This is the first book in this series of seasonal Classic Crime stories and the fourth I've read. As with the others, I thought this was a good collecThis is the first book in this series of seasonal Classic Crime stories and the fourth I've read. As with the others, I thought this was a good collection. There were some authors that were new to me and some authors and stories I've come across before. Not all are Christmas but all are in the winter season and for me, that's what I've shown up for.
I am very glad to have chosen this as one of the books that close my reading year. I have the fifth book in this series and plan to read it sometime this winter. Gayford has also done a Classic Crime collection with the theme of summer holidays Murder in Midsummer: Classic Mysteries for the Holidays that I enjoyed. Recommended.
Full review to come with my thoughts on each story below:
The Necklace of Pearls by Dorothy l Sayers The Name on the Window by Edmund Crispin A Traditional Christmas by Val McDermid
The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - So famous I've read it before and seen several adaptations. Somehow, I love Sherlock Holmes but not a huge fan of reading the stories. Go figure. Even for me, this is a very good one.
The Invisible Man by G.K. Chesterton Cinders by Ian Rankin Death on the Air by Ngaio March Persons or Things Unknown by Carter Dixon The Case is Altered by Margery Allingham The Price of Light by Ellis Peters...more
This is the third in this series that I've read and I am still enjoying the collected works. Another seasonal read for me and I thought this was a verThis is the third in this series that I've read and I am still enjoying the collected works. Another seasonal read for me and I thought this was a very good collection.
There were authors that were new to me and I'd only come across one of these stories before. I've two more books in this series to read and expect I'll enjoy those as well. Over the last two years, Cecily Gayford & Martin Edwards have become my favourite editors who compile books of classic crime short stories.
Recommended.
Following are my thoughts on each story herein:
The Snapdragon and the C.I.D by Margery Allingham- in which the solution to a murder is hidden because of a ruse to hide another. By the story's end, the only question left to answer is if the inspector had enough time to get suited up to play Father Christmas at the children's party. Charming story.
Let Nothing You Dismay! by Ellis Peters-in which a young woman breaks into a country house only to have to deal with the arrival of a pair of burglars. Before all is said and done there are carol singers in the road helping to thwart a getaway, a shot in the night and a family reunion with one member having quite a story to relate. This was fun to read and the ending was well done.
The Lion's Tooth by Edmund Crispin- in which the solution to kidnap for ransom & the bludgeoning of a nun lies in something hidden in translation. this one wasn't set at Christmas but during the hard winter.
Rumpole and the Spirit of Christmas by John Mortimer- in which Rumpole has a rough go with a spirit of Christmas and it extracts its price in court. All the usual wit is on display here and that alone made it worth reading. This story takes place in the lead up to Christmas & the scene is set in the first line of the story.
The Assassins' Club by Nicholas Blake- in which a dinner with a group of detective novelists takes an all too real turn when after the lights go out and come back on, one of the guests has been murdered. No mention of Christmas but there is snow. Good misdirection and very quick solution.
The Ascham by Michael Innes- in which Sir John & Lady Appleby are stranded in the snow at night and take refuge at nearby Gore Castle. Another traveller has come to stay and Lord Appleby (also the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police) feels things are amiss with the assembled group. All was well with this one until the very end. The final line is pithy but there's never any answer to what was in the pocketbook of the blackmailer!
The Scandal in Winter by Gillian Linscott- in which young Jennifer (who is vacationing with her parents and sister) recounts an encounter with "Silver Stick" and "Square Bear" at a snowy Hotel Edelweiss in the Swiss Alps, where the duo have come to clear the name of Irene, who is believed to have murdered her husband a year earlier. I really enjoyed this one.
Waxworks by Ethel Lina White- in which a reporter spends the evening in a wax museum. I read this one in Silent Nights by Martin Edwards.
Twixt the Cup and the Lip by Julian Symons- in which a jewel heist in the week leading up to Christmas is carried out and ultimately foiled by a very unlikely witness via an even more obscure means. A nice story but I figured out the situation & solution far too early. Still a good story.
Nebuchadnezzar by Dorothy L. Sayers- in which a holiday round of charades proves all too telling for one player, culminating in a wild confession....more
The Monsters Are Out On Maple Street, people (Twilght Zone reference)! And the ecological breakdown isn't helping. I found this one to be quite the paThe Monsters Are Out On Maple Street, people (Twilght Zone reference)! And the ecological breakdown isn't helping. I found this one to be quite the page-turner and really, it's because as I was reading there was a whole lot of "Oh, no." and "What?!" as read along. All good things and I'm glad to have got to read this one. I don't want to give spoilers but this was a good read and I recommend it. I'd read another by Langan.
Many thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the Advance Reader's Copy....more
This was another seasonal read with snow and Christmas trimmings and it just hit all the right feels. There's no murder in this one but it was such fuThis was another seasonal read with snow and Christmas trimmings and it just hit all the right feels. There's no murder in this one but it was such fun to go along with all the fracas of holiday preparations that Frankie is trying to manage that seem to work out just so, all with a little help from some people who are suspiciously like Nisse (Danish elves). There was Kringle and cookies galore and everything was frosted in snow.
One this confused me here. This book is listed as the third in the series but it's clear that Frankie has not gone on her first date with Garrett Iverson (that happened in the first book) and her shop helpers are different also (I liked the two in the first book more). It was a little jarring but still great fun. I think this can be read as a standalone also. There's a recipe for Danish rice pudding and it spoke to the sliver of Dane I inherited from my father's side (also I just really love rice puddings!). I will be making it. Looking forward to more from this sweet cozy series.
This was an enjoyable cozy mystery. It's the time of year when I want my mysteries with a side of snow or Christmas.
Frankie, the baker/vintner/journalThis was an enjoyable cozy mystery. It's the time of year when I want my mysteries with a side of snow or Christmas.
Frankie, the baker/vintner/journalist was an engaging sleuth though to me, she read older than she's supposed to be. She's divorced, has two college-aged daughters and runs a business with her BFF Carmen. Her relationship with her mother and brothers features also and was nice to read. A possible romantic interest is teased with Garrett Iverson the local coroner/electrician and perhaps some romantic interest from Alonzo Goodman her long-time friend and sheriff. The part with Alonzo was difficult to get a read on and I found it difficult to understand if Alonzo had an interest in Frankie or she was misreading him. Ultimately it was just annoying. Also, Frankie has two fireflies who "speak" to her over her shoulders. One sounds like her mother and is the "good" one and the other sounds like Antonio Banderas and is the pirate-themed "bad" one. I have to admit, this feature irritated me and I wished there was a way to ignore it. That Banderas is the go-to hot, enticing bad boy of a forty-something, just didn't work for me. Nothing against the man but he's not who comes up in wider discussions with women in their 30s or 40s. Sorry. Maybe a generation above? It's one of the things that made Frankie read older to me than she's supposed to be. The whole good/bad firefly chats were just too cutesy for me to find endearing.
But the mystery of who killed the local pastor was the best thing here. From the time we find out that Pastor Bradford Rawlins is dead, we're only six pages in and that left plenty of time to work through clues with Frankie and figure out Whodunnit and why. There were lots of secrets to be uncovered and there's a lot of people who had reasons to keep them hidden. Still, it all comes out and the journey was well done. I was able to suss out pretty early what things were amiss but it was fun finding out just how far and wide that went. Frankie's journalist job was on the line and I liked that aspect of her story. It was also nice to have her finished piece at the end of the book. A poignant close.
There was also lots of good food and interesting wines along the way (there are even recipes at the end of the book & even if they're not the ones I'd try making, that ranks highly for me in a culinary leaning cozy). I'm a wine lover and really appreciated the descriptions and information on winemaking and even when a particular type didn't appeal, I found them interesting. I recently read a cozy with a beer brewer and enjoyed that even though I don't drink beer. This community has lots of activities and shops and all of them seem to have cute names. I loved that. Deep Lakes is described wonderfully and definitely, is one of the things that ensured I'd want to drop in on the town and its citizens again.
If you're in the mood for a snowy cozy mystery this is worth the read. Recommended....more
It's the time of year when I want my reads snowy so I decided to drop in on Trafalgar and read what Molly "Moonlight" Smith was up to in this sixth inIt's the time of year when I want my reads snowy so I decided to drop in on Trafalgar and read what Molly "Moonlight" Smith was up to in this sixth installment of the series. I very much enjoyed it but realized that I'm not really reading this series for the procedural murder storyline. I'm reading mostly for the people who populate the story and the setting. That's not to say that the procedural part isn't worthwhile, simply that there's so much else happening with other story threads (some that have been running since the first book) that, the procedural feels almost like a tertiary story. Funnily enough, that didn't bother me one whit.
Now all the characters aren't my favourite (Eliza Winters, I'm looking at you) and some relationships seem to be on autopilot (Molly & Adam Tocek's romantic involvement has been snooze-worthy & ignorable until the last few pages of this SIXTH book!) but somehow it all comes together in the end into a neat package that makes me smile. Of course, the murder is solved but there are still unresolved issues on the horizon for the next book: What's to become of the Trafalgar Women's Support Center? And what will happen with the Grizzly Resort property (the Ferhaughs are concerning and what of the businesses in town? I really care about these things!
I'd recommend this for readers of the series. I skipped the one before this but only because the blurb didn't grab me but I'll likely read it at some point. I will continue the series and probably miss it when it's over. I wanted a cozy-ish read and this was perfect....more
I read this in a day and it was very good at keeping my attention. I wasn't expecting it to be so much an espionage tale but it wove well around the tI read this in a day and it was very good at keeping my attention. I wasn't expecting it to be so much an espionage tale but it wove well around the troubled marriage of the Unsworths. I most liked how Kira was portrayed and her relationship with her mother reminded me a bit of Elizabeth and Paige of The Americans. I don't want to spoil (and my mind is a bit on other things this week) but there was something of a lull but the momentum did reengage carrying the story to a decent end.
This is my first read by Berenson and I'd read another.
Recommended.
Many thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for the Advanced Reader's Copy....more
I was in the mood for some short fiction and stories set on the Moon (or in this case, any moon) work for me. I enjoyed a good number of these and alsI was in the mood for some short fiction and stories set on the Moon (or in this case, any moon) work for me. I enjoyed a good number of these and also have a good number of "new to me" authors to follow. The standout was the final novella by Kristine Kathryn Rusch that takes place in her Retrieval Artist universe.
I picked this because it's the novel that Burn, Witch, Burn! aka Night of the Eagle is based on. Ever since I came across the movie (five or so years I picked this because it's the novel that Burn, Witch, Burn! aka Night of the Eagle is based on. Ever since I came across the movie (five or so years ago), it is one of my October/Halloween flicks.
The story of Tansy, a professor's wife who uses witchcraft to protect and further his career at Hempnell College. Things go well until Norman happens upon her craft and beinb the officious and logical man, he insists Tansy cease as it's beneath sensible people (and best left to the backward indigenous people of his past research). More fool, Norman because Hempnell is practically a witches coven and they're coming for he and Tansy. She gets rid of all her charms and talismans and almost immediately, Norman's fortunes take a decided downturn. Tansy suffers a particularly harrowing situation as well. The task then is to not just keep a job but survive, Norman finds that mansplaining it away won't work and the only thing for it is witchcraft.
The story here has somde differing elements than the movie and I liked that. It made for a more engaging read. One plot point in particular had me sit up in surprise. It should also be said that it's seriously dated and Norman tended to irritate me more here likely because there's so much time spent in his thoughts and opinions. Still I'm glad to have read this.
The autumn fairs and Oktoberfests that I usually head off to at this time of year with my family aren't happening in 2020. That doesn't at all change The autumn fairs and Oktoberfests that I usually head off to at this time of year with my family aren't happening in 2020. That doesn't at all change the fact that I'm in that mode and so I went on a hunt for some thematic cozy mysteries. I found Sloan Krause in a short novella Trouble Is Brewing where she's introduced to readers while helping baker, Jules Capshaw, solve a keg theft. I have some of the baker books on my TBR but Sloan living in Leavenworth WA really captured my attention so I bought this to read immediately.
Leavenworth is a whole Bavarian-themed town and in this installment, Oktoberfest is just beginning. The hamlet of 2000, is about to be inundated with tourists to enjoy all the brats, beer and as many reels of the Chicken Dance they can stand. Add in a blaze of foliage, strings of twinkling lights, pastries, schnitzel and murder and this was an engaging and enjoyable read. Sloan Krause is a likeable sleuth. She's trying to get her life back on track while being a mother in the midst of a divorce from a cheating husband, working at Nitro, a small brewer (the first job she's had outside of her husband's family brewery Der Keller in about 20 years) and of course, is having some feelings that aren't strictly professional, for her boss, Garrett. There's also the not so small matter of her ongoing search for her birth parents which, as the story progresses, is getting more mysterious. If she's found to be a secret Contessa or hidden heiress to some storied family's fortune (related to beer or perfume because she's got a Nose), I wouldn't be surprised.
Also descending onto the town is a film crew making a documentary on beer and brewers. They're a somewhat interesting bunch but the most obnoxious is the host, Mitchell. The murder takes place at the end of Chapter 6 so there was a good amount of story to go in which to puzzle out the clues and solution, which was great. Sloan didn't talk with the people I most wanted to hear from until the end so that put up a bit of a red flag for me as to the culprit but it didn't diminish the story. I liked all of the characters as they fit their parts well. April was a real standout and while she was not likable, she was a necessary character to have around. I liked Sloan's moment of charitable thought about April also. I liked Chief Myers. I wanted to see more of her and liked that she didn't have an adversarial relationship with Sloan. Garrett is perfectly anodyne and just what I expect of would-be love interests in cozies. I liked that he's a scientist and has neat tee shirts. I do hope Sloan's son, Alex gets to be around more in future books. He's a sweet kid. And Kat is just a ball of bouncing positive energy so I was glad that she's staying on at Nitro. I hope to see more of Lisa and her real estate ventures, since it seems they will cross with April's.
I should say that, I'm not a beer drinker but I did find all the brewer information interesting (and there was a lot of it). It showed that the writer and the main character cared about the craft. I was able to appreciate that and had fun reading some of the beer descriptions to my husband (the in house beer drinker). I was more drawn to the food and there's a vegetable soup Sloan makes that I highlit and will be riffing because it sounded delightful for an autumn meal.
I'll likely read the next (Beyond a Reasonable Stout) soon. It's still autumn in Leavenworth and set during election season and obviously, thematically perfect for the moment. Recommended....more
I read this several days ago and held of writing a review because I couldn't think of what I wanted to say. While that can be a good thing when I finiI read this several days ago and held of writing a review because I couldn't think of what I wanted to say. While that can be a good thing when I finish a book, it wasn't in this case. This was left me decidedly neutral.
This isn't going to be listed as my favourite Inspector Littlejohn story. It was a bit better than just ok and I did like a lot of the story but the solution left me disappointed. It wasn't that the back third wasn't done well it's just that it hinged on the part of the story I was least interested in. I was least interested in that thread because I was bored. On the positive side, we meet Mrs. Littlejohn and there's a good bit of action in the beginning of the Inspector's investigation. I also enjoyed a good many of the possible suspects through most of the story.
If you skip this period in Littlejohn's life, you'll be just fine. ...more
I'm in a book hangover after my last read but my library book hold came through so I figured the book faeries have spoken and this was to be my next rI'm in a book hangover after my last read but my library book hold came through so I figured the book faeries have spoken and this was to be my next read. I read this in a day & have to admit, I found it a bit disappointing. I usually enjoy an unreliable narrator but Beth was tedious. Perhaps it was a bit too much all in her voice. Unfortunately, I found that I didn't care about the characters and their fates.
There were plenty of twists & turns but I just wasn't wow-ed by most of the Morgan siblings or the rest of the family's dark deeds. There was so much, with each subsequent revelation more outrageous than the last, I began to think this would make a fun drinking game as a buddy read. In the end, this was a little too camp for me but YMMV.
I'd read another by Downing but am going neutral on recommendation. I'm off to contemplate my next read....more
It's fecking brilliant, people!! One of my favourites of 2020! I can't even express here my joy after reading through that there will be another (A prIt's fecking brilliant, people!! One of my favourites of 2020! I can't even express here my joy after reading through that there will be another (A pre-order prompt? Yes, please, take my money!).
After days of a book hangover from this, I can finally put down some of my thoughts about this gem of a read.
DCI Chris Hudson and PC Donna De Freitas are the officers who find themselves working with the Thursday Murder Club and I very much liked them. They received just as much characterization as Elizabeth, Ibrahim, Ron and Joyce. I adored every club member but if pressed, Ibrahim would probably be my favourite. I hope to enjoy the puzzle of what Elizabeth did in her past life for a while. Ron was a lot of fun and also endearing in his blustering way plus it was nice to see him with his son. Joyce and her cooking and baking along with her journal-keeping and mentions of her daughter were the best. As I read about all of them and the asides of what was happening with other residents of The Villages, I wished for two things: for my mother to be this kind of elderly woman when she becomes one and for me to be one when it's my turn. I loved hanging out with them all!
While there's a lot to smile at and about three lines of mystery to unravel here, there was also poignance to be found in several characters. I won't say who but I was moved more than once by the depth of love and need for accounting (maybe they felt it was justice) and also how that sometimes took people down paths of irrevocable ends. It was an unexpected but wonderful theme here.
I loved all the mentions of some of my favourite sleuths, investigators and mystery writers. Every time one popped up I smiled. The one thing I thought odd was we never met a murder victim's wife. He was like Harvey Nigel Baines 2.0 (Waiting For God) with more malice. I mean, there was an abundance of suspects but I thought between the officers and the club members, someone would have got around to her. Mostly, I wanted to see what woman had agreed to marry and remain married to him. Or, some mention of a woman in black, leaping through the town center in joyous rapture because she'd just had a windfall. I keep trying to decide if this is a cozy mystery. It had some of those elements but didn't really read that way to me. It probably doesn't much matter but I do like my cataloguing to be tidy. A bookish tussle for another day.
Recommended. Highly.
Favourite passages:
It was Thursday because there was a two-hour slot free in the Jigsaw Room, between Art History and Conversational French. It was booked and still is booked, under the name Japanese Opera- A Discussion which ensured they were always left in peace.
Ian Ventham parks his range rover in the last empty disabled bay outside, not because he's disabled ut because it's nearest the door.
'We normally meet in the Jigsaw Room, you see. 'But it's not Thursday and the Jigsaw Room is being used by Chat and Crochet.' 'Chat and Cochet is a fairly new group, Detective Chief Inspector,' says Ibrahim. 'Formed by members who had become disillusioned with Knit and Natter. Too much nattering and not enough knitting, apparently.'
Many years ago, everybody here would wake early because here was a lot to do and only so many hours in the day. Now they wake early because there is a lot to do and only so many days left.
There had been a schism in the Cryptic Crossword Club. Colin Clemence's weekly solving challenge had been won by Irene Doughtery for the third week running. Frank Carpenter had made an accusation of impropriety and the accusation had gained some momentum. The following day a profane crossword clue had been pinned to Colin Clemence's door, and, the moment he had solved it, all hell had broken loose....more
I'm a sucker for stories set on space stations and this also had trade, politics and diplomacy so I had to request this on Netgalley. Add in some planI'm a sucker for stories set on space stations and this also had trade, politics and diplomacy so I had to request this on Netgalley. Add in some planetary destruction and I was completely intrigued.
There's a huge convocation going on at Tradepoint with many beings from an array of planets and the Vennan has arrived with a delegation of just under a thousand people to participate. The diplomatic arm of the delegation includes Gredin a translator, on her first assignment fresh off her honeymoon. Tetrelanna, known as The Voice is who she is subordinate to and fairly quickly it's clear this is not a good working relationship. Tetrelanna has barely concealed contempt for her translator and also seems temperamentally not to be suited to diplomatic endeavours. The rest of their direct party includes Cirin and Burlon, both Travelers (Burlon is also a Trader for his House), Keegan, a historian and Sill, a Memory. The rest of the delegation are made up of many artisans, crafters, musicians, culinary experts and others with cultural expertise.
There's a lot covered here and many beings to meet. My favourites were the Prett because how could I not really be interested in the runners of the space station? Wyve is the Director of Tradepoint and had a good amount of characterization, so I was very pleased. Also, the Beng, Shodekekeen and the rest were fairly fascinating. While reading I was reminded of The Retrieval Artist series by Kristine Katherine Rusch because the non-humanoid beings were so well rendered and so varied. Also, there's a bit of a trial that highlights the deft dance of rules, laws and rendering of justice can come about when so many come together in order to maintain peace and trade ties. A small thing to one can be a catastrophe for another and just like reading KKR's series, it gave this reader a lot to think about. I loved that!
There's so much that happens but I'm not going to spoil because it was enjoyable to discover. That's not to say there were not a disappointment or two along the way. The Venna have a bit of fantasy woo-woo going on and while I don't need an explanation for it, I was a bit let down when Gredin is basically transformed overnight by this woo-woo thing from a grief-stricken person unable to do anything to help herself to a collected and steady person grasping the mantle of leader because Chosen One reasons. I wanted to see her grow into that role or at least marshal herself to the task. She lost a bit of that whole formidable bona fides with the woo-woo. To be fair, as this story takes place over about three days, she spends several chapters an inert crying mess after a calamitous situation and it was grating on my nerves. What can you do with compressed time? I certainly wouldn't have wanted to exist with her like that any longer than the story allowed but still. I did like that other characters voiced skepticism given the rapidity of the shift. But everything that followed the woo-woo was excellent.
This is the first book in either a duo or series (I'm not sure which) but I am inclined to read the next. There's enough given and this ends at such a pivotal point that I want to know more. Who did it? Why? What did Palomar have to do with whatever to suffer its fate? What will become of the Vennan when their rotations on Tradepoint have elapsed? What will the Beng do next? I mean, I have many questions so... this is good.
I should also mention there are a lot of in-universe words and there's no glossary but with context, a reader can likely work out what things and meanings are. Honestly, the names and such felt so much like SFF Random Name Generator outputs, and made only more noticeable when one of the characters has such a normal human name, Keegan. I wondered why he was so different (great character, btw).
Recommended. I'll be on the outlook for the next book and would read another by Blacklocke, no question.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the Advance Readers Copy....more
A good collection of winter/Christmas mysteries and that's just my sort of read at this time of year. There were quite a few jewel heists and thefts. A good collection of winter/Christmas mysteries and that's just my sort of read at this time of year. There were quite a few jewel heists and thefts. My favourites follow:
Parlour Tricks by Ralph Plummer - A satisfying mystery and the best part is in watching the thief tell on themself.
A Happy Solution by Raymond Allen - The chess solution here is very nicely done. The guilty party was clever to have thought out their timing, the moves and odds in his theft but alas, he's not the only clever one about. Well done.
Stuffing by Edgar Wallace- A charming tale. And a reminder that when it comes to holiday roasted fowl, to always check the inner carcass & the neck, people. My top favourite in the collection.
The Unknown Murderer by H.C Bailey- A truly deranged serial killer is being sought with seemingly disparate victims. One of my favourites in the collection.
The Case is Altered by Margery Allingham- a well-done story but for some reason the repetition of the description of a woman with "licked brandy-ball eyes" squicked & threw me out of the story. Otherwise a good mystery with very nice descriptions of the setting and a detective that's enjoyable to follow.
I didn't keep close track but I could have completely overlooked it being Christmas for some of these. They're still good stories but the feel was missing in some. There were authors who were "new to me" and I'll be seeking out more of their work. A few stories here were familiar to me and I can only chalk that up to having read a fair number of these sorts of collections over the last few years. I take that as a good thing that some obscure stories are obscure no more. On balance a good collection but just short of some of the others I've read in this reissue series. I'm glad I've read this one and will be continuing with the British Library Crime Classics series (mostly winter and Christmas themed for the next several weeks).
I loved this! The setting was fantastic (piles of snowy awesome, mountains, chalets and skiing!) & the mystery is more a London police procedural withI loved this! The setting was fantastic (piles of snowy awesome, mountains, chalets and skiing!) & the mystery is more a London police procedural with a concurrent thread running with an Alps vacationing party of 16 in which the sought after killer is embedded under an assumed identity.
The detectives are presented with a grisly situation upon happening onto a house fire with a horribly burned corpse. It's soon clear that there's been a murder and the notice of the impression of a ski pole in the mud is the first clue. The vacationing group was a chaotic and jovial bunch with varying knowledge of each other (siblings, friends, friends and acquaintances of friends).
Kate is the main organizer and one of the main characters of the story. She was inquisitive and interested in people so when she senses something amiss with missing money, she wonders what is going on and who is the mystery centred on. When it comes to her notice that the CID is asking questions at her boarding house and arrive in the Alps, she's sure it's to do with the travelling group somehow. She was a good character and I found her quite a good investigator in her own right. I'd read another book with her as the sleuth. The story culminates with the two threads merging, the killer outed and an exciting scene on the slopes. I'd thought it was going to zig but the story zagged and I loved every minute of it. When the title popped up I had the "A-ha!" moment and that was cool as well.
I chose to read this because it's the time of year I want my mysteries wintry and this more than satisfied. This is a great addition to the British Library Crime Classics and I recommend it. I'd read another by Carnac (aka E.C.R. Lorac). This is the eighth book in the Julian Rivers series but she has many books under her other name in the BLCC reissue series.
Favourite passages (surprise, mostly related to the atmosphere & setting):
"Snow and mountains are the only reality and in spite of their beauty there’s an element of terror in them."
"They had emerged from the pine woods now, and were in bright sunlight again, travelling up a wide valley shut in by snowy crests, the intense whiteness confusing distances, so that the valley seemed a vastness of immeasurable untrodden snow, stretching from the track to the mountain tops, the horse and sleigh dwarfed to insignificance."
"A blue dusk seemed to caress the snow: stars were beginning to gleam above the mountains and the valley shone with golden specks from lighted windows. The sound of sleigh bells and the soft thud of horses’ hooves on the beaten snow tracks combined to make enchantment of the Austrian village."
"Kate Reid took one good look at what she could see of Lech and was well satisfied. It was an Austrian village, set in a wide Alpine valley, with a stream racing in torrents between snowy banks. Cradled on all sides by the embracing snow slopes, dominated by mountain peaks, Lech yet retained the charm of a village. It had the comely wide-eaved wooden houses familiar to travellers in Switzerland, which clustered round an enchanting little stone church, whose tall rather gaunt tower was crowned by an onion-shaped cupola, glowing golden in the lucid light. Neither the hotels, nor the polyglot crowds in ski-ing kit, destroyed the impression that Lech was an Austrian mountain village, which had its own way of life, its own character, developed and bred in the mountains: something picturesque and yet sturdy, colourful and independent, to which the winter sports crowd was but an incident in a life of sturdy independence, whose ways and traditions had developed in its mountain environment."
And one because detectives in detective novels reading detective novels is awesome:
"Lancing had bought six Penguin detective novels, from which he derived much entertainment: he left them all in the train at Langen—“as propaganda”, he said to Rivers."...more
Another great mystery reissue by the British Library Crime Classics.
Detective Inspector Meredith accompanied by Acting-Sergent Freddy Strang are in tAnother great mystery reissue by the British Library Crime Classics.
Detective Inspector Meredith accompanied by Acting-Sergent Freddy Strang are in the Riviera to track down a counterfeiter Tommy "Chalky" Cobbett. The police in Nice discovered counterfeit currency popping up with English tourists and it had Chalky's hallmarks. What unfolds for most of the book is a very engaging story surrounding the investigation of the counterfeit ring and trying to uncover the participants as the British and French police work the case. It was wonderful as a procedural and the characters were delightful. There's also a thread of the story of the inhabitants and goings-on at the Villa Paloma, home of Nesta Hdderwick. Nesta is a wealthy widow and living with her are her niece, Dilys, companion Miss Pilligrew and a couple of hangers-on, Paul Latour (self-proclaimed bohemian artist), Tony Shenton and Kitty Linden. There's also Bill Dillon, who initially meets Meredith and Strang at the outset on his way to the Riviera, he too comes to stay at Villa Paloma resulting in a bit of domestic upheaval.
This was a treat to puzzle out with the officers and their questions were my questions and they sometimes fell for red-herrings I did and other times asked the question that hadn't yet occurred to me. I was having so much fun with the counterfeit story that I forgot for a while that there's supposed to be a death/murder because of the title. Well, there's a great buildup to the counterfeit solution and then the death/murder takes place (around the 66% mark). I usually am annoyed by this circumstance but apparently if given another very engaging mystery to solve, I don't mind so much. The death/murder investigation is less intricate a plot but still enjoyable and that takes up the remainder of the book. The only criticism I had with this is that the gears shift so abruptly between the counterfeit ring and the death/murder that there is one thing left hanging. There's one character that is pivotal in the counterfeit ring that the story doesn't account for in the end. Everyone else involved is apprehended but (view spoiler)[Latour (hide spoiler)] seems to have absconded and no one mentions pursuit of him again. I actually went back to reread because I thought I'd missed something. I hadn't. It's a weird omission in an otherwise tightly told story.
The characters were great whether I liked them or not and the plot tidy and well-paced. I couldn't have asked for much more in a mystery. I've read Bude's The Cheltenham Square Murder and as there are a few other Inspector Meredith mysteries in the BLCC collection, I look forward to more.
I almost forgot, this gave me two new crossword words: pip emma (for evening, afternoon i.e PM) and ack emma (for morning). Coming across this reminded me of Christie's Agatha Christie's "A Murder is Announced" where there are estranged siblings that had only been known as "Pip and Emma" which cause a wry eyebrow raises in the story but I completely didn't get while reading.
Three stars because I figured out who did it early on and didn't find the How-dunnit to be as compelling as I'd hoped. I did like the characterizationThree stars because I figured out who did it early on and didn't find the How-dunnit to be as compelling as I'd hoped. I did like the characterizations very much and enjoyed getting to know Meredith a bit better. Major Forest along with Mrs. Meredith and Meredith's son, were good additions to the story. The son had interesting perspectives that added to his father's investigation. The strongest disappointment and complaint I had came at the very end with Meredith pretty much shrugging off one of the parties of the murder plot absconding and saying they were simply misguided.
This is the third Superintendent Meredith book I've read and while it's my least favourite, I'm glad I've read it. This, along with The Cheltenham Square Murder and Death on the Riviera are included in the British Library Crime Classics reissues and there are two more Meredith books I still need to read. I recommend this but I'd say read another before this one....more
This was a great village mystery and I'm so glad for the British Library Crime Classics including it in their reissues because I can't imagine I'd havThis was a great village mystery and I'm so glad for the British Library Crime Classics including it in their reissues because I can't imagine I'd have come across it any other way!
The village of Hilary Magna has a grisly murder on their hands. The titular busybody is Miss Tither and a more disagreeable woman would likely be difficult to find. She's made everyone else's business hers and also was on a one-woman crusade to rid the village of any ills she rooted out. At long last, she's found concussed and drowned in a cesspit. A grisly end. So it falls to Scotland Yard's Inspector Thomas Littlejohn, Sergeant Cromwell and P.C. Harriwinckle to investigate and find out the Why and Who did the deed. There is no shortage of suspects and that made for a good read.
I won't spoil the solution but it came together so well and provided a fun puzzle to try and solve along with the investigators as the story went along. Additionally, I very much cared about how things resolved for some of the villagers and was glad there's a bit at the end sharing that. Points also for some very memorable names used: Ethelred Claplady and Athelstan Wynard. And honourable mention to all the meals recounted, from the cringeworthy chitterlings P.C. Harriwinkle favours to roast beef, roast pork, various dumplings, suet and Yorkshire pudding, a fine repast was had by many.
I so enjoyed this and at the end of the book, there's a little biography of George Bellairs and a mention of his website. I signed up for a newsletter & even got a free book download of his Corpses in Enderby(book 22 in the series featuring Inspector Littlejohn), so I'll definitely be reading that.
Recommended.
Favourite passages:
"Miss Tither was a campaigner as well. Her weapon was her tongue, which she used like a pair of bellows, fanning a spark of a whisper into a consuming fire of chatter, a holocaust of pursuing flame."
"Carradine, the Coroner, is in a rare temper about another inquest in Hilary Magna. He detests the place for some reason and seems to think the natives are doing it on purpose to spite him."
"Mr. Crabtree's father, an ex-member of the Trentshire Yeomanry, had desired for his son a high army rank which his means were inadequate to procure. He, therefore, gave him Major as a Christian name, by which he had been known all his life, except during a spell as a conscript in the army, when he ordered to assume the name of Wilfred by an outraged sergeant-major."...more
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