorite story of the bunch (on this reading) is "The Missing Undergraduate." It was the first short story I've read by Wade (although I have enjoyed several of his novel-length mysteries) and I'm always happy to find a good academic mystery. I've read both the Futrelle and Doyle stories so many times over the years that I know them pretty well backwards and forwards. So, they don't make quite the impression they did when I first discovered them. ★★★ for a decent collection.

"Suspect Unknown" by Courtney Ryley Cooper: The FBI Inspector was certain he knew the identity of the man responsible for the Tilliver murder. But there is no hard evidence. How can he get the man to reveal himself as the suspect unknown? (one shot)

"The Blast of the Book" by G. K. Chesterton: Father Brown teaches a scientist interested in the paranormal and psychic phenomena how to distinguish between what is really there and what isn't when a clergyman comes along with a story about a cursed book which makes people disappear.

"The Missing Undergraduate" by Henry Wade: Inspector Poole is called back to Oxford, his alma mater, to look into the disappearance of an undergraduate known for his practical jokes. The solution is a bit macabre--reminding me of an Edgar Allan Poe story or two....

"The Problem of Cell 13" by Jacques Futrelle: Futrelle's most famous story. Professor Van Dusen insists that nothing is impossible to a thinking man. His friends wager that he can't think his way out of a prison cell...but he proceeds to do just that.

"Silver Blaze" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: Sherlock Holmes & Dr. Watson are off to Dartmoor to investigate the disappearance of a famous race horse and the murder of the horse's trainer. Inspector Gregory & company have been on the case, but have made no headway. Holmes is in the area for a mere afternoon and soon has all the threads in his hand. [one hit on head]

"The Nine-Mile Walk" by Harry Kemelman: Our narrator, a candidate for district attorney, is challenged to provide a sentence of ten words or so to his professorial friend and the professor guarantees that he can come up with a logical chain of inferences that are correct--even if they aren't the true inference the narrator intended. What begins as an pedantic exercise soon turns into the solution of a daring murder on a train. 

"The Man in the Velvet Hat" by Jerome & Harold Prince: Reynolds, a journalist, spurs Inspector Magruder to hunt an apparent serial killer who targets victims from all social classes in deaths that pass as accidental. The culprit is said to be a man in a velvet hat and a brown overcoat. Magruder just wants to be sure he finds the one really responsible.... [one fell from height; one registered as pneumonia; one car accident

First line (1st story): Inspector Jessop of the Washington Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation had been expecting the call.

Last line (last story): "But that was this morning, Reynolds; that was this morning."

The Nine Waxed Faces

 The Nine Waxed Faces (1936) by Francis Beeding (John Leslie Palmer & Hilary St. George Saunders)

In the absence of his chief, Colonel Granby, Bob Hardcastle was serving as head man at intelligence headquarters when an urgent message came in from an Italian painter who had provided information in the past. Ludwig Berthold needs to meet with a highly placed intelligence office, so Hardcastle goes himself--only to receive a coded message that directs him to another, more famous, painter and a secret society known as Edelweiss. Berthold is having difficulty getting out of Italy and the members of Edelweiss, who hide their identities behind wax masks, are experts at helping those who need to cross the mountainous Italian border without fuss. But when Bob and his guides ski into a trap, Bethold vanishes and Colonel Granby shows up to help Bob sort everything out. With Nazi spies and Italian agents hiding behind friendly faces, the two men are in a race against time to find Berthold and the vital information he carried.

The fate of Central Europe is in the balance in this spy thriller set on the eve of the second world war. Germany and Italy are jockeying for position in Austria in an effort to "secure their borders against France." Lots of intrigue and action in the Austrian snow! Sounds exciting, doesn't it? Hmph. I'm thinking that maybe I just wasn't quite in the mood for a spy thriller, because I feel like this is a better book than I think it is at the moment. Maybe I'm a bit depressed because of what's currently going on in the world (and the good ol' U. S. of A) at the moment. Either that or I was disappointed that this wasn't more of a traditional mystery (as my previous experience with the author's Murdered: One by One would lead me to expect). So, yeah, very little mystery here--other than are all the people we think are dead really dead? (SPOILER--no, in fact they aren't. Or--if they are, not when we think they are.) Mostly a lot of running about looking for people who get snatched and tied up or snatched and (maybe) killed. The writing is pretty snappy and fast-paced, so there's that. But I really would have liked a bit more mystery and less hole-in-corner business. Especially when the wrap-up at the end doesn't feel very wrap-up-ish. Probably because Beeding had no idea where world events would take everyone in just a few years.

This is one that I'm probably going to need to read again sometime, just to see if it really is better than I think right now. ★★★

First line: I was working, aloft in Battersea, in the high flat which is not a flat, and the butler, who is not a butler, had received orders that I was on no account to be disturbed.

Last line: As for Wilhelm Fuchs and his brotherhood of Edelweiss, for all I know, the nine waxed faces still move around the pleasant streets of Innsbruck or upon the wind-swept crags of the mountains around the city, helping those that fly from a tyranny still triumphant in a world heading ever faster for Armageddon.
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Deaths = 4 (three shot; one executed)

The Four of Hearts

 The Four of Hearts (1938) by Ellery Queen

Ellery Queen is going stir-crazy in Hollywood. After a hugely successful investigation into a Los Angeles murder in the previous book and the West Coast fame that came with it, he was in demand. He's now under contract to Magna Studios to produce scripts. All fine and dandy--except he hasn't actually met with his supposed boss, Jacques Butcher, and he hasn't actually been given any work to do. His agent tells him not worry, it's just the way studios operate. And why complain about getting a paycheck for just sitting around or seeing the sights? But Ellery can't stand to be idle and when "Butch" finally calls him (as if he's just heard that Ellery is around), he tells the boss that he's had enough and is leaving. Which results in immediate work.

The studio is planning an epic biopic featuring their two big stars--Blythe Stuart and Jack Royle. The film will tell all and the masses will flock to the theaters to learn the "true story" of the legendary feud between the two families. A feud that revolves around the once engaged couple and their respective children, Bonnie Stuart and Ty Royle. And as a bonus--Blythe and Jack will play themselves. Just as the Ellery gets down to work gathering background for the script, the two stars through a wrench into the works. Not only have they patched up the feud--they are going to get married. At first Butch and the studio are furious--there goes the melodrama of the feud. But--they decide to cash in on the romantic ending and make the most of the situation. They arrange for Blythe & Jack to be married in front of fans at the LA airfield. Then the happy couple will fly off into the sunset for a honeymoon on a secluded island. And, though Bonnie and Ty aren't happy about it (and are still feuding themselves), Ty volunteers to fly the plane.

But after the plane has taken off, Bonnie and Ty are found--tied up and gagged. So, who is flying the plane? Are the two stars being kidnapped? A few hours later, the plane is found on a mountain plateau. The pilot is missing and Blythe and Jack have been fatally poisoned. Ellery must give up researching to hunt for clues the murders. Apart from the family feud, there seems to be no motive for the death of either of the stars...let alone both. It's soon discovered that Blythe has been receiving mysterious mailings with playing cards and if Ellery can correctly decipher the cards' hidden meanings, he'll be able to hand the murderer over to Inspector Glücke.

This is a fun, slightly madcap, slightly convoluted mystery. It's obvious that Queen (Frederic Dannay & Manfred Lee) are thoroughly ensconced in Hollywood screenwriting at this point. The book reads as though "we" had a movie deal in mind. Lots of dialog, lots of action scenes--not a whole heck of a lot of focus on the mystery. A nice little romance for Ellery, but apparently not as serious as we're led to believe because Paula Paris disappears rapidly after this book. It's obvious who the leads are--Bonnie, Ty, and Ellery, with a good dose of Paula, syndicated columnist, thrown in. We could have used a bit more "screen" time for other characters. Maybe if I'd seen more of them I would have remembered how some of them were connected and I might have spotted the killer. As it was...I didn't. The solution is good and consistent, though a bit of a violent ending for the killer. ★★★★

Other Reviews:
Cross Examining Crime
The Grandest Game in the World
The Green Capsule
In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel 
The Mystillery blog
  

First line: It is a well-known fact that any one exposed to Hollywood longer than six weeks goes suddenly and incurably mad.

Last line: And, her eyes still closed, stumbled blindly across the threshold into the world.
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Deaths = 7 (three natural; three poisoned; one fell from height)

The Three Coffins

 The Three Coffins (The Hollow Man; 1935) by John Dickson Carr

Eccentric Professor Charles Grimaud, a student of legends and the supernatural, holds court regularly at a local tavern. He and his circle of friends discuss vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and the like--debating their reality and the sources of their legends. One evening a stranger bursts into their gathering speaking in a bizarre, somewhat threatening manner. He talks of men coming up out of their graves. He says that he has come out of the grave.

Yes, I have done it. But more! I have a brother who can do much more than I can, and is very dangerous to you. I don't want your life; he does. But if he calls on you...

and later in the conversation

I have a last question for the famous professor. Some one will call on you one evening soon. I also am in danger when I associate with my brother, but I am prepared to run that risk. Some one, I repeat will call on you. Would you rather I did--or shall I send my brother?

The professor tells him to send the brother.  

And several nights later someone does call upon the professor. And apparently he did want the professor's life. For when the night is over, Professor Grimaud is dead--shot to death in a locked room by a visitor who vanishes into thin air.

When Dr. Gideon Fell is regaled with the story of the tavern scene and learns that the visitor is expected that very night, he immediately gathers Ted Rampole (teller of the tale) and Superintendent Hadley, his detective friend, and insists that they make tracks for Grimaud's house. They're just in time to be told that there has been the sound of a gunshot and that the visitor is locked in the professor's study--with the professor. They manage to gain entrance and find Grimaud mortally wounded but the visitor is nowhere to be seen. The window is open, but there is a yard full of unmarked snow and no way to go out the window to the roof or another room. 

Fell and Hadley and company have just started investigating the first impossible crime when another occurs. This time it is Pierre Fley, the man who confronted Grimaud at the tavern. And he was shot in the middle of a snow-covered street at close range. But three reliable witnesses swear there was nobody else near the stricken man and a voice came out of nowhere that said, "The second bullet is for you." Now our detectives have to figure out how the two men were connected and who wanted them both dead....oh, and, of course, the trifling little matter of how it was all done.

Carr works his locked room/impossible crime magic and comes up with a solution that I had to think about twice. There was one moment where I thought--but if X was going to do what Fell said he was going to do, then why did he need that? So, I had to go back and reread and then the light bulb went off. Oh, yeah. That's why. This is also the book that has the famous "locked room lecture" where Fell tells us straight up that he knows he's in the middle of a detective story and then goes on to explain the various ways to commit a murder in an apparently locked room. Naturally, he doesn't list the ways these two particular impossible crimes were contrived.

I have to admit that I was on the side of Hadley during this particular reading (I read this once before back in the mists of time--but it was long enough ago that all the details had dropped out of my head). I was a bit restless during the Fell lectures and just really wanted to get on with the story. But the impossible crimes are quite good and I enjoyed finding out how it was all done. [Though I have to say I could think of a better way for a certain item to have been hidden that would have been far less disastrous for the person doing the hiding...]. And other than when he was in full lecture mode, I enjoyed Dr. Fell and watching him go to work. This also has one of the better dying words clues among those I've come across. Quite good fun. ★★★★

First line: To the murder of Professor Grimaud, and later the equally incredible crime in Cagliostro Street, many fantastic terms could be applied--with reason.

"I am a mathematician, sir. I never permit myself to think." (Stuart Mills; p. 30)

In my experience with locked-room murders, getting in and getting out are two very different things. It would throw my universe off balance if I found an impossible situation worked both ways. (Superintendent Hadley; p. 46)

Last lines: "I have committed another crime, Hadley," he said. "I have guessed the truth again."
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Deaths = 7 (two shot; two hit; one natural; one suffocated; one stabbed)

Six Nuns & a Shotgun

 Six Nuns & a Shotgun (1975) by Colin Watson

In the eighth book of the Flaxborough series, it looks like the English town is about to be overrun by US gangsters and scantily clad ecclesiastics. Flaxborough has its "big wheels" (as known in the United States)--businessmen with their fingers in several pies. And two of them have a bitter rivalry going on. Councillor Henry Crispin and Arnold Hatch, owner of the Floradora Club have been trying to outdo and sabotage each other every chance they get. If Crispin adds on to his house, then Hatch must build a swimming pool. If Hatch gets a sailing yacht, then Crispin must get a slightly bigger one. Snide remarks and subtle digs aren't in it. But then things ramp up. Hatch installs what we designate today as "smart" curtains. When the light dims outside, the curtains automatically close--and, of course, when things get bright, they automatically open.

So...one night when Hatch and a friend are entertaining a couple of young women in the master bedroom, some thoughtless person parks right outside and turns on their high-beam headlights. And the antics are on display for all the world to see. Not long after, during the Commodore's Muster, the annual opening of the boating season when all the boat owners sedately run their vessels down the river, Hatch goads Crispin into a bit of a race and Crispin's boat comes a cropper on a submerged log (that mysteriously has spikes sticking out of it--of which, we the reader are aware, but is never proven to our friends in the book).

When Inspector Purbright gets a warning that American gangsters and naked nuns are descending upon Flaxborough, he wonders if this is more of the feud between the two businessmen. But he can't find any evidence of nuns (either in habits or out) and the only likely candidate in the gangster department is a Sicilian-American importer of olive oil who has recently arrived. The feud comes to an abrupt end when Hatch is ruthlessly murdered with his own shotgun during his annual Medieval banquet at the Floradora Club. The good inspector must untangle the clues to see if the American or Crispin...or persons unknown have done away with businessman.

Once upon a time (back in about 1991), I read this one from the library. That was before blogging and writing up more detailed reviews. I simply recorded it as "This book is classic Colin Watson and very funny." Let's see how that holds up in 2025. Well, Watson is funny...but I think I'd knock the "very" off that statement now. The funniest bits are when Inspector Purbright is interacting with his Chief Constable, Harcourt Chubb. Chubb doesn't really seem to grasp police work and Purbright leads him ever so gently through the details of routine while Chubb tries to sit back and look wise. The give and take of these exchanges are quite amusing, but I wouldn't say the book is "very funny" overall. 

The prose is pleasant enough and the mystery is fairly good--and even fairly clued, though I didn't spot some of the clues early enough (SLIGHT SPOILER: I got a bit muddled over which pieces of furniture belonged to which character). I think at this point in my reading life I would have enjoyed this a bit more (and kept my original rating of four stars) if we had been in Purbright's company for more of the story. Crispin and Hatch annoyed me and I think I would have liked the murder to be more upfront and to have followed Purbright as he investigated the incidents rather than to live through them with Crispin and Hatch on the way to the murder. But--still an enjoyable mystery and a very quick read. ★★★ and  1/4.

First line: The cablegram was addressed to Hatch, Floradora, Flaxborough, England.

"Let's hope one of those nice people don't get knocked off," said Bast, leaving. "The species is nearly extinct." (p. 76)

Last lines: The inspector's [car] took some time to start. It usually did.
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Deaths = one shot

The World's Best 100 Detective Stories: Volume Ten

 The World's Best 100 Detective Stories: Volume Ten (1910) by Eugene Thwing (ed)

A very mixed bag of stories. I've read the Malcolm Sage stories before and enjoyed them. The Barney Cook mysteries are pleasant "boys own adventures," and the Old Man in the Corner is quite entertaining, but the post-World War I soldier stories by Detzer really aren't all that. Very little mystery or detection going on--and, as mentioned with the final story, I do see the moral of his stories. I just don't think he develops them very well. Over all, a mid-range entry in the "world's best" series. ★★★

"The Stolen Admiralty Memorandum" by Herbert Jenkins: Malcolm Sage is summoned to a country mansion where the Prime Minister, the First Lord of the Admiralty, and the Secretary of War are all in a panic.  A very sensitive memorandum has gone missing and a great deal of damage could be done if it finds its way into the wrong hands.  There is a houseful of weekend guests and servants.  Who is the guilty party?

"The Holding Up of Lady Glanedale" by Jenkins: A jewelry-loving cat burglar seems to be on the loose.  Five weeks ago, Mrs. Comminge was the victim of a burglar who crept into her bedroom and threatened to shoot her if she didn't hand over her jewel case and keep quiet until he could make his escape.  Now, it appears that he has struck again at the home of Lady Glanedale.  The Twentieth Century Insurance Corporation Limited calls in Sage to verify the particulars--and he reveals the surprising identity of the Glanedale cat burglar.

"The Missing Heavyweight" by Jenkins: Charley Burns, the British champion is set to fight Bob Jefferson (whose name changes to "Joe" towards the end of the story) for the heavyweight championship of the world.  But then he disappears two days before the match.  It's up to Sage to find the clues that will produce the fighter in time for the bout.

"The Blackmailers" by Harvey O'Higgins: Barney Cook is a sixteen year old telegram delivery boy who wants to be a detective. When he delivers an ad from a detective agency looking for an "intelligent, trustworthy [boy] for confidential office work" he uses his initiative to wangle an interview with the chief  of the operation. He's immediately put to the test in a little matter of coded telegrams and blackmail.

"Barney Has a Hunch" by O'Higgins: Barney Cook has established himself with the detective agency and has been assigned the job of trying to find a certain man. While disguised as a newspaper boy, he notices another man's abrupt reaction to the headline about a missing society girl. Barney's hunch leads him on a chase that will make or break his standing with the Chief.

"The Mystery of the Pearl Necklace" by Baroness Orczy: The ladies of London donate money to buy a fabulous pearl necklace for a woman who is a heroine in their eyes. They choose a trusted man and his wife to act as courier. When the man disappears as well as the necklace, the rumors fly. Eventually, the man and the necklace are found and the necklace reaches its rightful destination. But really happened? The Old Man in the Corner has an unusual theory.

"The Music of Robert the Devil" by Karl W. Detzer: A French village is periodically terrorized by the ghost of a blacksheep nobleman who looted their town and stole their women in the days of William the Norman. In the days after the first World War, it seems he come back again. But an American soldier (our narrator) plays detective an discovers what's really going on. (one stabbed)

"Through Bolted Doors" by Detzer: Our American soldier plays detective again--this time investigating who shot both a fellow soldier and an old woman found killed behind bolted doors. (two shot)

"Neglect of Duty" by Detzer: Once again our narrator is called upon to solve a mystery. A large sum of money held in trust by the officer with a certain company has disappeared. The soldier/detective must discover who took the money & why.

"Number 52 Rue Nationale" by Detzer: American soldiers are stealing food and goods from a village and surrounding countryside. Our narrator looks into the reasons why these normally law-abiding men are taking things at gunpoint.

"The Guilty Party: by Detzer: A hodge-podge of various military cases. A bit of a mess really. I appreciate the point behind the mini-stories within the story--to ask who's really to blame in certain situations. But I think it could have been better illustrated. (one shot)

First line (1st story): "Wel!" cried Tims, one Saturday night, as he pushed open the kitchen door of the little flat he occupied over the garage.

Last line (last story): Which proves again that even in the best of wars the guard-house did not always claim its own, and the Guilty Party went on blithely about his or her affairs.

A Thief or Two

 A Thief or Two (1977) by Sara Woods (Lana Hutton Bowen-Judd)

If Antony Maitland, barrister and sometimes detective, doesn't believe that you're innocent then what's an accused man supposed to do? Maitland is notorious for believing his clients when nobody else does and finding ways to prove them innocent. Malcolm Harte is a jeweler's assistant who has been accused of murdering one of the two brother's who owned the business where Harte worked. And of having stolen a fortune in jewels that were being shown to special client's at George DeLisle's home that fateful night. Motive? Well, Malcolm was scheduled to get married and was, as even his fiancée admits, "desperate" for money. His are the only fingerprints on the safe that stands wide open and empty of jewels. Nevermind the fact that Malcolm was the one who was asked to put the jewels in the already open safe after the showing and that no one can prove that he knew the combination to open it again. 

Interestingly enough, it isn't Harte's fiancée who comes to Maitland and begs him to look for more evidence to clear the accused, but another female guest from the private party. When she points out a discrepancy on one of the guest's evidence, Maitland gets interested. And one thing leads to another. Before he knows it, he's doing the thing his uncle Sir Nicholas Harding most dreads--meddling. When one of the witnesses winds up dead (while Harte is in prison), it becomes obvious that Maitland's meddling has made somebody nervous. But who? It may be enough to get his client off, but Maitland would rather be able to hand the police the right suspect...

It's been a little while since I've read an Antony Maitland mystery, but from what I recall this is pretty standard fare. The two things that stand out here are the fact that Maitland seems so very reluctant to believe that Harte might be innocent and the little intermissions we get in the court proceedings where Woods provides the thoughts of the jurors. From the foreman who listens to the opening statement from the Prosecution and decides he's heard all he needs to hear, "The prisoner, who looked a sickly sort of chap, was obviously guilty, or what was he doing here?" to the juror who also believes him guilty, though tries to convince herself that she's impartial, "But of course, you had to hear all the evidence, she hadn't made her mind up yet..." We also get to see how little most of them pay attention to most of the evidence with thoughts wandering to their farms and their young men and matters of business on which their time could be better spent. You have to wonder how fair a "fair trial" really is. 

The plot is perfectly fine--nothing extraordinary in the way of motive, but it's always entertaining to watch Maitland once he becomes convinced that there is something to work on. It just takes him longer than usual this time around. I think I prefer it when he's working on the mystery from the beginning, but that's just personal preference and I can understand that Woods might have wanted to break the mold a bit. ★★★

First line: There was a stir among the spectators in the courtroom as Counsel for the Prosecution, having finished his opening address, gathered his gown about him and seated himself with a marked air of satisfaction.

Last line: Sir Nicholas's portrayal of a martyr, misunderstood by his nearest and dearest, lasted no longer than it took her to get dinner on the table.
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Deaths =2 (one hit on head; one strangled)

Bodies from the Library 5

 Bodies from the Library 5: Forgotten Stories of Mystery & Suspense from the Golden Age of Detection (2022; all stories pre-1989) by Tony Medawar (ed)

Tony Medawar has done it again. He's gone searching the highways and byways of Golden Age Detection fiction and authors to bring us another collection of little-known or never-before-seen mystery stories. In previous collections there have, actually, been more that I had read before (thanks, in part to some of the obscure little anthologies I've been able to get my hands on). But this time, there are only two that I vaguely feel like I've read before and I can't nail down where I would have gotten hold of them. This is a strong selection and almost all by authors I had already read. ★★★★

"The Predestined" by Q. Patrick (Richard Webb): Jasper, an orphan with a doting grandma, is sure he's meant for great things. But periodically an odd red weal appears around his neck, inhibits his breathing, and manages to to put him out of sorts in very important situations. We learn that he is predestined...but perhaps not quite in the way he anticipates. (one drowned; one hanged)

"Villa for Sale" by Ellis Peters (Edith Pargeter): A wealthy widow offers a fabulous villa to a young couple for a mere pittance. There must be a catch somewhere and there is...but who is going to be caught? (one natural)

"The Ginger King" by A. E. W. Mason: An insurance representative calls on M. Hanaud, who is visiting in England, because he's not quite satisfied over an insurance claim. A fire that cleaned out the stock of a furrier has been investigated every which way and no one can see anything but an accident. But John Middleton will feel much better about paying the claim if Hanaud would take a look at the case as well. It could save his company 25,000 pounds.

"Sugar-Plum Killer" by Michael Gilbert": Probationary Detective Walkinshaw is determined to make the grade as a detective on the force. He gets his chance when D.I. Chapman is killed in a hit & run and the perpetrator winds up being someone Chapman had sent to prison. (one hit & run)

"Vacancy with Corpse" by Anthony Boucher (William Anthony Parker White): Lt. Ben Latimer is asked by his fiancee, Liz (Felicity) Cain if he could arrange for protection for her grandfather, Judge Cain. Someone has been sending the elderly judge threatening notes. Soon there's murder done in the Cain house...but has the wrong man died? (one poisoned; one shot; one natural) [The whole time I was reading this one, I felt like I'd read it before. Like déjà vu--not enough that I knew the solution. But I have no idea where I would have read it.]

"Where Do We Go from Here?" by Dorothy L. Sayers: George is in a hurry to get his wife Laura out of the house. Why? Because he's expecting a blackmailer. Lucky for him, Laura sneaks in the back way and hears all about it. Or is it really that lucky? (two dead)

"Benefit of the Doubt" Anthony Berkeley: A young doctor is called out in the middle of the night to attend a man who has supposedly been in severe gastric distress. He can find little wrong with the man, so it is quite a shock when the man is dead by the next morning. (one poisoned)

"Scandal of the Louvre" by S. S. Van Dine (Willard Huntington Wright): A gang of thieves (who specialize in getting the "ungettable" for collectors arrive at the Louvre in the guise of holidaymakers. They manage to steal the Mona Lisa, collect a hefty reward for the deed, and.... (well, that's the twist and I'd hate to spoil it)

"The Pressure of Circumstance" by J. J. Connington (Alfred Walter Stewart): The Lessingham family holds a promise as a sacred trust. So when Jack Lessingham leaves for an expedition to Brazil, he asks his father to see that "Claire [his wife] comes to no harm" while he's away, his father tells him, "Of course. That's a promise." And not even the man who's dangling after the lonely little wife will keep him from keeping his promise. (one poisoned; one from the "bends")

"The Riddle of the Cabin Cruiser" by John Dickson Carr: George Randolph, wealthy stockbroker, is found stabbed to death in his drifting cabin cruiser--found by his wife and Mr. Huntley Hurst. There have been rumors about Mrs. Randolph's "friendship" with Hurst. Was Randolph's death suicide as has been posited by Hurst and Mrs. Randolph? There's one telling sentence in this radio play that will give you the answer--if you catch it. [I didn't.] (one stabbed)

"Skeleton in the Cupboard" by Ianthe Jerrold: Corney Dew was sure he'd found the perfect spot to dispose of his brother-in-law's body when he buried him in the ancient mound on his property. But then the local Antiquities Club gets interested in digging the place up...and the club's sponsor doesn't seem to want to take no for an answer. (one natural; one hit on head) [Another déjà vu story...I'm sure I've read this one before, but not sure where.]

"The Year & the Day" by Edmund Crispin (Robert Bruce Montgomery): Two old school fellows meet at their club and one (a doctor) reminds our narrator (a barrister) of another school fellow who has recently died. The barrister begins to wonder why "X" (as he calls him) has brought the subject up. [And, quite frankly, so did I. Was there a point to implying that something nasty had happened when apparently no one suspected it? (one natural; one hit on head)

"Murder in Montparnasse" by John Bude (Ernest Carpenter Elmore): The disappearance of an artist coincides with the death of a paralyzed, drunken old man. Inspector Moreau must find the connection, (one drowned; one poisoned) [*I agree with Kate at Cross Examining Crime that this is much longer than it needed to be. A short story would have been sufficient. As a novella, it seems to have a lot of padding.]

"The Thistle Down" by H. C. Bailey: Reggie Fortune is asked (nay, commanded) to investigate the death of Sir Max Tollis's secretary. It's being put down as suicide, but Sir Max insists it isn't. (one shot)

"The Magnifying Glass" by Cyril Hare (Alfred Alexander Gordon Clark): A meeting between two men to settle up over a couple of cases of forged bank notes ends in death and tragedy. (one shot; one in fire)

"The 'What's My Line?' Murder" by Julian Symons: One of the panelists on the famed British version of the game show is poisoned in the studio. But it's soon proved that he poured his own drink and nobody went near it between the pouring and his drinking. So who poisoned him and how? (two poisoned) [Once again, I'm in agreement with Kate--I don't always get on with Symons' work. But I think I'm discovering that I prefer him in short form to his novels. This is quite good--not least because of its connection to "What's My Line?" (though I'm more familiar with the US version started in 1950).]

First line (1st story): It was Jasper's tenth birthday.

Last line (last story): "What a pity that [they were a murderer] too." (some or part has been changed to prevent a spoiler)

Deadly Is the Diamond

 Deadly Is the Diamond (1942) by Mignon G. Eberhart

The Chabot family are diamond importers. Henry Chabot brings home a fabulous gem dubbed the "Chabot Diamond" and in a joint deal with his sister, Hermione; nephew, Charles; and partner, Pieter Van der Hof, he plans to have the huge stone cut into gems worth two and a half million dollars. Hermione is opposed to having the stone cut. She just "feels" that the stone is cursed and if it is split then even more bad luck will follow it. Henry scoffs and says that the only reason she's fear-mongering is that she wants to wear the large diamond as is. 

But it seems that Hermione may have had a true premonition, for as soon as the expert stone cutter Albert de Burghe finishes splitting the diamond, he drops over dead...apparently poisoned. Was the poison in the milk brought to him by his own niece? Or perhaps in the coffee given to him by Van der Hof? Or the gum he chewed just before his task? When all three are given a clean bill of health it becomes quite a puzzle for the police. How was the man poisoned in front of eight witnesses in a locked room? When two more men in the building die by poisoning as well, the police must decide what the motive must be. They also need to find out what the mysterious dark man who has been shadowing the Chabot family has to do with it.

Another fun novella in the Dell 10 cent series. Eberhart likes to give us female narrators with varying degrees of amateur detective skills. Our narrator here is a writer (not entirely sure what type--journalist, novelist, poet [nah, most likely not a poet]--but I have to say she's not the most observant of women. However, she has an absolutely marvelous butler who loves playing amateur detective and seems to know everything about everything. Mr. Bland is, I believe, my second favorite mystery-related butler. Bunter, Lord Peter's manservant (butler, valet, chauffeur rolled into one), is, of course, number one. But Bland gives Bunter a run for his money. He notices little tidbits that escape his mistress. He follows villains with the best of them. And...he effects the rescue of the damsel in distress--just in the nick of time. Top marks to Eberhart for characterization and atmosphere and for creating a rather nifty impossible crime. ★★★★

First line: Hermione looked out the window, shrugged, and said quite unexpectedly, "It's the little black man that really worries me," and then refused to tell me what little black man; yet that was not really the beginning of the story.

...there's no getting around the fact that murder demands a certain intimacy between the murderer and, so to speak, the murderee. (p. 16)

It was, of course, physically impossible for [Bland, the butler] to put the car away, waft himself up the service elevator (besides almost certainly pausing to inform Mrs. Bland of the stirring events of the day), and appear in the library, tray in hand, in the few moments that had elapsed since I entered the apartment house, leaving him and the car at the door. But there he was, however, large as life. (p.21)

Last line: "I believe dinner is served."

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Deaths = 4 (one natural; three poisoned)

The Girl from the Mimosa Club

 The Girl from the Mimosa Club (1957) ~Leslie Ford (Zenith Jones Brown)

When the newly-minted young lawyer Johnny Brayton is sent to represent the girls from the Mimosa Club, he doesn't expect to fall in love with one of them.. But life is funny that way. His uppercrust family doesn't really approve of his relationship with Kerry O'Keefe, a "sitter" (hostess expected to sit with and entertain gentlemen at the club), but he doesn't care. Then his father is found shot to death in his study. His mother is suspect number one. And Kerry is a star witness for the prosecution.

Unknown to Johnny, Kerry is an undercover policewoman working as a sitter to investigate vice. All he knows is she seems determined to send his mother to the electric chair. Of course, it doesn't help that his mother seems equally determined to wind up there. She does nothing to make a black situation any less bleak. Her reactions in court only make her look more guilty. Johnny knows his mother could never have shot anyone, but how can he prove it was anyone else when Kerry testifies to sitting outside the house and seeing no one else go in? And then an unexpected witness pops up...just in time.

I've finally decided that I'm just not a big fan of Ford's standalone thriller/suspense mysteries. This is a perfectly fine example of one of those and I have no real complaints about the mystery itself. I just found the romance a bit forced as well as the difficulties thrown in their way. And why on earth Johnny's mother had to behave in such a guilty manner is beyond me. If she didn't want to say anything to implicate someone else, fine. If she wanted to play society madam and "this is all beneath me," fine. But to start and stare like a guilty thing? Really? Too much melodrama to no good purpose. I much prefer her Grace Latham and Colonel Primrose mysteries. They are fun and filled with witty comments between the two protagonists. But--if you like suspense and mysteries where an obviously innocent person is in danger of conviction with last-minute revelations that save the day, then this just might be the book for you. ★★★

First line: Johnny Brayton squeezed his car in to the curb between a snowball stand and a beat-up cart of canteloupes (sic), sweet corn and lima beans, turned off his engine and put the keys in his pocket.

Last lines: They started over. But not from scratch.
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Deaths = one shot

The Snow Queen

 The Snow Queen (1980) by Joan D. Vinge

On the planet Tiamet, a far-flung outpost planet of the Hegemony (a league of eight worlds, things are about to change. For eons, the Winter folk have held sway for 150 years while the Black Gate was open and trade could be commenced between Tiamet and the other worlds of the league. The Winters prospered, taken advantage of technology and the means to make their lives comfortable. The richest also take advantage of the "water of life," an agent harvested from the mers who swim the ocean, an agent that provides long-life to those who can afford it. Meanwhile, the Summers lived a simpler life--fishing and working the land. But after 150 years, the Gate closes and Tiamet is cut off from the other worlds. Offworlders leave and many of the Winters with them. They take all technology with them and leave the world in darkness. And the Queen of Winter, who has reigned (benefit of the "water of life") the entire 150 years gives place to the Summer Queen who rules according to Tiamet legend and Summer practices.

But this time, Arienrhod, the Winter Queen, has plotted to circumvent the descent into technological ignorance. She wants to live on--through a carefully chosen clone, outwit the Hegemony's officials, and keep technology. Does she want to do this to benefit the people of Tiamet? Not really--she just can't stand the thought of the Summers taking over again. And if she can't be the one to rule as Summer Queen, at least her clone can be groomed to take her place. That's almost the same thing...

Or is it? Of the nine clones implanted during the last cycle's festivities (masked revellers drinking and paring up in the grand finale), only Moon Dawntreader Summer is suitable. Moon doesn't know she's the Queen's clone. She doesn't know that the Queen has plans for her. She only knows that she wants to be a sibyl--one of Summer people's wise women (and men) who see visions and answer questions. But when she begins her journey, she learns that there is more behind the sibyls than a connection to the Lady (the Summers' goddess of the sea). Her knowledge brings her to the realization that she should be the Summer Queen....but not the Summer Queen that Areinrhod has planned. There is battle coming--not of weaponry--but a battle nonetheless for the future of Tiamet. Oh...and there's the battle for Moon's pledged love, Sparks, who was convinced to turn to the Queen when he thought he'd lost Moon forever.

I fell in love with this book when I discovered it back in the '80s. I had worked my way from Star Trek novelizations to Ray Bradbury and Isaac Asimov and other male science fiction authors and was finally finding the women of science fiction. Vinge is one of the early feminist SF writers and she writes a powerful story. The world-building is terrific and my teenage self connected with the young Moon and Sparks as they tried to find their place in the world. I was rooting for them to find each other again and live the life together they had dreamed. Reading it today, I appreciate the nuances of the story which reflected the tensions in late 1970s/early 1980s society...tensions that haven't gone away as we hoped they might. There are still the haves and the havenots. People are still judged by where they come from or who their parents were. The rich still get richer and everyone else has to make do...or live without. I still like the hope that's given at the end. A hope that if everyone works together we can make the future better...for everyone. Currently, it's not looking likely--at least not in the near future. But maybe one day.

The other thing that really draws me in is Vinge's characters. She gives each one, even those who are peripheral characters, a depth and reality that make the reader feel like they know them. Some, like Arienrhod and the first Starbuck, we may wish we didn't know--but Moon and Sparks and all those they meet along the way we are glad to have met. Most of them we'd want on our side if we were going to take on an oppressive government and those who wanted to keep us down.  

I gave this ★★★★ when I first read it and I see no reason to change that now.

First line (Prologue): The door swung shut silently behind them, cutting off the light, music, and wild celebration of the ballroom.

First line (1st Chapter): Here on Tiamet, where there is more water than land, the sharp edge between ocean and sky is blurred; the two merge into one.

There are two tragedies in life. One is never getting your heart's desire. The other is getting it.

Most people simply aren't unhappy enough with the known to trade it for the unknown.

Maybe everything we do is meaningless. But we have to try, don't we? We have to go on looking for justice...and settling for revenge.

"I love you," he whispered again, wonderingly, as he understood at last how a lifetime together with someone that you loved could seem like an eternity, and yet not be long enough.

Indifference, Gundhalinu, is the strongest force in the universe. It makes everything it touches meaningless. Love and hate don't stand a chance against it. It lets neglect and decay and monstrous injustice goe unchecked. It doesn't act, it allows. And that's what gives it so much power.: (Commander Geia Jerusha PalaThion; p. 462)

Last line: He smiled, and then he began to laugh; and together they started back through the abandoned halls--returning to Carbuncle, going home.

The Deadly Truth

 The Deadly Truth (1941) by Helen McCloy

Honesty is the best policy. At least that the way the saying goes. But is it really? The guests of Claudia Bethune find out the answer when the wealthy beauty throws a dinner party with drinks laced with truth serum. Claudia is a fabulously wealthy socialite with a vicious sense of humor. She thinks it will be great fun to get her "friends" together and have them blurt out the truth and nothing but the truth. But she gets more than she bargained for and before the next morning comes, she's discovered strangled to death with her own platinum and emerald necklace.

Dr. Basil Willing, psychiatric consultant to the New York district attorney's office has been renting the "Hut" (a small cottage on the Bethune country estate) and he's soon asked by the local authorities to give them some help on the murder case. There's a houseful of suspects. Claudia's husband, Michael, was still in love with his ex-wife and after the beans got spilled at dinner about that little secret it may have been prudent for him to kill Claudia before she had time to cut him out of her will or divorce him. Phyllis Bethune (the aforementioned ex-wife) may have had the same thought. Charles Rodney, manager of Claudia's textile mill, has been playing games with the labor force and working on buying up stock cheap--he's almost got enough to hold the majority vote on the board. When that came out over drinks, Claudia threatened to put a stop to his anticipated future purchases. Maybe he thought it would be easier with Claudia completely out of the way. Dr. Roger Slater is the man who developed the new scopolamine derivative--and the man from whom Claudia stole the doses she dropped in the drinks. If the news of his carelessness (he left the tubes right there in front of her after all), he'll lose his job--and maybe never work again as a scientist. Peggy Titus was under a cloud of suspicion for theft and Claudia held the trump card that would prove her innocence. Peggy kept hanging around and searching the premises for the proof, but maybe she got tired of looking and decided to get rid of the source of the rumors. 

The interesting thing for me about this one is that even though motive is a driving force, it's not the important part of the investigation. The true motive is only revealed in the final pages of the story, but you don't need it to get to the solution. A lot of emphasis is placed on auditory clues and I am pleased that I can say I picked up all the correct ones (there are a few red herrings about--as you would expect in a nicely plotted mystery). I will say that if we consider the characters as real people then I am a bit surprised that the culprit fell into the trap laid for him in the semi-reconstruction-of-the-crime scene. Willing has just finished emphasizing one of the auditory clues. If I'm the killer, I'm certainly not going to follow that up by making my connection to that clue blazingly obvious. Did the culprit not hear a thing Willing just said? Maybe s/he subconsciously wanted to get caught and just couldn't help themselves.... Oh, well. Other than that, a nicely plotted and very interesting mystery.  ★★★★  

First line: A butterfly in a beehive could not have looked more out of place than Claudia Bethune in the vestibule of the Southerland Foundation.

The trooper seemed to think the fact that he had arrested Basil constituted a bond between them. In the circumstances, it was just as well. [p. 112]

No one every expects to fall in love. Perhaps no one ever really wants to. [Dr. Roger Slater; p. 136]

Last lines: "Only afterward did I realize that killing her was even more foolish than kissing her. She wasn't worth it..."
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Deaths = 4 (two natural; one strangled; one shot)

Card Deck Reading Challenge

I really need to stop (but if Jamie will keep posting new challenges on the Facebook challenge site, what's a girl to do?). Erin @erin_likes_books on Instagram has devised the Card Deck Reading Challenge and, having checked my massive TBR mountain range, it looks like I can cover this with books I already own. So...here I go. One more challenge! Some tentative choices listed below.

Joker (wild card/any book): The Deadly Truth by Helen McCloy (1/15/25)

Ace (in title OR book about cards/tennis): The Green Ace by Stuart Palmer OR Death in the Cards by Ann T. Smith

Two (in title): A Thief or Two by Sara Woods (3/13/25)

Three (in title): The Three Coffins by John Dickson Carr (6/4/25)

Four (in title): The Four of Hearts by Ellery Queen (7/15/25)

Five (in title): Bodies from the Library 5 by Tony Medawar, ed (3/2/25)

Six (in title): Six Nuns & a Shotgun by Colin Watson (5/9/25)

Seven (in title): Seven Great Detective Stories by William H. Larson, ed (10/5/25)

Eight (in title): The World's Best One Hundred Detective Stories Volume Eight by Eugene Thwing, ed (11/19/25)

Nine (in title): The Nine Waxed Faces by Francis Beeding (9/22/25)

Ten (in title): The World's Best 100 Detective Stories Volume Ten by Eugene Thwing, ed (4/14/25)

Jack (in title OR author's name): The Right Jack by Margaret Maron OR Jack O'Lantern by George Goodchild
Queen (in title): The Snow Queen by Joan D. Vinge (2/1/25)
King (in title): The King of Diamonds by Louis Tracy OR Jeeves & the King of Clubs by Ben Schott
Heart (in title): The Malignant Heart by Celestine Sibley
Diamond (gem in title): Deadly Is the Diamond by Mignon G. Eberhart (2/22/25)

Spade: ("dig," "bury," or "spade" in title): Dig Me a Grave by John Spain OR Dig Another Grave by Don Cameron
Club (in title): The Girl from the Mimosa Club by Leslie Ford (2/6/25)
Red (in title/dominant cover color): The Red Tassel by David Dodge (12/11/25)
Black (in title/dominant cover color): The Curse of Braeburn Castle by Karen Baugh Menuhin (10/31/25)