Crows Can't Count by A.A. Fair, 1946

 

Sorry, no review - photo required for Vintage Scavenger Hunt challenge.

Reprint of the Year Awards 2023

Here are The Mystillery's nominations for the Reprint of the Year Award 2023, an effort headed up by Kate Jackson at her blog crossexaminingcrime. Here is her launch post. 

And the nominees are (follow links for reviews):

• The Great Mistake by Mary Roberts Rinehart (1940)
  
  
• Fools Die on Friday by A.A. Fair (1947)

While I have your attention, I would like to invite you to participate in one of mystery reading challenges hosted at The Mystillery for 2024:

Medical Examiner's Mystery Reading Challenge:  Step into the morgue, put on your lab coat, and attach toe tags to the victims found in your murder mysteries. Look at the current 2023 challenge and see who's lurking in the morgue for the 2024 version. 

Six Shooter Mystery Reading Challenge: Shoot (read) six mysteries by the same author. Sounds easy, but once you begin, it turns into whac-a-mole. Look at the current 2023 challenge and see who is loading up for the 2024 version. 

Mystery Marathon: New for 2024! Run the marathon by reading 26.2 mysteries during the year. Take a peek at who is already warming up on the starting line!

Thanks for visiting. Hope to see you  in the challenges in 2024! 

Rick Mills

rickmills9@gmail.com

Man Missing by Mignon G. Eberhart, 1954

 

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The Nurse Sarah Keate series:

1. The Patient in Room 18

2. The Mystery of Hunting's End

3. While the Patient Slept 

4. From This Dark Stairway

5. Murder by an Aristocrat (a.p.a. Murder of My Patient)

6. Wolf in Mans Clothing

7. Man Missing

About the author: Mignon Good (1899-1996) was born in Lincoln, Nebraska. In 1929 her first crime novel was published featuring 'Sarah Keate', a nurse and 'Lance O'Leary', a police detective. This couple appeared in another four novels. Over the next forty years she wrote a novel nearly every year. In 1971 she won the Grand Master award from the Mystery Writers of America. (from Goodreads)

Major characters:

Lieutenant Parly, hospital patient

Marine Sgt. Bill "Buffalo" Brown, hospital patient

Ensign Smith, hospital patient

Ensign Sally Wilson, a nurse

Capt. Harry Somers, base Commanding Officer (CO).

Kitty Somers, his wife

--- Jenson, a corpsman

Cmdr. Jim Warring, Executive Officer (XO)

Colonel Sinclair, CO of Marines

Marie Sinclair, his wife

Wanaha Bonanza "Bonny" Winters, Parly's date

Jack Lewis, electrician

Nurse Sarah Keate

Locale: Naval base in the desert, unnamed location but sounds like Nevada

Synopsis: Nurse Sarah Keate is serving as a temporary civilian nurse at the Naval Ammunition Depot near (fictional) Wanaha City. One night after visiting hours, she glimpses a man leaving her wing, only seeing his shoulder boards with three stripes (Commander rank). She finds one of her patients, Lt. Parly, is dead, his throat cut. In the next room, patient Marine Sergeant Bill "Buffalo" Brown seems to know something but is not telling.

Sarah is living on base as a guest of Captain Harry Somers and his wife Kitty Somers. As an officer, he has the privilege of living in housing on "The Row". The Row is a village unto itself, separate from the enlisted men's area by a guarded wall. The search is on for the "Missing Man" who was seen leaving the hospital. As The Row is closed and guarded, he must be inside. 

Sarah finds a connection between Parly and one of her nurses, Ensign Sally Wilson. She finds Sally is a widow - her late husband, Johnny Wilson, reportedly died in a plane crash. His body was never identified, and $30K being transported was missing. Years have passed, and now Sally has a boyfriend, Commander Jim Warring.

Sarah suspects that Johnny Wilson is alive, and someone else's body was in the crashed plane. Suspicion alternates between Johnny and Sally as being the murderer, when a second murder occurs.

Review: This entire story takes place on a military base, and we come to know the routine and the rigid segregation between officers and enlistees. The story held my attention, even though I am unfamiliar with military practice. The suspense builds throughout. The common closed-environment of a mystery story (snowbound train, island, etc.) is here portrayed by "The Row", a closed and walled area inside a closed and walled naval base, which was a clever place to contain the characters.

I had to look up a list of ranks to understand the hierarchy:

Here are the ranks in the story, in descending order:

• Captain
• Commander
• Lieutenant Commander
• Lieutenant
• Ensign

Some abbreviations to know:

• B.O.Q. Bachelor Officer's Quarters
• C.O. Commanding Officer
• N.A.D. Naval Ammunition Depot
• O.D. Officer of the Day
• X.O. Executive Officer

Draw the Blinds by Seldon Truss, 1936

 

About the author: We don't know much about Seldon Truss other than his full name was Leslie Seldon Truss, he is from the UK, and lived 1892-1990. He also wrote as George Selmark. He has two titles in the 1930's Mystery League series:  Turmoil at Brede and The Hunterstone Outrage.

Major characters:

Miss Philadelphia Hemstone
Edward Lord Harnley, her brother
Michael Chillaton, Lord Harnley's nephew
Stopford, the butler
Bernice Randall, Lord Harnley's sexy new secretary
Major Norton, Justice of the Peace
Jill Norton, his 16-year old daughter

The four escaped prisoners:

• William Minser, a forger
• Bossy Parkwell, a.k.a. "Orion", a safe breaker
• Clifford Neyland, an actor
• Christine Abbott, former secretary to Lord Harnley

Chief Inspector Gidleigh
Henry Paunceforte, a.k.a. "The Hiker", of Scotland Yard

Locale: Bishops Takyll, Devon, England

Synopsis: Michael Chillaton approaches the Assistant Commissioner of Scotland Yard, with a letter from his uncle, Edward Lord Harnley. Harney writes to enlist their help, as be believes he is in danger from a plot involving his former secretary, Christine Abbott, who was jailed for blackmailing him.

Christine has just been sprung from prison by a person unknown (called The Crooks' Shepherd), along with three others: forger William Minser, safe breaker Bossy Parkwell, and actor/fraudster Clifford Neyland.

Chillaton arrives at Bishops Takyll to a chilly reception. Harnley's sister, Miss Philadelphia Hemstone wants him to leave; as does Harley himself. Chillaton seeks the aid of Justice of the Peace Major Norton, and teams up with his adventurous daughter Jill Norton. Things take a dark turn when Harnley is knocked down by a car, butler Stopford is found dead, and Harnley's staff replaced by some sketchy characters who seem to know nothing at all about their jobs. 

Review: This is a Chief Inspector Gidleigh story, but he has a small part. The detection is done by Chillaton along with help from Major Norton and Jill. There is quite a long buildup, the murder doesn't happen until about 3/4 of way in.

The mystery (beside the murder) is who is the Crooks's Shepherd? There is quite a lot of misdirection on this point, and the identity is finally revealed at the end, and it fooled me. 

Jill Norton is an enjoyable character, she is just sixteen and jumps into the case in a Nancy Drew manner, complete with dog on a leash and flashlight. She is rather a tease and likes to investigate while in a tight jumper and short plaid skirt. Chillaton tends to overlook this, and has his eyes on Christine Abbott instead.

There a lot of simultaneous puzzles throughout and they all get resolved at the end. There are some surprises at the end amongst the Harnleys, and we get a reveal why Harnley's sister, Miss Philadelphia Hemstone, is unmarried yet has a different last name.

Why Slug a Postman by Seldon Truss, 1950

 

About the author: We don't know much about Seldon Truss other than his full name was Leslie Seldon Truss, he is from the UK, and lived 1892-1990. He also wrote as George Selmark. He has two titles in the 1930's Mystery League series:  Turmoil at Brede and The Hunterstone Outrage.

Major characters:

Miss Flavia Melrose, owner of the 36 Chester Grove boarding house

Ann Smith, her newly hired secretary/housekeeper

Vincent Dyall, the butler

Mrs. Emily Bagster, the cook

Minnie Smithers, the maid

Emerald Cheese, scullery maid

The boarders:

Miss Adria Blenkarne, Ann's estranged aunt

Miss Fiona McPherson

Mrs. Dampier

Dr. Martin Jones

Sir James Arbour

Lady Blandish-Smyth

Countess Beatrice d'Armande

and...

Bettine Willoughby, Ann's roommate

Mr. Murdoch, Adria Blenkarnes's attorney

Chief Inspector Gidleigh

Locale: London

Synopsis: It all begins when a postman is slugged while collecting letters from a pillar box outside Miss Flavia Melrose's boarding house at 36 Chester Grove. The attacker makes off with letters having been posted from the house.

The boarding house, which Miss Melrose attempts to keep disciplined and upscale, has an eclectic assortment of residents, both men and women. She hires a new secretary/housekeeper, Ann Smith, whose estranged aunt, Adria Blenkarne, is one of the residents. Ann tries to fit in, but has trouble with the uppity staff, headed by butler Vincent Dyall and cook Emily Bagster.

Ann brings canned tins of salmon to Mrs. Bagster for dinner. One tin is clearly bad, rusted and swelled up. Ann directs it be discarded. There is a mixup, and it finds its way into the meal. Several residents come down with food poisoning. Frail Adria Blenkarne succumbs, despite attempts to save her by the resident doctor, Martin Jones. 

Miss Melrose, blaming Ann for disobedience, fires her. Ann leaves the house and moves in her friend Bettine Willoughby. Bettine helps her obtain a job at the lingerie counter at the local Blue Chain store.

Chief Inspector Gidleigh investigates, and finds arsenic in Adria's body. Then Miss Melrose is found dead in her locked bathroom. Ann teams up with Dr. Jones to try to find the culprit and establish her innocence.

Review: This is a lot of fun. We start right off with the postman getting slugged in the first paragraph, but that plot line is then left until the very end. The action occurs in a dysfunctional rooming house ruled by the authoritarian Miss Melrose. 

Some of the boarders are given names but we never hear anything of them. Miss Fiona McPherson, Mrs. Dampier, and Lady Blandish-Smyth are just filler.

There is a teasing love interest throughout the story between Ann Smith and (sometimes) Dr. Jones and (sometimes) Sir James Arbour.

Chief Inspector Gidleigh also appears in Draw the Blinds, and perhaps other titles.

Sergeant Sir Peter by Edgar Wallace, 1933

 

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About the author: Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace (1875-1932) was a prolific British crime writer, journalist and playwright, who wrote 175 novels, 24 plays, and countless articles in newspapers and journals (Goodreads). In terms of production, by cranking out one novel per month, he was the British equivalent of Erle Stanley Gardner. See this Wikipedia article.

Synopsis: Sergeant Sir Peter is Peter Dunn, Scotland Yard's debonair young aristocrat detective. After the war, Peter Dunn inherited a fortune and a baronetcy. Now he consults for Scotland Yard for modest fees to make the relationship legal. This title consists of eight vignettes (seven short stories, one novella) from his adventures:

Case I: The Four Missing Merchants - Peter Dunn is introduced to the reader. After inheriting a title, he steps back from routine police work to focus on special problem cases of Scotland Yard. He becomes aware of cases where merchants take a holiday, then do not return as expected. He finds they are all intertwined with an Indian doctor, Dr. Lal Singh, who has a history with the police.

Case II: The Desk Breaker: Sir Peter investigates a case of a burglar who breaks into homes, rifles through desks and letters, yet steals nothing.

Case III: The Inheritor: Sir Peter investigates a case of a wealthy man who accuses his butler of stealing a small amount from his desk, then abruptly changes his mind. 

Case IV: Dr. Fifer's Patient: Sir Peter grudgingly accepts an invitation to meet Dr. Cornelius Fifer, a crime expert from America. No sooner does Dr. Fifer arrive, than he is murdered in a locked bathroom.

Case V: The Burglar Alarm: Sir Peter investigates a jewel theft from a heavily protected business. The alarm goes off, but a woman leans out the window to explain to the police she is the secretary and set it off accidentally. Neither is true.

Case VI: Buried Treasure: Some crooks staged a robbery and the loot was never recovered. Now one of them decides to reveal its location.

Case VII: The Principles of Jo Loless: An ex-con gives a sob story to Sir Peter which leads to a car accident, burglary, and murder. 

Case VIII: The Death Watch (novella): Sir Peter meets and falls in love with Patricia Hannay, who lives at Diggins Folly, believed to be haunted by the dreaded Deathwatch Beetle. The house is staffed with a strange assortment of servants, none of whom are what they appear.

Review: The entire book is enjoyable and hilarious, and the highlight is The Death Watch. Every imaginable mystery trope is tossed in: two identical houses side by side - one derelict, the other sumptuous; a damsel in distress, a creepy prowler who is not what he appears, a creepy butler who is not what he appears, a creepy gardener who is not what he appears, a creepy maid who is not what she appears, a creepy professor who is not what he appears, secret passages, ghosts, oiled hinges, a missing fortune, screams in the night, an ominous deathwatch beetle clicking away in the night to mark an upcoming death, and of course a beautiful blonde who has caught Peter's eye but will have nothing to do with him.

Maigret in Vichy by Georges Simenon, 1968

 

About the author: Georges Joseph Christian Simenon ( 1903 –  1989) was a Belgian writer, most famous for his fictional detective Jules Maigret. One of the most popular authors of the 20th century, he published around 400 novels, 21 volumes of memoirs and many short stories, selling over 500 million copies. (wikipedia) 

Major characters:

• Mlle. Hélene Lange "The Lady in Lilac"
• Mlle. Francine Lange, her sister
• Lucien Romanel, Francine's boyfriend
• Louis Pélardeau, an industrialist
• Chief of C.I.D. Jules Maigret
• Madame Maigret
• Superintendent M. Désiré Lecoeur

Locale: Vichy, France

Synopsis: Chief Jules Maigret is advised by his doctor to take a vacation to Vichy to "take the waters". (Vichy is known for its mineral baths, which people can drink, bathe in,  or both) Maigret and Madame Maigret travel there, and he begins his prescribed regimen of drinking several glasses of hot mineral water throughout the day.

He and Madame fill the remaining time with walking around the city and observing people, giving them descriptive names for convenience. One woman they encounter regularly they name "The Lady in Lilac" for her preference in clothing color.

One morning Maigret is shocked to see her photo in the local paper, and a news story that she has been found murdered. Maigret visits the scene, and finds his old friend Superintendent M. Désiré Lecoeur in charge. Lecoeur has found her name is Hélene Lange, an introverted loner. Her sister, Francine Lange, is called to  identify the body and make arrangements. Francine is just the opposite of Hélene, a loud party girl who arrives in a sports car, complete with gigolo Lucien Romanel. As Maigret looks into Hélene's past, he finds she is surprisingly wealthy, with regular cash payments coming in; but from where?

Review: This story is as comfortable as an old slipper. Maigret and Mme. Maigret are enjoying growning old together in each other's company. I had heard about "taking the waters" but never knew exactly what that entailed, and here it is described fully. I found it amusing how they gave people descriptive names, as my wife and I have done the same. I enjoyed seeing Maigret slowly piece together details of Hélene's life, and slowly backtracked his way to the killer. There is a surprising twist at the end, and the story winds up with a suprising compassion by Maigret.

Gambit by Rex Stout, 1962

The Wolfe Pack

About the author: Rex Stout (1886 – 1975) was an American writer noted for his detective fiction. His best-known characters are the detective Nero Wolfe and his assistant Archie Goodwin, who were featured in 33 novels and 39 novellas between 1934 and 1975. (wikipedia). (bibliography)

Major characters:

Sarah "Sally" Blount, Wolfe's client
Matthew Blount, her father, charged with murder
Anna Blount, her strangely-attractive mother
Paul Jerin, the chess savant
Bernard Nash, the Gambit Club steward
Tony Laghi, the Gambit Club cook

The Messengers:

1. Charles W. Yerkes, a banker

2. Ernst Hausman, a broker

3. Morton Farrow, Sally's cousin

4. Dr. Victor Avery

Locale: New York City

Synopsis: Nero Wolfe has a visit from Sarah "Sally" Blount, who hires him to help her father, Matthew Blount, get out from under a murder charge. The death happened at a meeting of The Gambit Chess Club. Chess whiz Paul Jerin was playing a "blindfold" game against twelve members of the club,  twelve individual simultaneous games. There was no literal blindfold - he was in the adjacent library room and four messengers would carry the moves to him and take his responses.

Jerin's custom was to drink hot chocolate while playing. Blount, who was observing the play, brought him a pot of chocolate which turned out to contain arsenic, and Jerin died after drinking some. 

The only persons who had opportunity to administer the poison were Blount, the four messengers, the steward Bernard Nash, and the cook Tony Laghi.

Review:  

This book is chess-centric, but you need not know about chess in order to enjoy it. There are a few incidental play references.  There is a small cast of characters, and it is mentioned a few times that the killer is one of the seven (Blount, Nash, Laghi, and the four messengers) and that turns out to be correct.  

The  big puzzle is how did the arsenic get into the chocolate? The solution is a clever Agatha Christie-like move. 

This is nice tight little read.

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

 

The Dutch Shoe Mystery by Ellery Queen, 1931

 

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About the author: Ellery Queen is a crime fiction pseudonym created in 1929 by Frederic Dannay and Manfred Bennington Lee, and later used by other authors under Dannay and Lee's supervision. Dannay and Lee's main fictional character, whom they also named Ellery Queen, is a mystery writer in New York City who helps his police inspector father solve baffling murders. (from Wikipedia - full article). 

Major characters:

• Abigail "Abby" Doorn - hospital benefactor, victim #1
• Hulda Doorn - her daughter
• Hendrik Doorn - her brother
• Sarah Fuller - her companion/housekeeper
• Dr. Francis Janney - head surgeon, victim #2
• Dr. John Minchen - medical director
• Philip Morehouse - attorney
• Moritz Kneisel - a scientist
• Lucille Price - a nurse/secretary

Locale: New York City

Synopsis: Ellery Queen drops in to Dutch Memorial Hospital for a quick visit with his old friend, Medical Director Dr. John Minchen. Minchen gives him (and the reader) a tour, and invites him to stay and observe an operation on the hospital's benefactor, Abby Doorn. A diabetic, she had fallen and injured her gall bladder.

Ellery takes a seat in the operating theatre's gallery. The patient is brought in, but something is wrong. She is dead, garroted with wire. Ellery takes charge of the scene until the authorities arrive.

It is quickly determined the deed was done in the adjacent Anteroom. While the patient was there, someone dressed in hospital uniform came in and bent over the patient. The nurse assumed it was surgeon Dr. Francis Janney, due to his signature limp, but it seems someone posed as him to gain access to the patient. Janney was meeting at the time with Thomas Swanson, who can provide a solid alibi, but Janney is secretive about Swanson's identity. The perpetrator's clothes are found stashed in a phone booth, including two canvas uniform shoes, one of which is the shoe of the title.

Doorn's attorney, Philip Morehouse (also Hulda Doorn's boyfriend), is questioned about possible motives. Abby was about to sign a second will, but died before signing, so her first will remains in force. The first (but not the second) leaves a significant amount to scientist Moritz Kneisel, who has a secret laboratory in the hospital; which is dependent on her funding.

Review:  I enjoyed this one, it moved right along and mixed in a number of red herrings along the way.

The brief period in between making a new will and signing it is quite hazardous in Golden Age mysteries, and this one is no different.

My edition has two sketch maps, one of. the entire hospital floor, and one of Janney's office; both are helpful in following the action. . 

The shoe thing comes up rather quickly after murder #1, but then there is no mention at all of it until the denouément at the very end. The solution, as explained by Ellery, is really a logic grid puzzle of this type, in which only one person has a certain set of characteristics, so he has to plod through all of them in a tedious manner:

I found three things unexpectedly amusing:

1. The "Interlude" in which the case is reviewed by the Queens - and is printed using extra wide margins for note taking by the reader! A funny gimmick which I am sure caused headaches for the printer. Fortunately, no prior owner of my copy ever availed themselves of this option.

2. One occurrence of the n-word. However, as soon as it is uttered, the speaker is reprimanded that "we don't use that word any more!" (So why is it in there at all?)

3. The description of the operating room states the doors "swung open on heavily oiled hinges" - one of my favorite mystery tropes! I even have a blog page devoted to their oiliness.

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

Death Goes to a Reunion by Kathleen Moore Knight, 1952

 

amazon

About the author: Kathleen Moore Knight (1890-1984) is one of my absolute favorite authors. She wrote 34 mystery novels, most set on fictional Penberthy Island off Massachusetts, all published by the Crime Club; with a few under the pseudonym of Alan Amos. See my post All I Know about Kathleen Moore Knight, as well as this Wikipedia article and her booklist  on Fantastic Fiction.   

Major characters:

John "Jocko" and Helena (Roberts) Myrick

Nella, their grandaughter

Peter Clothier, Nella's' fiancé

Lee Halstead, John's friend

Henry Clark, young groundskeeper and handyman

The sorority sisters:

• Miss Frances Furlong
• Ruth (Gale) Grant (married to Fitzhugh Grant)
• Lucy Kenyon (married to Jerome "Jerry" Kenyon)
• Claire (Fielding) Cutler, a widow
• Elinor (Carrington) Mace, a widow

Locale: Penberthy Island, Massachusetts

Synopsis: Helena Myrick has invited five of her sorority sisters to her home on Penberthy Island following their 40th class renion. Her husband John "Jocko" Myrick had, 40 years ago, dated all of them at one time or another. Also living with them is their granddaughter, Nella, who parents are dead. Nella is engaged to local Peter Clothier.

The scene shifts to John's study as an unnamed woman enters and pulls a gun on John, stating she had been waiting forty years for this moment, wants to kill him and Helena, and take Nella for herself; for reasons not quite clear. She shoots him dead, placing the gun in his hand to make it appear a suicide.

Elisha Macomber comes on the scene, and immediately suspects foul play. While he and young Henry Clark are getting the background on the five sorority sister guests, the scene changes to Helena's bathroom, where John's killer confronts her, first attempts poisoning (with DDT!) and ultimately drowns her in the bathtub. Now the motive is becoming clear, and the Myrick estate is now inherited by Nella. Or is it? The plot thickens when Nella's only link to her parents - a framed photograph - disappears. Then Peter Clothier is attacked as well.

Review: This book was quite startling, as on two occasions, we have a play-by-play description of two murders, without revealing the killer's identity - other than that of a woman, and inferred by her conversation that she is known to the victims, and one of the sorority sisters. 

All five of the women are quite catty and vindictive, and had any of them been the killer, that would have been all right. It did get confusing keeping them straight as various movements and motives were explored. 

Elisha did his best, as usual, but the real star of the narrative turned out to be young handyman Henry Clark, who becomes Elisha's enthusiastic operative.

The use of a "DDT bomb" had me cringing, especially when the thing was used indoors for insect control! 

Please also note one instance of the n-word, in a colloquial expression about a woodpile.

"I" is for Innocent by Sue Grafton, 1992

 

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:

Lonnie Kingman, attorney

Kenneth Voigt, Kingman's (and Kinsey's) client
David Barney, architect, acquited of Isabelle''s murder

Laura Barney, RN, David's first wife

Herb Foss, David's attorney

Curtis MacIntyre, informant, habitual offender

Rhe Parsons, Isabelle's friend

Tippy Parsons, Rhe's daughter

Kinsey Millhone, P.I.

Dead prior to the story:

Isabelle Barney, David's ex

Locale: (fictional) Santa Teresa, CA

Synopsis: P.I. Kinsey Millhone is settling into her new office, a room leased from attorney Lonnie Kingman. Kingman has a new client, Kenneth Voigt. His ex-wife, Isabelle, had divorced him, then been murdered. Her new husband, David Barney, was tried and acquited for the crime. There is a considerable estate involved, so Voigt, convinced of Barney's guilt, hires Kingman to bring a civil wrongful death case against him; which would deprive Barney of Isabelle's fortune. Kingman hires Kinsey to try to find some evidence, which was lacking in the criminal trial. There is a bit of urgency, as the five-year statute of limitations is about to run out.

Kimsey gets a lead: Curtis MacIntire had shared a jail cell with Barney, who supposedly admitted the crime to him. It looks good, but then MacIntire's story falls apart, and Kinsey uncovers a rock-solid alibi for Barney; making their case much worse instead of much better.

Review: I am working my way through the 25-title 'Alphabet series' for the second time. These are great 'beach reads' and I always enjoy relaxing with one. 

There is an enjoyable plot line running through it, with landlord Henry Pitts having a visit from his overly-health conscious brother William. (If you like Martha Grimes' Richard Jury / Alfred Wiggins byplay, it's the same setup).  

I did find it difficult to unravel the various marriage combinations, but here they are, in order:

• Unnamed man married Isabelle (her #1). Ended with his death in boating accident.
• Kenneth Voigt (his #1) married Isabelle (her #2). Ended in divorce.
• David Barney (his #1) married Laura. Ended in divorce.
• David Barney (his #2) married Isabelle (her #3). Ended with her death by gunshot.

The Second Confession by Rex Stout, 1949

 

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This is the second title in the Arnold Zeck trilogy (the first is And Be a Villain, the last is In The Best Families).

About the author: Rex Stout (1886 – 1975) was an American writer noted for his detective fiction. His best-known characters are the detective Nero Wolfe and his assistant Archie Goodwin, who were featured in 33 novels and 39 novellas between 1934 and 1975. (wikipedia). (bibliography)

Major characters:

• James U. Sperling, chairman of Continental Mines
• Madeline Sperling, his 26-year old daughter
• Gwenn Sperling, his 22-year old daughter
• James "Jimmy" Sperling Jr., his son
• Paul Emerson, right-wing radio broadcaster
• Connie Emerson, his wife
• Louis Reny, attorney
• Webster Kane, economist of Continental Mines
• William Reynolds, the name on the membership card
• Arnold Zeck, arch villain
• Nero Wolfe, P.I.
• Archie Goodwin, P.I.

Locale: New York City and Chappaqua, NY

Synopsis: It appears 22-year old Gwenn Sperling is getting set to become engaged to attorney Louis Rony. This does not set well with her father, ultra-conservative James U. Sperling, chairman of Continental Mines. Sperling suspects Rony may be a communist, and engages Nero Wolfe to prove it; so he can have a reason to cancel any budding relationship. Wolfe replies that of course, he cannot prove Rony is or is not a communist, he can only determine if he is one or not. 

Archie Goodwin is sent to stay at Sperling's Chappaqua estate, Stony Acres. He knows Rony is hiding a small item, and stages a holdup to try to get it. It turns out to be a Communist Party membership card, but in the name of William Reynolds - and it is not clear if Rony is Reynolds. Wolfe gets a phone call from arch-nemesis Arnold Zeck, warning him off the case.

Gwenn decides she has had enough anyway, and summons Rony to Stony Acres to tell him so. It doesn't end well - he is found dead the next morning, run over by a car. Circumstantial evidence points to Archie as the driver. Zeck takes action, and machine-guns Wolfe's plant rooms in revenge. Archie gets off the hook when Webster Kane confesses (the first confession) to being the driver. Wolfe doesn't believe it, and finds the real killer who supplies The Second Confession.

Review:

The good: A nice, tight, small cast of characters, all introduced quickly. Wolfe makes a rare trip outside his home, that is always a fun episode when he tries to "fit in" (literally) elsewhere.

The bad: The communism-scare angle is so dated and does not carry to present time well, although the right-wing radio hosts are certainly still around. The staged holdup did not seem believable at all. The whole Rony/Williams membership card thing was hard to follow and I am still not sure I understand it.

The puzzling: Arnold Zeck doesn't come across as the arch nemesis (other than the machine-gun episode). He is just too quiet, articulate, and polite.

I missed Lt. Cramer - he does not appear. 

Dead Men's Plans by Mignon G. Eberhart, 1952

 

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About the author: Mignon Good (1899-1996) was born in Lincoln, Nebraska. In 1929 her first crime novel was published featuring 'Sarah Keate', a nurse and 'Lance O'Leary', a police detective. This couple appeared in another four novels. Over the next forty years she wrote a novel nearly every year. In 1971 she won the Grand Master award from the Mystery Writers of America. (from Goodreads)

Major characters:

• Sewel Blake, our protagonist
• Amy Minary, her stepsister
• Reg Minary, her stepbrother
• Zelie "Lizette" Minary, Reg's new wife
• Marianne Duclos, Zelie's French maid
• --- Diccon, Minary butler
• Mrs. Diccon, Minary cook
• Cora Ingram, the Minary housekeeper
• Barny Ingram, Cora's son
• Steve Forsyth, Executive VP of the Minary Lines

Died prior to the story, but part of it:

• Julius Minary, founder of the Minary Lines; father of Amy and Reg
• Raoul Dumont, Zelie's first husband

Locale: Chicago

Synopsis: Julius Minary of Chicago was the founder of the Minary Lines, steamships serving the ore industry of the Great Lakes. Four children grew up together in the Minary household: his son Reg Minary, daughter Amy Minary, stepdaughter Sewel Blake, and the cook's son, Barny Ingram. 

Reg is returning from Europe with his new wife, Zelie "Lizette" and her maid, Marianne Duclos, and that is when the trouble begins. Zelie is not the cultured, fawning wife they expected; but rather a hard, scheming shrew who has her claws out for the Minary fortune.

Sewel has always been attracted to Barny Ingram, but over time has become involved with Steve Forsyth, a VP of Minary Lines. Sewel is out walking the dogs on the foggy waterfront and finds Reg on the ground, having been shot and injured. When she returns home, she stumbles across a gun and decides to hide it to protect whatever family member may have used it.

Sewel wants Barny instead of Steve now, but stepsister Amy has her eyes on him also. 

Review: This is from Eberhart's peak years, and right away we have the classic Eberhart triangle setup: A protagonist (Sewel) who is meant to be with Mr. Right (Barny) but is entangled and pressured to be with Mr. Wrong (Steve Forsyth); and getting herself set up as suspect #1 in a murder.

The setting is lakefront Chicago, but with the dense fog the house seems isolated. I enjoyed the dark, misty setting for all the action. When Sewel reaches for the gun, I wanted to cry out, "Nooooooo!" but she went for it anyway. 

Eberhart does the combination romance/mystery so well, and I enjoy all the titles in her middle period of writing. 

The Adventures of Jimmie Dale by Frank L. Packard, 1917

 

diustjackets.com

This title was also published in 1929 in Collier's Front Page Mystery series.

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:

Our protagonist has three distinct identities:

Jimmie Dale - millionaire, bachelor, and man-about-town

Larry the Bat - a Bowery dope fiend

The Gray Seal - a benevolent safecracker

Jason, Jimmie Dale's butler
Benson, Jimmie Dale's chauffeur

Herman Carruthers, managing editor of The Morning News-Argus

Marie LaSalle, a.k.a "she",  'The Tocsin', and "Silver Mag"

Inspector Clayton

Locale: New York City

Synopsis: Millionaire Jimmie Dale inherited a fortune from his father, president of a safe manufacturer. Not only did he inherit his millions, but also the knowledge of cracking safes. He lives in a luxury apartment on Riverside Drive, along with butler Jason and chauffeur Benson. He spends his leisure time at the posh St. James Club, many times with his friend Herman Carruthers, managing editor of The Morning News-Argus.

Dale has a secret identity, that of Larry the Bat, a  dope fiend. He maintains a shabby tenement room, 'The Sanctuary', in the Bowery, where he changes into Larry the Bat, in order to move around and infiltrate the seamier side of New York City.

His motive is to right wrongs, many times outside the law. Whether as Dale or Larry the Bat, he leaves a calling card at the scene of his "crimes": a small grey diamond-shaped label (seen held in tweezers in the cover above) which gives him the name of The Gray Seal, always wanted by the police.

Review: I enjoy Packard's railroad adventure books, but his mysteries are quite ... the only word I can think of is 'dense'. High page counts (this one has 468), repetitive phrases throughout, lots of characters - each having two, three, or four nicknames. A flood of exclamation points, and a constant barrage of rhetorical questions; so the reader doesn't forget all the loose ends pouring out of the fire hose:

A good editor could have cut this book in half without losing anything. I did resort to skimming ... the first sentence of each paragraph will get you through it just fine.

I do see a similarity to The Saint here, in Dale's  quest to right wrongs outside the law; as well as Batman, with a secret identity, hideout, and faithful butler (although this butler is unaware of his secret identity). 

The book has two major parts. In Part One, each chapter is self-contained, contains some series characters, and follows a consistent formula:

1. The mysterious woman delivers an envelope with instructions
2. Dale goes to The Sanctuary in the Bowery and changes to Larry the Bat
3. Larry the Bat skulks around the bars and waterfront to get information
4. Dale cracks a safe to obtain some essential evidence, leaving a gray seal behind
5. A twist ending rewards a victim and punishes an evildoer

In Part Two, Jimmie learns the identity of the mysterious woman, and together they seek to tie up all the loose ends.