Pieces of Justice

 Pieces of Justice (1994) by Margaret Yorke

Lots of bossy women and domineering men who get their just desserts. Lots of couple on cruises and holidays who aren't really enjoying each other's company. A theme of unhappy and childless marriages. Lots of relationships that aren't as good as they should be or as good as they appear. There are those who receive sweet relief and those who don't quite get the relief they expected. This collection is billed as "short stories of suspense" and while there are many suspenseful tales and some murderous stories there are several here that don't really fill the bill as far as I'm concerned. No mystery, no suspense--just stories of people who don't really like each other. Margaret Yorke doesn't seem to have thought much of the institution of marriage--whether longstanding arrangements or an impending ceremony. 

A great number of these stories are morally ambiguous and there are a few where I disagree heartily with the outcomes. But one thing Yorke does do is make you think. Her themes here are on justice and cause & effect. What may seem like justice to you or me, isn't necessarily the justice she metes out in her stories. But who decides, in the end, what justice is? The best of the bunch "Means to Murder" and the finale, "Greek Tragedy." The rest are variable. ★★ and 1/2.

"The Liberator": An older woman on holiday decides to become an avenging angel, dispatching men and women who have become too big a burden on others...until someone turns the tables.[one stabbed; one motor accident; one poisoned]

"It's Never Too Late": Sometimes revenge doesn't have to be violent.

"Always Rather a Prig": After a reunion of her old girls, a schoolmistress is disappointed in the way a few of them have turned out. She does what she can to set things right. [one in war; one drowned]

"I Don't Believe in Santa Claus": Neither Timmy nor Janet want to go the the Christmas party, but Santa has a surprise in store for them.

"The Reckoning": Ellen has had enough of Maurice's over-bearing ways and decides to kill him off on the day he reaches his allotted "three score and ten." [one natural one gassed; one wasp sting reaction]; 

"Such a Gentleman": Phyllis's godson had always been such a gentleman. Could such a gentleman kill?[3 natural; one war; one strangled]

"A Time for Indulgence": What should a meek woman do if she discovers her husband is a predatory killer? Our narrator knows and says she's going to do it.... 

"Fair & Square": Mrs. Ford can't stand to see her old flame's daughter being "managed" by the overbearing woman who stole Michael away from her. [2 natural; one fell from height]

"The Fig Tree": Thirty years ago our narrator schemed her way into marriage with Bernard--cutting out Teresa. When they meet up with Teresa while on holiday, one of them isn't coming back... 

"A Woman of Taste":  A woman on a cruise with her domineering husband is shown what she really is by a sketch artist.

"Mountain Fever": After years of bowing to his wife's wishes to go to the beach on holiday, things finally fall in place for Bob to go to the mountains. [one heart attack; one hit on head; one snake bite]

"The Wrath of Zeus": A man with a keen interest in Greek mythology is on holiday with his less-than-beloved wife. When an angry sea comes up while they are both swimming, he believes that the god of the sea is going to answer his prayer for relief. [one drowned; one heart attack]

"A Sort of Pride": While on a trip to Greece, Dolly finds out that her husband has secret in his past. [one drowned]

"Gifts from the Bridegroom": A man decides to forego the planned wedding ceremony and head for parts unknown. His plan affects an equally unhappy married man...

"Anniversary": Mavis endured three years with a wealthy old man...looking forward to the day when she would inherit and be ready to travel and do all the things she always wanted to do. After a seemly year of mourning, her bags are packed and she'll be ready to leave in the morning. Or will she? [one poisoned]

"The Mouse Will Play": Mrs. Bellew has come down in the world--moving from a large home to a small house in a commuter village. Her supposedly prosperous husband having left behind nothing but debts upon his death. To fill the time that once was taken up playing hostess to his business associates and maintaining their spacious home, she begins to take notes on her neighbor's activities... and sending appropriate anonymous notes... [one heart attack]

"The Breasts of Aphrodite": Lionel wants nothing more than to destroy all evidence of his wife's wanton behavior while on holiday. [one feel from height]

"The Luck of the Draw": Carmen can't believe her luck when she wins a drawing for a free cruise. But her luck isn't quite the same when the boat returns to England. [one in the war]

"Means to Murder": It isn't until years later that our narrator discovers what really happened to his mother that New Year's Eve of long ago. But it's never too late for justice. [2 natural; one thrown from horse; one natural; one poisoned]

"A Small Excitement": About one's man's effort at justice for the woman he harmed through their affair. [one suffocated; one fell from height]

"Widow's Might": Another self-appointed assassin taking out people deemed worthy of execution. These widows are pretty dangerous.... [one heart attack; 2 more natural; one fell from height]

"The Last Resort": Lois makes plans to escape her abusive husband...little knowing he has plans of his own. [two blown up; one natural; one hit on head]

"Greek Tragedy": Patrick Grant, Yorke's recurring sleuth, takes a cruise and finds that murder can travel a long way. [2 shot; one drowned]

First line (1st story): My mercy mission began in Italy.

Last lines (Last story): ...but she had made a statement. She had made another now. And in Sevenoaks.

The Golden Eagle Mystery (spoilerish)

 The Golden Eagle Mystery (1942) by Ellery Queen, Jr.

Djuna and his Scottie dog Champ are all set to spend a quiet summer on the coast with "Aunt Patty" (everyone calls her that). He's looking forward to swimming and sailing and making new friends...and finding out what's bothering Aunt Patty. Miss Annie Ellery (with whom he lived) had sent him to Aunt Patty with instructions: 

Go and find out what the trouble is at Aunt Patty's house. There's trouble of some sort. She may even be in great danger. But, if you ask her, she will probably say there's nothing wrong at all. Just go there and keep your ears open....Listen to what her neighbors say there in Stony Harbor, and find out for yourself what is worrying her. No one need ever guess that a boy like you is a real detective.

So, he follows instructions. He makes friends with a boy named Billy. He meets the neighbors. He begins to suspect that Aunt Patty's worries are money-related. And up in Aunt Patty's attic, he and Aunt Patty finds a bunch of letters from her great-grandfather with clues to a missing treasure. He also finds some slips of paper that refer to a golden eagle as well as a nest egg being "put  where it be." When egg-shaped items begin disappearing from Aunt Patty's house, he's sure that there is something valuable to be found and he enlists Billy's help in tracking it down.

***********Possible Spoiler Ahead!************

As with most of these Ellery Queen, Jr. stories, the mystery is pretty straight-forward and doesn't take much guesswork. To be quite honest, all I needed was the title and I knew what it was all about. But also as is generally the case, the characters are engaging and there is adventure and mystery enough for the young readers who are the target audience for these books. Djuna and Champ are great leads and the friends they make along the way in their adventures are well-drawn. A good solid mystery. ★★★

First line: The new boy closed the door behind him and looked up and down the unfamiliar street.

Last line: "Gee," he said, "Alberto's going to miss Champ a lot!"
****************
Deaths= one drowned

The New Shoe

 The New Shoe (1951) by Arthur W. Upfield

When the lighthouse inspector makes an unexpected second trip to now automated Split Point Lighthouse on Australia's southeast coast, he discovers the naked body of a man hidden in a little-used storage closet in the wall. There is nothing to identify the body and advertisements of his description yields no help. So, Inspector Napoleon "Bony" Bonaparte is dispatched to help the local police. Bony has yet to leave a case unsolved and he's confident he'll crack this one. But even with his disguise as a holiday-making sheep farmer, the local inhabitants are reluctant to tell more than they've already shared with the police. But Bony knows that they know something. The only one who will really talk with him is old Ed Penwarden, an expert wood craftsman who specializes in coffins.

Bony wonders why a certain coffin is moved in the night, why the girl was seen struggling with Dick Lake on the cliff top, why Elred Wessex never came home from the war, and what the Bully Buccaneers have to do with it all. It isn't until his new friend, the dog Stug, brings him a shiny new shoe at the cliff's edge that he finds the clues that will lead him onto the correct path and when someone tries to brain him with a rock he knows he's getting close. And if he's not careful, he'll find himself resting permanently in one of Penwarden's beautiful coffins...

Although Upfield employs some of the standard Bony tropes (going undercover, ignoring his chief's urgings to hurry up, etc), this is a slightly different take than most of the detective's cases. Here he finds himself in a more centralized rural area--with far more people around, rather than using his tracking skills in the outback. I really enjoyed his interactions with Penwarden and the empathy he showed to various characters he met during the course of his investigation. And, as always, it's fun to see him melt into another persona as seamlessly as Holmes donning a disguise. ★★★★

First line: The evening sky was a true prophet.

"People don't hink about next week, tomorrow....No pride these days...get through work as quickly as possible for as much as possible...and refuse to do any thinkin' because thinkin' hurts." (Mr. Penwarden;p. 30)

"Putting the dead man in that locker don't make no sense to me, and I allus say that what don't make sense ain't worth worryin about. (Penwarden p. 64)

Last line: He walked on, and Mr. Penwarden tarried at the gate to watch him until he reached the main road.
*****************

Deaths =  3 (one shot; one natural; one fell from height)

Q-Squared

 Q-Squared (1995) by Peter David

Take Q and make him even more annoying and arbitrary and you get....Trelane. The infamous Squire of Gothos with whom Captain Kirk had a run-in over a hundred years ago. Wound up he was just a kid Q who got loose from his parents and wanted to interact with humans for "fun and games." Well...a century has passed and Trelane hasn't grown up much. But now Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the Enterprise D crew must deal with a Trelane who has tapped into the universal power source and has delusions of godhood. He messes with the powers that keep all alternate mutliverses separate and with the plan this teen-aged Q filled with teen-age angst has for "life, the universe and everything" it seems more like devilhood. Because if Trelane has his way all possible alternate timelines will be gone--but only after the Enterprise crew (and everyone else in the universe) and their alternate selves fight it out to the death to see which one will remain. According to Q, Picard is the only one who can save the universe...and all of its alternates. But how can a mere mortal take on a god...or a devil?

In his introduction, Peter David says that he generally writes two types of Star Trek novels. One is simply problem-oriented--the crew, whether Kirk & company or Next Gen, get involved in events with alien races or whatnot and they have to resolve it. The other takes a look at Trek as a whole and tries to stitch together threads from various iterations of the Trek universe to make a tapestry of sorts. This is the latter type of story. And, overall, I like it very much. I enjoyed the way he brought Trelane into the Q Continuum and made his interactions bridge the time period between Kirk and Picard. I'm also really interested in the multiverse (alternate timeline) trope in science fiction and enjoyed David's take on that concept. The one thing that kept this from a full four-star review was the chaos at the end--I realize that was the point of Trelane's little "experiment," but with all of the various Picards and Rikers and Crushers (both Beverly and Jack [!]), etc. running in and out of each other's timelines it was very difficult to keep everybody straight. And (slight SPOILER ahead)...

even though we're meant to believe that we're back to the "real" universe (that is the one from the TV show) at the end. I'm still a little unsure. A great concept, pretty nicely realized. ★★★ and 1/2.

First line: The child looked up at the adult eagerly, wonderingly in that way that children had.

And which of these multiverses is the real one? (LaForge; p. 126)

Last line: She turned back to ask him why he sounded so strange when he said that...but he was already gone.

What's in a Name Challenge

 

Andrea at Carolina Book Nook is back with another round of the What's in a Name Challenge. And I'm so glad--I've been anxiously awaiting the new version. This has always been a favorite of mine, so of course I'm back for another round as well. The format is the same--six categories and one book required for each one. The prompt must appear in the title of the book. For full details, see the link above.

My Tentative List:

1. Double Letters: The Emperor's SnuFF Box by John Dickson Carr (1/3/24)

2. An NFL Team: The Golden Eagle Mystery by Ellery Queen Jr. (6/14/24)

3. A Natural Disaster: Taken at the Flood  (aka There Is a Tide) by Agatha Christie (1/14/24) 

4.  A Virtue: Pieces of Justice by Margaret Yorke (9/2/24)

5. Shape: Q-Squared by Peter David (3/17/24)

6. Footwear: The New Shoe by Arthur W. Upfield (5/25/24)

I, Robot: The Illustrated Screenplay

 I, Robot: The Illustrated Screenplay (2004) by Harlan Ellison based on short stories by Isaac Asimov

Synopsis (from the back of the book): The Greatest Science Fiction Movie Never Made! For more than 25 years numerous attempts were made to adapt Isaac Asimov's classic story-cycle, I, Robot, to the motion picture medium. all efforts failed. The magical, memorable tales of mechanized servitors with positronic brains, and the ways in which such amazing creations would forever alter human society through the justly famous Three Laws of Robotics, defied the most cunning efforts of scenarists and filmmakers. In 1977, producers approached multiple-award-winning author Harlan Ellison to take a crack at this "impossible" project. He accepted the challenge, and produced an astonishing screenplay that Asimov felt would be "The first really adult, complex, worthwhile science fiction movie ever made."

But it wasn't...made that is. Due to creative differences...or, as Ellison tells it, because he told a producer at Warner Brothers that he had "the intellectual capacity of an artichoke" after said producer proved he hadn't even read the screenplay he was attempting to make "suggestions" about...the plan was scrapped. The result? This incredible screenplay moldered for a while, then was published in Asimov's SF Magazine, and, finally, was brought to the public in this edition. The movie Ellison envisioned and Asimov approved is what science fiction fans deserved to see...not the movie we got with Will Smith.

Ellison frames the collection of separate stories with a story of Robert Bratenahl, a reporter, seeking the truth behind the connection between Dr. Susan Calvin, a famous robopsychologist, and Stephen Byerly, the recently deceased first President of the Galactic Federation. In doing so, he brings Calvin and her story very much to forefront--something not apparent in the Asimov stories, but which the author approved. We follow Bratenahl on his journey as seeks an interview with the reclusive Calvin...a journey that ends in an ancient structure in the Amazon jungle.

The book itself is beautiful with lavish illustrations by Mark Zug. It had been awhile since I had read a screenplay, so it took me a bit to get into the rhythm of reading work that was meant to filmed. But once I settled in, I thoroughly enjoyed Ellison's vision of Asimov's world. Now I have a sudden urge to reread all of Asimov's robot stories and novels again....  ★★★★

6 X H: Six Stories

 6 X H: Six Stories (aka The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag; 1959) by Robert H. Heinlein

Heinlein is an author that I have read only in novel-length works prior to this. His abilities in world-building, stage-setting, and characterization translate well into the shorter form. From the novella-length titular story to the shortest of the short stories, he pulls the reader in and we believe in the time, place, and characters even if we find the story itself a little unbelievable. He gives us a little of everything from straight fantasy to hard science fiction. And, like most collections, he gives us a mix of good stories and not-so-good.  ★★★

"The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag": Jonathan Hoag becomes convinced that he must do something terrible during the day. The trouble is, he can't remember anything at all about what it is. He hires Ted and Cynthia Randall, private detectives, to follow him and find out. But what seems like a simple "tail" job turns into a nightmare for the team when their memories of what happens during the investigation don't match.

"The Man Who Traveled in Elephants": John Watts used to be a traveling salesman and his wife, Martha who loved to travel and see new things, would go with him on the road. They loved visiting all the carnivals and festivals and country fairs that they found along the way. Even after John retired, they still traveled, claiming (to those whose curiosity was such that they just had to know why they traveled so much) that now John "traveled in elephants." And now--now Martha is gone and John is keeping the tradition alive by traveling on his own. But then the bus he's on has an accident and he finds himself at the most fantastic festival he's ever seen.

"--All You Zombies--" A time travel story full of all kinds of paradoxes. Most aptly, a jukebox in the bar which features in the story is playing "I'm My Own Granpaw" on what seems like endless repeat....

"They": Our unnamed protagonist is an inmate in a mental hospital. He is sure that he is one of the few "real" entities in the universe and that those around him are trying keep him from others like him and from finding out the truth. Is he just paranoid? Or is there some truth to his apparent delusions?

"Our Fair City": When a corrupt local government takes on a reporter, a newspaper photographer, and an old parking attendant with an unusual pet, they reap the whirlwind--quite literally.

"And He Built a Crooked House": When Quintus Teal, architect, thinks up a new way to build houses--based on the fourth dimension and the idea of tesseracts, he believes it will revolutionize home-building. It will allow large houses to be built on much smaller plots of land and save on building costs overall. He builds his first model--but a couple of earthquakes thoroughly shake up the process.

First line (1st story): "Is it blood, Doctor?" Jonathan Hoag moistened his lips with his tongue and leaned forward in the chair. trying to see what was written on the slip of paper the medico held.

Last lines (last story): Teal ducked in time. He always was a man of action.

The Beauty Queen Killer

 The Beauty Queen Killer (aka A Beauty for Inspector West [original]; So Young, So Cold, So Fair; 1954) by John Creasey

When beautiful Betty Gelibrand is found strangled after she and her boyfriend Harold Millsom have a very public argument, Detective Inspector Turnbull, is sure this is going to be an easy one. Especially after he and Chief Inspector Roger West find out Millsom also beat up the man who overheard the argument. And that during the argument, Millsom had said that he'd rather see her dead than "ruined by that theater mob." Millsom runs the boyfriend to earth atop a church roof, but the young man falls from the roof and dies before he can be questioned properly. It looks like the case will be closed without the cost of a trial.

West, on the other hand, isn't convinced and soon discovers that another pretty young woman was strangled previously in similar circumstances...and that both women were contestants in the same beauty contest. And another young woman follows the first two.It isn't long before he and Turnbull are in a race to find the killer before s/he eliminates all bathing beauties. Is it a case of someone getting rid of the competition for their favorite? Or does someone just hate beauty that much?

Generally speaking, I have enjoyed the Inspector West police procedural series. I've given out mostly four stars with one three star winner in previous My Reader's Block reviews. But this one falls flat for me. I really don't care for Turnbull at all and, like West's fellow police officers, I can't for the life of me figure out why West doesn't take him down a peg or two from the very beginning. Turnbull is cocky and overbearing and very full of himself. He may be a bright young detective but he goes plunging in when a lighter touch is required and he says things to West that no subordinate should ever say unless a relationship has been established that would allow for him to speak his mind freely (it hasn't). And even then, some of the things he says are so out of line, that a good working relationship wouldn't excuse them. On top of it all, he's not even really contrite when West solves the murders and saves him (Turnbull) from the discipline he's got coming from the higher ups. He's been busted back to Detective Sergeant but he tells West "What the hell difference do you think a year or two is going to make? I'll catch up and pass you before you're really awake!" The quote my edition has from Anthony Boucher, indicates that Boucher thought this conflict between West and Turnbull "affords Creasey a chance for the most rounded characterization he has written." Um. If you say so, Mr. Boucher. 

Not my favorite Inspector West novel by a long shot. ★★

First line: "But listen, Betty," Harold Millsom said huskily, "it won't get you anywhere.

Last line: Two days later he was briefing Detective Sergeant Turnbull about a job in the East End.

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

Deaths = 7 [five strangled/suffocated; two poisoned]

The Hunting Party

 The Hunting Party (2019) by Lucy Foley

For ten years, a group of friends from Oxford have been gathering during Christmas break for a reunion at New Year's. A new locale is chosen every year and this year Emma, the most recent addition to the group, has set them up with a a retreat in the remote Scottish wilderness. The hostess, Heather, had told her that they would have the entire lodge to themselves and they could have a nice cozy little get-together. Except one of her co-workers booked an odd little couple from Iceland. That's the first jarring note in the much anticipated party. Next they learn that they need to be careful at night...there are poachers lurking in the woods. Oh...and there's the Highland Ripper wandering about--a nasty home-grown serial killer. But don't worry, Doug the gamekeeper is good at keeping poachers and other riff-raff off the property.

So, the party begins and at first things seem to go well. There's good food, plenty of drink, and lots of jovial reminiscing. But then a historic blizzard hits and the lodge is cut off. And then tensions crop up among the friends--long-buried resentments bubble to the surface. After a heavy night of drinking on Christmas Eve, one of the friends disappears. When the body is found, it's clear that this was no accident. Someone on the lodge property is a murderer. Is it one of the guests? Is it the hostess or the gamekeeper? Or maybe the Highland Ripper has taken another victim. 

This book could have been so good. I really enjoyed Foley's The Guest List and had high hopes for this one. The setting is great. I loved the idea of the snowbound hunting lodge with a murderer on the loose. Alex Michaelides is quoted as saying "Reminiscent of Agatha Christie at her best--with an extra dose of acid." I generally take such comparisons to any of the Queens of Crime with a healthy dose of salt, but I had to say that the synopsis did sound appealing and reminiscent of And Then There Were None. Unfortunately, the reminiscing stops as soon as you get a chapter or so into the book. Christie she ain't and ATTWN, this isn't.

When you take the comparison to Christie and add the title "The Hunting Party," I was definitely expecting something more along the lines of ATTWN. I mean, I figured there would be more killings and it would happen during the hunting expedition or maybe one of them would go crazy and start hunting the victims down like he was stalking deer. But no. That's not what we get. What we get is a bunch of people who really don't like each other much (why on earth do they keep taking these mini-vacations together?) and who have odd little reasons why they might do each other an injury. And the mystery within the mystery--not only do we have to figure out whodunnit, but we're supposed to be mystified about whogotdonein--really wasn't much of one. I pretty much knew whose body was out there in the snow the first time we met them. I can't say I liked any of the "friends," but the victim is the hands down winner in the least liked sweepstakes. Foley did a better job of keeping the identity of the killer from me--so all the star points go for that. I started to give three stars, but then I realized that I wasn't even that fond of the book. So: ★★

First line: I see a man coming through the falling snow. From a distance, through the curtain of white, he looks hardly human, like a shadow figure.

Last line: Perhaps it's time to make some new friends.

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

Deaths = 2 [one smoke inhalation; one strangled]

Pride of the Peacock

 Pride of the Peacock (1976) by Victoria Holt

 Jessica Clavering always knew there was a mystery in her past. Most people might put it down to the fact that her family--once landed gentry with sufficient means--came down in the world just before her birth. For hundreds of years Claverings lived in Oakland Hall, but after her grandfather and father both succumbed to the gambling bug the family fortunes never recovered and her father was forced to sell the family home to one of the new rich, Mr. Ben Henniker of Australia. After the family moved to the Dower House (still pretty fine in the grand scheme of things), they refused to have anything to do with Mr. Henniker and Jessica's mother never failed to point out how far down in the world they had come and how they owed their life of penury to her husband. 

But Jessica knows there's more wrong with her circumstances than simply being poorer than the family used to be. There's also the fact that she's not supposed to go near the stream that runs through the woods. And the hidden grave in the "Wasteland" area where no one goes...except for someone who puts a small bundle of flowers on the grave once a year. Every time she asks a question the family and servants tell her it's better that she not know. Jessica isn't satisfied with that, but it seems she'll never find out what everyone is keeping from her....

Until Ben Henniker returns to the Hall after an accident at his mines in Australia. He's out in the grounds alone in his wheelchair and Jessica runs to the rescue when it careens out of control down the hill. The two strike up an unlikely friendship and Jessica begins to learn a bit about her past--both from Ben and from the servants who stayed with the Hall when her family had to downsize. She has a few shocks in store...not least that Ben plans to arrange her marriage to his son Joss Madden. Ben hasn't exactly painted a rosy picture of Joss. Oh, sure, he's a fine figure of a man, but from what Ben tells her Joss is headstrong, stubborn, and full of pride--just like the peacocks Ben's Australian home is named for. Will she and Joss be able to resist the offer Ben makes them, contingent upon their marriage? And if Jessica does say yes, will she survive in the wilds of Australia? Because there's someone...maybe Joss himself?...who wants to make sure she doesn't.

So...once upon a time I read a lot of Victoria Holt and Phyllis A. Whitney novels. And I liked them a lot. But I'm not entirely sure this sort of book is my sort of book anymore. I'm just not really into these "oh we hate each other...he's so full of himself...he doesn't like me at all...she's the worst...she treats me like I've got the plague..." stories which turn suddenly (once we find out he's really not the brooding ogre we thought) into "Ooooh, I adore you. I can't live without you!" and let's live happily ever after.

Holt is a lot better at the mystery portion of the plot than the romance portion (at least in the opinion of my 50-something self). Not a lot of clue-planting, but good build-up and an interesting twist at the end. I don't think my previous paragraph is much of a spoiler--anyone who reads much in this line must know that the brooding "ogre" of a husband is never behind all the evil things happening to our heroine. ★★★

First line: I was quite young when I realized that there was something mysterious about me, and a sense of not belonging came to me and stayed with me.

Last line: "I can," I retorted. "And I will."

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

Deaths: 7 (one natural; one broken neck; one fell from a horse; one drowned; one buggy accident; one shot; one fell from balcony)

[Finished 4/23/23]

Dead, Mr. Mozart

 Dead, Mr. Mozart (1994) by Bernard Bastable (Robert Barnard)

In Bastable's alternate-history mystery, we have Mozart surviving into his sixties and making his home in England. His musical fortunes haven't been all that for a while, but the anticipated coronation of King George IV is going to provide an ideal opportunity to dust off some of his best operas and to write a new one in honor of the coronation season. Just as he has everything set--with patronage from Lord Hertford to mount the opera season and one brilliant, experienced singer and one brilliant young singer (both beautiful women) to lead the company--an element of intrigue is introduced. Those who support the new King are eager to find a way to thoroughly discredit his estranged Queen and those who support Caroline of Brunswick are out to foil any such plans. Hertford is in the King's camp and has found a witness who could definitely make England too hot to handle for Caroline. If the witness lives to testify....

One of the most deadly dull mysteries I have ever read. I have thoroughly enjoyed nearly all of the mysteries Barnard wrote under his own name. All but one garnered three stars or more. But this....Mozart, one of the most interesting composers, is a flat character. I'm not sure why Bastable thought it an excellent idea to come up with an 1820 England where Mozart is still alive and churning out potboiler music as a living, but I think it would have been kinder to leave him in the grave. He (Mozart) is also a gossip for hire--Lady Hertford wants him to send reports on her husband's business in the opera house and for a small purse full of coins he's willing to do so. Casting him in the role of amateur detective also falls short of the mark. He's not very good at it and he's not even very interesting as a poor detective. The mystery plot itself is also not much--you think there's going to be all this political intrigue surrounding the new King George and his controversial Queen, but that just sortof fizzles. The murder is pointless. The detective work is pointless. And the extension of Mozart's life for this story...pointless. If you haven't tried Barnard's work before, I would suggest you try something written under his own name. ★

First line: I had hardly turned out of my apartment home in Henrietta Street and begun in the direction of the Strand when I was struck by something unusual: almost all the people I passed were in their soberest dress, and had on their faces expressions of more than the usual dyspeptic English melancholy.

Last line: By the time I reached home I was infused with that lunatic optimism which, against all likelihood, against all experience, against all reason, buoys up those who are condemned to spend a life sentence working in the opera house.

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

Deaths = 2 (one natural; one stabbed)

What's in a Name 2023

 

Andrea at Carolina Book Nook is back with another round of the What's in a Name Challenge. And I'm so glad--I've been anxiously awaiting the new version. This has always been a favorite of mine, so of course I'm back for another round as well. The format is the same--six categories and one book required for each one. The prompt must appear in the title of the book. For full details, see the link above.

My Tentative List:

1. Punctuation: Dead, Mr. Mozart by Bernard Bastable (Robert Barnard) {a comma and a period] (3/15/23)

2. 7 Deadly Sins: The Pride of the Peacock by Victoria Holt (4/23/23)

3. "You" and "Me": I, Robot: The Illustrated Screenplay by Harlan Ellison & Isaac Asimov (7/5/23)

4. Chess Pieces: The Beauty Queen Killer by John Creasey (5/14/23)

5. Celebration: The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley (5/11/23)

6. X, Y Z: 6 X H by Robert A. Heinlein (6/19/23)

Complete!

Midsummer Nightmare

 Midsummer Nightmare (1945) by Christopher Hale (Frances Moyer Ross Stevens)

Olivia Warburton is the confidential secretary to Sybrand Jennesma, senior of two brothers who own the Jennesma furniture factory. Sybrand and his brother Gerrit are looking to branch out into the automobile industry. Gerrit, the inventor in the family, is developing a new, smaller engine that will conserve fuel in this war-time era. They have invited the influential Senator North to inspect the work so far in the hopes that he will advise a major investor to take the plunge and finance their endeavors. 

Olivia and her assistant Winifred Leslie are living in a cottage on the Jennesma estate. There's quite a crowd of people (future suspects) milling about the estate. There's Sybrand's wife Myrtilla, the Jennesma's sister Hilda Peradine and husband number four, Eddie, Dirk Adams--manager of the Jennesma factory, Jason Kimball who handles publicity for the Jennesma furniture business, Jerrold Corbin--one of Hilda's ex-husbands who still holds out hope of inheriting something should dear old Hilda pass on, and Tillie, faithful servant to the Jennesmas who can't stand the sight of anyone who isn't family.

All is going smoothly with the Senator's visit until the Jennesma brothers begin receiving threatening notes. The anonymous writer claims that the brothers have stolen the engine idea and demands that they share any wealth...or else. But when they refuse to follow instructions about placing an ad in the paper (to indicate their willingness) they aren't the immediate target. The first victim in this murderous nightmare is their sister Hilda and the circumstantial evidence points to Olivia. Senator North has fallen hard for the young woman and is determined to prove her innocent...and he'll plow through Lieutenant Bill French of the State Police to do so, if necessary. More deaths follow and though the net still tightens round Olivia, there's plenty more suspicion to go around. Winnie (Winifred) is acting strangely, Dirk can't explain certain activities, and Eddie seems to have been up to no-good--burning something in the bathroom (possibly a missing will?). 

This really was an unexpected delight. The book is set in a fictional area just outside of Grand Rapids, Michigan. This is an area I'm fairly well acquainted with as we traveled through that part of the state quite often on visits to my maternal grandmother in White Cloud (north of Grand Rapids). Hale does a good job describing the area and made me feel like I was on familiar ground. She also introduces some very interesting characters--the double romance storyline was well-done, considering that she brought the two couples together fairly quickly. And I was glad to see the relationships sorted out satisfactorily. The plot is a good one--I almost got the right answer, but didn't take my ideas quite far enough. The plotting was so well done that I'm going to be on the hunt for more Lt. French novels. ★★★★

First line: There was the sort of stillness in the air that often comes with a magnificent full moon.

Last line: After all, there would be moments that would require compensations, and it was well this would be one. 

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Deaths = 3 (one stabbed; one poisoned; one hit on head)

Cut to the Quick

 Cut to the Quick (1993) by Kate Ross

Julian Kestrel--dandy, man about town. Devoted to the gaming tables and the latest Regency-era fashion. Underneath his dandified pose, he's also a man of honor with more concern for others than he cares to let on.  And now--he's about to turn amateur detective. When Kestrel rescues young, inexperienced Hugh Fontclair from entangling himself too deeply at the gaming tables, he never dreamed he'd wind up invited to the man's wedding...and not as a guest, but as best man! Since he doesn't really know Fontclair from Adam, Kestrel is tempted to say no, but his curiosity gets the better of him. If he doesn't go to the Fontclair's country estate he'll never know why he's been asked.

From the moment he arrives it becomes obvious that there is more to this wedding than meets the eye. Mark Craddock, the bride's father, has some sort of secret hold over the Fontclairs and he's using it to force a marriage between his daughter and Hugh. The secret is so terrible that Hugh is willing to sacrifice his happiness to save the family honor. But--whatever that secret is, could it possibly be worse than murder? For on the evening of the second day, Kestrel returns from an afternoon of exploring the grounds (with Hugh) to find a dead girl tucked up in his bed. 

Initially, his manservant is arrested. Dipper, a former pickpocket with an instinct for lying under pressure, is caught out in a few mild untruths and suspected of lying about something much worse. Even Kestrel, as an outsider, is preferable as a suspect. With his own honor at stake and his servant already arrested, Julian dives into the investigation. He soon discovers the dreadful secret behind the arranged marriage--but that isn't the only secret being kept hidden in the confines of the Fontclair estate. In order to save Dipper from the hangman, Kestrel will have to decide which secret was worth killing for.

Kestrel makes for a very clever and humane investigator. While he has no qualms about questioning his host's family in the effort to exonerate his innocent servant, he regrets the pain he has to cause others in the search for the truth. It was also interesting to watch him go through several rounds of thinking he had finally gotten to the bottom of who-dunnit only to discover that the secret the current suspect was hiding wasn't the ultimate secret of murder. I thoroughly enjoyed his interactions with the doctor and the way he won over the crusty, country medico. It would be nice if Dr. MacGregor would become his Watson, but I don't believe that's in the cards.  

A highly entertaining historical mystery. ★★★★

First line: Mark Craddock paced slowly, deliberately, back and forth behind the desk in his study.

This waiting is worse than anything. It's like one of those nightmares where you know something terrible is going to happen and you don't know what it is, but you there's nothing you can do to stop it. (Hugh Fontclair; p. 55)

Last line: "I promise," he said.

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Deaths =  4 (two stabbed; two natural)

The Price of the Phoenix

 The Price of the Phoenix (1977) by Sondra Marshak & Myrna Culbreath

Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, and The Romulan Commander (from the Classic series episode "The Enterprise Incident") take on one of the most mysterious and powerful men in the Galaxy. A man who has the strength of a Vulcan giant, the speed of a cheetah, the mind of a genius, and the pride and evil to match the Devil himself. Omne has created an outlaw planet, styled on Earth's wild west, where those who want to operate outside the Federation's "oppressive benevolence" or separate from the Romulan or Klingon empires can follow their rules--provided they agree to settle any differences via the laws of Omne's world. Disagreements to be settled by whomever can draw their gun the fastest. 

But Omne has decided that he is not satisfied just operating outside the Federation...he'd like to take it apart and the best way to do that is to expose the person he considers the most flagrant breaker of the Prime Directive, Captain James T. Kirk. He invites delegates from the biggest Federation stakeholder planets as well as those from outside the Federation and plans an event to begin the dissolution of the Federation. The Romulan Commander is on hand to take what advantage she can for her Empire. But..there are wheels within wheels in this plan...and it soon becomes apparent that his ultimate goal is to own a starship captain and possibly both his first office and his old enemy. 

It will take murder and the rising of an unexpected phoenix to bring Starfleet officers and The Romulan Commander into an uneasy alliance. Omne will force them to consider the cost of friendship and loyalty and pride. How much is an individual life worth? And does it make a difference whose life it is? And ultimately...are they willing to pay the price of the phoenix?

I first read this back in the early 80s. It was one of my favorites of the early Star Trek books. I loved the themes of friendship and sacrifice--watching Kirk and Spock...and even the Commander try to outdo each other in making wagers against Omne's stacked deck to try and save the others. It was an exciting adventure and a lesson in loyalty. It showed how one-time enemies could learn to work together when it counted. Rereading the book as an adult, I can see that some of the material is a bit over the top. If I were reading it for the first time, I'd probably be more critical of the fanfic nature of it. But....I know where this novel falls in the ST timeline and, so, I turned off the critic for this one. 

These early novels come from a time when the fans were what was keeping Star Trek alive. The show had been sent into syndication and the studio had given up on the ST property long ago. Phoenix came out before there was the hope of the first ST feature film and most of the authors of those early Bantam ST novels were fans who simply had to have more stories about their favorite science fiction characters. Having discovered what a great show ST was about that time, I understood the need for more stories about Kirk, Spock, McCoy and company and I read the novelizations as fast as I could find them. My one real quibble with this book is that McCoy features so little. 

For those who insist that this book turns Kirk and Spock's friendship into something erotic, I respond with a footnote included in the only ST novel penned by Gene Roddenberry, the creator of that friendship (novelization of Star Trek The Motion Picture; p. 22):

The human concept of "friend" is most nearly duplicated in Vulcan thought by the term t'hy'la which can also mean "brother" and "lover." Spock's recollection (from which this chapter has drawn) is that it was a most difficult moment for him since he did consider Kirk to have become his brother. However because t'hy'la can be used to mean "lover," and since Kirk's and Spock's friendship was unusually close, this has led to some speculation over whether they had actually indeed become lovers. At our request, Admiral [then] Kirk supplied the following comment on this subject: "I was never aware of the 'lovers' rumor, although I have been told that Spock encountered it several times. Apparently he had always dismissed it with his characteristic lifting of his right eyebrow which usually connoted some combination of surprise, disbelief, and/or annoyance. As for myself, although I have no moral or other objection to physical love in any of its many Earthly, alien, and mixed forms, I have always found my best gratification in that creature 'woman,' Also, I would dislike being thought of as so foolish that I would select a love partner who came into sexual heat only once every seven years."

So--I'd say the creator of Kirk and Spock...and Kirk himself ought to know. As Kirk says--I have no objection to love in its many forms, but I do object to taking friendship and/or brotherhood and making it into something it's not. There can be deep affection and love without sex. Caring deeply for someone and taking care of them physically does not mean that you want to bed them. And I know that reading this novel when I was a preteen helped me form some of my thoughts, beliefs, and expectations of deep, loyal friendship. I never once thought that the two men had shared anything beyond a friendship and kinship that could withstand and outlast anything that Omne threw at it.

And...for those in the Medical Examiner Challenge, if you're wondering how a Star Trek novel figures in the mystery realm--integral to the science fiction plot is a mystery of who was really killed and how...and how many times.

A thoroughly enjoyable reread-- ★★★★★ when I first read it and I'll not argue with that rating now.

First line: Dr. McCoy had one thought in his mind: Spock must be spared this!

Spock's hand closed on Omne's wrist and learned tt was not Human when it did not break. (p. 24)

The perfect murder [redacted because spoiler] and nobody died. (p.45)

"Script?" she said with a slow smile. "It is the simple truth." "That's the best kind," he grinned. (The Romulan Commander, Captain Kirk; p. 130)

Last line: And he saw that he had done it again as the Commander and James made it out the door. [empty space contains slight spoiler--highlight if curious]

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Deaths = 2 shot (that I can count--there were two more burned to death, but the authors didn't bother to give them names)

The Case of the Famished Parson

 

The Case of the Famished Parson (1949) by George Bellairs

The Bishop of Greyle, James Macintosh, is bashed over the head and his body dumped over a cliff edge into Bolter's Hole, a convenient little place along the coast at Cape Mervin. But, unfortunately for the murderer, the body isn't washed out to sea. The bishop gets lodged between some rocks and is found relatively quickly by Harry Keast when he goes out early in the morning looking for golf balls hit just a little too hard off the green near the cliffs. Allain, the proprietor of the Cape Mervin Hotel, calls upon his illustrious guest from Scotland Yard, Inspector Thomas Littlejohn, to make a busman's holiday and lend a hand with the investigation. He hopes that the matter will be cleared up with little fuss and less publicity.

But odd things begin to complicate the case and it doesn't look like a solution will come quickly. There's the matter of emaciated state of Macintosh's body. And the millionaire's shoes that went for a walk that night--without the millionaire. There's the mysterious phone call that lured the bishop from the hotel after 11 pm. And the bishop's loony family. And the fact that somebody takes a potshot at Littlejohn when he visits said loony family, hitting him in the thigh and laying him up for several days. There's also the curious lights in the harbor and the fact that nobody seems to have seen anything that night--not even the night watchman in the little shed near the hotel. But when a second murder follows closely on the first it becomes clear that at least one person knew something...unfortunately, he's now dead as well. Littlejohn, his right-hand man Sergeant Cromwell, and the local inspector have their hands full sifting alibis and deciding whether the motive for murder lies with the bishop's family or in something he discovered while on holiday in Cape Mervin. But what could an inoffensive bishop with a interest in psychology and Eastern religions have found out in the short time he was at the hotel?

This was a much more satisfying read than my previous book. And I have to say that I positively adore Harry Keast who makes up long words because he doesn't know enough real ones (example in quote below). He's a quite lovable, quirky character that we see too little of. I also really enjoy Bellairs's writing--it's clear and concise and move things along nicely without missing out on any of the fun of language. I could tell he was having a good time with vocabulary in this one (both Harry's made-up vocabulary and honest-to-goodness words). 

After the shooting incident, Littlejohn spends several days conducting the investigation from bed, reminding me of The Daughter of Time and The Wench Is Dead--though investigating a current crime instead of a historical mystery. I enjoyed watching his impatience at not being able to get out and investigate...but he was able to pick up some nifty clues while watching out his window. 

Slight spoiler ahead....

The one thing that keeps this from being a five-star book, was the plot. It becomes obvious pretty quickly what's going on and I was a little let down by the motive for the murder. The only real question is who ultimately did the killing--there are several for whom the motive could be valid (I can't say more without giving things away). And perhaps that is the point of a murder mystery, finding out "whodunit," but it would have been more satisfying with a different motive. Still...this is an excellent read from Bellairs and I quite enjoyed myself this evening. ★★★★

First lines: Wednesday, September 4th. The Cape Mervin Hotel was quiet as the grave.

Harry...had little to no formal education, but experience and shrewdness made up for a lot. He was fond of long words, but knew hardly any. So he made them up as he went along for the sheer pleasure of mouthing them. "Brognostication is the thief of time," he said to himself by way of excusing his early appearance on the links. (pp. 8-9)

Mr. Rufus Flank's voice was worn out, like his clothes. He began fortissimo and gradually diminuendoed until at the end of each sentence you couldn't hear a word he said...."MISSUS MACINTOSH TOO DISTressed...speak on behalf...regret unable...light....Hrumph, chmha...THERFORE BEG the court...indulgence...Hrumph, chmha...." (p. 46)

"You're on fire!" The vicar had put his lighted pipe in his pocket as he entered the hospital and had set fire to his handkerchief. (p. 85)

In all matters except paying and receiving cash in the ordinary course of business, Mr. Topham had to consult. He consulted the authorities in Greyle on banking, his domineering mother on affairs of the heart, three stockbrokers about his surplus income, and, in secret, Old Moore's Almanac about the future. (p. 100)

[about thrillers/mysteries] Thing that strikes me is that there's more money in imagining crimes than in actually solving them on the spot. And what makes me laugh is the number of detectives there are. All big shots at Scotland Yard. Hundreds of them. (Sergeant Cromwell, pp. 103-4)

Mulroy looked surprised a bit annoyed. It is exasperating to spend years studying a subject and mastering its terms and then find the apparently ignorant layman intuitively knows as much as you do. (p. 109)

Last lines: He passed a lot of time seated on the grass in the sun and air, reading detective stories, which are one of his favorite diversions. They appeal to his irrepressible sense of humour.

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Deaths = 4 (one hit on head; one shot; two hanged)

Fadeaway Girl

 Fadeaway Girl (2011) by Martha Grimes

Emma Graham lives in what she calls "Tragedy Town." Over the years there have been three connected murders--a shooting, a stabbing, and a drowning--and an alleged kidnapping. And Emma herself was nearly drowned as well. As a result of that incident, she's been made a cub reporter on the local newspaper and she's supposed to be writing up her version of the events but she can't get her mind off the old murders and the kidnapping. She firmly believes that all the troubles in Spirit Lake, La Porte, and Lake Noir are connected and that the tragedy isn't over yet. When a stranger by the name of "Rafe" Diggs shows up and more tragic events occur, she's proved right. But just how does everything tie together?

You'd think I would have learned my lesson about Martha Grimes and her books set in the United States instead of England. When I first started reading Grimes (back in the 80s), I worked my way through her Richard Jury series. Then, all unsuspecting, I picked up The End of the Pier when it came out. Kirkus Reviews begins their review of that one with "Something completely different from the author of the popular, ever-so-British Inspector Jury mysteries...." They weren't kidding. It was completely different and completely not my cup of tea. And neither is this one--set in the same area and featuring some of the same families. Martha Grimes may be American, but I'd much rather read her British mysteries any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

The twelve year old protagonist does absolutely nothing for me. She has the most wild flights of fancy intertwined with her "deductions" and we're expected to believe that she solves these old murders and the mysteries behind the kidnapping when the police were unable to do so. Sure, there's a long history of girl detectives (Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, Beverly Gray...etc) doing what the police couldn't, but Emma Graham isn't even believable from a fictional standpoint. I couldn't suspend my belief that much... ★

First line: We were talking about the kidnapped baby.

In other words, it was nothing like the song, but then, I guess things seldom are. (p. 9)

Last lines: I wondered if the trees stood there at the edge of the dark, guarding a great mystery. Or was all of this just my righteous imagination?

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Deaths = 4 (one drowned, two shot; one stabbed)

What's in a Name? 2022

 

 

 

Andrea at Carolina Book Nook is back with another round of the What's in a Name Challenge. This has always been a favorite of mine, so of course I'm back for another round as well. The format is the same--six categories and one book required for each one. The prompt must appear in the title of the book. For full details, see the link above.

Here are the categories and my preliminary list:

1. Compound Word: Fadeaway Girl by Martha Grimes (1/2/22)

2. Speed: Cut to the Quick by Kate Ross (1/31/22)

3. Person & Their Description: The Case of the Famished Parson by George Bellairs (1/2/22)

4. Mythical Being: The Price of the Phoenix by Sondra Marshak & Myrna Culbreath (1/4/22)

5. Season: Midsummer Nightmare by Christopher Hale (2/21/22)

6. Color: Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse (1/8/22)

 

Mr. Smith's Hat

 Mr. Smith's Hat (1936) by Helen Reilly

Pulp western writer and hard drinker Gilbert Shannon is found dead in a squalid little apartment in New York City. It looks like a pure case of accident due to a drunken slip, but one of Inspector McKee's men isn't satisfied. You see, there's this clump of dried mud that he found in the dead man's room and no way to explain how it got there. Shannon's shoes had no mud. There was no mud anywhere else. An analysis of the mud reveals it to be garden dirt with two cat hairs, bits of a bird feather, and a seed. McKee tells his man to plant the seed and see what grows out of it. What they get is a rare zebra zinnia and a murder case. Well...three murders once all is said and done. 

While waiting for his seed to grow, Detective Frisch attends the funeral where he runs into the titular Mr. Smith and his hat. When he first notices Smith, the detective thinks the man is overcome with emotion. Then he realizes the man isn't crying...he's laughing. Soon McKee and Frisch are tying to figure out what Smith has to do with Shannon's murder. Then after the seed has produced the rare zinnia and a meticulous search has revealed that it must have come from Seers Lake in in Connecticut, McKee's attention is drawn to a group staying up at the lake. He heads out there just in time to discover that one of the group, the Baroness von Ridingsvard has been killed in, of all places, a private zoo monkey room. McKee is convinced that the murders are connected, but the district attorney is not so sure and throws his weight around a bit (trying to clear up the, to him, more important case in the country) and puts the killer even more on his guard. But McKee's bulldog tenacity keeps him on track and the details of police work will prove that the Scotsman is correct. He'll have to figure out the significance of a railway ticket, a missing photograph, an old writing desk, and the last entry in Shannon's diary before he'll have all the evidence needed to put the right suspect behind bars.

The story begins with the tail-end of another case--an interesting opening. "The lady who admitted having too heavy a hand with arsenic in her husband's jelly roll was led weeping from the room." The subtle black humor of the full scene makes me wish that Reilly had given us the complete story of The Case of the Arsenic Jelly Roll (with more mystification, of course). But the story she did provide was a pretty good one. Lots of atmosphere in the country setting. McKee being good an mysterious about his clues. A couple of chase scenes. And death in a monkey room. What more could you want? 

Reilly was very good at giving the reader the finer details of police procedurals without boring us to death with all the routine. And Inspector McKee is an interesting detective. He seems to produce results out of nothing...but then he does give the facts that led him to the conclusions. Definitely a good start to my intended binge on 1936 mysteries for the next week or so. ★★★ and 1/2

First line: "That will be all, lieutenant, you can take her away."

He knew the Scotsman. Once McKee got his teeth into a thing he never let it go if it took him years to get what he was after. [p.20]

She had been brought up by a wealthy aunt, had the voiceless assurance lack of contact with reality brings and the manners of an empress. [p. 25]

...Farquesan was knocked off his pins.by the awful sight at their feet. Odd how men changed their character in a crisis, He was usually cool and decisive, with an opinion on everything, while Di Mora was lazily casual and reluctant to interfere in what wasn't strictly his own business. It was Di Mora who took charge. [p. 31]

Hogue was not at all surprised when  McKee turned up suddenly under the trees in the gloom at the foot of the hill, partly because his capacity for surprise had reached the saturation point and partly because he was afraid of the Scotsman and was constantly expecting him to appear, a bird of evil omen. [p. 103]

Fernandez glanced at the Scotsman suspiciously. Towards the end of any investigation that was particularly difficult McKee had a way of speaking in parables, of hugging his knowledge to his bosom and producing his effects somewhat after the manner of a conjurer. It infuriated officials close to him who didn't like rabbits out of hats on general principles and who had a passion for the dotting of i's and the crossing of t's as they went along. [p. 169]

Last line: Mr. John Edgerton Smith has had rather a mean deal.

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Deaths = 3 (one hit on head; two stabbed)

Gently in the Sun

 Gently in the Sun (1959) by Alan Hunter

Rachel Campion was a beautiful young woman who likes men and whom men like a lot. She was faithful (after her fashion) to her boyfriend/boss--but he had to understand that she just couldn't help liking other men. And liked being with them. She was secretary and lover to Alfred Mixer and, though he doesn't want to admit, he was very jealous of Rachel. Anyone at the Bel-Air guest house could tell you that. And when Rachel is found strangled to death on the beach Mixer is at the top of the Devon County Constabulary's suspect list. But Mixer has an alibi of sorts and there is little real evidence, so they decide to call in the Yard.

Inspector George Gently is sent to investigate and at first it looks like the local police have tagged it right. But his seeming (to local Inspector Dyson) random questions and even more eccentric methods unearth other motives. There's the painter who lied about how well he knew Rachel--well enough, in fact, to paint a very provocative portrait of her. Then there's the two fishermen, Dawes and Hawks, who have an odd relationship to the dead woman...and to each other. And then, just as Gently thinks things are becoming clear, he discovers another corpse buried in the sand on the beach. This one is about twenty years old and it looks like Rachel's death may not be as simple as he thought.

At some point in my pre-blogging life, I read an Alan Hunter Inspector Gently novel (either Landed Gently or Death on the Heath--I'm not certain which came first) and pronounced it so good that I put him on my "To Be Found" list and over the years I've accumulated a fair number of them. I pull one off the TBR shelf every once in a while and discover that I can't figure out why I thought I needed these so much. It's not that they're bad. Most are fairly decent little mysteries and very quick reads. But they're just not all that and there are certainly other authors that I could have spent more time looking for with more exceptional results. I may have to go back and reread those books mentioned above to see if I can figure out what grabbed me initially.

This particular title is a perfectly fine outing at the beach with Gently and there are some humorous bits where he "goes tourist" and buys some outlandish shirts to wear in the summer heat. But it does leave a something to be desired in the way of actual clues--for a police procedural, there's not a whole lot of evidence-gathering and just barely enough suspect-questioning. At one point, Gently sits down beside one of the suspects. They're on a bench facing the beach. And they just sit there. Neither one says anything. they don't even really look at each other--just at the beach. And, suddenly, it all clarifies for Gently. He just knows how it all happened and who did it and everything. Does he tell us? Of course not, we've got a couple more chapters to go and one more bit that will muddy the waters and make Gently question, just briefly, whether he actually has it right. But as of that moment on the bench...he knows. If I had been given more clues to work with then maybe I would have too. ★★★

First line: Even at this hour in the morning, when the dew still clung heavily to the rough, wiry blades of the marram, one could tell that by early afternoon the temperature would be nearing ninety.

Last line: He had lately, he said, married off his youngest daughter; now, excepting for his housekeeper, he was living there alone.

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

Deaths = 3 (two strangled; one blown up in boat gas tank explosion)