Hemlock Hollow

 Hemlock Hollow (2022) by Culley Holderfield

When Caroline McAlister was young, her family would spend summers at their cabin in Hemlock Hollow. It was her mother's special place--she loved the mountains of Carolina. Late one night, when Caroline had two of her friends staying with her, she saw a figure standing at the end of the bed. He was a tall, sad-faced man in brown with a hat. She never quite knew for sure what she'd seen and she wasn't sure she believed in ghosts, but the memory stuck with her. Not long after that incident, her beloved mother died of cancer and she, her brother, and her father stopped coming to the cabin.

Years later, Caroline is college professor whose life seems to be coming apart. Her father has now died, her marriage has come to an end, and research for a new book has stalled. When she learns that her dad still owned that cabin in Hemlock Hollow and had left it to her, she goes to check it out. After years of disuse (and abuse from random squatters and "hippies") it is in desperate need of renovation and she hires Micah, a local general contractor, to oversee the job. There are still treasures among the clutter and debris--including a curio cabinet where Caroline would store her "archeological" finds (a professor in the making), some of the more practical furniture (a bed, a table, etc.), her grandmother's quilt, and...a metal box that Caroline has never seen before.

The box contains a journal written by Carson Quinn in the late 1800s. Quinn was suspected (but never arrested or tried) of the murder of his older brother, Thomas. The young men had grown up smitten with the same girl, but Thomas was the one she married. Because there were other suspects and no real proof, the murder was never solved. Caroline suspects that the sad-faced man who visited her that night long ago was Carson. As she begins reading the journal, she finds an intelligent, curious young man with a deep love of the natural world and especially the place called Hemlock Hollow. She finds it difficult to believe that the same young man who wrote this journal could be a killer and decides to investigate. The case may be cold, but her research skills are used to investigating the past. But the answer may not be as simple as she'd like.

This novel is a lovely mix of fact and fiction. Holderfield builds on the historical facts of life in the Carolinas in the troubled years after the Civil War and includes a rich mixture of characters that reflect the conflicted views of Southerners during the period. The Quinn family had a set of values that didn't always mesh with those of their neighbors, but for the most part they each, in their own way, stayed true to them. I loved the characters of Gramps, Carson's mother, and Carson. They are fully realized in Carson's journal and come to life as Caroline learns about the events that led up to the murder. Hemlock Hollow is just as much a character as these folks with the presence of the mountains and the trees and the secluded spots that Carson, his mother, Caroline, and her mother all love influencing events as much as the people do. And when Caroline finds that they will need to remove some of the trees sheltering the cabin (due to an insect infestation), the sudden sunshine falling on the cabin seems to indicate that the mystery is clearing and soon all will be revealed.

The identity of the murderer didn't come as a huge surprise to me, but Holderfield has woven such an interesting tale, told with emotional subtlety and a real sense of place, that it doesn't bother me. The detective fiction lover in me would have like Caroline to do more independent investigating and not have the solution given first in a seance with the ghost and then through one more written document from Carson (long after the journal ends), but the solution is satisfying and the story is compelling. A really nice piece of historical fiction. ★★★★

First line: The box wasn't much to look at.

In life people will say lots of things about you, some of it terrible and some of it wonderful. Cling to neither good nor bad, and you'll be fine. (Carson's mother; p. 201)

Last line: I sat back in the rocking chair and looked out over the hollow, lit differently now without the hemlocks, yet still somehow the same, ever haunted by the spirits of those who loved it and left it and returned.

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Deaths = 6 (four natural; one shot)

 ~~~This book was given to me as a review copy by Regal House Publishing & Mindbuck Media in exchange for an honest review. All comments are my own and I have received no payment of any kind.

The Hypno-Ripper

 The Hypno-Ripper (2021) by Donald K. Hartman (ed) contains two of the earliest fictional accounts of Jack the Ripper and his reign of terror in the Whitechapel area of London. Each appeared by 1889 and carry an immediacy of tone having been published so soon after the five murders of 1888. Appearing independently by Dr. N. T. Oliver (aka Edward Oliver Tilburn) and Charles Kowlder, each story features an American Jack the Ripper and the use of hypnotism is prevalent in his horrific crimes. Oliver's story, The Whitechapel Mystery, is novel-length while Kowlder's "The Whitechapel Horrors" is a shorter piece which was originally published anonymously in two American newspapers. 

One might suppose that the stories would feature the use of hypnotism by Jack--placing the women under his power and making his task of murder much easier. However, both stories find some, if not all of the murders being committed while the killer is under the power of another. Much has been made of the power of hypnotism and whether someone could be made to commit acts they normally would not while under its influence. Obviously, the authors of these stories believed (or wished their audience to believe) that it is possible for someone of strong personality and mind to exert enough power over a weaker personality to accomplish just that. 

The Whitechapel Mystery is an odd story. It begins with Detective John Philip Dewey lying on his deathbed. He entrusts a packet of writing to the doctor who attends him in his last hour, telling the doctor that the contents, unbelievable as they may seem, will explain a great mystery. The papers explain that Dewey was called upon to investigate a great bank robbery--committed by a doctor who was also a great hypnotist. He follows the man to London where he finds him killing the women of the streets. When Dewey will not stop dogging his footsteps, Dr. Westinghouse exerts his power over the detective and causes him to kill as well. And, in fact, christens his "helper" Jack the Ripper in the process. Westinghouse tells Dewey that he is on a mission and explains what has driven him to cross the Atlantic to kill women in England. To a certain extent, I can see the logic behind what Westinghouse thinks he has to do. But, I don't quite see why he continues to kill once he finds the woman he believes responsible for the trouble which sets him on his course. Once he deals with her, I would think his mission would be accomplished.

"The Whitechapel Horrors" is a much shorter piece and the author, the pseudonymous Charles Kowlder, is actually giving the reader a confession of sorts. After being diagnosed with symptoms of paresis of the brain, Kowlder is advised by his doctor to "take a mental break" and try to think of nothing of consequence for about three months. Since a person can't not think of anything at all, he decides to stop thinking about his business and normal interests and takes up an interest in the murder of Polly (Mary Ann) Nichols--the first of the Ripper's victims. To his horror, by the end of the story, he realizes that through taking such a concentrated interest in that murder, he managed to self-hypnotize himself into becoming the killer of the remaining four.  Now the introductory blurb that went along with this short story's publication in the paper says "It is a piece of fiction, avowedly, and yet its ingenuity seems to recommend it to the Londoners as strongly as though it were the truth." Well...no. I can't see many Londoners no matter what era believing this to be the truth. But--I can see it being an affecting piece of fiction. Particularly if one were not forewarned that hypnosis is involved (as readers of this particular volume are--after all, the preface tells us all about it). Readers in the late 1880s would have had no such forewarning.

The last portion of the book includes a meticulously researched biography of Edward Oliver Tilburn. Tilburn was a very complex character--intelligent, a gifted writer, and secretary for several chambers of commerce, but also a con man who didn't blink at selling "snake oil" treatments, medical devices that didn't work, and real estate deals that weren't actually real. It was interesting to note that this slick conman spent part of his time in Indiana--in nearby Linton and also associated with Bloomington.

This is certainly an interesting look at early fictional pieces about the Ripper's identity. I have a great interest in the Victorian period and while I am no Ripper scholar I have read many of the books exploring the identity of one of London's most notorious killers. Most of those dealt with looking at the facts and trying to discover who the most likely culprit (of the previously named suspects). I have also read fictional accounts of the Ripper's crimes, but, again, those generally have given a fictional solution that used someone who had been identified as a suspect at some time in the the actual investigation. It was interesting to see how late-Victorian authors used hypnotism in their solutions to the mystery of the Whitechapel killings. The novel was certainly more interesting than the shorter piece--but that is partly due to the brevity of the second story. If the Kowlder story had been expanded and given a bit more depth, I think it could have had more of an impact as a narrative and the surprise ending would pack more of a punch. ★★★★

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Deaths = 6 (five stabbed; one natural)

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This book was given to me as a review copy by the editor, Don Hartman, in exchange for an honest review. All comments are my own and I have received no payment of any kind.

9/11: A Survivor's Story (review)

In 2011, Artie Van Why wrote a memoir of the horrific day in 2001 that changed him, his fellow New Yorkers, his fellow Americans, and the world forever. I was honored when he contacted me through My Reader's Block and asked if I would care to read it and post a review. And when I did this is how I summed up his work: "An absolutely beautiful book. With the ten-year anniversary of that awful day approaching, I highly recommend finding yourself a copy and reading for yourself about Artie and his memory of those events. You won't be sorry."

Artie has now taken that memoir and expanded it. He gives us a more extensive recollection of the events of that day, but he also gives us much more than that. He takes us into his confidence--sharing his backstory. He tells us how he came to New York and trusts us with all his vulnerabilities--from his struggles with his spirituality and sexuality to his long-time desire to work onstage. Having been welcomed into his psyche, we are better able to understand what it was like for him and all the survivors who were not in those buildings to watch the destruction and then come to grips with why they were spared when so many were not.

He uses that story to reach all of us--by showing what he went through and how he dealt with and continues to deal with it he teaches the rest of us important lessons on how we can work our way through the traumatic events in our lives that can be just as life-altering. This is another beautiful and very brave book from just one of the many witnesses to tragedy on September 11, 2001. Again--I highly recommend it. ★★★★★

[Finished on 10/8/18]


[Disclaimer: I have my review policy stated on my blog, but just to reiterate....This review copy was offered to me by the author for impartial review and I have received no payment of any kind. All comments are entirely my own honest opinion.]

Murder in Little Shendon: Review

The story begins in The Bygone Era, an antique shop in the village of Little Shendon. The proprietor, Bartholomew Fynche is waiting for someone. His thoughts reveal to us that he has made a discovery (we're not to be told yet what precise discovery) and that his visitor may not be at all pleased with the results of their little meeting. By the end of the first chapter, we know that this is true--because that someone (again, we're not told who) has bashed Mr. Fynche over the head with an Edwardian candlestick and left him quite dead. Fynche's cleaning lady comes into the room some time later and, given her shrieks, soon the whole village knows of the murder. 

Inspector Burgess is quickly on the spot and once the doctor, after confirming the method and timing of the death, informs him that rumor has it that Fynche was once connected to MI5, Burgess decides to call in Scotland Yard. Superintendent Milner of the Yard suggests that it would be even better if Sir Victor Hazlitt, a former Intelligence man himself, were to lend a hand and Hazlitt in turn brings along his friend Beresford Brandon, a Shakespearean actor with more than a passing interest in matters of crime. The trio of detectives divide up the work and each takes on the task of interviewing various members of the village. It becomes apparent that nearly everyone in the village was seen in the shop or in the near vicinity around the time of the murder. And...Mr. Fynche was not precisely a well-loved character and just about everyone had a reason (from small to large) to be glad that the man is dead.

Certain villagers seem to have more to hide than others--from the cook who works for Sir Victor's aunt and who seems very worried about something to the gardener who thinks where he was and what he was doing is nobody's business but his own to the young woman who arrived in the village a short time ago and who has an unknown connection to the murdered man to the maid's young beau who manages to lose his jacket in the wrong place at the wrong time. There are also clues to be followed up: a mysterious piece of paper with a "P" and an "O" (or part of an "O"), a squiggle that looks like an "S" or a snake, and something that looks like two sticks; Fynche's missing ring; and a priceless jade horse. Burgess, Hazlitt, and Brandon will have to sift through a great deal of chaff in their interviews before a few illuminating bits of information will put them on the right track.

Murder in Little Shendon (2015) is a classic detective novel in the Golden Age tradition. The village setting in very reminiscent of Agatha Christie, particularly the Miss Marple stories, and the time period is close...some time after World War II. We have a fine mix of the more official detectives--Inspector Burgess of the local force and Sir Victor with his former ties to Intelligence--and the amateur crime solver Brandon. Before Brandon decided to trod the boards, he had given thought to a career as a police detective, so his interest is a bit more than that of the average amateur. The trio make a good team with each detective well-drawn and bringing different strengths to the investigation. Brandon is, as one might expect from an actor, very good at charming the witnesses and getting them to talk. 

The mystery plot is, in general, put together very well and so is the investigation. The solution is a little pat, but overall very satisfying and I enjoyed reading a recently published mystery that follows the classic crime tradition so nicely. I understand that Ms. Richardson has followed this novel with two more mysteries featuring Sir Victor and Brandon and I look forward to giving them a try. ★★★★ overall for the story itself.

I have just a few quibbles with the novel--as a book. First--the formatting is annoyingly distracting. It is formatted with double-spacing between every paragraph. Absolutely unnecessary in a novel and it breaks up the page as well as the reading flow. It's as if it was decided ahead of time that we MUST have at least 248 pages using this particular font size and, by golly, if we've got to double-space to get there, then we will. Added to that, the paragraphs are, generally speaking, very short. It's as if the old writing rule that every paragraph should have at least three sentences was taken to mean that you shouldn't have any more than that--the vast majority of the paragraphs have only three sentences and some have less. Between the short paragraphs and the double-spacing throughout, the book feels very choppy. Which is a shame because the mystery itself is very good and a better reading rhythm would have increased the reading the pleasure enormously. The other disappointment is the cover. After going to great lengths to give this novel a very Golden Age atmosphere, that cover is very in-your-face (Look at all that blood!!!) and about as far from a classic mystery cover as you could get. Not that some of the cheap, pulp editions of classic novels couldn't be a bit lurid, but at least the artwork was good and the artists used some imagination. This one looks like someone just dumped a cupful of red paint onto a black piece of paper.

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Thanks to Kelsey at Book Publicity Services for arranging the delivery of this review copy. My review policy is posted on my blog, but just to reiterate....The book was offered to me for impartial review  and I have received no payment of any kind. All comments in this review are entirely my own honest opinion.

About the Author:

A. H. Richardson was born in London England and is the daughter of famous pianist and composer Clive Richardson. She studied drama and acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. She was an actress, a musician, a painter and sculptor, and now an Author.

She published her debut novel Jorie and the Magic Stones, a children’s chapter book, in December 2014. At the request of those who loved the first ‘Jorie’ story, Richardson has written a sequel titled Jorie and the Gold Key, and she is currently working on the third book in the series.

A.H. Richardson also enjoys writing murder mysteries and who-dun-its. She is the author of the Hazlitt/Brandon series of murder mystery novels. The series follows a pair of clever, colorful and charismatic sleuths - Sir Victor Hazlitt and Beresford Brandon. The series includes Murder in Little Shendon, Act One, Scene One – Murder, and Murder at Serenity Farm.

A. H. Richardson lives happily in East Tennessee, her adopted state, and has three sons, three grandchildren, and two pugs. She speaks four languages and loves to do voiceovers. She plans on writing many more books and hopes to delight her readers further with her British twist, which all her books have.

Readers can connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

To learn more, go to https://ahrichardson.com/

Death in Profile: Review

A serial killer has been stalking London. Inspector Tom Allen and his team have been investigating for over 15 months without a single break in the case. The killer has been very clever and left very few clues to his/her identity. When Kathy Barker becomes the fifth victim to be chloroformed, killed with a hammer, and raped by her murderer, Allen is pulled from the case and replaced by Detective Superintendent Collison. Collison has the team start from the beginning and the new approach results in a consultation with a psychological profiler. Things begin to fall in place quickly--a suspect is found and the team builds their case. But will new techniques ultimately trump tried and true police procedure? Will a legal education and fast-track detective techniques serve better than a regular copper's experience and his "copper's nose" for the truth?

Guy Fraser-Sampson has created a company of very interesting characters. Characters who are at once likeable and compelling with imperfections that we can all understand and relate to. He has also, as noted on the novel's back cover, put together a "love letter to the detective novel." A notation that should come as no surprise to those of us who love the Golden Age Detective novel and who are fellow members of a GAD group online, because I would add that it is a love letter to the classic detective novel. The references to various writers from the Golden Age and their creations as well as the most obvious tribute to Dorothy L. Sayers and Lord Peter Wimsey are quite delightful. Fraser-Sampson pulled me into the story from the outset and I enjoyed the investigation quite a lot. I also enjoyed the various tensions developed in the story--from the tensions between older and newer methods of police work to the tensions between various members of the team to the tensions involved with bringing in the profiler.

My only misgivings are over some obvious matters of routine that never seem to occur to the investigating officers--going thoroughly into the background of a few of their vital witnesses and checking out the husband of one the victims, if only to be sure that this was, indeed, one of the serial killings and not a copy-cat killing to take advantage of the hunt for the "condom killer," to mention a few. There are a number of instances of "forehead-slapping" where the senior officers say "Why didn't I/we think of that?!" And, I have to admit to thinking, "Well, yes, why didn't you?" Overall, a very solid, entertaining beginning to a new series and I look forward with great anticipation to future installments. ★★★★

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Thanks to Guy Fraser-Sampson for arranging the delivery of this review copy. My review policy is posted on my blog, but just to reiterate....The book was offered to me for impartial review  and I have received no payment of any kind. All comments in this review are entirely my own honest opinion.
 

TLC Book Tours: The Month of Maisie

In preparation for the March 29th release of  Journey to Munich, the 12th volume in Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs series, the ladies at TLC Book Tours have designated March as The Month of Maisie Readalong. Those of us on the tour have volunteered to read one (or more) of the books in the series to help build excitement for Maisie's latest adventure. I started reading this series back in my pre-blogging days, but had gotten distracted by other books. When the offer came to read Leaving Everything Most Loved as part of the tour, I quickly agreed and read A Lesson in Secrets (#8) and Elegy for Eddie (#9) as well so I would be caught up.

About Leaving Everything Most Loved

In Leaving Everything Most Loved by New York Times bestselling author Jacqueline Winspear, Maisie Dobbs investigates the murder of Indian immigrants in London.

The year is 1933. Maisie Dobbs is contacted by an Indian gentleman who has come to England in the hopes of finding out who killed his sister two months ago. Scotland Yard failed to make any arrest in the case, and there is reason to believe they failed to conduct a thorough investigation. The case becomes even more challenging when another Indian woman is murdered just hours before a scheduled interview. Meanwhile, unfinished business from a previous case becomes a distraction, as does a new development in Maisie’s personal life.
Bringing a crucial chapter in the life and times of Maisie Dobbs to a close, Leaving Everything Most Loved marks a pivotal moment in this outstanding mystery series.

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My Take:  I have very mixed feelings about this book and where this journey has taken Maisie. I thoroughly enjoy Jacqueline Winspear's writing and her ability to tell a story. These stories move quickly and they are easily read in a couple of sittings. The historical detail is excellent and I always feel like I have been swept back in time to one of the eras that I am most interested in. The mysteries that Maisie unravels are compelling and usually offer plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. Maisie has always been a very strong character--fiercely independent, intelligent and intuitive, caring and discerning. BUT she has also been annoying the heck out of me over the last several books. James Compton is the most long-suffering man I've met in detective fiction. I thought Lord Peter Wimsey went to great lengths to wait for Harriet Vane to come around....but he's got nothing on James. And, I fear, that Wimsey's wait will wind up having been far more satisfying both for him and for readers than Compton's will be. I have, unfortunately, run into a few spoilers about what lies ahead for James and Maisie--and I can't say that I care for what I've found. 

Putting those spoiler rumors aside for a moment, I just honestly have difficulty with the amount of upheaval that goes on in Maisie's life--constantly. It's as if we cannot possibly allow her to be happy for more than five minutes. She lost her first love due to the war and its after-effects. She has since lost her mentor. There have been various difficulties for Billy, her right-hand-man, and he's going to be leaving the agency for another job. At the end of the book, James is off to Canada and Maisie will be closing the agency and heading to India on a trip to find herself and, as the book's title says, leave behind everything she loves. Maisie is a complex character. It would be nice to see her work through some of those complications and still manage to have some stability. Finding a way to have a satisfying committed relationship with James AND manage to keep her independence and complex character as well maintain her professional practice would offer plenty of backstory tension and drama without taking everything away from Maisie.

★★★ for a solid entry into this series. A good story overall with a compelling mystery which revolves around events from the past which bring about the tragic deaths of the two Indian women. The star deduction comes entirely from my dissatisfaction with Maisie's overarching story line as the series continues. I will most likely read the next book--but I hope the spoiler rumors are untrue....

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Thanks again to the ladies of TLC Book Tours for including me in the Month of Maisie Readalong and providing a copy of this book for my honest review. I have received no compensation whatsoever for my participation in this blog tour.

For the full list of the books being reviewed, including a month of reviews for the new book, Journey To Munich, check out the full tour schedule.

Jacqueline Winspear is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Leaving Everything Most Loved, Elegy for Eddie, A Lesson in Secrets, The Mapping of Love and Death, Among the Mad, and An Incomplete Revenge, as well as four other national bestselling Maisie Dobbs novels. Her standalone novel, The Care and Management of Lies, was also a New York Times bestseller. She has won numerous awards for her work, including the Agatha, Alex, and Macavity awards for the first book in the series, Maisie Dobbs, which was also nominated for the Edgar Award for Best Novel and was a New York Times Notable Book. Originally from the United Kingdom, she now lives in California.
You can find out more about Jacqueline at her website, www.jacquelinewinspear.com, and also find her on Facebook. 

The Two Tickets Puzzle: Review

A manufacturer, by the name of Preston is found dead under the seat of a railway carriage, wounded in several places. When the autopsy is complete, it is revealed that he was shot with bullets of two different calibres. Somebody made quick work of it--taking advantage of one of two uninterrupted stretches of the train journey. There are several likely suspects--from Preston's doctor, who is rumored to be carrying on with Preston's wife to his wife who married for money but didn't bargain on the type of man she was really marrying to the clerk from his factory, recently dismissed and mysteriously in possession of bank notes which Preston had just gotten from the bank that morning. 

Superintendent Ross is brought into the case by Superintendent Campden. They've just been collaborating over another case and Ross is with Campden when the call comes in about the body on the 10:35 train from Horston. Since it's unclear where on the journey the murder occurred, it's possible that the case could fall under either man's district. And, though it initially looks as though they'll be sharing the work, Ross and his Inspector Morningside are the detectives who take center stage in the investigation. Morningside is put to work identifying every passenger on that train--and he manages to hook up the surrendered tickets with the passengers in Preston's first class carriage and the third-class carriage behind it. The detectives are certain that the murderer must have been in one of those carriages if he was to approach Preston without being seen. Where did he come from and when did he leave?

There are added problems for the men to solve. Who shot farmer Chepstow's prize ram and why? Who threw Preston's attache case out the window? Why were there two calibres of bullets? Whose spectacles were smashed in the compartment? And what is the importance of a prank telegram and the car-jacking of a lawyer's car?

This is a very detailed police procedural--complete with diagrams and railway timetables. Superintendent is a very thorough detective who follows up all the clues and investigates all the references made by his witnesses. Perhaps a bit too thorough for some modern readers who expect a bit more action, but for vintage mystery buffs it is a fine example of detailed plotting and early police procedural. There is an exciting car chase with an explosive (quite literally) grand finale to help satisfy the need for action and the plot is explained in clear detail for those who may have missed some of the clues. Highly enjoyable vintage crime novel from 1930 by J. J. Connington who is better known for his Sir Clinton Driffield novels. ★★★  and 1/2 

Thanks to Chad Arment and Coachwhip Publications for this lovely review copy.  The inestimable Curtis Evans provides an introduction with much insight and information on Connington (pen name for Alfred Walter Stewart) and his fiction.

[Disclaimer: My review policy is posted on my blog, but just to reiterate....The book was offered to me for impartial review  and I have received no payment of any kind. All comments in this review are entirely my own honest opinion.] 

Partners In Crime Tour: The Golden Age of Murder

The Golden Age of Murder

by Martin Edwards

on Tour April 28 - May 31, 2015

Book Details:

Genre: Biography, Mystery, Classic Crime  

Published by: HarperCollins  

Publication Date: May 7th 2015  

Number of Pages: 512  

ISBN: 0008105960 (ISBN13: 9780008105969)

Purchase Links:

 

Synopsis:

A real-life detective story, investigating how Agatha Christie and colleagues in a mysterious literary club transformed crime fiction, writing books casting new light on unsolved murders whilst hiding clues to their authors’ darkest secrets.
 
This is the first book about the Detection Club, the world’s most famous and most mysterious social network of crime writers. Drawing on years of in-depth research, it reveals the astonishing story of how members such as Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers reinvented detective fiction.
 
Detective stories from the so-called “Golden Age” between the wars are often dismissed as cosily conventional. Nothing could be further from the truth: some explore forensic pathology and shocking serial murders, others delve into police brutality and miscarriages of justice; occasionally the innocent are hanged, or murderers get away scot-free. Their authors faced up to the Slump and the rise of Hitler during years of economic misery and political upheaval, and wrote books agonising over guilt and innocence, good and evil, and explored whether killing a fellow human being was ever justified. Though the stories included no graphic sex scenes, sexual passions of all kinds seethed just beneath the surface.
 
Attracting feminists, gay and lesbian writers, Socialists and Marxist sympathisers, the Detection Club authors were young, ambitious and at the cutting edge of popular culture – some had sex lives as bizarre as their mystery plots. Fascinated by real life crimes, they cracked unsolved cases and threw down challenges to Scotland Yard, using their fiction to take revenge on people who hurt them, to conduct covert relationships, and even as an outlet for homicidal fantasy. Their books anticipated not only CSI, Jack Reacher and Gone Girl, but also Lord of the Flies. The Club occupies a unique place in Britain’s cultural history, and its influence on storytelling in fiction, film and television throughout the world continues to this day.
 
The Golden Age of Murder rewrites the story of crime fiction with unique authority, transforming our understanding of detective stories and the brilliant but tormented men and women who wrote them.

My Review:

Fantastic and fascinating book that is an absolute must-have for anyone with interest in the Golden Age of mysteries, crime, and detection. The Golden Age is one of my favorite periods for detective novels and it was an absolute delight to get an inside view of the Detection Club. It is just a real shame that the Club did not have an Archivist before Martin Edwards and that the Minute Book and other materials from the time of the Club's inception through the Blitz have disappeared. What a treasure trove of information that would have been. Edwards gives us a detailed look at the original members of the Club--tracing their careers and investigating certain mysterious circumstances in their lives. And even though many of the authors' mysteries were already familiar to me (as a long-time reader of Golden Age crime fiction), Edwards managed to discover new and interesting tidbits about even the most well-known of the Golden Age writers. Pacing is just a tad slow in places and there's a tendency to revisit some of the key events (Christie's disappearance and Sayers' secret shame, for instance), but overall a definite winner that all mystery lovers need to have on their reference shelf. ★★★★ and a half.

[Disclaimer: My review policy is posted on my blog, but just to reiterate....The book was offered to me for impartial review  and I have received no payment of any kind. All comments in this section are entirely my own honest opinion.]   

Author Bio:

Martin Edwards was educated in Northwich and at Balliol College, Oxford University, taking a first class honours degree in law. He trained as a solicitor in Leeds and moved to Liverpool on qualifying in 1980. He published his first legal article at the age of 25 and become a partner in the firm of Mace and Jones in 1984.

He is married to Helena with two children (Jonathan and Catherine) and lives in Lymm. Martin is a member of the Murder Squad collective of crime writers, and is chairman of the nominations sub-committee for the CWA Diamond Dagger (crime writing's most prestigious award). In 2007 he was appointed the Archivist of the Crime Writers Association.

Catch Up: 

Website: http://www.martinedwardsbooks.com/martin.htm 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/medwardsbooks

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/martin.edwards.92505

Tour Participants:

Giveaway:

This is a giveaway hosted by Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours for Martin Edwards & Harper Collins. There will be one winner of 1 physical copy of The Golden Age of Murder by Martin Edwards to a US recipient. The giveaway begins on April 28th, 2015 and runs through June 3rd, 2015
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