Who Done It?

 Who Done It? (2013) by Jon Scieszka (compiler/editor)

Synopsis from the book flap: Can you imagine the most cantankerous book editor alive? Part Voldemort, part Cruella de Vil (if she were a dude), and worse in appearance and odor than a gluttonous farm pig? A man who makes no secret of his love of cheese or his disdain of unworthy authors? That man is Herman Mildew.

 
The anthology opens with an invitation to a party, care of this insufferable monster, where more than 80 of the most talented, bestselling and recognizable names in YA and children’s fiction learn that they are suspects in his murder. All must provide alibis in brief first-person entries. The problem is that all of them are liars, all of them are fabulists, and all have something to hide...

Let's start by saying that this was an admirable project--get 80ish authors to help put together a book that will be sold to benefit a nonprofit group that encourages young creative writers. That's a great project. I applaud it most sincerely. In theory, a whodunnit which featured 80 suspects all providing alibis and ostensibly letting the reader figure out the solution to who killed the odious Herman Q. Mildew, the editor of nightmares, sounds like a real winner. I was all ready to put my "little grey cells" to work and try to outwit the authors and discover the murderer.

However...

Please note that I cannot continue that thought without completely spoiling the book. If my one-star rating doesn't scare you off, then you probably won't want to continue reading until you've read this for yourself. 

However, this is, in my opinion, a huge hornswoggle. There is no cohesive plot. The reader will not pick up clues among the authors' alibis. There is no way to figure out "whodunnit" because [Here's the SPOILER] Herman Q. Mildew is NOT dead. Nobody killed him. The whole book is a sham. Now, if we believe some these authors, there have been some deaths along the way (and bless them for that because I can still count the book for the Medical Examiner Challenge) but none of those were Mildew. This could have been such a great project if, following in the footsteps of The Detection Club, there had been a real plot, a generally agreed-upon setting of the scene, and then the authors had proceeded (round-robin fashion) to write up their alibis--their side of the story, adding what details they might and those that followed need to take those new details into account. Then the reader could have sifted through clues laid down in the framing story as well as the alibis and had a chance to determine the killer. As it was, this was the biggest disappointment I've read so far this year. The only thing (well, things) that save it is that it was for a good cause and David Levithan's poem/albi which is a terrific send-up of a William Carlos Williams poem.  ★ for those two things.

First line: Ladies and gentlemen...and I use those terms loosely because I know you are all writers and illustrators...we have a bit of a situation.

Last line: You hold the answer to that question in your hands
****************

Deaths = 4 (one natural; one fell from height; one food poisoning; one frozen to death)

The Body in the Dumb River

 The Body in the Dumb River (1961) by George Bellairs (Harold Blundell)

Superintendent Thomas Littlejohn is spending the night in Fenshire after helping tie up loose ends in a forgery case with connections to London. It's been raining cats and dogs and when the torrential rains bring to light a man's corpse (stabbed--not drowned), the Chief Constable takes advantage of having the Yard man on the spot. The body is quickly identified as belonging to Jim Lane, a man who ran a hoop-la stand and traveled from fair to fair. Why would anyone want to stab a fair showman to death?

It doesn't take Littlejohn long to discover that Lane was leading a double-life--running hoop-la during the week and running home to his home in Yorkshire where he's known as James Teasdale. And it takes even less time (after meeting the family back home) for the superintendent to understand why Teasdale might have wanted a different life. Littlejohn's instincts tell him that the answer to Teasdale's death lies in Yorkshire and the contents of the man's stomach prove him right. He was killed not long after taking afternoon tea at home and there was no way he could have made it back to Ely based on the progress of digestion. 

Teasdale's family spends little time actually mourning him; they're more concerned about the scandal surrounding his double-life. We're left to wonder whether one of them thought murder better than disgrace. Then blackmail rears its ugly head and when the blackmailer disappears (after having tried it on with Teasdale before his death), it looks like Littlejohn may have a second murder on his hands. But which of the family did it? And why?

I may be a bit of an outlier (among GAD fans) on this one, but I didn't find this to be one of Bellair's strongest efforts. On the plus side, he (as always) provides terrific character sketches, but what characters. There isn't a member of Teasdale's family (or, rather, his wife's family) who is a pleasant character. I wouldn't want to invite any of them home for tea. And, it amazes me how sympathetic Littlejohn is to this crew. Bellairs also gives good descriptions of the countryside and small towns. The plot is a decent one...except for the ending. I'm a trifle disappointed with how justice is meted out. It may seem like one of the characters gets their just desserts, even if no one winds up behind bars (it's spoiler territory to describe the "just desserts"), but I'd be a lot more satisfied if someone had been officially punished for the crime. Poor Jim Teasdale--just when it seemed like he'd found a bit of happiness, it all came to a violent end. Someone really needs to pay for that. ★★ and 3/4 (just can't bring myself to give a full three)

First line: "Are you awake, Littlejohn?"

Last line: Littlejohn often wonders how long the trio of sisters will have to wait for their inheritance. Elvira, Phoebe, and Chloe.
***************** 
Deaths = 4 (one stabbed; one drowned; one natural; one fell from height)

Hercule Poirot & the Greenshore Folly

 Hercule Poirot & the Greenshore Folly (2013) by Agatha Christie
(Originally written in 1954)

Mrs. Ariadne Oliver has been asked to devise a Murder Hunt for a village fete being held on the grounds of Sir George and Lady Stubbs. But as she works to put together an interesting little puzzle for the villagers, she gets the sense that something is not right and she calls upon her friend Hercule Poirot to come and check out the situation. He, too, finds discrepancies in the behavior of those staying/living at the Stubbs home. But neither of them thought that the Girl Guide who had volunteered to play the murder victim in the fete game would wind up fulfilling the part of a real corpse. Then Lady Stubbs disappears. But Poirot and the local police inspector have no success in tracking down the corpse or finding the missing woman. It isn't until another death occurs and Mrs. Oliver makes a chance remark that Poirot finally begins to see a pattern that leads him to the solution.

Greenshore Folly is a novella originally written in 1954 with the intention of donating it as a church fundraiser. But Christie decided to hold on to it and develop it further--turning it into Dead Man's Folly (published in 1954). All of the bones are there, but the full novel fleshes out characters and relationships far more than Christie was able to do in the shorter work. It was interesting to look at the story in its initial form and to see how Christie filled it in to create a full-fledge novel. Not quite as engaging as the later work, but a fine first draft. ★★★

First line: It was Miss Lemon, Poirot's efficient secretary, who took the telephone call.

Last line: "There are some things that one has to face quite alone..."
****************

Deaths = 5 (two strangled; one drowned; one natural; one in war)

Shadow of Madness

 Shadow of Madness (1950) by Hugh Pentecost (Judson Philips)

Dr. John Smith, a criminal psychologist, decides that what he really needs is a fishing trip. He hasn't been fishing and camping since he was young and so he gathers camping gear and his fishing gear and decides to head out into the woods.  And gets lost. And gets captured by a madman with a Thompson submachine gun. When someone asks him later how he got into the dangerous position he finds himself, he responds:

Because I am an idiot. I haven't been fishing for twenty years, Mr. Cornwall. I got the urge for the great outdoors. Do I fish off a bridge near my own comfortable lodgings? No. Do I mosey along a pleasant winding stream through the farm lands in the neighborhood? No. I strike out for the great outdoors. I am a woodsman. I am going to camp out--an idea I haven't had since I was twelve years old, a frighteningly long time ago. I strike out into the woods. I have all the modern camping gadgets from Abercrombie and Fitch. After one hour of fishing I cannot find my camp or my equipment. After four hours I find myself confronted by a young man with a machine gun. That, Mr. Cornwall, is the history of my idiocy.

Yes, Dr. Smith is taken prisoner by Mark Douglas. A madman with a mission. Someone has been blackmailing Mark over a crime worthy of the District Attorney's attention and Mark has had enough. He's been pushed over the edge. He knows the blackmailer must be one of eight people--his wife or one of seven "friends" he's known all his life. He brought them all to this secluded lake where they spent their younger days swimming, boating, fishing, and sleeping in the large cabin. Then he wrecked the cars and told them if the blackmailer didn't confess...or they didn't work together to expose him/her...then he would kill them all rather than endure anymore demands. Now that Dr. Smith has wandered into the party, he's expected to play by the same rules. Can the man who works with criminal insanity on a regular basis defuse the ticking time bomb that Mark has begun? And when murder strikes among the party can he solve that little problem as well?

This was one of the most interesting mysteries/thrillers/suspense stories that I've read in quite a while. The opening chapter is amazing. The set-up intriguing. The way the doctor goes about interviewing the captives and working on Mark is fascinating. Pentecost does a brilliant job in building the tension and bringing in the back ground that the doctor needs to understand the currents running under the surface among these people. Did I spot the blackmailer and/or killer? Not exactly. I was kind of leaning their way, but didn't get there before the reveal. Speaking of the reveal, that was the most disappointing part of the story. After the big build-up, I expected a bit more oomph in the finale. It's not that it wasn't good--it just wasn't great. So I couldn't quite bump the star rating all the way to the top. ★★★★

First line: The small gray man pushed his way through the brush and came out into the clearing.

Last line: "Why not?" the Doctor said. "Why not?"
******************

Deaths =  5 (one shot down in war; one stabbed; one natural; two car accident)

Frederica

 Frederica (1965) by Georgette Heyer

Vernon, the Marquis of Alverstoke, is at the top of the ton; the highest  levels of fashion. He is wealthy and handsome and the hope of every mother determined to make an excellent match for one of her daughters in the Marriage Mart. But...Alverstoke is easily bored by the ladies of the ton and never spends longer more time than a brief flirtation or discreet liaison on any of them. Then along comes Frederica Merriville with her three younger siblings. He's never met a woman like her.

The Merrivilles are distant cousins and Frederica is determined that Cousin Alverstoke will launch her sister Charis into ton on her come out. There is nothing that Alverstoke would less--as he's already explained to his sisters who have wheedled and schemed and everything in between trying to get him to host a ball in their daughters' honor. Hosting balls bore him and he hates being bored. But there's something about Frederica that appeals to him--she's not pretty and she's "on the shelf" (an elderly twenty-four [!], no longer seeking a entree into society for herself), but she can talk to him without resorting to coquettish ways and (gasp) even argue with him. Her sister Charis is a beauty, a diamond of the first-water, and he suddenly realizes that helping Frederica to bring her out into society will put his sisters' noses so far out of joint that they (the nose) may be facing backward. And what great fun that will be! 

What he doesn't bargain on is becoming fond of Frederica's two younger brothers--Jessamy and Felix and serving as a father-figure/guardian stand-in. But at least with Felix, he is never bored. Felix is a scientifically-minded young fellow who gets into the most extraordinary scrapes all in the interests of science--from disappearing overnight on a steam packet (to get an up close and personal experience of the steam engine) to going up in a hot air balloon and then falling out of it when it had a bad landing. Jessamy isn't far behind, having a run-in with some Londoners when he tries out the latest conveyance (an early form of the bicycle). No, boredom has never been so far away. And...he also doesn't bargain on becoming fond of Frederica. She interests him more than any woman of the ton ever did. But does she interest him enough to make this confirmed bachelor settle down for life?

So often bookish quizzes and challenges either want to know your "guilty pleasure" reads or have a prompt asking you to read a "guilty pleasure" book. I generally say that I don't really have any guilty pleasure reads: If I like reading a thing, then I like it and will own up to it. There's no feeling guilty about it. That said, if I have to choose a guilty pleasure read then I will claim historical romances for that category simply because I'm not a big romance fiction reader. And if I'm going to read romance then there's nothing better than one of Heyer's Regency romances. I love the research Heyer has put into getting the period right; I love making my way through the colloquialisms of the time--everything from "top-lofty" to "making a cake" of oneself to "ninnyhammer." [As an aside, it's a shame that there is not even a hint of a mystery in this particular Heyer--some of the romances do have a bit of mystery as well--because it's chock full of words and phrases that could have been used as the GAD Word of the Day.]

This is another of Heyer's best. Frederica makes for an admirable love-interest for Alverstoke. She's able to give plenty in their verbal give-and-take and she has enough force of character to stand up to him. The subplots involving Felix and Jessamy are well-done, incorporated nicely, and most interesting. I find Charis and Harry (the eldest Merriville--mostly off at Oxford) a bit disappointing, but I suppose the whole family can't be interesting. The one thing that keeps this from being a full five stars is the fact that, despite being a Regency romance, the romance is very definitely flying under the radar. In fact, for most of the book, Frederica doesn't even realize that romance is in the works for her. But the finely-drawn characters and the various storylines carry the day and make this a compelling historical fiction read. ★★★★

First line: Not more than five days after she had despatched an urgent missive to her brother, the Most Honourable the Marquis of Alverstoke, requesting him to visit her at his earliest convenience, the widowed Lady Buxted was relieved to learn from her youngest daughter that Uncle Vernon had just driven up to the house, wearing a coat with dozens of capes, and looking as fine as fivepence.

Last lines: "If I promise faithfully not to blow the house up? If you please, Cousin Alverstoke...?"

Troubled Daughters, Twisted Wives

 Troubled Daughters, Twisted Wives: Stories from the Trailblazers of Domestic Suspense (2013) by Sarah Weinman (ed)

A collection of 14 suspenseful tales by notable domestic suspense authors such as Shirley Jackson, Vera Caspary, Charlotte Armstrong, and Dorothy B. Hughes as well as others. In general, I'm not a huge fan of domestic suspense novels, but this is an excellent collection with just a couple stories that didn't strike me as all that suspenseful. But there are also a couple that are downright creepy. ★★★★

"The Heroine" by Patricia Highsmith: Lucille Smith has just found the perfect job in the country as nurse to two children. She loves her job and working for the family.But something within her tells her that it's not quite enough. [one natural]

"A Nice Place to Stay" by Nedra Tyre: Our protagonist grew up poor--never knowing if she'd have a roof over her head. She's a nice woman...but she'd kill for a nice little place of her own. (four natural; one stabbed)

"Louisa, Please Come Home" by Shirley Jackson: Three years ago Louisa Tether ran away from home. She's doing very well for herself--found a job and nice place to stay. But each year on the anniversary of her run, her mother's voice is on the radio begging her to come home. When she decides to do so, she finds that you just can't go home again.

"Lavender Lady" by Barbara Callahan: "Lavender Lady" is the title of our heroine's most famous (and most requested at concerts) song. The story reveals the dark history behind the lyrics and the anguish our heroine feels each time her fans demand to hear it. (one hit on head)

"Sugar & Spice" by Vera Caspary: Mike Jordan tells our narrator that he knows who murdered a famous actor and gives her a jolt--it seems well-bred, middle class girls can commit murder just as calmly as she might knit a sock. (one natural; one poisoned)

"Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree" by Helen Nielsen: Loren is the secretary to a married boss, who winds up being wife number two. She thinks she's made it in life...but then the anonymous phone calls start. 

"Everybody Needs a Mink" by Dorothy B. Hughes: And that's just what Meg, our heroine, gets. She's always dreamed of something a little bit fancier than her own life, but has been realistic enough to know she'll never see some of the luxuries she's dreamed of....until an unnamed benefactor suddenly gifts her with a beautiful mink coat..... [Not really a mystery--except for wondering who the man was and why he did it. Not, to my mind anyway, really suspenseful.]

"The Purple Shroud" by Joyce Harrington:  George Moon cheats on his wife once too often.  Don't be fooled by that placid smile, George.[one hit on head]

"The Stranger in the Car" by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding: Carrol Charleroy, wealthy businessman, is more like a neurotic housewife when it comes to his home and daughters. When Julia, his youngest--and the only one of his kids who still lives at home, gets into a bit of a jam, he gets things even more tangled by trying to keep everything from his wife. [one shot; one poisoned]

"The Splintered Monday" by Charlotte Armstrong: Sarah Brady is staying with her nephew and his wife aft er the funeral of his sister, a domineering hypochondriac. The family always tiptoed around the very trying matriarch and now Sarah feels like she's getting the same treatment. What is being hidden from her? [one poisoned]

"Lost Generation" by Dorothy Salisbury Davis: Very chilling story of town "justice" gone really wrong. [one shot]

"The People Across the Canyon" by Margaret Millar: More of a science fiction/fantasy story than a mystery. Marion Borton is worried when the family moves into the house across the canyon. She's afraid that their quiet home in the country will be ruined by loud music or cars or a huge number of children She's even more worried when she sees what effect the family has on her daughter....

"Mortmain" by Miriam Allen Deford: The greedy Miss Hendricks decides to hurry her patient into the afterlife so she can enojy the money he's got stashed in his safe. She knows there's danger from his little pistol. But she doesn't see the danger in the other items stored with cuffs...at least not until it's too late. [one poisoned]

"A Case of Maximum Need" by Celia Fremlin: An elderly woman tries to refuse the phone the social worker insists she needs (in case anything should happen to the woman). She's tells the social work that "it's a danger" but she doesn't explain that the danger isn't to herself....

First line (1st story): The girl was so sure she would get the job, she had unabashedly come out to Westchester with her suitcase.

Last line (last story): "It's too dangerous"--for them.

The Plumley Inheritance

 The Plumley Inheritance (1926) by Christopher Bush

Major Geoffrey Wrentham has just arrived back in England after wrapping things up abroad after the end of the Great War. He's at loose ends and think he'll look up his old friend Ludovic Travers after checking in with his financial advisors. He learns two things from the financial wallahs--that Henry Plumley, the business magnate with whom Wrentham had invested money, had gone a bit mad while Wrentham was out of England and the finances are not all that they should be and that Travers has been serving as one of Plumley's secretaries (after Travers was invalided out of the war). Wrentham learns that Plumley is going to give a speech that very night and figures that Travers will be on deck for the event, so the major decides to kill two birds with one stone and try to see both men at the event.

He doesn't see Travers and he doesn't get a chance to talk to Plumley because the man drops dead in the middle of his speech. And a very odd speech it was. One of Plumley's other secretaries hands the man a note and suddenly the businessman starts spouting off about treasure and lillies and gardens. When Wrentham finally runs Travers to earth, he finds that Plumley had his secretary on a scavenger hunt shortly before he died--finding particular bits of wire, pine cones, used suitcases, waterproof cement,methods for making glass opaque, and other odd things. 

Plumley had more than one residence and one of them just happens to be in the village where Wrentham grew up. Travers has to stay in London to wrap up Plumley's affairs, so the major heads home to stay with his father and to scout around. He discovers that Plumley did some rather odd things in the garden the last time he was at his country house--ordering the replanting of the garden border and redesigning an old well among them. Just as Wrentham has been writing clues down like mad and tidying up his notes to share with Travers, someone steals his notes, sets a booby trap (that gives the major one of several knocks on the head), and Plumley's other secretary, Andre Moulines, is found dead from wounds very similar to Wrentham's. Next thing we know, someone has been digging up the gardens at both of Plumley's residences...someone else is in search of buried treasure. Will Wrentham and Travers figure out the hidden message in Plumley's last speech before their unknown rival? Will Burrows, the local policeman, arrest one of them for Moulines murder--or if not that, then for impeding an officer in the pursuit of his duties? And, in the midst of all the treasure-hunting, will anyone figure out who killed the secretary? 

So...what we have here is the very first of the Ludovic Travers mysteries by Christopher Bush. Except...our protagonist is Geoffrey Wrentham. The man who does nearly all the on-page legwork and brainwork is (you guessed it) Geoffrey Wrentham. Ludo (as he's known to his friends) comes across as a bright side-kick to the hero. I somehow don't think that the most auspicious beginning for a series sleuth. But then maybe Bush didn't plan on a series. Or maybe he started out thinking that Wrentham was going to be his main man. I don't know--but other than figuring out the last bit of the treasure hunt puzzle (with a clue that unless I missed it Bush didn't even give to us), Travers really doesn't do much of the detective work here. Wrentham isn't the best detective in the world (our culprit gets the best of him repeatedly), but he does decipher about 90% of the treasure puzzle. Nobody really figures out the murder--we get a convenient confession letter left mailed to Wrentham after the bird has flown. 

On the other hand, I really enjoyed Wrentham and his boys own adventure antics. It's a shame that Bush didn't make him just a little more perceptive and a little less prone to getting bashed on the head. He could have made a very appealing lead detective. Fortunately (from previous experience), I know that Bush polishes up Travers and makes him into a better detective than his first appearance would leave us to believe possible. This one is an enjoyable read even though the tale leaves a bit to be desired. ★★★

First line: Geoffrey Wrentham yawned sleepily and stretched his long legs, then, eyes opening to the sun of a July evening, started up quickly.

The reception of money was to him [the vicar] much of a mystery. That he generally found somethin in the bank when he was there was enough for him. (p. 40)

People talked about the army and its stereotyped phraseology, but that was plain as the way to the parish church compared with the sort of drivel those lawyer blokes could produce when they really got going. (p. 53)

A more unlikely conspirator than Ludovic Travers could hardly be imagined. He did not possess that keenness of manner and that incisiveness of speech which would appear to be the distinguishing marks 

of the human bloodhound. (p. 67)

The thing was that you never knew just what he [Travers] was capable of doing or when he was going to do it. Such was Wrentham's faith in him that he would have consulted him on anything, form toothache to tattooing, and have been sure of an answer. (p. 68)

Last line: "By Jove!" exclaimed Wrentham; "there goes one more bloke who'll remember the Plumley inheritance!"
**********************

Deaths = 5 (one poisoned; one natural; one fell from height; one hit on head; one in the war)

Dangerous Crossing

 Dangerous Crossing (2017) by Rachel Rhys

It's 1939 and as Europe heads towards another world war, Lily Shepherd is headed for a new life in Australia. Leaving her parents and brother behind (sadly) as well as memories she'd rather forget, Lily is taking part in a program that gives her passage to the land down under and an opportunity to find employment. But during the weeks spent aboard ship she finds a different sort of opportunity--the chance to sample a world full of adventure, new friends, dancing, visits to some of the wonders of the world, and a taste of life among the upper classes. But that world is also full of danger--men with only one thing on their minds; men with grudges against certain groups of people--including some of Lily's new friends; and women who are so bored with life that they will try anything at least once. Lily thinks she may find romance with a young law student who is traveling with his sister...but when a friend disappears one night (apparently lost overboard--or was she pushed?) and another death occurs, she finds herself in the middle of a terrible situation and nowhere to go.

First thought: I am not a fan of present tense--especially when it seems to be done in such a weird way. It's like it's trying to be partially first-person present tense and mostly omniscient present tense and not quite successful at either. This, I'm sure, colored my reading somewhat. There was all the makings of a really good mystery, but somewhere it went a bit off course and we wound up with a middle-of-the-road story. The background was good. And the beginning started well. But once we settled in onboard ship, we spent way too much time on the weird interpersonal interactions between Lilly and the Campbells. And, honestly, wound up with very little mystery. It's obvious what happened to Maria (the friend who disappears overboard) and the second death happens right before our eyes, so we know immediately who did it. If Rhys had simply wanted to write a historical story set aboard a ship, that would have been one thing. But--she states plainly in her afterword that she thought the journal written by a friend of her mother's about doing just what Lily did would make a marvelous basis for a "historical crime novel." And the blurb led me to expect just that, so I think it natural that I felt a bit let down. 

As a historical novel, it is a good solid read (especially if you don't mind or can get past the present tense). But if you're looking for a great historical crime or mystery novel, then I don't think it quite meets the case. ★★★

First line: Sandwiched between two policemen, the woman descends the gangplank.

Last line: GREETINGS FROM THE NEW LADY CULLEN STOP MARRIED TWO WEEKS STOP SETTING OFF FOR NYERI KENYA TOMORROW STOP IF EATEN BY LIONS MY PEACH SILK IS YOURS STOP ELIZA
*********************

Deaths = 4 (one drowned; one stabbed; one bled to death; one suicide)

High Marks for Murder

 High Marks for Murder (2008) by Rebecca Kent (Kate Kingsbury)

Meredith Llewellyn is the headmistress at the Bellehaven Finishing School. A place that is known for transforming the "most incorrigible tomboy into a refined young lady." It's also a bit progressive for the beginning of the 20th Century--encouraging their refined young ladies to think for themselves and allowing exploration into other ways to find fulfillment beyond the role of wife and mother. The teachers may teach deportment and household management, but you just might find them chanting "votes for women" along with their students. You never know what you might see if you arrive unannounced. But I don't think anyone expected to see a ghost...

That's just what Meredith does see after her friend Kathleen Duncan, the home management teacher, was found bludgeoned to death with a tree limb. The local bobby doesn't want to waste precious time investigating too deeply into the demise of a woman out wandering in the garden at night alone (where no respectable lady should be...) and decides it's a death by tramp. A very convenient tramp who is long gone with no way to trace him. Meredith is upset that her friend's death is so easily dismissed and thinks about investigating on her own. But she has no idea how to go about it. Until she starts seeing Kathleen's ghost who seems to be trying to tell her something through various signs. If she can just figure out what Kathleen's motions in the garden mean, she just might have the clues to get an investigation started. 

Pure cozy mystery. No blood to speak of. No traumatic or complicated goings-on in our amateur sleuth's life. And, honestly, not a whole heaping lot of detection. So--if you're looking for a standard mystery with clues to follow and deductions to make, then this might not be your thing. If you like a gentle mystery with a hint (just a hint, mind you) of the supernatural and likeable characters, then this might well be your thing. 

I like the setting at a girls' school. I like our main characters--Meredith and her two, somewhat reluctant, Watsons, Felicity and Essie--though I'm not quite sold on Meredith as a Sherlock just yet. This was a pleasant read but the mystery wasn't too difficult. I knew exactly what Kathleen's ghost meant when she kept pointing at the garden and I'm not quite sure why Meredith was so baffled. Perhaps her grief got in the way? I have the second book in this series and hope that we will see more detecting than trying to communicate with spirits (though I already know there is a ghost involved in that one as well). ★★★

First line: Under normal circumstances Meredith Llewellyn enjoyed the Sunday services at St. Edmund's.

Last line: "Now what's your story?"
*****************

Deaths = one hit on head 

Shadows Before

 Shadows Before (1939) by Dorothy Bowers

Professor Matthew Weir escaped the gallows in 1937 by the skin of teeth. In Scotland, the verdict would likely have been brought in as "Not Proven." His highly abrasive, interfering sister-in-law had died from arsenical poisoning and the Weir's equally poisonous housekeeper had done her darnedest to see that her employer wound up with a noose around his neck. Weir university had stood by him during the entire ordeal (perhaps a point in his favor with the jury...), but he felt impelled to give up his post and flee to the country where he and his family lived in a small Tudor manor house near Oxford for two years without incident. Unless you count the slight mental decline of his wife.

It's thought wise to bring in a companion for Kate Weir--especially to accompany her on walks where she's apt to pick wild herb and whatnot to brew up her special teas. The doctor, who is instrumental in hiring Miss Brett (the companion), insists that the teas are harmless. But...Mrs. Weir had been experiencing gastric distress before Miss Brett was hired. Is that linked to the teas? Or, as the housekeeper (yes, the same one) points out, the illnesses seemed to follow hard on visits that Kate Weir made to Alice Gretton, one of the few local women with whom Mrs. Weir has made friends--could Alice have been giving Kate something to make her sick? It's interesting that the episodes stop as soon as Alice Weir disappears from her cottage.

But then Miss Brett arrives and Mrs. Weir has another, final bout of illness. And when the autopsy is done arsenic is once again the culprit. Was Matthew Weir erroneously acquitted and has he struck again? If so, he must be hoping that his wife's niece is also no longer among the living--because if Joyce Murray is alive and well in Australia, then she'll inherit everything except 6,000 pounds. But if she's dead....well, Matthew's inheritance will be much bigger. When Scotland Yard arrives in the persons of Chief Inspector Dan Pardoe and Detective Sergeant Salt, they'll have a job to find the guilty party--whether the obvious or not. Also cluttering up the possible suspects are Matthew's niece and nephew (who could benefit indirectly), an old gypsy woman who seemed to take a sudden dislike to Mrs. Weir after a brief friendship, and Matthew's brother, Augustus, who also could benefit from a brother with more ready cash. When a vehicle suffers a mysterious "accident" and the gypsy disappears, Pardoe realizes he'll need to work quickly to prevent more deaths.

This one gets off to a slow start with the lead up to the hiring of Miss Brett and her train journey to Steeple Cloudy--although I did love Miss Flora Hickey, a schoolteacher from Indiana (!), and her observations of her fellow passengers. I was disappointed that she didn't play a bigger part throughout the story (hoping for a sortof a mild version of Miss Marple and her keen people skills). But she does come through towards the end, giving Pardoe a vital clue. And speaking of Queens of Crime (Christie), I found the final letter in this partial epistolary story to be quite Sayers-like. "Mew," the mother of one of the supporting characters, reminds me of the Dowager Duchess in several of her turns of phrase. I wouldn't have minded seeing more of her (or her letters) either.

Once the second murder happens and Pardoe and Salt arrive, things pick up nicely. A good mixture of close questioning of the suspects and action and the clues are displayed fairly (though I missed a few). I noticed an early one and then promptly forgot it once other items drew my attention and was a bit surprised by the ending. If I'd been paying proper attention, I shouldn't have been. A very good outing with Pardoe and Salt. ★★★★

First line (prologue): So, it's all over, Mew, or nearly.

First line (1st chapter): Five months after the death of her employer, Aurelia Brett walked up from Castlebury Station in search of Dr. Smollett's house.

"By all accounts, piecing this, that, and the other together, taking off a slice here and supplying a bit there, she [Miss Leah Bunting] was one of the most difficult, though not most uncommon, types of maiden lady, given over at the same time to good works and to the exercises of an uncharitable tongue. In short, it seemed as if the good works had wrung all the goodness out of her." (Inspector Pardoe; p. 52)

The villagers might, for all he knew, be the heartless scandal-mongers he [the rector] made them out, but when you had a murder (and presumably a murderer) plopped down in your midst, you ought to be permitted a little mongering. (p. 149)

"'He travels fastest who travels alone,'" murmured the A.C. "Play a lone hand when next you do a murder, Sergeant." (p. 186)

Last line: And you will certainly come to me before you go and see Mussolini--Zoe, Nick, and Dinah too, please, and that poor little Freddy if the ogre will let him (I don't mean Mussolini, of course, but the other one). Your loving, Mew

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

Deaths = 11 (four poisoned;three natural; two car accident; one train accident; one hit on head)

Death on the Slopes

 Death on the Slopes (1978) by Norma Schier

Jason Ryder has been trying to recover from the death of his wife in a tragic car accident when two things happen. Valerie Mayne, a woman who says she was friend of his wife in college, shows up at his door and attaches herself, limpet-like, to him. He just can't seem to get her to get a job and an apartment and out of his hair. And he receives a letter from his cousin asking if he'd like a change from the high-powered world of New York publishing to the mountain slopes of Colorado. His cousin, who teaches at a small college in Aspen, is going to Italy to teach and there's an open position. Jason decides the change is just what he needs...and it's a chance to get rid of Valerie gracefully.

Except...

"But Jason, that's too good to be true! I'm dying to go to Aspen!"

And the limpet tags right along to Colorado. Where she immediately stirs up trouble, making everyone think that Jason has a live-in girlfriend. So...when Valerie winds up stabbed with a ski pole and Jason was last person known to be her...well what is the detective in charge of the case to think?

But...Aspen's newest female D.A., Kay Barth, doesn't think the police have enough evidence to make a charge stick and demands that the officers dig a little deeper into Valerie's past. Except...it's evident that's going to be a challenge. Despite making the national news and calls for information, no one comes forward as family or friends to help the police or claim the body. Could there be something in Valerie's past that finally caught up with her on the ski slopes? New evidence is found that there were other men in Valerie's life and that she had history of using what she knew about people to get what she wanted. Whose position did she threaten the most?

This is one of the better mysteries in the Zebra Puzzler series, though one could have hoped for more clues to the motive. On the plus side, there are plenty of suspects to choose from and there are several clues that could point more than one way. So the book is true to the series name--providing a puzzle for the reader. With the set-up, one did know that Jason would be cleared even though it looked quite black for him even at moments towards the end. And this series just isn't the type to turn things absolutely on its head by making the apparently guilty from the beginning suspect the actual villain after all. A fun, quick read that I enjoyed. ★★★★

First line: Margaret Watterson was new to skiing.

Last lines: "You can keep the scotch," she called out. The front door slammed behind her.
**********************

Deaths = 4 (one auto accident; one stabbed; two airplane crash)

Don Among the Dead Men

 Don Among the Dead Men (1952) by C. E. Vulliamy

If you don't like inverted mysteries and knowing pretty much everything except whether the police will figure out that murder has happened and be able to pin it on the guilty party, then you best not read the first paragraph.

So...Dr. Bowes-Ottery, lecturer in chemistry, is studiously working his way towards a professorship by doing all sorts of experiments with benzenes and colloids and whatnot when he injects his latest concoction into a lab rat and accidentally discovers an apparently impossible-to-trace poison that gives the victim a grand sense of well-being and euphoria before a quite painless death. What a gift to mankind! Bowes-Ottery sees himself dispensing it to all sorts of undesirables who do nothing but harm to the public. He would never doing harm to anyone--but a painless death that wouldn't be anything to trouble one's conscience over. But it doesn't take long for his scheme of benefiting humanity in general turns to one of personal vengeance on those who have been troublesome to the good doctor in one way or another--a fellow academician who has meddled in all sorts of affairs from those that touch Bowes-Ottery personally to those in the university on a grander scale. Then there's that annoying Mrs. Talantoun, the university gossip, whose tittle-tattle ruins reputations and who has recently notices that Bowes-Ottery pays more than a mentor's attention to the young, shapely student who works in his lab. A tongue like hers most definitely needs silencing. And when he tires of the all too clingy shapely student...well, he can't have her ruining his chances for the top prize in his field, now can he? 

His lab assistant remembers the queer incident with the rat and he begins to get worried. And when Bowes Ottery is made a professor and a new chemistry lecturer is hired...and the two don't seem to get on...and the new chemistry lecturer gets sick in a rather odd way...the lab assistant and the lecturer put their heads together about Bowes-Ottery's last experiment before all the deaths started happening. Meanwhile, the police haven't been as happy with the coroner's court verdicts as it would appear and they've been investigating as well...But will they be able to gather enough evidence to convict our poisoner? Will justice prevail? Well...don't read the last quote below if you want there to be any mystery at all in this story (should you happen to want to track it down and read it for yourself).

I have so many mixed feelings about this one. It's an academic mystery--which I love. It's an inverted mystery which I hate. It has an absolutely fantastic opening with an apparent lunatic or gleeful drunk driving crazily across country producing confusion and mayhem wherever he goes, laughing outrageously at everything he does, and killing himself when he runs into a steam roller--and, yet, we're told it's murder. It's one of the best two-page intros I've read in a long time. And then we're introduced to the murderer and we get to read his journal entries and see what a delusional, self-important, megalomaniac he is. No investigation, no looking at clues, no police interviews with suspects (as far as I can tell they don't have any suspects until somebody gets the bright idea that our murderer might have tried to kill the one person who escaped his clutches). But...there's all these lovely, entertaining peeks at university life that I adored. Oh, and the scenes between the prosecuting attorney and the murderer's defense attorney are priceless--as well as the trial itself. And it's always a good sign if I'm grabbing up quotations right and left.

But....as a mystery it falls flat. Because, in my book, it's not one. Yeah, the suspense of "will he get away with it?" is supposed to carry the day in an inverted mystery, but it doesn't really here. Vulliamy, I think, must have thought himself rather clever with his little twist at the end, but that didn't really do it for me either. So, overall: ★★ and 3/4--I just can't bring myself to give a full three stars.

First line: The car pulled up with a screech and a shuddering heave on the grassy verge of the lane, and the driver's cheerful face appeared at the window.

"Well, you can go easy now. Nobody expects a professor to do more than is required of him--and that's damned little." (the new Professor of Greek; p. 56)

Psychology? That is the last refuge of desperation, if I may venture to say so, with the greatest respect to Dr. Roberts. It leads you round and round for ever and ever, and you get nowhere at all. (the Coroner; p. 94)

"You never know where you are with a learned man; he has a way of being elaborately simple." (Inspector Butts; p. 105)

"Innocent people are much more likely to show confusion than guilty ones. Always remember that. Not only are they usually more timid, but they are taken aback by what seems to them so utterly preposterous; whereas the others are continually on the alert." (the Superintendent; p. 106)

If the residents of this University, or its illustrious visitors, were to get in the habit of dying mysteriously with a certain resemblance in the preliminary symptoms (and it's not easy to avoid that), a kind of general suspicion would arise which might become somewhat embarrassing. (from the journal of our murderer; p. 149)

"If you did happen to kill her, even by accident, you simply mustn't say so. I've known you for some years, and the notion seems to me too incredibly fantastic, my dear boy; but we all do funny things now and then." (our murderer's lawyer to him; p. 162)

Last line: Still, I am inclined to believe that he was convicted on a charge of which he was perfectly innocent. And yet, in the strangest way, justice was done; for Justice (like her sister Truth) may wear the mask of irony.
******************

Deaths = 7 (one car accident; six poisoned)

Picture Prompt Book Bingo

 Mayri at Book Forager is offering the Picture Prompt Book Bingo again this year. I enjoyed it so much few years that I've just got to sign up again. This is a pretty open challenge--just read books that connect in some way with the pictures on the bingo card. An plant being potted? There could be an plant or tree on the cover. Or the book could be about a gardener. As long as you're happy with the connection, Mayri says go for it!

1. Teacup: Don Among the Dead Men by C. E. Vulliamy [one of the murders done by poison in tea] (1/7/26)

2. Weighing Scales: Shadows Before by Dorothy Bowers [scales of justice] (1/18/26)

3. Moth

4. Hand Holding Playing Cards: Dangerous Crossing by Rachel Rhys [lots of card playing on board] (2/4/26)

5. Hot Air Balloon: Frederica by Georgette Heyer (2/22/26)

6. Acorns: Hercule Poirot & the Greenshore Folly by Agatha Christie [oak tree is important] (4/9/26)

7. Human Eye: Death on the Slopes by Norma Schier [at least twelve eyes on the cover] (1/9/26)

8. Cooking Pot over a Campfire: Murder Enters the Picture by Willetta Ann Barber & R. F. Schabeltiz [at least one meal cooked over a fire] (3/20/26)

9. Griffin: Who Done It? by Jon Scieszk (compiled/edited by) [actually shows up in the book (albeit briefly) which totally took me by surprise] (4/25/26)

10. Key: Shadow of Madness by Hugh Pentecost [spare set of keys play an important role] (3/23/26)

11. Hand Holding Threaded Needle: Troubled Daughters, Twisted Wives by Sarah Weinman, ed [one of the stories involves the sewing of a shroud] (2/18/26)

12. Octopus: The Body in the Dumb River by George Bellairs [body found in water/octopus found in water] (4/16/26)

13. Plant Being Repotted: High Marks for Murder by Rebecca Kent (1/22//26)

14. Skull & Crossbones: Old Bones by Herman Petersen (1/20/26)

15. Decorative Water Fountain: The Plumley Inheritance by Christopher Bush [water fountains go in gardens; garden is very important] (2/13/26)

16. Pinch-Clip Purse

Clouds of Witness

 Clouds of Witness (1926) by Dorothy L. Sayers (narrated by Mark Meadows)

It looks like I'm plunging into another reread (re-listen) of Lord Peter Wimsey books. If you would like a more complete review of the story itself, please see my previous review (HERE). As I mentioned in my latest review of Whose Body?, I've read these stories so often that I don't often have much that is new to say about the mysteries themselves, but I do love listening to them when I want a nice comfortable story that I'm familiar with. I had forgotten that I'd listened to Meadows narrate this one and thought I might have something original to say about the audio version. But, alas. I listened to his version just a couple years ago. Here's what I said last time:

My main reaction to this visit to Riddlesdale Lodge is focused on the audio version itself. Hoopla promised me Ian Carmichael. It said so right there on the website. But when the audio started, I got Mark Meadows. He's a fine narrator in every way but two. He is not by any stretch of the imagination Lord Peter Wimsey. I've been spoiled by Ian Carmichael and Edward Petherbridge and I'm afraid that his take on Lord Peter just doesn't sit well. And he has turned Bunter into the most dreadfully supercilious-sounding manservant I've ever heard. Bunter is, indeed, Peter's valet and a superior one at that--but he has also been his comrade in arms in the Great War and there is an underlying friendship and affection that stays just on the correct side of the man and master relationship. There is little of that to be found in Meadows' rendition. The only real hint of it we get is when Peter is nearly potted in the bog and even then Bunter sounds more annoyed that Peter has gotten himself mired than alarmed.

Meadows does do an excellent job with the rest of the characters--giving distinct voices to everyone from the Duke of Denver to Sir Impey Biggs to the Dowager Duchess. He manages the female voices better than most male narrators. And I really enjoyed listening to his French--I don't understand nearly as much as I used to (when my French classes were much fresher in memory), but his accent is beautiful.

I will say that on this second round with Meadows that his LPW doesn't seem to be quite as far off as I initially thought. But his Bunter still grates. 

  ★★★ and 1/2 (for this particular audio version)

First line: Lord Peter Wimsey stretched himself luxuriously between the sheets provided by the Hotel Meurice.

Last lines: "Mr. Parker an' all," said Inspector Sugg, adding devoutly. "Thank Gawd there weren't no witnesses."

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

Deaths = 2 (one shot; one hit by car)

The Feathered Serpent

 The Feathered Serpent (1927) by Edgar Wallace

When reporter Peter Dewin first heard about the Feathered Serpent, he laughed. "When he heard of it again, he sneered." It sounded for all the world like something from a shilling shocker or from one of the thrilling plays on London's stages. And, to be fair, the story did start with the theater. Miss Ella Creed, well-known actress, receives a cardboard message with a crude drawing of a Feathered Serpent and the words "Lest you forget." It's an exact duplicate of a card received by her friend Leicester Crewe, a stockbroker, and Joe Farmer, a boxing promoter. She scoffs at it as a joke, but she isn't scoffing when she's waylaid by a masked man at her apartment's door. She faints and when she comes to, her jewelry (all paste, fortunately) is gone, and another Feathered Serpent card is hanging round her neck.

Dewin's editor sends him to get the story. And he's none too happy. He's sure that it's nothing more than a publicity stunt on the part the of actress. But as he dutifully searches for a story that will make his boss happy, he discovers that there is more to this Feathered Serpent business than meets the eye...and when Farmer is shot on Crewe's doorstep (just as he's coming to tell Crewe that he knows who the Feathered Serpent is), Dewin realizes that he's got a hot story on his hands. Behind the Feathered Serpent is a story of forgery, theft, false imprisonment, treachery, and revenge. But will Dewin and his friend, Inspector Clarke, be able to track down the Serpent before someone else is killed? Reports are that the killer is an ex-con by the name of William Lane. But William is dead--can a ghost kill?

Wallace was a prolific author of thrillers and he's definitely at the top of his game in this one. Lots of thrilling action with killer "ghosts," menacing men in masks, fainting women, kidnap attempts, a secret code, and a mysterious key all playing their parts. Dewin is an engaging character and if he doesn't make appearances in future Wallace books...well, then Wallace missed a shot at having a really good recurring character. This is an entertaining story with a good attempt at basic clue-dropping (not bad for an adventure/thriller). I did have a glimmer about the identity of the culprit, but I didn't get the whole picture--not quite enough clue-dropping for that. But a good, quick read. ★★★ and 1/2

First line: What annoyed Peter Derwin most, as it would have annoyed any properly constituted reporter, was what he called the mystery-nove element in the Lane case.

Last line: "And whilst I slept lo! the Feathered Serpent vanished from the land!"
******************

Deaths = 4 (three shot; one hit by car)

One Fell Sloop

 One Fell Sloop (1990) by Susan Kenney

This is the third and last of a short academic mystery series which features Roz Howard, American literature professor, and her lover, Alan Stewart, Scottish artist cum botany expert. The series varies between Maine and the UK. This outing finds Roz & Alan "messing about in boats" (a la Wind in the Willows)--taking a little sailboat cruise along the Maine coast for some together time and perhaps a sorting out of their long-distance relationship. Their holiday is interrupted when they stop on a semi-deserted island, known for its rare flora and fauna (a real draw for Alan), and find a dead body. 

It winds up that the victim is the environmentally-minded owner of the island who had had a falling out with his family (who own a nearby island). It seems that one island can't be sold without the consent of all parties and Peter Onterdonck was not in favor of selling off such environmentally important property. But was the feud over the islands great enough to incite murder? Family rivalry may play a part but Roz and Alan discover motives that may be even darker than that. There's possible pirate treasure in the offing or maybe some drug-running. But can they convince the authorities that it's anything more than just an accident?

I do love me an academic-related mystery, but angst-ridden academics are not my thing. At least not right this moment. Roz spends the first three chapters talking about/around/obliquely referring to at times the flaming row she and Alan have had. She's spends oodles of time rehashing it in her brain. With me, shouting at her (in mine), just get on with the murder mystery already! I really don't care about her love-life. And I'm really not a fan of flashback fights, which is what we're getting here. You want to bring in the fight--fine. Then just start the story when they get on the boat and show us what happens in real (book) time. Stop with the flouncing back and forth between now and what happened in the last two-three days. 

And, honestly, as I kept reading, things just didn't get better. Roz spends more time worrying about what Alan has said and does that mean what she thinks it does or does he have his mind on the job (figuring out the mystery before them) than she does on the mystery. She's supposed to be our amateur detective protagonist, but she acts more like a school girl who's all worried about her crush.

The mystery is decent, but it's buried almost as deep as any pirate booty that might be lurking about. I had a really difficult job slogging through Roz and her inner dialogue to keep up with the main plot. ★★

First line: It had seemed like a good idea at the time, Roz Howard thought as she rolled over and carefully rearranged herself in the somewhat confined vee-berth of her Aunt Jessie True's old wooden sailboat.

Last line: It was a waterbed,.
*****************

Deaths = One hit on head

Murder in the Crypt

 Murder in the Crypt (2020) by Irina Shapiro

Captain Jason Redmond, has come to England to claim his inheritance--which comes with a country estate and the unaccustomed title of "Lord." He and his ward, Micah, have come from America where they both served in the Union Army during the Civil War (as surgeon and drummer boy, respectively), and where they both survived as prisoners of war in the Andersonville prison. Micah's father and brother weren't so lucky. So, Redmond promised the dying man that he'd take care of the boy until he could reunite him with his sister, Mary. Only Mary was nowhere to be found at the family's burned-out home when the war was over and they were released from prison. Redmond set an inquiry agent on the trail to find out if she is alive or dead.

Redmond's parents are also gone--killed in a train accident. So, when word comes that Redmond's grandfather had died back in England, leaving him as the heir, he and Micah travel to set his affairs in order with plans to return to the States. But the very night that they arrive in Birch Hill, a young man's body is found stuffed in the tomb of a medieval knight within the crypt of the local church. Since there had never been a murder until these outsiders arrived, the local constable comes calling to ask Redmond to give an account of himself. Constable Daniel Haze immediately realizes his mistake and when he learns that the new lord of the manor was a surgeon in the States, he asks him to examine the body. It isn't long before Redmond is settling into the ancestral home and helping his new friend Constable Haze track down a ruthless killer--a killer who won't hesitate to kill their own kin or the strange new lord if anyone gets in their way.

The clues lead the two men to believe that the young man, Alexander MacDougal, had ties to Chadwick Manor, another home of landed gentry in the area. But they still don't know why he was killed. Did he know secrets about the family? Was it blackmail? Or is there a greater tie?

This is Shapiro's first attempt at a historical mystery and she does quite well with it. Her previous work apparently involved time travel, so she's quite comfortable writing about other time periods. She gives us some very appealing recurring characters in Redmond, Micah, and Daniel, as well as the Dodsons (butler and cook that Redmond has inherited along with the estate) and the Talbots (the Reverend and his daughter, Katherine). Shapiro also handles her maiden mystery plot quite nicely. Plenty of suspects and a whacking good motive. I enjoyed myself thoroughly and look forward to future installments. ★★★ and 1/2.

First line: The waning light of a summer afternoon enveloped the valley in a golden haze.

Last line: A new case was about to begin.
**********************

Deaths =  7 (two train accident; one stabbed; four natural; one hit by a carriage; one shot)

Murder Among Friends

 Murder Among Friends (1942) by Lange Lewis (Jane de Lange Lewis)

Kathryn "Kate" Farr returns to the coeducational college where just a few years ago she was a student. She has come to replace the medical school dean's secretary, Garnet Dillon, who left most abruptly, leaving a very short note behind. Kate is told by the Dean that she will find the work of an academic secretary to be different from that of the business office. There will be far less dictation and far more phone calls. Far more interaction with all sorts--from professors to students to other staff. And "all sorts of odd jobs. Odd, odd jobs..." But even that warning couldn't prepare her for the oddest job of all...discovering the body of her predecessor in the school's morgue. 

When her old friend, medical student John Greenwood, takes her on a tour of medical building they visit the labs and wander the corridors containing the professors' offices. They end the tour at the morgue where he introduces her Mr. Griswold ("Grizz"), the man in charge, and she sees a body on a table. She feels a bit out of sorts and looks away to see another body. A body of a young woman who seems to match the description of Garnet Dillon. 

Lt. Richard Tuck is an old friend of Dean Ulysses Calder and so the dean call on Tuck to come and look into things. When Tuck realizes that the woman's purse is missing, he begins to wonder if she was the latest victim of Black Overcoat, a psychotic killer who has already claimed five victims using a different murder method each time. He seems to have a preference for weapons--knives and bludgeons of all sorts, but this time the victim has been poisoned. Poisoned with digitalis, a drug that would be well-known to a school full of medical students and professors. So maybe this murder is more personal. Or maybe Black Overcoat originates from the college and had to get rid of Garnet for safety's sake. Only time and a thorough investigation will tell.

I seem to be the outlier among my friends in the Golden Age blogging world. Brad, Kate, John,  Moira, & the Puzzle Doctor all seem more excited about this one than I am. Than I should be--after all, this is one of those academic mysteries that I love. And I did enjoy that aspect of it. In fact, I actually enjoyed the book right up to the very end. I can't tell you straight up why the ending bothers me so much without spoiling things. If you really want to know, I'm going to code it all up in ROT13 and you can copy and paste in the link and decode it. 

Urer'f gur guvat. Gur zheqre vfa'g ernyyl n zheqre. V zrna, Wbuaal qbrfa'g xvyy Tnearg orpnhfr ur ungrf ure be jvyy cebsvg ol vg be gb trg eriratr be nal bs gur fgnaqneq zheqre ernfbaf. Vg'f rhgunanfvn. Fur'f tbg pnapre naq, nppbeqvat gb uvz, ercrngrqyl zragvbaf gung fur'q xvyy urefrys vs fur qvqa'g oryvrir vg jnf n fva naq jbhyq xrrc ure sebz rgreany yvsr. Wbuaal qbrfa'g ernyyl oryvrir va n crefbany urnira be uryy, fb boivbhfyl vg'f bxnl sbe uvz. Ur qbrf yvxr ure. Naq ure svnapr vf uvf orfg sevraq naq Wbuaal qrpvqrf vg'f orggre nyy nebhaq vs arvgure Tneargg abe Xheg unir gb tb guebhtu gur uryyvfu zbaguf bs pnapre. Fb, ur tvirf ure gur avpr qbfrf bs qvtvgnyvf gung jvyy rnfr ure bhg bs gur jbeyq zhpu zber tragyl guna yrhxrzvn jbhyq.

Yg. Ghpx fhfcrpgf uvz, ohg qrpvqrf gb yrg gur qrngu fyvqr nf fhvpvqr. Fb, vs ure cnegvphyne eryvtvba unf n fgvtzn nggnpurq gb fhvpvqr, gura fur'f abg tbvat gb or ohevrq jvgu shyy Puevfgvna ubabef naljnl. Gur jubyr guvat whfg yrnirf n onq synibe va zl zbhgu. 

V ubarfgyl guvax V jbhyq unir orra zber fngvfsvrq jvgu gur raqvat vs gur "juvgr fyht," Flqarl Ivarf, jbhyq unir jbhaq hc orvat abg bayl Tnearg'f xvyyre, ohg Oynpx Birepbng nf jryy. Vg frrzf n ovg qvfratrahbhf gb unir Oynpx Birepbng pnfg nf fhpu na rabezbhf erq ureevat.

But--that quibble about the ending aside, I do like Lewis's way with characterization. She makes these quirky academics come to life and I can see the university setting and types very vividly. Kate is ideal for our point of view character (especially for me since I, too, am a support staff member). She gives us the outsider's evaluation of the cast of suspects. And, since she wasn't on the spot when Garnet was killed, we feel like we can trust her to give us the truth--as far as she knows it.

The Birthday Murder remains my favorite by Lewis, but this one would have given it a better run for its money if the ending had been more satisfying to this reader. Based on my fellow GAD bloggers' reactions, your mileage may vary. ★★★ and 1/2

First line: Walking again down University Avenue was like being a ghost.

Detective Richard Tuck sat and listened. While he followed perfectly the minutest ramifications of Gufferty's main thesis, and while a certain corner of his mind absently noted nine errors in grammar ranging from a mild one of a split infinitive to some staggering confusions of tense, his large deliberate hand drew doodles on a scratch pad. (p. 33)

That's sunny Southern California for you, she thought. The February night goes right through you and comes out the other side, but your breathe doesn't freeze. It must be by special arrangement with the Chamber of Commerce. (p. 92)

Last line: Then she walked quickly toward his room.
*******************

Deaths = 5 (two hit; two natural; one poisoned--others unnamed)

The Voice of the Crab

 The Voice of the Crab (1974) by Charlotte Jay (Geraldine Halls)

Synopsis from the book flap (with a few additions--in bold--by me): A man named To'ula returned home to Kipi Island (where only seven people had wrist watches) in the southeastern division of Papua-New Guinea after having three years in prison in Port Moresby for the murder of his wife.

He'd just come back when the Voice of the Crab burned in his body. He fell, foaming  at the lips, onto the sand--and when he regained consciousness he hurried to tell the village elders that he had a message.

There were very few whites who lived in Kipi. Among them was tall, handsome Bruce Harding, the district officer, and his restless though calm-eyed wife, Alice. there was Sam Creeby, who was bitter and suspicious, who kept tinned food locked in a closet, who'd been a partner of a man named Dutch Willy (an undesirable, who had been told to keep away from Kipi). There was Arthur Knox, who'd once been a Queen's conssul, and his proper wife, Elsie, who wore stocking attached to a tight corset--and who lived by the times and mores of proper society. And there was Father Paul and Dr. Maximillian Schramm, a doctor whose skills are rusty and who has spent his life on drink ever since his daughter was raped and murdered. A murder that was never solved...

There was also Ivan West, an anthropologist, who'd been the first to write about the Kipis and their ancient Kula rituals. and who, when he returned to the island, recognized that something was very wrong, and not only because the Kipi chief was mysteriously ill, perhaps dying.

Billed as a mystery/suspense novel written in the 1970s and set in the 1950s on the fictional Papua-New Guinea island of Kipi, this reads to me as really bad social commentary disguised as a really poor mystery. Is there a mystery? Sortof. Are there murders? Sure. But they seem almost incidental. Bruce Harding, the man who's supposed to represent the law on the island (as he likes to remind folks) doesn't really investigate them. Actually, pretty much nobody investigates much of anything. A few of the white inhabitants go searching when people don't show up when/where expected. But they don't look for much in the way of evidence. The one thing they save (saying the officials on the main island will want to see it) probably isn't going to keep very well...Even when we finally find out who did what and why, there is no evidence that justice is going to be served for those who died. I like my mysteries to be given with clues and for the detective (there isn't one here) to arrange for the villain of the piece to get their just desserts. Not happening.

As far as I can tell, the purpose of this novel is to talk about the social effects of the white invasion on the islands of Papua New Guinea. And to discuss the social structure of the native inhabitants and the white settlers. Fine. I'm all for social commentary in its place--especially good social commentary (again, this isn't). If the mystery were stronger and could be linked to the social commentary, then that could work. But don't wrap it up in a flimsy mystery coating and try to pass it off as a "Harper Novel of Suspense." 

I'm having difficulty deciding on the the rating for this one. I keep waffling between one and one & 1/2 stars. But there's no way I'd round it up to two, so I guess I'll just stick to ★.

First line: One evening, just before sunset, a native of the Southeastern Division of Papua-New Guinea, named To'ula, was walking along the water's edge.

Last line: And Alice felt that never, never in her whole life had she been so happy.
************************

Deaths = 8 (two hit on head; two natural; one of fever; two stabbed; one broken neck)