The Room With the Tassels by Carolyn Wells (1918)

 

About the author: Carolyn Wells (1862-1942) was married to Hadwin Houghton, the heir of the Houghton-Mifflin publishing empire. Like Mary Roberts Rinehart, being in a publishing family created an easy pipeline for getting her works into print. She wrote a total of more than 170 books. See this Wikipedia article.

Major characters:

• Rudolph Braye
• Eve Carnforth
• Professor Hardwick
• Milly Landon
• Wynne Landon, her husband
• Gifford Bruce
• Vernie Reid, Gifford's 16-year old niece
• Norma Cameron, a sensitive
• John Tracy, a minister
• Elijah Stebbins, owner of Black Aspens
• Hester, housekeeper
• Jed Thorpe, manservant
• Dan Peterson, an ineffective detective
• Pennington Wise
• Zizi, Pennington's 15-year old muse

Locale: Vermont

Synopsis: A group of New York City friends (first seven in above list) have a conversation about whether ghosts are real. They decide to find a supposedly-haunted house and see for themselves. They locate a large old mansion in Vermont called Black Aspens - locally referred to as the Old Montgomery mansion. They arrange to rent the house for several weeks, and invite Norma Cameron, a 'sensitive' who can supposedly sense spirits, and a minister John Tracy.

The owner, Elijah Stebbins, shows them a room with ornate draperies with tassels, in which a long-ago murder occurred. The old owner, Montgomery himself, was poisoned by his wife with prussic acid. The only "ha'nt" still occurring is that the candlestick she carried seems to change locations in the house all by itself.

The friends try sleeping in different rooms in different combinations. Nothing significant occurs except the candlestick changes rooms, until young Vernie Reid sleeps in the Tassel room, and is visited by a spectre. The spectre holds two cups and holds up four fingers. Vernie interprets this to mean two will die at 4:00.

Everyone is alert at 4:00 AM but nothing happens. When they gather for afternoon tea at 4:00 PM, Gifford Bruce and Vernie Read suddenly collapse - dead. The bodies are moved to bedrooms and the doctor called. Upon arrival, he finds Bruce's body, but the body of Vernie has disappeared.

Review: (Some spoilers ahead): Unlike some fiction of the time (Mary Roberts Rinehart comes to mind), spiritualism is not treated as a real thing here. Wells gives the feeling that you know and she knows it is all fakery and the characters know it, and they are just fooling around for the fun of it. 

I figured out aspect of the mystery right away - how the secret entrance to the house worked. It was called out in detail twice which led me to suspect it immediately.

Wells fooled me in another way, though. As soon as the body of Vernie disappeared I figured she was not really dead, and was part of the plot. I was wrong. 

One-dimensional detective Dan Peterson didn't add anything to the story, and just serves as a foil. Wells' usual formula is to have her star detective - Wise or Fleming Stone - show up at the last possible moment to amaze the befuddled one. Zizi is another matter. She is always delightful as she flits about and sees things no one else notices. And she is only fifteen!

The Incredible Elopement of Lord Peter Wimsey by Dorothy L. Sayers (1958)

 The Incredible Elopement of Lord Peter Wimsey

About the author: See this Wikipedia article.

Major characters:

• Langley, a British professor
• Standish Wetherall, American physician
• Alice Wetherall, his wife
• Martha, their housekeeper/cook
• Lord Peter Wimsey, a.k.a. "The wizard"
• Bunter, his manservant; a.k.a. "Juan"

Locale: The Pyranees (border of France and Spain)

Synopsis: British Professor Langley is visiting the Pyranees when he hears an old acquantance of his, Dr. Standish Wetherall, has a mountain home nearby. Standish is married to Langley's old flame, Alice (now Alice Wetherall). The locals warn Langley to stay away, as Alice is "enchanted".

Langley visits anyway to find Alice is just an unrecognizable wreck - gaunt, hair falling out, barely able to speak or feed herself. Standish taunts Langley about how he likes her now, and wouldn't he like to be with her again?

Two men appear in the village and take a cottage. The locals are frightened by their mystical ways, calling one "the wizard" and his companion "Juan".  A boy visits them and finds they are indeed Christians, which leads to their acceptance by the Catholic locals. 

The Wetherall's housekeeper, Martha, visits and the wizard performs strange rites and incantations in order to heal Alice. He gives Martha a supply of communion-like wafers and instructs her to give them to Alice daily. This leads to a gradual improvement in her condition. 

SPOILER AHEAD - highlight to reveal: The wizard (Lord Peter) reveals Alice suffers from a thyroid problem, and Standish had intentionally withheld the needed medicine as revenge for her previous relationship with Langley. Lord Peter and Juan help her escape (the elopement) from Standish and reunite with Langley.

Mini Review: I have no idea of the medical veracity of the story, but it makes a good read. The theatrics of the incantations and rituals are quite amusing, even featuring trained (?) cats. Some unique aspects: no one is murdered, and a marriage gets broken up intentionally. 

Queen's Full by Ellery Queen (1965)

 

This title includes three novellas (they call them 'novelets') and two short stories (they call then 'short shorts'.

The Death of Don Juan (novella): Scutney Bluefield buys the vacant Bijou theatre in Wrightsville, and sets out to revitalize it. He produces The Death of Don Juan and brings in washed-up Equity actor Mark Manson to star. But Manson injures himself, and they scramble to find a last-minute substitute: hard-drinking Foster Benedict. He trashes the first act, going off-script and making improper advances to the heroine, played by Joan Truslow. Before the second act can begin, someone stabs Benedict in his dressing room.

The Wrightsville Heirs (novella): Bella Livingston, wealthy widow, announces to her three stepchildren that she is writing a new will - putting her live-in companion, Amy Upham, first in line to inherit her millions instead. This, naturally, results in Bella's murder before (as the murderer thinks) she can do so. Then someone is trying to do away with Amy to speed up the process. And, there is something strange about the will too. 

The Case Against Carroll (novella): Attorney John Carroll is challenged by partner Meredith Hunt - he has discovered Carroll has 'borrowed' $20,000 from a client's account. Hunt is then found shot, and Carroll is the #1 suspect. Carroll has a solid alibi, although he is loathe to use it - for he was spending the night with Hunt's wife, Felicia. She is the only one who can clear him, and then she is found dead.

E= Murder (short story): This very short story is the typical length found in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. Dr. Agon is found murdered, having left a cryptic name-the-murderer note which no one can understand.

Diamonds in Paradise (short story): Lili Minx, seven-times divorced Broadway star visits a gambling den. A police raid occurs, and in the confusion, her diamond earrings disappear. The thief is quickly found, but falls to his death trying to escape. His dying words are a clue to the location of the diamonds.

Mini-review: An odd aspect of this book is that the table of contents does not list the stories in order, but rather sorts them by length - making navigating the book a bit counter-intuitive. 

The Death of Don Juan is predictable just from the structure of the story - a character is introduced in detail early, but then disappears from the story. I immediately picked that character as the (future) murderer - and I was right. The Wrightsville Heirs is a solid conventional mystery with an interesting twist. The Case Against Carroll is definitely intriguing and different, pay attention with this one - it does not end as you expect. E=Murder relies on some arcane academic knowledge, not quite fair to the reader. Diamonds in Paradise is rather silly, with a typical Queen 'mystery' based upon characters misunderstanding a homonym. 

The Wrightsville Heirs and The Case Against Carroll are definitely worth the read.

Tiger Claws by Frank L. Packard (1928)

 

dustjackets.com

About the author: Frank L. Packard (1877 - 1942) was born in Montreal, Quebec. As a young man he worked as a civil engineer for the Canadian Pacific Railway. His experiences working on the railroad led to his writing many railroad stories, then to a series of mystery novels, the most famous of which featured a character called Jimmie Dale. Several of his novels were made into films. (Wikipedia)

Major characters:

• Allan Wharton, sea trader
• Keith Wharton, his younger brother, a.k.a. Rookie Dyke
• Gur Singh, their East Indian navigator
• Hoka, a Malay crewman
• Taipi, a Malay crewman
• Blackie, one of four shipwrecked criminals
• Whitie, one of four shipwrecked criminals
• The Weasel, one of four shipwrecked criminals
• The Magpie, one of four shipwrecked criminals, with no fingers
• Bob Clinton, US Secret Service, a.k.a. Canary Jim

Locale: The South Pacific and New York City

Synopsis: Allan and Keith Wharton are successful sea traders on their schooner Malola. The crew includes Hoka, Taipa, and navigator Gur Singh. They spot a signal fire on a small, supposedly uninhabited island. Four of them set out to the island in a rowboat, leaving Gur Singh on board. No sooner do they land, then they are overpowered by four castaways. In the fight, Allan and Taipi are killed, Keith and Hoka left for dead. When they revive, the find the castaways have stolen their rowboat, rowed out and disappeared with the Malola.

Keith and Hola survive a while on the island, then Gur Singh arrives in a different schooner. He finds Hola dead from his injuries, and rescues Keith. He relates what he learned about the four criminals when he was on board with them: 

1. The four are named Blackie, Whitie, The Weasel, and The Magpie
2. They have a small mahogany box which is very valuable
3. Their ultimate destination is New York City.

Keith sets out in pursuit to bring the four to justice. In New York, he teams up with old friend, Secret Service agent Bob Clinton. The two go underground on the Upper East Side - Clinton as Canary Jim, Keith as Rookie Dyke - to track them down.

Review: The book has two major parts: the island scene and (mostly) the New York City scene. The New York scene is a really nice portrayal of the tun down lower East Side, with lots of shady characters and dim light bulbs. Much of the dialogue is rendered in tough-guy phonetics, which gets tedious: "Youse can count on Bowery Sal for anythin' youse wants any time; an' I'll tell Tony youse're de one an' only."

Packard's writing style takes a little getting used to - plenty of exclamation marks, run-on sentences, and stacks of rhetorical questions. But still there is a solid adventure underneath. 

This book features well-oiled hinges.

Death in the Tunnel by Miles Burton, 1936

About the author: Miles Burton is a pseudonym of Cecil John Charles Street, MC, OBE (3 May 1884 – 8 December 1964), who was known to his colleagues, family and friends as John Street. Here is a Wikipedia article about him. He has one other title in the Mystery League series: The Hardway Diamonds Mystery.

Major characters:

• Sir Wifred Saxonby, chairman of importer Wigland and Bunthorne
• Miss Olivia Saxonby, his niece, a director of the firm
• Richard Saxonby, his son, the other director of the firm
• Irene Wardour, his daughter
• Stephen Wardour, her estranged husband
• Henry Torrance, secretary of the firm
• Malcolm Dredger, retired manager of the firm
• Yates, a mysterious visitor
• Inspector Arnold, C.I.D. Scotland Yard
• Desmond Merrion, amateur criminologist

Locale: London and environs

Synopsis: Sir Wifred Saxonby, chairman of importer Wigland and Bunthorne, is travelling home alone in a first-class train compartment. The corridor door is locked, the outside door unlocked. He is alive and well when the train enters a long tunnel. Midway through the tunnel, the engineer is surprised by a red signal, and begins to stop the train. The signal changes to green, and he resumes speed. After the train exits the tunnel, Sir Wilfred is found shot to death, a pistol close at hand. But is it suicide or murder?

It is quickly determined Sir Wilfred had no cause at all for suicide. It is also discovered he arranged for all his family members - and also his business associates - to be away simultaneously, essentially eliminating their opportunity to do the deed.

Inspector Arnold of the C.I.D., Scotland Yard, investigates this locked-room puzzle. He consults with amateur criminologist Desmond Merrion, and together they work through the possible solutions. The vital question is the significance of the strange railway signals - since there are no signal lamps inside the tunnel, and it can be proven no one was in the tunnel itself.

Review:  I'll save you a lot of mental effort by providing this sketch of the train in the two-track tunnel. A lot of words are used to describe this, when a sketch would have been more valuable.

U.S. readers should note that unlike American railcars, British compartments have two doors: in addition to the usual one opening to a corridor, there is a second door which opens directly to the outside.

The continuing conversation between Arnold and Merrion is essentially a narration of the investigation, and serves well. However, it does get tedious at times as they explore avenues which are later eliminated.

Also please see this review by Bev Hankins on My Reader's Block, and this review by Kate on Crossexaminingcrime.

B is for Burglar by Sue Grafton, 1985

About the author: Sue Taylor Grafton (1940 – 2017) is best known as the author of the 25 "alphabet series" ("A" Is for Alibi, etc.) novels featuring private investigator Kinsey Millhone in the fictional city of Santa Teresa, California (based upon Santa Barbara). She was the daughter of detective novelist C. W. Grafton.

Major characters:

• Beverly Danziger, Kinsey's brief client
• Elaine Boldt, Beverly's missing sister
• Martha Grice, deceased, Elaine's former neighbor
• Orris & May Snyder, Elaine's other neighbors
• Leonard Grice, the widower
• Mike, Leonard's nephew
• Tillie Ahlberg, apartment manager in Santa Teresa
• Pat Usher, apartment sub-lessor in Boca Raton
• Julia Ochsner, neighbor in Boca Raton
• Kinsey Millhone, priate investigator

Locale: Santa Teresa, CA and Boca Raton, FL

Synopsis: Beverly Danziger approaches P.I. Kinsey Millhone. She has a legal estate document which needs the signature of her sister, Elaine Boldt. However, Elaine cannot be located. She is supposed to be at her summer condo in Boca Raton, Florida; however, Kinsey finds that condo occupied by Pat Usher, who claims she sublet it from Elaine. Without Elaine around, no can prove whether that is or is not the case.

All Kinsey's inquiries come to a dead end. She suggests to Beverly that a missing persons report be filed with the police. This causes Beverly to panic, ending their P.I.-client relationship. Beverly clearly doesn't want the police involved. 

A big question mark is the burned-out house adjacent to Elaine's Santa Teresa condo. The fire occurred about the same time Elaine was last seen, and the murdered/burned body of the homeowner, Martha Grice, was found in the wreckage. The body was identified dentally as Grice, so there was no thought of a switcheroo. The widower, Leonard, is calmly waiting out the period for a modest insurance policy to pay off. His nephew, Mike, visits the property regularly and keeps occupied in a storage shed in the backyard.

Investigation in Boca Roton go nowhere, but elderly neighbor Julia Ochsner proves to be an enthusiastic and helpful operative, and becomes Kinsey's client - and Boca Raton eyes - in order for her to continue the investigation.

Review: This was a good one-day beach read. It moves right along. The setup is transparent: one woman missing, and oh by the way, there is a dead woman xnext door burned beyond recognition. Hmmmm. Could there be a connection?

A couple of interesting characters were fun: the punk-rock teen Mike, who is mature beyond his appearance; and elderly Julia Ochsner who channels Miss Jane Marple. 

The only drawback - and this is minor - is trying to believe some old retired folks could come up with a complicated, risky murder plot in order to get away with something for only a modest payoff. Oh well, for them perhaps it is more exciting than playing bingo at the senior center.

A Client is Canceled by Richard & Frances Lockridge, 1951

 

About the authors: Richard Orson Lockridge (1898 –1982) was an American writer of detective fiction. Richard Lockridge with his wife Frances (1896-1963) created one of the most famous American mystery series, Mr. and Mrs. North. (wikipedia).

Major characters:

• Orson Otis, "Oh-Oh", our narrator
• Winifred Otis, "Pooh", his wife
• Paul J. Barlow, Pooh's uncle, VP of a cigarette company
• Pauline Barlow, his daughter
• Francis Eldredge, a cow farmer
• George Townsend, a neighbor, head of an ad agency
• Faye Townsend, his wife, a decorator
• Ann Dean
• Dwight Craig, Ann's ex
• Captain Heimrich

Locale: New York state

Synopsis: Oh-Oh (narrator) and Pooh are invited to a cocktail party at the home of their neighbors, George and Faye Townsend. They really don't want to go, but it's really hot and they have a nice pool. The party has a lot of tension. Wealthy Paul J. Barlow, VP of Blends cigarette company, had bought out Francis Eldredge's tobacco business, and Eldredge doesn't like the way he runs things. George Townsend has an ad agency, a contract with Barlow, and hints that he may pull of the contract. Ann Dean is surprised when her ex, Dwight Craig, shows up; and spends her time being snarky with him.  

Oh-Oh and Pooh head out after putting in an appearance, and drinking a lot of the cocktails. They stop on the way home for more drinks, and decide to return to the Townsends to use their pool (in a remote area of the property), which is OK as they have a standing invitation to do so. As they swim, they find Barlow's body - shot. Captain Heimrich and the rest of the police arrive. Oh-Oh mentions that oh, by the way, he has a gun at home which is similar to the one used in the shooting, and when he gets home he finds it is missing.

Things get worse. The Otis' head over to Francis Eldredge's farm, and wind up getting shot at, and finding him dead. No gun, so it wasn't him doing the shooting. Now the Otis' have been the first to discover two bodies. And the are named for a $50k inheritance in Barlow's will!

Review: Oh,  the 1950's cocktail scene. Have drinks after work, drinks at the cocktail party, and drinks on the way home. Everyone smoking at the same time. Too much. One beer is my limit.

Capt. Heimrich has an annoying manner of repeating everything he says, which got a bit old.

Readers who are younger than I should have some technical knowledge in order to understand this book, which I share here:

• Cars did not always have backup lights
• Cars used to have manual chokes which had to be set properly in order to start the engine
• Rural telephones used to be shared on party lines. Wikipedia describes them: Party lines provided no privacy in communication. They were frequently used as a source of entertainment and gossip. Sort of the internet of their day.

Also see this review by Bev Hankins on My Reader's Block. 

The Five Bells and Bladebone by Martha Grimes (1987)

 

About the author: This is #9 of 25 books featuring Richard Jury. See this Wikipedia article for biography and list of the 25 Richard Jury books. Click this Martha Grimes label to see all my reviews of this series.

Major characters:

• Sadie Diver, a hairdresser
• Timmy Diver, her brother, a tugboat hand
• Ruby Firth, neighbor to Sadie, a decorator
• Simon Lean, publisher's accountant
• Hannah Lean, Simon's wife/widow
• Eleanor, Lady Summerston; Hannah's grandmother
• Joanna Lewes, romance author
• Theo Wrenn Browne, bookseller
• Diane Demorney, divorced four times, looking for husband #5

The regulars:

• Superintendent Richard Jury
• Agatha, Lady Ardry - Richard's aunt
• Melrose Plant
• Vivian Rivington
• Marshall Trueblood, antique dealer
• Carol-anne Palutski, Richard's upstairs neighbor
• Mrs. Wasserman, Richard's downstairs neighbor

Locale: London

Synopsis: Flamboyant antiques dealer Marshall Trueblood purchases a drop-front secretary desk from Lady Summerston. When it is opened, he is surprised to find the body of local Simon Lean stuffed inside. Simon's wife, Hannah Lean, is the only heir to her grandmother Lady Summerston's immense fortune. This hints at a possible motive - Simon was a known womanizer with various ongoing affairs: hairdresser Sadie Diver, romance writer Joanna Lewes, and flashy Diane Demorney. Perhaps Hannah did away with him to have the fortune all to herself?

However - Sadie Diver is almost immediately found dead herself, stabbed - with her body stashed in a boat moored beside a pub along the Thames. Evidence shows their deaths occurred within hours of each other. Sadie's brother, Timmy Diver, is called upon to identify the body - but claims it is not her.

Review:

I thoroughly enjoyed this title, with all the regulars in appearance and some interesting one-timers. 

This title gives insight into the book business, with seller/binder Theo Wrenn appearing, the womanizing victim Simon Lean being an accountant to a publisher, and especially author Joanna Lewes, who cranks out romances according to strict formulae provided by the publishers. It is amusing to watch her assemble these books according to recipe. 

One thing that left me a bit puzzled was the somewhat vague ending. We have a dead woman, apparently by suicide, but is she character A or character B? An assumption must be made.