Eleven Came Back

 Eleven Came Back (1943) by Mabel Seeley

When Martha and Dane Chapple, owners of a small radio network in the Minneapolis area, receive a phone call from their top investor, George Talbot, telling them that he's pulling out and selling his share to Mrs. Parent, a power-mad, vindictive woman, they have his call traced. It winds up he was calling from Delphine Parent's Wyoming ranch, the Lady Luck. So, the Chapples hustle on out to the ranch to try and talk Talbot out of the deal.

But Talbot is adamant that he wants out and Delphine is on a mad, power-seeking trip. She wants to hold the strings to a radio network that will allow her to control what the people hear. The Chapples try to convince her that their small network will never give her the influence she seeks, but Delphine knows what she wants and refuses to be swayed. She tries to smooth everything over by inviting Martha and Dane to join her house party as guests. They grab at the chance to have more time to persuade either Talbot or Delphine.

The other guests include what appears to be hangs-on, sycophants, or victims of her dictatorial ways. Among them are her current husband, the rich Jim Parent (from whom she gets the funds to pursue her "interests"); Delphine's ex-husband Jock Huddleston and his gold-digging trophy wife Deidre; Rolf Gaden, a Norwegian refugee who speaks in aid of a fund for other refugees, Evelyn Anson, Delphine's secretary, and Lolly Sheehan who seems to have been invited purely for entertainment value. After a somewhat intense dinner, where Delphine reveals that she once knew a blackmailer who had photographic proof that someone was a murderer. Martha is sure the story was told for a purpose and the atmosphere immediately changed from that moment on. 

The group is maneuvered into a moonlight ride up the mountain. Twelve riders (ten house guests and their hosts plus two ranch hands to guide and manage the horses) head up the mountain, but only eleven come back. In the middle of a (insane to my mind) madcap game of hide and seek in the darkness, Lolly falls to her death from a bridge overlooking a falls. When the sheriff and park rangers who are called to the scene investigate it appears that no one was close enough to have had a hand in the death. A verdict of suicide is brought in. But Martha is sure it was murder and so is Dane and others in the party. When Delphine is killed next, the evidence all seems to point to Dane. After all, he really didn't want the deal between George and Delphine to go through did he? Martha knows he didn't do it, but can she find a way to prove it?

There are several things to like about this one. First, the setting and atmosphere are terrific. Set in the shadow of the Grand Tetons, Seeley does a great job setting her scene. And tense atmosphere is also built and managed well. Seen through Martha's point of view, we really get the feeling that Dane is going to be railroaded into being arrested. It was very interesting that the first death was not the expected death. It took a while to figure out why Lolly had to die and the explanation works. But the reader still expects Delphine to be bumped off first.

A few things kept this from rating any higher. Although Martha's point of view helps set up the atmosphere, she isn't really a lead character that I took to. I definitely didn't want Dane set up for a crime he didn't commit, but I was pretty meh when it came to rooting for Martha. She comes across as very scatter-brained and indecisive. Dane must be the brains behind their radio network success. And I'm baffled by this bunch of adults playing hide and seek on the mountainside. I'm not saying that adults might not be silly and do such a thing, but after meeting this group I really find it difficult to believe that they would. It's a perfectly good  device for getting the group separated and nobody really knowing where anyone else was--but it would have gone down better if the groundwork had been laid that made me believe they would do it. 

Side Note: I'm really curious how Jim Parent managed to get so rich. He's Native American and stereotypically depicted (disappointingly so) as illiterate, drunk, and lazy. Did the man get lucky and just trip over a hunk of gold?

This was the first Seeley mystery I ever read. Somehow, even though my brief pre-blogging review said "Not quite as good as anticipated. But a solid mystery," it spurred me on to look for other mysteries by her. I'd say my feeling is about the same. It's a good solid mystery--one I'd like to be able to rate higher, but just can't. ★★★

First line: To begin with, there wasn't anything about our going to the Lady Luck to indicate that we were getting into murder

Last lines: Free. That was a word. Free.

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Deaths =  5 (one fell from height; one alcohol poisoning; one hit on head; one suicide; one shot)

See Also Murder

 See Also Murder (2015) by Larry D. Sweazy

Marjorie Trumaine is trying to get used to her new life. Farming in 1964 North Dakota has never been easy, but everything is much harder after her husband Hank had an accident that left him blind and paralyzed. In order to help meet the bills, she took up a job as a free-lance professional indexer. She's under deadline for a book on the myth of headhunter civilizations when Sheriff Hilo Jenkins comes to her with horrific news.

The Trumaines' nearest neighbors, Erik and Lida Knudsen, have been found murdered in their beds. Their boys Peter and Jaeger are fine--well, as fine as they can be after the discovery--and the only clue is an ancient Norse amulet that was found clutched in Erik's hand. Jenkins knows that Marjorie's job involves research and asks her to try and find out what she can about the strange object. 

As Marjorie dives into Norse mythology more murders occur and each seems to have a connection with what she finds. The Sheriff's wife is killed and found holding a sprig of mistletoe. Then a professor from the local university who had an interest in Norse history and folklore is also murdered. What is the connection? Marjorie, who is used to cross-referencing and finding connections, feels like she ought to know, but her personal troubles and the looming deadline for her job keep distracting her. Will she find the right reference before it's too late?

The mystery plot is good--Sweazy lays down the clues (although I missed several important ones) and gives the kaleidoscope a final shake and twist that keeps the solution on theme but provides an interesting surprise. I also like Marjorie a lot--she's a strong female character in a time when women weren't expected to be quite so tough. I did have a bit of trouble with the depressing atmosphere. Poor Hank, it's difficult in the scenes with him in them. The murders are also quite brutal.

Sweazy does a great job capturing the time period and the North Dakota setting is quite vivid. I've only been to the state once (in the 70s), but the scenes in the book had a definite familiarity. A good, solid first book in the series. ★★★

First line: I saw a plume of dust through the window over my desk, and something told me trouble was heading my way. 

Last lines: Shep barked, circled after me, and followed me into the house, happy to be inside, watching over Hank and I (sic). And I was glad of it too.

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Deaths = 8 (five stabbed; one shot; two natural)

Family Skeletons

 Family Skeletons (1997) by Rett MacPherson (Lauretta Allen)

Torie (Victory) O'Shea is a bit surprised when Norah Zumwalt approaches her at the annual Old German Days festival and asks her to research her family trees. Torie is New Kassel's resedent historian, genealogist, and tour guide for the historic Gaheimer house. Norah has always been a bit standoffish and Torie hasn't spoken more than about three words to her. But Norah tells the historian that her main objective is to track down her father--a father who never married her mother and never came home from World War II. She also wants to know about her ancestors, but it's her father she wants to find. 

She gives Torie the last letters Eugene Counts wrote. Letters that say how much he loves Violet Pritcher and that he plans to come back to her. Why didn't he? Torie is intrigued and even though it's her busiest time of year as historian she agrees to do what she can. Given how little information Norah has about her father and his family, Torie doesn't expect to find anything quickly. But she has amazing luck and within a day she knows that Norah's father is still alive...and lives just down the road in another small Missouri town. She speaks to Norah on the phone and tries to tell her the news, but their conversation is interrupted when someone comes to Norah's door and she abruptly ends the phone call. When Torie tries to call her later, she's nowhere to be found--not at home and not at her antique shop where she was expected to show up and relieve the woman who was minding the store. 

Torie is concerned...as particular as Norah was, it's hard to imagine that she wouldn't show up at her shop without calling her assistant. She decides to go to Norah's house and check on her, only to find the door ajar and Norah's brutally murdered body. She soon finds herself more involved in the murder investigation than either her husband or Sheriff Brooke would like. But her inquisitive nature won't let her leave it alone. Did Norah stir up trouble when she asked Torie to search for Eugene Counts? Or was it a coincidence that she was killed just after the request? Her son and daughter don't seem too upset about the murder and her boyfriend didn't even come to the funeral. Both her boyfriend and her ex-husband are beneficiaries on life insurance policies, so maybe money is a motive. Torie and the Sheriff work together to catch a murderer.

This is the first in one of the earliest cozy series featuring a genealogist. For a first mystery, it is nicely plotted with plenty of action and several suspects to choose from. It also has a good small-town setting and the historical festival adds to the background. However, it is evident that MacPherson is finding her feet with the series theme and genealogical research isn't really displayed to full advantage. Torie does a bit of scanning old newspaper articles and interviews a few relatives, but there isn't much beyond that. The most disappointing part of the mystery was [*spoiler encoded in ROT13] gung gur znva zheqre jnfa'g rira eryngrq gb gur trarnybtl gurzr. Bgure qrnguf qvq pbaarpg gb Gbevr'f vavgvny vairfgvtngvba vagb Abenu Mhzjnyg'f snzvyl gerr, ohg Abenu'f qrngu? Anu--whfg n pnfr bs "vs V pna'g unir ure, abobql pna." Given the genealogical theme, it just wasn't satisfying as a solution. 

It was interesting enough that I'd like to try another--just to see if genealogy plays a bigger role in future installments and also to see if the recurring characters grow on me. I'm not completely sold on Torie as an amateur sleuth or her interactions with other people (she's one moody lady...). ★★★

*To decode: copy coded portion and paste into the decoder at the link above. 

 First line: The Lick-a-Pot Candy Shoppe is located on the corner of Jefferson Street and Hermann Avenue, in the town of New Kassel, Missouri.

Last line: Sheriff Brooke leaned close to my ear then, and whispered, "Now I can be closer to your mother."

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Deaths = 7 (six stabbed; one natural)

Death in a Sunny Place

 Death in a Sunny Place (1971) by Richard Lockridge

Enid Towne's mother, who had been house-bound since an automobile accident five years ago, has died. Enid grew up expecting to be comfortably well-off in their large Connecticut house with acres and acres of wooded, hilly land. But her mother's doctor bills and efforts to "keep everything just the way your father always wanted" have eaten up most of the ready cash and Enid finds herself with almost nothing except the "potential" (her lawyer's word) earnings from a sale of the house and land. But the market isn't good. And nobody really wants big ol' houses far from the big cities right now. And spring in Connecticut hasn't quite hit yet and it's dismal and gloomy.

So...when "Aunt" Lillian (a courtesy aunt who was her mother's friend) writes from North Carolina and invites Enid to the private club in the sunny south owned by Aunt Lily and her second (much younger) husband, Enid is very tempted. And there is something oddly insistent about this invitation from a courtesy aunt she hasn't seen for years.

You can't guess what a favor you'll be doing us....How many things there are you can help me with....I need you, Enid.

When Enid arrives, she can't imagine what she can do to help Lily. The place seems to run like clockwork. The staff are so efficient. Neal Stanton, Lily's husband, is the perfect, genial host for Hilltop Club. But from the very beginning Enid senses that something is wrong. Aunt Lily is jittery and jumpy and drinking too much in an effort to calm her nerves. There is a group of men who seem oddly out of place in the middle of the country club atmosphere--a little too intense and little too stand-offish. And there is Mr. Hadley, young man with prematurely white hair, who also keeps himself to himself. There seems to be an air about the place that says something is about to happen.

And then something does. Samuel Thompson, brother of one of the intense men, has disappeared. He had kept to his room because he was supposed to be ill and now he's just not there. And, apparently, he's just not anywhere. After a search of the grounds finds no trace of him and none of the cars are missing, the state police decide to drag the lake. They find Mr. Thompson. And it's not an accident--no one accidently hits his head, gets tied up in a rope with a stone at the other end, and leaps into the middle of the lake. Murder has been done. Does it have anything to do with the men Enid saw talking in the darkness below her window? And what about the "nightmare" Aunt Lily says she had about a man being struck down on the terrace? Enid soon finds herself in a dark nightmare of her own in what was supposed to be a sunny retreat. And the worst of it is she doesn't know whom she can trust.

The Lockridge books definitely lost something when Frances died and Richard started writing on his own. Even the plots that should be a little more straight-forward mystery (like this one) wind up with a more melodramatic suspense feel. And, I have to say, I just don't appreciate the more suspense-oriented Lockridge books (whether written while Frances was still alive or not) as much as the more straight-forward mysteries. The stories written by Richard alone also have fewer instances of the lightness of tone and sparkling humor of the earlier books--I can only suppose that lightness was Frances's doing or Richard lost his firm grip on the light touch when he lost his first wife. 

This particular book has the additional disadvantage that the mystery really isn't much of one. Everything becomes pretty obvious about midway through the book even though Lockridge tries to muddy the waters by making one of the character's behavior and motives seem unclear. But it really didn't work--at least not on me. To be a true mystery there really needs to be more suspects with motives and that is missing here. 

All this negativity makes it seem that I didn't enjoy the book, but I did. This is one of the few Lockridge books that I had never (according to my haphazard record-keeping pre-blog) read before and I had searched for a reasonably priced copy for quite some time before getting my hands on it in 2020. So it was a good anticipation read. I enjoyed the sense of place. Lockridge gives a good look at the Carolina countryside as Enid is driven to the Hilltop Club by Aunt Lily's husband. And we are given a good description of the club itself and its grounds. The writing is good and crisp and the action flows well making this a quick, fun read. ★★★

First line: She heard that slow thudding sound which meant that Mrs. Mills was coming downstairs, plodding down, holding carefully to the left hand rail.

Last lines: "Yes, Ted," Enid said, and wondered if she had said more than she meant to say. As he leaned down to her, she decided that perhaps she had not.

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Deaths = 3 (one natural; one plane accident; one hit on head)

The River & the Rose

 The River & the Rose (1967) by Sandra Abbott

Set in about 1899 in Georgia: Four years after her fiancé dies in a freak carriage versus train accident, Suzanne Howe answers an advertisement for "a young lady of good character for a position with a Southern family." Her beloved Aaron had been from the South and she thought she would be closer to his memory there. She has visions of beautiful plantations and people of quiet Southern manners and charm. What she gets is a ramshackle mansion--dusty and falling into disrepair, a butler who is downright rude, and a housekeeper who is by turns cold and aloof and then warm and welcoming. Andrew Parker, the master of the house, is a dark, brooding sort who both repels and attracts Suzanne. 

But looming over Belle Rose (the name of our gothic plantation) are dark secrets. Who is the woman crying hysterically in the room next to Suzanne? Is she the same woman who wanders through the woods and fields at night? Why don't the townspeople want to come to Belle Rose? And why won't the doctor and his wife help Suzanne when she thinks she wants to leave the plantation? Andrew finally answers her questions about the strange things that have been happening--but can she really believe him? When someone winds up murdered one fateful night and Suzanne finds Andrew standing over the body, will she discover that she's fallen in love with a killer? 

So...this is a bizarre little book. Literally--it's a bare 128 pages in length and this story needs more than that. Sometimes a book moves quickly because it's exciting and you keep turning pages to find out what happened. Not here. Everything just happens too fast. There is a whirlwind of strange crying, sightings of the weird woman, Suzanne having fainting fits and a fever, Andrew telling her he loves her. they kiss a lot for two people who've just met but then immediately she's fearful of him, and he's off in a brooding fit of anger.  There's no real build up at all. And then there's a whole other storyline about a dreadful event that happened at the end of the Civil War. It's all too much in too few pages. I got to the end of the story and just felt like "What just happened?!" And, seriously girl, if a guy swings from tenderness to shouting anger like that...he's got issues that need resolved before you go tumbling into his arms. ★ and 1/2

First line (Prologue): We were dancing.

First line (Chapter One): The late July afternoon heat was sweltering, and by the time the train reached Parker's Junction my clothes were sticking to me

Last line: When the last stone was thrown, the stallion reared its head and galloped off into the night.

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Deaths: 5 (one hit by train; one shot; one stabbed; one killed in a fire; one hit by chandelier)

The Curious Custard PIe

 The Curious Custard Pie (1950) by Margaret Scherf

This is the second mystery based at a camp to appear in the 4-in-1 Unicorn Mystery Book Club edition that I've been reading. Scherf's book features Dr. Yates's World Amiability Camp situated at Weed Lake, Montana. Three weeks of nothing but pep talks on world peace and harmony and bad food. The food is supposedly concocted by a dietitian, Mrs. Everdell, to produce bodily harmony to go along with the rest of it. But when Dr. Martin Buell, Presbyterian minister, is deputized to represent the church and deliver "Talks on God," he discovers that Mrs. Everdell's idea of bodily harmony consists of kelp, soybean mush, lemon juice with eggshell, and other items he considers inedible. 

So, he, being a fair cook himself, decides to liven up the menu with some homemade custard pies and convinces Dr. Yates to make a real feast of it with steaks on the grill. But somebody slips some arsenic into the flour and several people get very sick...two sick enough to die. Dr. Buell has had previous experiences with murder and he starts to investigate. Mrs. Passfield, one of the less fortunate victims, had mentioned to Dr. Buell that she was visiting the camp to be sure that she still wanted to leave $250,000 to the World Amiability Foundation. If she found things to her liking, then all well and good. If not, then she planned to make a few changes to her will. An arsenic-laced meal prevented her from having a chance. 

Mr. Tattersall, the foundation accountant and the other unfortunate victim, had also felt like confiding in Dr. Buell. Tattersall was a nervous man by nature and seemed to be even more so. He was worried that Mrs. Passfield and a Mrs. Brierly were both in the camp at the same time. Both ladies were involved with the late Mr. Passfield and both were interested in the fortunes of the camp. Passfield had left his wife the large fortune with the quarter of a million earmarked for the camp--if after ten years, she felt it had proved itself a worthwhile venture. Tattersall also mentioned that he had other worries, but was interrupted before he could share them. His last supper prevented him from having another chance.

With both victims having special connections to the camp and foundation, Dr. Buell has to wonder whether this mean that Dr. Yates sprinkled the rat poison around to make sure the promised legacy made its way to the coffers...and maybe Tattersall knew that there was an unexplained drainage on the foundation's funds. But Yates isn't the only one who could have cooked the books. There's Bob Lundquist who handled the foundation's scholarship program. And Mrs. Everdell handles the expenses for the kitchen (just how much does kelp cost, anyway?). Of course, there are also other motives beyond money--including jealousy (Dr. Yates seemed to attract the attentions of all the ladies in the camp which has led to some spirited infighting amongst our harmonious crowd) and fanaticism. Dr. Buell and his friend Sheriff Hunnicut have their hands full and it will take two more murderous attempts--a second on Mrs. Brierly and a final attempt on Buell himself--before they get their man/woman.

I've read three of Margaret Scherf's mysteries previously and all three of them featured Emily and Henry Bryce. I hadn't realized that she had another series character until I started reading Custard Pie. Unfortunately, I don't find Martin Buell to be as funny and personable as the Bryces and his interactions with Hunnicut fall a bit flat for me. His best showing was when, midway, he picks up a sidekick--Sir Wilfred Soper, a visiting Englishman. When the bishop saddles Buell with a guest, he's none too pleased. He's sure the chap from across the pond is going to be stuffy and class-conscious and put a serious crimp in his crime-solving style, but Soper is like a schoolboy on holiday and tremendously eager to join in on the sleuthing. The narrative picks up a great deal once Soper arrives. One wishes he had arrived at the beginning of the story.

The mystery itself is okay and a fine read if you don't mind it not having tons of clues for the reader to spot. It's a closed circle murder, though not an impossible crime. Nearly anyone in the closed circle had an opportunity to add a dash of arsenic and a number of them had motives. Getting down the particular motive may be a bit tricky.  ★★★ for a decent read--though I would suggest starting with one of the books featuring Emily & Henry Bryce if you want to try Scherf for the first time.

First line: Martin Buell had his weight evenly distributed along the length of a striped canvas chair.

The head was withdrawn with a sound which took the place of swearing in Mrs. Beekman's aseptic vocabulary. (p. 10)

Tattersall smiled a little and tried to let go, but he couldn't. It was doubtless a habit, this tight grip on the universe as if it would slip away and become very confused but for his firm hand on the reins. (p. 17)

[Tattersall] had certainly come with a purpose, but it was evident that purpose would not be disclosed hastily. Accustomed to the diverse means by which human beings communicated their mental aches to someone they felt ought to be sympathetic, he waited. He was not interested, but he waited. (p. 24)

Perhaps the bishop, knowing that no clergyman is perfect, reasoned that an interest in crime was less damaging to the dignity of the cloth than an interest, say, in women. (p. 113)

As I see it, there are two kinds of murders, in general. Those that are finished when the law comes on the scene, and those that didn't work according to plan and are therefor still going off, rather like an unexploded roman candle. In the first type, the murderer rests, gambling that he has left no good clues. In the second type, he must continue to act. It's like fencing or a game of chess. He moves, then you move. then he moves again. Much more dangerous for both sides. (Sir Wilfred Soper; p. 126)

Last line: "She's much too young for whiskey," Mrs. Beekman said, taking the glass, and with a righteous frown she tossed off the contents. 

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Deaths = two poisoned

The Double-Jack Murders

 The Double-Jack Murders (2009) by Patrick McManus 

Sheriff Bo Tully has quite a bit on his plate. And it's not just the barbeque from the big shindig that kicks off the first chapter. A crazy killer has escaped, vowing vengeance on the lawman who was silly enough to try and put him behind bars (that would be Tully). He's also taken on a 75-year-old missing persons case that most likely ended in murder. His good friend Agatha Wrenn has asked him to look into the disappearance of her father and his assistant. The two were a pair of gold miners who disappeared just when it was rumored they had found a huge vein of gold in Blight County. Agatha's mother always told her that her husband Tom Link wasn't the disappearing kind, so Agatha grew up assuming he and Sean had been murdered. And now she wants to know for sure. 

Tully doesn't mind digging around in old (really old) mysteries, especially when it will suit his purposes for flushing out Lucas Kincaid--the killer on his track. So he loads up his ex-Sheriff father Pap and a tracker by the name of Dave and the three head out to Deadman Creek for a little camping, a little gold mine hunting, a little ancient murder solving, and...to set himself up as bait for Kincaid. He's also got the best shot in the sheriff's office, Deputy Brian Pugh on tap to play sharpshooter and pick Kincaid off if he tries anything. Trouble is...after Kincaid has two tries at killing him things go silent. No more evidence of Kincaid and, more troubling, not one peep out of Pugh. Did Kincaid give up that easily? Did he get Pugh first and decide that a dead deputy was as good as a dead sheriff? Just how man murders will Tully wind up solving after all?

The beginning of this one gave me déjà vu. I am quite sure that I have never read a Patrick McManus mystery before, but that whole beginning where Sheriff Tully installs his deputy in the upper floor of his house with a scope rifle to watch out for a mentally unstable escaped killer with Tully on his hit list seemed awfully familiar to me. I'm not so positive about the whole barbeque in his "front yard" (the sprawling meadow around his house), but the deputy with the rifle--yes. 

Anyway...this is a decent, fast read. I didn't find it nearly as hilarious as the blurbs on the cover seemed to think I would:

The Funniest Writer Around Today (or at least in 2009)

I mean sure if you like your humor laced with macho self-appreciation or jokes about killing people (at least I think they're joking) or shooting in general or all men loving trucks--then, yeah, this is a rollicking yuck-fest. But for those of us who aren't all that keen on jokes about guns/shooting/killing and etc.--not so much.  It wasn't offensive--just not funny. The primary mystery (the missing miners) wasn't too difficult to figure out. I didn't get the slight twist, but I did recognize the motive and have it attached in the general direction. ★★★

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Deaths = 3 shot

The Menehune Murders: Review

The Menehune Murders is the seventh book in Margot Arnold's mystery series which features American anthropologist, Penny Spring, and British archaeologist, Sir Toby Glendower. This adventure finds the duo headed for the Hawaiian islands for a vacation. Of course, no vacation is truly restful for Penny and Sir Toby, and this is no exception. The widower of one of Penny's friends has asked the renowned anthropologist to mediate a dispute between himself and another member of the University of Hawaii's faculty. Giles Shaw, a stereotypical wild Irishman if there ever was one, has lately made claims to proof of the fabled Menehunes--legendary Polynesian "little people" not unlike the leprechauns of Ireland. 

While most of Shaw's colleagues sensibly ignored him and let him go his way, Helmut Freyer responded with scathing criticism. This spurred Shaw to even more extravagant claims which he committed to paper in a book. The rivalry grew and the press made much of it--until finally Penny was called up to help settle the dispute. Penny drags Toby (grumbling about another interrupted vacation) to the meeting spot, an isolated, god-forsaken area which is supposed to work into Polynesian legend, to find no trace of Shaw and the dead body of Freyer. 

He was stretched out on the ground, his arms neatly at his sides, face up, eyes closed, and but for a grimace that twisted the flaccid mouth looked as if he were quietly napping. [But...] On the bare skin [of his right leg] was a purplish patch and a small scratch from which ran a trickle of blood, that pointed like an arrow to something that glittered dully in the sunlight: it was a tiny, finely-flaked spearpoint of obsidian attached to a small shaft of polished wood.

Freyer has been poisoned by what looks like a miniature spear --as if the legendary Menehune have risen against him and struck him down.

Of course, the Hawaiian police immediately decide that Shaw must be the guilty party. Because every bright person who decides to turn murderer definitely leaves big clues that says "Hey, guys, it was ME!" Penny thinks Giles is a bit thick when it comes to interpersonal relationships, but can't believe he'd hang out a Menehune sign that would indicate that he is the culprit. She insists that she must get to the bottom of Freyer's murder with or without Toby's help. Toby--knowing Penny's penchant for getting herself into dangerous situations--reluctantly pitches in. They soon discover that more people were interested in the Menehune dispute than first met the eye--for reasons of greed rather than anthropological or archaeological glory.

Arnold is, as usual, very adept at her descriptions of place. For those of us who have never been to Hawaii, it is very easy to visualize the places Penny and Toby visit in their efforts to untangle the mystery. The beauty of the Hawaiian islands and the waters surrounding them come alive. This particular outing is also a better-clued mystery than some of her previous novels. Quite often Sir Toby holds clues close to his chest in Holmes-fashion rather than vintage fair play. Readers of The Menehune Murders have a fair chance to discover the villain before the final chapter. Over all, an entertaining read with the standard Arnold grand finale with a last-minute helicopter rescue--this time it's Toby in danger and Penny flies in with the rescue team just in the nick of time. ★★★★

[Finished on 9/16/17]
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This fulfills the "Any Other Weapon" category on the Silver Vintage Scavenger Hunt card.

Dead as a Dummy: Review

Dead as a Dummy (1943; APA The Hill of the Terrified Monk) by Geoffrey Homes (aka Daniel Mainwaring) features Ben Logan, a trouble-shooter and publicist for a chain of Western movie houses. He comes to the Empire Theater in Tucson, Arizona to try and drum up enthusiasm for a real stinker of a film entitled The Invisible Zombie. He rigs up the lobby with a skeleton, a vampire, and a dummy corpse in a coffin just to provide the right atmosphere. He expects the locals to get a bit of a thrill out of his theatrical display, but he doesn't expect a murderer to take advantage of the coffin as a place to dump a real, live corpse. And that's not the only corpse on offer in this mystery tale that features disappearing and appearing bodies, questionable mining deals, fascist plots, and conspiracies.

During his stay in Tucson, Logan meets Tony Bradley, a beautiful girl with a big cattle ranch and soft spot for a man with a limp; Eric Prentiss, a tall young reporter who suspects that the appearance of his distant relative, Juan Manual Madero, means that something nefarious is afoot; Sally Crossland, a copper haired beauty who holds a torch for Erik; Kelly Prentiss, Eric's rich, lovely mother who may have spurned the love of a good man for rotter; Godfrey Smythe, Kelly's fiance--very British, very interested in Kelly's money, and very phony; Hilary Innes, the local rector and a thoroughly nice guy who has been shoved aside by Smythe; George Popol, manager of the Empire, & his father Spyros; and Jose Manual Madero, a respected detective.  

The excitement starts when Logan meets Erik who takes him along to the airport where the reporter fully expects something to happen. He's even surer when he finds Madero lounging about on a bench. Then they spot a couple of men who Erik identifies as G-men who seem incredibly interested in a passenger descending from the most recent flight.  When the man spots Madero, he runs back onto the runway in an effort to escape, but runs right into the path of another plane. Exit one mystery man. 

The day after a pool party (where Logan meets most everybody who's anybody--especially where murders are concerned), our hero is gearing up to ask Madero to lead a parade in honor of the Empire's grand opening with Zombies when the local police come for the great detective to ask him for a little help with a murder. George Popol has been killed and it looks like Gordon Smythe may be responsible. At least Smythe was last seen in his company and now Smythe is nowhere to be found....Until his body appears in the coffin. But before Logan can report the real corpse in his fake death scene, Smythe's body disappears again only to be found miles away in a canyon. And now Erik is the suspect of choice as far as the cops are concerned. Logan has no real interest in the case--other than he doesn't believe that Erik is guilty--but he's soon up to his ears in plots and counterplots and helps Madero work his way to right solution.

This was loads of fun--lots of action, lots of sleight-of-hand with the appearing and disappearing corpses, and plenty of red herrings to distract the reader. Not quite fair-play--I don't see how a reader's supposed to know the real motive behind the murders, though one might be able to spot the villain of the piece without understanding the whys and wherefores. Ben Logan is a likeable protagonist--it's a shame there aren't more novels featuring him and there is only one other mystery with Madero as the detective. ★★★ and a half

~One point: the original title is The Hill of the Terrified Monk. I have to say I quite prefer Dead as a Dummy, which has the benefit of a clear relation to the story with the substitution of a real corpse for the dummy in the casket. There are references to the legend of the terrified monk--but it's never really explained and there really isn't a good connection to the events of the story. 

[Finished on 8/26/17]

*********************
With the miniscule rooster of the Bantam logo, the counts for the "Bird" category on the Golden Vintage Scavenger Hunt card.

If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O: Review

Sharyn McCrumb's If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O (1990) is set in the small Appalachian town of Hamelin, Tennessee where Spencer Arrowood is the Sheriff who keeps the peace. It's not a difficult job most of the time--an occasional run-away or teenage boy with excess energy stepping out of line; a few drunk and disorderlies...that's pretty much it. Then Peggy Muryan purchases the old Dandridge home. The moderately popular folksinger from the '60s is looking for a quiet place to compose new songs and set the stage for a comeback.

But the peace and quiet doesn't last long. Peggy begins receiving postcards with lyrics from various folksongs which she had once made famous. As Sheriff Arrowood points out to her, the lyrics as printed are scarcely threatening--but Peggy knows the lines that come next and the haunting, ominous nature of the lines not written are worse than those which appear. Then Peggy's dog is killed and marked with an insignia of some sort--butchered in a commando-style that has indications of a link to Vietnam. The dog's death is followed by a sheep--also left with clues referring to Vietnam. 

Things really get serious when a high school girl goes missing and winds up murdered--for Rosemary Winstead bears a striking resemblance to Peggy Muryan at the height of her career. LeDonne, Spencer's Vietnam vet deputy, doubts the Vietnam connection because the clues left behind in each case are too scattered. They point towards several different military units. Peggy, meanwhile, keeps getting those cards, and they seem to implicate her former singing partner, Travis Perdue--except es that Travis was a Vietnam casualty, an MIA. Is it possible he returned to the States after all? Why would he kill nice, young Rosemary? Who else had a motive?

[Possible spoiler ahead!]
I find the ending deeply disturbing and unsatisfying. Which, honestly, is what I believe McCrumb wants. Many of her characters are disturbed--whether they are haunted by a past that never was quite like they remember it or a past that changed them forever or if they are caught up in their interest in a past that was never theirs. Portraying the psychological dilemmas of the various characters is probably McCrumb's strongest gift in her writing. It certainly isn't in the crime plotting itself. I found the motive fairly unbelievable--quite probably because the killer's psychology is the least examined. The character appears regularly, so the fair-play side of me can't holler "No Fair! X isn't even a real suspect." But I can't say that I'm believing in X as the villain. It also doesn't help that Arrowood doesn't really figure anything out and does very little in the investigative line. We find out who the killer is because s/he appears in Peggy's house and spills out a confession in a burst of bragging. Otherwise, I just don't see this crime being solved. 

The setting is grand and the Appalachian background well-done. Most of the characters are well-rounded, interesting, and believable. One just wishes the villain were included in "most." A decent mystery with an intriguing set-up and lead-up to the final chapters. If the promise had been fulfilled, I would have given it a higher rating--as it is...★★★

The Best Cellar

In 1981 scholars discovered letters and other documents that seemed to indicate that the original Library of Congress, thought to be destroyed in 1814 when the British burned the White House, Capitol Building, and the Library, may have been saved. At the time, Thomas Jefferson offered up his personal library to replace the books thought lost to the fire and was generously reimbursed. The evidence implied that Jefferson's friends may have created the need for the books, thus also creating a way to funnel funds to a man desperately short of cash.

Enter Charles Goodrum, a former director of planning at the Library of Congress. Using the story as a backdrop for his novel The Best Cellar, he decides to have a graduate student at a Virginia University make the discovery. Durance Steele comes to Washington D.C. to search for the final supporting evidence before she confronts a mysterious someone with her knowledge. She takes up residence in Crighton Jones's spare room. Crighton is the public relations officer at the Werner-Bok Library and no stranger to murder and mayhem. When Steele does not come home after leaving one morning to take revenge on the academic types who had badly burned her, Crighton is a bit worried. As Steele tells her host, "This is an important day for me. I've been working on this for two solid years. This is the pay-off....I'm off for a drive and if I've worked the puzzle right I come back rich and even." She doesn't come back...rich, poor, or otherwise.

Then Crighton intercepts a threatening phone call meant for Durance followed by a letter in the same vein. She decided it's time to try and trace the movements of her missing guest. She calls upon the services of her partners in previous crimes, Steve Carson and Edward George. Using the resources of the Werner-Bok and the Library of Congress as well as their contacts in the research world, the three are able to cut a search that took Durance two years down to size--leading them to the home of one of Virginia's oldest families. Will they be in time to find the missing graduate student? And will they find a missing library along the way?

This is a fascinating mystery--good plot and plenty of juicy historical details sprinkled throughout the narrative without giving the appearance of an info-dump. Library mysteries are almost as addictive for me as strictly academic ones and it is obvious that Goodrum has worked in the field. It's very interesting to watch the researchers do their stuff and use it to solve a 200-year-old mystery, not to mention that of the present day. ★★★

***Finished at 11:30 pm. Last review of 2016.

Invitation to Murder: Review

Leslie Ford's Invitation to Murder (1954) is set against the rarefied air surrounding the rich inhabitants of Newport, Rhode Island. It has as its main ingredients: a well-endowed trust fund, a necklace of star rubies, the disappearance of the patriarch, and four murders.

Fish (James Fisher) Finlay comes back from the Korean War minus a portion of his leg and missing a chunk of his self-esteem. He goes to work for the Merchants & Mechanics Bank and Deposit Company and earns enough respect from Caxson Reeves, Vice President, to be given a watching brief on the James V. Maloney Trust. As soon as he gets involved, he suspects that Nikki de Gradoff, fourth husband of Dodo Maloney, was scheming to gain possession of Dodo's fortune. There are rumors that de Gradoff helped his previous wife to shuffle off this mortal coil.

But...the fortune doesn't actually belong to Dodo. It is being held in trust for Jennifer Linton, Dodo's daughter by her first marriage.  Dodo holds the purse strings and an interest in the trust until Jennifer's 22nd birthday. Dodo, her husband, her husband's cousin, and the cousin's cousin all gather at Enniskerry, the family's enormous Rhode Island estate. Under the glitter of the parties and the social hours, there are tensions, but things really heat up when Polly Randolph, a reporter with information for Fish, is pushed to her death on the rocks below. Dodo has never told her husband that all that pretty money isn't really hers forever and Fish worries about what might happen to Dodo if he remains in the dark--or to Jennifer if de Gradoff has a sudden revelation. Then a funny little French waiter disappears and an attempt is made on Fish's life. These and various other apparently unrelated incidents all add up to a deep-laid plot that will end in another death.

This Ford book makes for pleasant reading. It's not a knock-out book by any standard, but Ford does what she does so well--provides interesting characters in a country house setting. There is plenty of underlying currents and hidden motives, but the seasoned mystery reader won't be fooled for long on who's behind it all (which prevents this from soaring past the three-star mark). If you're looking settle down for an evening's enjoyment with an interesting cast and a good setting, then this is just the ticket. ★★★

******
With a phone on the cover that obviously isn't going to be making any calls [I missed that if it's in the book...], the counts for the "Broken Object" category on the Golden Vintage Scavenger Hunt card. This is also my second entry in the 1954 edition of Rich's Crimes of Century over at Past Offenses. If you have any 1954 crime fiction hanging out on your shelves, then come join us!

A Cold Day for Murder: Mini-Review

A Cold Day for Murder (1992) by Dana Stabenow is the first novel in a series starring Kate Shugak and it won the Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original. Kate is an Aleut Indian who left her rather insular home and headed out into the world, winding up the star investigator of the Anchorage D.A.'s office. Her last case in that office was rather horrific involving abuse of a young girl by her father--resulting in emotional trauma for both Kate and the young girl; a scar and damaged voice for Kate; and Kate leaving the D.A.'s office and retreating to her Aleut roots in the far Alaskan north. 

When a young national park ranger with ties to an East Coast senator disappears and then the investigator who is sent to trace him disappears as well, Kate's old boss Jack comes calling and asks for her help. She finds herself asking questions of some of her friends and family--and butting heads with her grandmother who is the real power behind the local Aleut governing body. Her loyalties will be tested and she and Jack will risk their lives before proving what happened to the missing men.

I finished this book just before heading out for a weekend at my parents, so I didn't write up my review in a timely fashion--which means this one is going to be shorter than usual.

Kate is a good heroine in the making. I was a bit disappointed in the action scenes and the the overall mystery solution. There were few clues for the reader and it made it difficult for the reader to arrive at the solution along with Kate. Most of the earnings in the star department come from the descriptions--of the Alaskan setting, of the ways of the Aleut Indians, of Kate's relationships with her family and friends (particularly her grandmother), and of Kate herself. The plot is not nearly as strong as I would expect from an Edgar winner, but it was strong enough to encourage me to keep my eye out for more books in the series. I hope that future books will make more of the mystery plot. 

Overall, a good solid debut novel with interesting characters, a strong female lead, and an excellent sense of place. ★★★ 

The Silent Women: Review

In The Silent Women (1953) by Margaret Page Hood, finds young Gil Donan, the recently appointed deputy sheriff from Fox Island, sent to Spruce Island, a near-by sparsely inhabited place off the Maine coast. The island is shrouded in a brooding fog which ideally matches the mood of the inhabitants. John Brown, whose original Italian name is Giovanni, has sent a message asking for help. He claims his beautiful and fiery daughter Gina had returned from the mainland only to be murdered. But there is no body and the island women, whose grapevine knows all the gossip and doings on the island--almost before they happen, claim that Gina has never returned.

They represent Giovanni as a lonely father whose loss of his wife followed by the desertion of his daughter has made him delusional. When Gil investigates and finds women's clothes--all of recent fashion--in the young woman's bedroom, Martha, a shopkeeper and leader of the island women, tells him that Giovanni would order gifts for Gina just as though she were still living with him. After that, the women go as silent as the fog that engulfs them. Finally, when the men of the island (fishermen who spend little time at home) arrive after their latest sailing journey, a plausible account of Gina's arrival and apparent departure is given. Gil decides to change his wild goose chase into a successful duck hunt before returning home. But when he goes into the underbrush after a wounded bird, he finds more than he bargained for. Gina did come home one last time...but she didn't leave.

Hood manages in this short book (192 pages) to completely transport the reader to this secluded island. The brooding fog and the insular characters provides an atmosphere of  seclusion, mistrust of outsiders, and secrecy that creates the foundation for the tragic story. She also gives her characters a lot of depth--providing substantial background and cultivating sympathy for both Giovanni and the culprit. A suspenseful story with solid clues. Gil makes for an interesting detective--and one who develops over the course of the story. I would definitely be interested in getting my hands on The Scarlet Thread and In the Dark Night to see his further development. ★★ ★ and a half.


********
With the woman's blue skirt, this counts as the "Blue Object" category on the Golden Vintage Scavenger Hunt card.

Midnight in Londesome Hollow: Review

Midnight in Lonesome Hollow is an entry in the American Girl Mystery series which features Margaret Mildred Kittredge who goes by Kit. Kit is visiting her Aunt Millie in the Appalachian area of Kentucky during the Great Depression (1934). She is interested in the folkways of the Appalachian inhabitants she meets and has been keeping a scrapbook of phrases, home remedies, traditions, and other interesting and unfamiliar tidbits. When a college professor comes to stay and study the basket-weaving traditions, Kit is fascinated. And when Professor Lucy Vanderpool is shown Kit's scrapbook, she is impressed and asks Kit if she'd like to take the place of her student assistant who is sick with influenza and couldn't make the trip. The budding young journalist is thrilled at the chance to do some real research and the two set out to interview local basket-weavers.

But somebody is not thrilled with the "outsiders" who have invaded their Hollow. After one successful interview, most of the basket-weavers refuse to meet with the professor and while they are talking with one of the few who agree to meet with them someone wrecks Professor Vanderpool's photo plates and ruins the pictures she planned to use in her book. Who would be mean enough to damage the equipment? Kit has her suspicions and isn't afraid to go out into the Hollow at night to find out if she's right.

As one might expect with a middle-grade mystery, this one isn't too complicated and there is very little violence (except to inanimate objects). There is a very real problem that drives the culprit to damage equipment and disrupt the research and it gives Kit a chance to learn a few lessons about the best way to help people. The focus of the book is really on the Appalachian people and the area during depression. Readers learn a great deal about folk traditions and also about the hardships brought about by depression and pull-out of several coal mining companies which severely affected so many families. It didn't just mean a loss of jobs, but it also shut down many schools (which were sponsored by the mining companies), limiting the educational opportunities for many children. The book also highlights the way so many outsiders insulted the Appalachian people by considering their folk traditions backward or "quaint." A very nice historical novel for young people. ★★★

Challenge Complete: Reading Road Trip

January 1, 2015 – December 31, 2015

Adriana at She's Got Books on Her Mind hosted a Reading Road Trip for 2015 that will take challengers through the 50 United States via a bookmobile. The ultimate goal was to read one book set in each of the 50 states. But if you weren't up for quite such a long trip, there were various levels.

I decided to go small and do the first level

Hitchhiker: 10-20

I thought I might be able to level up, but that didn't happen. I did manage the top end of the Hitchhiker level, though and will finish with 20 books from the states listed below. I don't know if Adriana plans to sponsor this again in 2016, but I am going to keep adding to my list in 2016 and see if I can actually make to to all 50 states.

Alabama: The Darling Dahlias & the Cucumber Tree by Susan Wittig Albert (6/5/15)
California: Top of the Heap by A. A. Fair (3/11/15)
Florida: Murder in the Wind by John D. MacDonald (4/13/15)
Illinois: The Riddle of the Traveling Skull by Harry Stephen Keeler (6/21/15)
Indiana: The Lack of the Irish by Ralph McInerny (7/11/15)
Iowa: The Avenging Parrot by Anne Austin (8/4/15)
Kansas: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum (11/15/15)
Louisiana: The Secret of Magnolia Manor by Helen Wells (2/24/15)
Maryland: The Poe Shadow by Matthew Pearl (9/25/15)
Massachusetts: The Three Fears by Jonathan Stagge (5/17/15)
Michigan: Penny Allen & the Mystery of the Hidden Treasure by Jean McKechnie (5/31/15)
Minnesota: Whisper Murder! by Vera Kelsey (6/24/15)
Mississippi: Murder Past Due by Miranda James (7/13/15)
New Jersey: The Diamond-Studded Typewriter by Carlton Keith (6/14/15)
New Mexico: Ride the Pink Horse by Dorothy B. Hughes (1/3/15)
New York: Police Procedurals by Martin H. Greenberg & Bill Pronizini, eds (1/9/15)
Oregon: Perpetual Check by Conrad Haynes (11/20/15)
Pennsylvania: Caught Dead in Philadelphia by Gillian Roberts (2/11/15)
Texas: Mother Finds a Body by Gypsy Rose Lee (1/12/15)
Wisconsin: Deep Lake Mystery by Carolyn Wells (8/25/15)

Perpetual Check: Review

Perpetual Check by Conrad Haynes (pen name for Dana Haynes) is the second in a short academic mystery series featuring Professor Harry Bishop. Bishop is the hard-drinking, black sheep of the political science department at Portland's mythical John Jacob Astor College--a liberal arts school for Oregon's elite. Harry has a taste for scotch and as many naps as he can fit into the academic day. After someone killed the editor of the campus newspaper, nearly adding Harry to the list of victims, and the professor managed to help the police track down the culprit, he also earned a reputation as an amateur sleuth.

So, when Harry is made the reluctant faculty liaison to the Board of Trustees and the most ambitious and obnoxious member is murdered, it is natural for the Chair (and incidentally the number one suspect) to ask the professor to take a hand in clearing things up. Harry teams up with the arrogant young journalist who saved his life the first time around and between them, they dig up enough motives for Richard Llewelleyn's death to ascribe one to every board member. For it seems that the Board's most successful fund raiser was also a successful blackmailer on the side. But whose secret provides the greatest reason to get Llewelleyn out of the way? The dynamically nosy duo had better work quick to find out--or Harry may have another near-death experience.

Haynes writes a competent mystery that touches on some of the intricacies of academic life. Harry Bishop is perfect as the scapegrace absent-minded professor (with a sharp mind for detail when he wants to put it to use). Harry is a likable amateur detective and his relationships with various faculty members and Tucker Nelligan (the journalist) make for interesting interactions. The crime itself is a fairly interesting one. I'm not entirely sure that it is fairly clued, however. And some of the Board personalities came across as stock characters. An enjoyable enough series that I do want to finish if I can manage to find the last entry.  ★★★

This fulfills the "Same Initial" category on the Silver Vintage Bingo card (Haynes is almost the same as Hankins--three more squares for full card!