Drury Lane's Last Case by Barnaby Ross (Ellery Queen), 1933

 

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About the author/series: Barnaby Ross is a pseudonym of Ellery Queen. There are four books in the Drury Lane series:

• The Tragedy of X, 1932
• The Tragedy of Y, 1932
• The Tragedy of Z, 1933
• Drury Lane's Last Case, 1933

Major characters:

Locale:

Synopsis:

Review:

 

Dec 13 2024: Reading series now, please check back. RM

The Tragedy of Y by Barnaby Ross (Ellery Queen), 1932

 

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About the author/series: Barnaby Ross is a pseudonym of Ellery Queen. There are four books in the Drury Lane series:

• The Tragedy of X, 1932
• The Tragedy of Y, 1932
• The Tragedy of Z, 1933
• Drury Lane's Last Case, 1933

Major characters:

• York Hatter, chemist, dead as story begins
• Emily Hatter, his wife/widow
• Louisa Campion, Emily's daughter by her first husband
• Barbara Hatter, a poet
• Conrad Hatter, a waster
• Martha Hatter, Conrad's doormat wife
• Jackie Hatter, Conrad and Martha's 13-year old son
• Billy Hatter, Conrad and Martha's 4-year old son
• Jill Hatter, a hedonist
• Captain Trivett, a peg-leg old sea dog
• Mrs. Arbuckle, cook and housekeeper
• Drury Lane, investigator
• Walter Bruno, District Attorney
• Inspector Thumm
• Dr. Schilling, medical examiner
• Dr. Merriam, family doctor

Locale: New York City and environs

Synopsis: In The Tragedy of X, X stood for the murderer. In this book, Y stands for the first victim, York Hatter. As the story begins, the body of chemist York Hatter is pulled from the water. Medical Examiner Dr. Schilling determines he was poisoned, apparently self-administered as he left behind a suicide note. 

York leaves behind a dysfunctional family: his widow, overbearing Emily Hatter, three children (poet Barbara Hatter, waster Conrad Hatter, and party girl Jill Hatter) and a stepdaughter, Louisa Campion (by Emily's first marriage). Louisa is severely disabled, being blind, deaf, and non-verbal.

Routinely, housekeeper Mrs. Arbuckle prepares a glass of egg-nog for Louisa each afternoon, placing it in a certain spot on the table. One afternoon as Louisa approaches, 13-year old Jackie Hatter (son of Conrad and his doormat wife Martha Hatter) gets there first and takes a gulp, and reacts violently. He recovers under the care of family doctor Dr. Merriam, who finds the egg-nog poisoned with strychnine, and calls in the police as an attempted murder of Louisa. Inspector Thumm consults with Drury Lane, but additional deaths occur before it can be resolved. 

Review: This was a dark book, on several levels, albeit a product of its time. There is the condescending treatment of Louisa due to her disability (although she does contribute vital clues). There is the episode near the end as the writer explains an unnamed "shameful disease" has. spread through the family, and is part of the motive of the crimes. While off-limits in 1932 to discuss sexually transmitted diseases., the symptoms and presentation certainly indicate syphilis, given to Emily by her first husband, resulting in Louisa's disabilities, and further infecting her second husband and their children. Finally, there is the cringy discussion on the last page of what to do with the murderer. The result is not explicity stated, but my interpretation is that Drury Lane arranges his own justice to be served, resulting in the murderer's own death.

Those aspects aside, Drury Lane turns in a good performance, and realistic in that he tries various approaches, not all successful; yet he plugs on. The use of his theatrical skills are minimal, and even rejected at one point. 

There is a lot of precision involved in the solution - various measurements (all carefully documented) of heights, footsteps, shelf spacing, etc. and elaborate descriptions of arrangement of bottles on shelves, and so on. 

The solution - the identity of murderer and what drove the murderer to act - is pretty clever and an approach I had not seen before.

You may also enjoy this review by Bev Hankins on My Reader's Block.

 

One Way to Eldorado by Hollister Noble, 1954

 

About the author: Charles Hollister Noble (1901 – 1954) was an American historical novelist and screenwriter. Noble was a professional writer and editor in the newspaper, radio and motion picture fields, with strong interests in the American Civil War and railroads. (Wikipedia)

Major characters:

• Howard Bierce, Road Foreman of Engines, Great Western Railway
• Jim Reynolds, Assistant Division Superintendent
• John Macintosh, Division Superintendent
• Maria D'Alvarez, proprietress of the Casa Alta restaurant
• Selma ---, the blonde waitress
• Lisa Maddon, waitress, aspiring pianist
• Ted Helmholtz, pianist
• Pete Gustavson, a miner
• Jackpot Thomas, a organized crime boss and gambler

Locale: the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the border of California and Nevada

Synopsis: Set during World War II, Howard Bierce, troubleshooter for the Great Western Railway, is en route with his wife to New York to an exhibition of his hobby artwork. On the spur of the moment, he drops off the train at Pioneer Gap to choose between his two loves: the railroad or the art world. He books a room for a couple of weeks with Assistant Division Superintendent Jim Reynolds. 

Pioneer Gap is facing a number of quick moving snowstorms which threaten to strand him there, as well as disrupt service on the railroad. Howard is called in to deal with the escalating situation. He takes his meals at the Casa Alta restaurant, owned by Maria D'Alvarez, and employing two waitresses: sexy blonde star-of-the-show Selma and quiet, mysterious Lisa Maddon. Gambler Jackpot Thomas makes inappropriate moves on Selma, and Howards knocks him out and throws him out in the snow. Thomas, unaware who hit him, swears revenge. Trains start piling up in the snow, along with a special train carrying gold bullion.

Howard encounters his old college chum pianist Ted Helmholtz, and becomes aware of unsaid drama between Helmholtz, Reynolds, and Lisa. Helmholtz has teamed up with miner Pete Gustavson to work the remnants of an old mine. 

Review: This is one of those books I love to pull out during a snowstorm, as it deals with the drama of railroading in the High Sierras during a blizzard, with lots of mystery and murder mixed in too. This was my fifth reading (and it just started snowing).

I enjoyed the scenes of the railroad workers and their dwellings inside the snowsheds, where it is nighttime 24 hours a day. The characters are well done, and the author's enthusiasm for railroading is obvious - especially as he writes the story in the first person.

The only critique I have of this novel is that there are way too many subplots going on in parallel throughout:

• Howard and Betty's strained marriage
• Howard's pull between his railroad job and his art hobby
• Selma and her various admirers
• Jackpot Thomas and his ilk of hoodlums
• Dangerous mine excursions with Helmholtz and Gustavson
• Helmholtz's terminal illness
• Constant snowfall paralyzing the town
• School kids gearing up for a pageant
• Love triangle of Helmholtz-Reynolds-Lisa
• Reynold's secret previous life and tragedy
• Piano careers of Helmholtz and Lisa
• Shipments of gold east on the railroad
• Troop trains heading the opposite direction

It saddens me to read about the author's own fate. He was accused of plagiarism of research, and committed suicide just before he was exonerated. He had potential for more fine novels.

Third GIrl by Agatha Christie, 1966

 

Series: Hercule Poirot #40

Major characters: 

• Norma Restarick, the third girl
• Frances Cary, artist, the second girl
• Claudia Reece-Holland, secretary, the first girl
• Andrew Restarick, Norma's father
• Simon Restarick, Andrew's brother [deceased]
• Mary Restarick, Norma's stepmother
• Sir Roderick Horsefield, Mary's uncle
• Sonia, the Restarick's au pair
• David Baker, "The Peacock", Norma's boyfriend
• Hercule Poirot
• Ariadne Oliver, writer of detective stories

Locale: London and environs

Synopsis: A scattered young girl drops in on Hercule Poirot, claiming she "might" have committed a murder. She abruptly changes her mind, stating Poirot is too old to help her, and leaves - neglecting to give her name.  Poirot and his detective story writer friend Ariadne Oliver set out to track her down. Ariadne finds her name is Norma Restarick, and she is the "third girl" sharing an apartment. The "first girl"(the actual renter) is secretary Claudia Reece-Holland, and the "second girl" is artist Frances Cary.

Despite their efforts, Poirot and Oliver cannot find any trace of a murder - or any death - having occurred.

Norma drops out of sight, much to the consternation of her father, Andrew Restarick; and stepmother Mary Restarick. Poirot and Oliver find Norma's boyfriend is flamboyant David Baker, whom they nickname "The Peacock". She does eventually show up, but with alarming memory lapses. It is found that a woman, Louise Charpentier, had committed suicide by leaping from her window at Norma's apartment house; but could this be the murder Norma mentioned?

Review: There is a theme throughout of Poirot believing he is too old to be effective, and this is one of the final Poirot stories written at the end of the series. This is contrasted with the young mods of Britain in this day of The Beatles. Drugs are a common theme as well.

The story ends with several surprises which explain everything, but Agatha is not completely fair with the reader. Poirot knows things all along and has his fingers in the 'disappearance' of Norma, but none of this is revealed to the reader as it happens. Foo. It left me feeling tricked.

You may also enjoy this review by Bev Hankins on My Reader's Block. 

 

Masks Off at Midnight by Valentine Williams, 1934

 

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Series: Sergeant Trevor Dene #3

About the author: Valentine Williams (1883–1946) was an English journalist and writer of popular fiction. Williams was awarded the Military Cross as a soldier and wrote two autobiographical books about his war-time experiences. In the aftermath of war, he travelled widely as a reporter.  It was during this period that he began writing thrillers and around 1926 he gave up his post at the Daily Mail to pursue a full-time career as an author. (Wikipedia)

Major characters:

• Henry and Margaret Tallifer, local patriarch/matriarch
• Jenny Tallifer, their daughter
• Anthony Tallifer, Jenny's cousin
• Brent Hordern, millionaire developer
• Major Ivan Ivanoff, Hordern's chauffeur
• Constance Barrington, flashy widow
• Randolph and Barbara Waverly, the party hosts
• Ezekiah Harding, newspaper publisher
• Paul Kentish, newspaper editor
• Trevor Dene, of Scotland Yard
• Nancy Dene, his wife

Locale: Long Island, New York

Synopsis: Trevor Dene and his wife Nancy are in Laurel, a small town in Long Island, New York, to attend a gala pageant party given by Randolph and Barbara Waverly. All the locals are invited - but one is definitely excluded, developer Brent Hordern.

The locals despise brash Hordern, who has been buying up property in town. The locals are also suspicious of flashy widow Constance Barrington, with her expensive clothes and sports car. Constance wants to get her hooks into Hordern, but he wants young Jenny Tallifer, daughter of Henry and Margaret Tallifer, highly respected old-money in town.

The night of the gala arrives. There is to be a masked procession into the ballroom, and at midnight the guests will unmask. When the procession enters the room, Holdern is found dead in the sedan chair; and all circumstances point to newspaper editor Paul Kentish, who is the boyfriend of Jenny. He had plenty of motive: Haldern wanted Jenny for himself, and bought out Kentish's newspaper as well.

Review: An enjoyable visit to Long Island society and a huge gala, which is a bit overdone with 500 guests (!) and elaborate costumes. I always enjoy stories with the underdog newspaper people up against evil. In this title, Trevor Dene takes a back seat to the investigation with Paul Kentish doing the honors.

The requisite love triangle consists of Paul Kentish, Jenny Tallifer, and of course, Brent Hordern who corners Jenny in the golf course pavilion and pressures her to marry him.

A hated millionaire New York City developer who bullies everyone, spends most of his time golfing and chasing young girls, and just does whatever he damn pleases? In my mind's eye there is only one person who fits this description - You Know Who That Is. I couldn't get his face out of my mind while reading this character.

The Case of the One-Eyed Witness by Erle Stanley Gardner, 1950

 

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About the author: Erle Stanley Gardner (1889 – 1970) was an American lawyer and author. He is best known for the Perry Mason series of detective stories. The best-selling American author of the 20th century at the time of his death, Gardner also published under numerous pseudonyms, including A.A. Fair, Kyle Corning, Charles M. Green, Carleton Kendrake, Charles J. Kenny, Les Tillray and Robert Parr. (wikipedia)

Series: Perry Mason #36

Major characters:

Medford D. Carlin, bookbinder and photographer

Arthman D. Fargo, Realtor

Perry Mason, attorney

Della Street, his secretary

Paul Drake, private investigator

Locale: Los Angeles

Synopsis: While dining at a night club, Perry Mason receives a phone call from a woman - declining to give her name - desperate to retain his services. She sends, by messenger, a retainer of $570 and a newspaper clipping. She instructs Mason to show the clipping to bookbinder/photographer Medford D. Carlin, along with the message that "he needs to find a new partner". Mason also has a conversation with the club's cigarette girl, who tells him she is searching for her lost four-year old daughter who had been given up for adoption.

When Mason meets Carlin, Carlin denies knowing anything about it. Mason is skeptical and has Paul Drake watch the house. In the middle of the night, Drake's operative sees a woman enter the house, and shortly afterward the house catches on fire. When the fire is out, Carlin is found dead.

Mason thinks the woman may have been his client. In trying to trace her, he finds realtor Arthman D. Fargo, who could be her husband. Mason poses as a prospective house buyer to interview him, and later finds Fargo dead. 

Review:

The good: I enjoyed when Mason and Della called on Fargo, Mason pretending he was house-hunting with Della posing as his mistress. Mason and Della had some flirtation in which Mason suggested they really get married, but Della talks him out of it!

The bad: This 1950 novel has overtones from World War II and lingering prejudice about the Japanese. Much ado is made about a baby-selling scheme and how people don't want any baby that has any percentage of Japanese blood.

The strange: I think the strange curvy shape on the cover may be a stylized jigsaw puzzle piece, as better seen on this cover:

Seven Were Veiled by Kathleen Moore Knight, 1937

 

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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:

* Phyllis "Phil" Heath, would-be bride, our protagonist

Christopher Bryan, her fiancé

Marvin Heath, her foster father

Dwight Garrison, wannabe groom

* Francine Drake, young gold-digging widow

Norman Brent, orchestra leader

* Corliss Brent, his wife

Pete Bishop, travel agent

* Anita Templeton-Smith, wedding planner

* Aunt Laurie Ferris, Phyllis' aunt, Marvin's sister-in-law

* Ailsa Breton, writer

Dudley Houghton, Marvin's attorney

Elisha Macomber, chairman of the Board of Selectmen

Bill Deeter, private investigator from Boston

Dr. Larcom Sargent

Dr. Franklin Tolman

Bellows, the Heath's butler

* Hattie Parsons, the Heath's cook

Lisa, the Heath's maid

* The title indicates the seven women known to wear veils, indicated by * in the list above: one wedding veil (worn by both Phyllis Heath and Francine Drake), one allergy veil (Aunt Laurie Ferris), and four fashion veils (four others).

Locale: Penberthy Island, off Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Synopsis: It is the night before the wedding  of Phyllis Heath and Christopher Bryan on Penberthy Island. All is not well - Phyllis' foster father, Marvin Heath, is against the wedding; and wants to substitute Dwight Garrison as the groom, no matter what Phyllis wants. Marvin issues an ultimatum - he will sign a new will if she marries Bryan, leaving his $5M estate to charity instead of to her.

As Phyllis frets about what to do, Marvin takes ill after the rehearsal dinner and dies. First suspicion is poisoning from mushrooms provided for the dinner by Elisha Macomber - yet everyone ate them but only Marvin had ill effects. Then suspicion is directed at a medicine, and word circulates that a woman wearing a veil was seen exiting Marvin's room after the poisoning.

Someone steals Phyllis' veil, and Phyllis sees Francine Drake, a widow who had eyes on Marvin, carry it into the woods. She follows only to find Christopher and a dead body - a man no one recognizes. Francine does not return the house, and a search finds her stranded on a sand bar with the tide rising. 

Christopher is arrested for the murder of the unknown man, and the poisoning of Marvin. Following a newspaper story, the dead man is identified as Franklin Tolman, a Boston doctor.

Elisha Macomber heads up the investigation, competing with a hotshot private investigator from Boston, Bill Deeter.

Review: Lots of possibilities to ponder in this one. There are three possible poisons that took out Marvin, each connected to a different character. Lots of poison information as well, including belladonna/deadly nightshade, a bit concerning to me as this summer we found this growing wild on the fence surrounding our garden! 

The high drama point is the ocean rescue of Francine who is stuck on a sand bar as the tide is coming in. This scene was well done and exciting.

The situation of Phyllis having to choose between grooms - on her wedding night! - seemed farfetched and like something out of the Old Testament - like Jacob, Rachel, and Leah in reverse. 

There are lots of veils to go around, but the wedding veil is the primary one of interest. Hattie wears an "allergy veil" which was prescribed to her to block allergens  - apparently a complicated alternative to a simple mask. My wife is a nurse, and has allergies, but has never heard of such a thing. The fashion veils are mentioned briefly but not pertinent.

The cast of characters is way too large, I left a few out of the list. It could easily have been cut in half without affecting the plot. 

Elisha's ongoing competition with hotshot P.I. Deeter did distract from his investigation. I enjoy in other stories how he goes it alone. This is one of the earliest Elisha stories, and one thing I find distracting is when the author renders his dialect phonetically. It is not always obvious what he is saying, and I had to "sound it out". It seems she did this less and less and the series continued. 

 

 

Affinities by Mary Roberts Rinehart, 1920

 

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About the author: Mary Roberts Rinehart (1876 – 1958) was an American writer, often called the American Agatha Christie, although her first mystery novel was published 14 years before Christie's first novel in 1920. Rinehart is considered the source of the phrase "The butler did it" from her novel The Door (1930), although the novel does not use the exact phrase. Rinehart is also considered to have invented the "Had-I-But-Known" school of mystery writing, with the publication of The Circular Staircase (1908). (from a Wikipedia article).

Locale: England

Débutantes get into some crazy adventures in this collection of five charming girls-in-trouble stories. 

Affinities: Fanny and her friends (all married) have a marvelous idea: In addition to their husbands, each wife should have a platonic male friend (their affinity) and spend time with just them. The wives all match up with their chosen affinity and head off to a picnic on an island. There is a mixup and Fanny and her affinity get marooned by themselves. How will they save their reputations?

The Family Friend: Kit is ready to be married to Russell, but a friend convinces her to elope with her childhood friend Henry instead - the night before the wedding. 

Carla's Little Escapade: Clara and Roger are out for a drive and get stuck in a rainstorm. The car winds up stuck in the creek, and, soaking wet, they seek shelter. It is very late when they enter what they believe an empty house, but are surprised by who is waiting inside.

The Borrowed House: Poppy and her sufragettes have a bold plan: kidnap the Prime Minister and hold him hostage until he agrees with their demands for the women's vote. They take over an empty house for the adventure.

Sauce for the Gander: Poppy and her sufragettes set out posting votes-for-women signs and graduate to infiltrating a government meeting. Things get complicated when they get locked in with all the men, and the only key has been slipped down the back of Poppy's dress, completely out of reach.  

Mini-review: "Débutantes Gone Wild" would be a good subtitle. This collection of five stories has the girls getting into some crazy messes, chases, and situations as they try to resolve things without harming their reputations, yet always putting it on over the men. We have a lady stuck on an island with a man (not her husband!), sufragettes kidnapping the Prime Minister, housebreaking, stolen cars and boats, kisses in railway tunnels, keys dropped down corsets, and of course wild chases! A fun romp with Mary Roberts Rinehart!

The Eye of Osiris by R. Austin Freeman, 1911

 

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About the author: Richard Freeman (1862-1943) became a medical trainee at Middlesex Hospital Medical College, and was accepted as a member of the Royal College of Surgeons. He became a writer of detective stories, mostly featuring the medico-legal forensic investigator Dr Thorndyke. (excerpt from Goodreads)

Series: This is Dr. John Thorndyke #3.

Major characters:

• Dr. John Thorndyke, lecturer in forensics
• Dr. Paul Berkeley, a GP (General Practitioner), our narrator
• John Bellingham, archeologist, missing for two years
• Godfrey Bellingham, his brother
• Ruth Bellingham, Godfrey's daughter
• George Hurst, cousin to the Bellingham brothers
• Arthur Jellicoe, John Bellingham's lawyer

Synopsis: Forensics lecturer Dr. John Thorndyke points out a newspaper story to his students. An archeologist, John Bellingham, had disappeared from his brother Godfrey Bellingham's home without a trace. He was last seen by a maid, sitting in Godfrey's library, waiting for John to arrive. Thorndike point of interest to the class is the legal point of succession: what is the last moment it can be proven Bellingham was alive? The case is complicated by the finding of a scarab, a curio John Bellingham's always carried, in the yard of his cousin George Hurst. Did John go from Godfrey's to Hurst's and lose the scarab there? Or did he leave Hurst's, lose the scarab, and then go to Godfrey's? 

Two years later, one of the students, Dr. Paul Berkeley, is called to treat Godfrey. Recalling the class two years earlier, he gets an update from Godfrey. Godfrey is nearly destitute, and his brother's will in his favor cannot be probated since he cannot be shown to be dead. 

Suddently bones are found in various places in the area, including on property owned by John Bellingham. The bones could be his. Bellingham had several injuries could identify his body, including a tattoo of the Eye of Osiris; yet none of the found bones are those which could be identified.

The legal point of succession comes into play. If Bellingham can be shown or presumed dead, the will can be probated. But the will is strange: Brother Godfrey inherits in one circumstance, else cousin Hurst inherits. 

Mini-review: Legal technicalities abound in interpreting this strange will. The action is continuous with new revelations always popping up. The coroner's inquest is hilarious and provides a lot of comic relief when the witnesses make the coroner look foolish. A romantic subplot with Berkeley and Ruth rounds out this well-constructed novel.

You may also enjoy this review by Bev Hankins on My Reader's Block. 

Phantom Hollow by Gerald Verner, 1933

 

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This is Trevor Lowe #1. The series is available in "boxed sets" for the Amazon Kindle.

About the author: Gerald Verner (1897-1980) was the pseudonym of British writer John Robert Stuart Pringle.

Mini-synopsis (from Goodreads): When Tony Frost and his colleague Jack Denton arrive for a holiday at Monk’s Lodge, an ancient cottage deep in the Somerset countryside, they are immediately warned off by the local villagers and a message scrawled in blood across a window:  "THERE IS DANGER. GO WHILE YOU CAN!’

Tony invites his friend, the famous dramatist and criminologist Trevor Lowe, to come and help — but the investigation takes a sinister turn when the dead body of a missing estate agent is found behind a locked door in the cottage.

Mini-review: This immediately struck me as The Hardy Boys grown up, with the two boys (Tony Frost and Jack Denton) as adults, aided by dramatist Trevor Lowe, the stand-in for Fenton Hardy! We have all the elements: the two are in constant peril, being tied up, being gassed, messages scrawled in blood, warning notes attached to a dagger driven into the tabletop! And of course, lots of chapter-ending cliffhangers. A good romp with constant action. I was always waiting for the "dramatist" role to come into play, but it did not. 

Wings of Fear by Mignon G. Eberhart, 1945

 

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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:

• Monica Blane, our protagonist
• Eric Weller, a Frenchman
• Linda Chavon, Monica's friend
• John Basevi
• Gibbs Brooke
• "Uncle" Bill Fiske, elderly lawyer
• Pinky, an elevator operator
• Joe Sproul, a mysterious swarthy character
• Fae Demuth, née de Rissaud
• Carlos Demouth, Fae's husband

Locale: New York City, Chicago, St. Louis, Mexico City

Synopsis: Monica Blane and John Besevi were raised by an attorney, "Uncle Bill Fiske". Monica and John and two friends, Linda Chavon and Gibbs Brooke, take an extended vacation in the French Riviera. They are hosted by Fae de Rissaud (later to marry Carlos Demuth). They pick up another companion, Eric Weller.

It is 1939 and the approaching war sends Europe into turmoil. Monica, Eric, and Gibbs return to the US, but lose track of Linda and John for five years. Linda and John were to be married, but perhaps this did not occur. Linda, in love with John, hopes to reunite with him.

Now 1944, Linda, in New York, receives a tiny note concealed in a French-style medicine cachet. The note is from Linda, pleading for help. After a dinner date, Eric comes to Linda's apartment. They quarrel, and Eric is found dead. 

Uncle Bill fears Monica will be suspected of Eric's murder, and having now heard from John, sends her on a mission to Mexico City to deliver funds he needs. She travels by air via Chicago and St. Louis. She meets up with Gibbs, now in the Army, along the way. She realizes a fellow traveler, Joe Sproul, is following her, and now there are two attempts on her life - but she suspects Gibbs. 

Review: Set in the uncertain times around World War II, this follows four friends (and a fifth they pick up) trying to vacation in the Riviera, but cutting it short due to the drumbeats of war. It gives a good insight into the uncertainty of the times. Monica is our protagonist, and winds up in Mexico City where most of the action takes place. The setting is a villa in the usual Eberhart style - a two story open square residence with overlooking balconies. There is much suspense as Monica deals with a mysterious man (Sproul) following her, and ultimately suspecting the man (Gibbs) she saw as her protector.

I especially found interesting the description of a system which members of the resistance used to identify each other, whether dead or alive, and would not be discovered by the Axis powers. The system was simple, and involved carrying a token coin with a certain date on it, and making a tiny notch in the edge adjacent to the date. Mixed in with other pocket change, it was not suspicious at all, but could be shown as a token, or used as an identity clue if found on a body. I don't know if this was a real system or not, but it certainly sounded plausible.

A high-suspense wartime novel from Eberhart's most productive middle period. 

 

Escape the Night by Mignon G. Eberhart, 1944

 

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:

• Serena "Sissy" March, New York script writer, our protagonist
• Amanda Condit, her older sister
• Sutton Condit, Amanda's husband, ranch owner
• Luisa de la Vega Condit, Sutton's aunt
• Leda Blagden, Amanda's friend
• Johnny Blagden, Leda's just ex-husband
• Jeremy "Jem" Daly, Serena's lost love
• Dr. Dave Seabrooke, researcher
• Bill Lanier, US Army

Locale: Monterey, California

Synopsis: Script writer Serena March - originally from California - takes a vacation from her New York City office to visit her sister Amanda Condit, who is married to wealthy Sutton Condit; owner of a large ranch on the Monterey, California peninsula. It has been four years since Amanda's wedding, at which time Serena fell in love with Jeremy "Jem" Daly. She could not attain a relationship with him, and left California for New York to escape. Now she is returning, and as she hoped, meets up with Jem again. He is unchanged, and the chemistry seems intact.

However, the former camaraderie of the Condits and their friends seems to have dissolved, and there is tension and bitterness; which Serena senses but cannot understand. There are rumors about others, particularly Johnny Blagden, having affairs with Amanda. Sutton's aunt, Luisa de le Vega Condit, goes walking on the cliffs with Serena and falls to her death. During the investigation, another killing occurs, and Serena is the prime suspect by circumstantial evidence.

Review: This title features two of Eberhart's usual setups: the protagonist (Serena) in a love triangle (she loves Jem, who loves Amanda); and the action occurring in a fascinating sort of Spanish architecture. Eberhart's stories frequently use a three or four sided residence built around an open patio/courtyard, two stories, bedrooms upstairs, with verandas around the inside with spiral stairs on either side. This provides opportunites for persons on the verandas to observe and listen to the people below. This story has these two exterior stairs as the only connection between floors, handy for the plot but totally impractical for a residence. In any event, I always look forward to stories using this sort of residence, as it is already in my mind's eye.

It is interesting seeing how the four years' absence - and the war -has changed the group of friends for the worse. Amanda deteriorates before our eyes. 

I did pick the killer out early on. But that's OK, still an engaging story.

Terror by Twilight by Kathleen Moore Knight, 1942

 

This is Margot Blair #3 (of 4).

Major characters:

• Benjamin K. Embrie, wealthy patriarch
• Sam Embrie, his brother
• Countess Adelaide von Reisenau, his sister
• Count Hans von Reisenau, his brother-in-law
• Brooke K. Embrie, his disinherited son
• Adele Embrie Bourne, his missing daughter
• Arthur Bourne, Adele's husband
• Judith Maine, Arthur's secretary and in line to be wife #2
• Deborah Bourne, daughter of Arthur and Adele
• Adrian Ambrie, Deborah's second cousin
• Remsen Gray, reclusive neighbor
• Dan Murphy, chauffeur
• Donal Craigie, butler
• Janet Craigie, housekeeper, wife of Donal
• Margot Blair, of Norman and Blair, Public Relations
• Corey Graham, newspaper liaison for Norman and Blair, Public Relations

Locale: The Berkshires of western Massachusetts

Synopsis: Millionaire Benjamin K. Embrie hires public relations outfit Norman and Blair, paying a handsome monthly fee just to keep them ready if needed. He then approaches Margot Blair to serve as a support for his sheltered granddaughter, Deborah Bourne, buying her clothes and other things as needed; as her mother Adele Bourne has been missing for years and is presumed dead. Margot gets invited to his home Thistle Hills in the Berkshires to meet Deborah.  Embrie dies while she is en route.

Margot meets Deborah and finds it is believed she suffers from a periodic violent mania, in which it is believed she was responsible for some pet deaths. Embrie's will benefits his family equally, but it turns out that he was on the verge of signing a new will,  leaving everything to Deborah. When his death is found to be by poison, suspicion rests on the family members; who are all trying to point the finger at Deborah instead. 

Margot teams up with her newspaper liaison, Corey Graham and butler Donal Craigie to investigate who killed Embrie, and whether Deborah really has a mania or not.

Review: This has the standard formula of the victim being murdered just prior to signing a new will. (Moral: Don't tell anyone until after you sign it). 

The story is about the relatives "gaslighting" Deborah - making her think she is insane, in order to  get her found incompetent to inherit under a will.

I didn't care for the two instances of killing pets. This dampened my enjoyment of the story. I have read most of K.M. Knight's stories, this is the only one which has that.

I was not able to figure out Adrian Embrie's relationship until the end. He is identified as Deborah's distant cousin, he wanted to marry Deborah, and his parents are named but not connected up to family until at the end it is mentioned he is Sam's grandson (making him a second cousin to Deborah).

Also note the "twilight" in the title does not reference literal twilight, but rather the medical treatment known as "twilight sleep" which is a plot element. An AI inquiry defined this as: "Twilight sleep, also known as Dämmerschlaf, is an amnesic state characterized by insensitivity to pain, which can occur with or without the loss of consciousness. This technique was primarily developed for use during childbirth and involves the administration of a combination of drugs, specifically morphine and scopolamine. The purpose of twilight sleep is to manage pain during labor while allowing the patient to remain in a semi-conscious state."

 

 

The Broken Vase by Rex Stout, 1941

 

This is Techumseh Fox #3. 

No review, cover photo only.

Siren in the Night by Leslie Ford, 1943

dustjackets.com

About the author: Leslie Ford is a pseudonym of Zenith Jones Brown, 1898-1984. She also wrote as David Frome and Brenda Conrad. Here is her bibliography. Also see this Book Scribbles blog: Leslie Ford's Fall From Grace. 

Major characters:

• Loring Kimball, philanthropist
• Lucy Kimball, his second wife
• Amelia Kimball, his stepdaughter
• Thorne Kimball, his daughter
• Nat Donahue, indebted to Loring
• Ilya Donahue, his nasty wife
• Prentiss Vale, architect
• Dr. & Mrs. Norton
• The Butts family, Mr. & Mrs and son Freddie
• Grace Latham, narrator
• Col. John Primrose
• Jim Brodie, newspaper feature writer

Locale: San Francisco, 1942

Synopsis: Grace Latham is our narrator, and she describes San Joaquin Terrace where the action takes place. There are six houses in order (the street is U-shaped but that is immaterial):

1. Grace Latham & Molly Macintyre
2. Nat & Ilya Donahue
3. Mr. & Mrs. Prentiss Vale
4. Loring Kimball
5. Dr. & Mrs. Norton
6. Mr. & Mrs. Butts and son Freddie

San Francisco is on edge due to the war, and there are frequent blackouts to prevent bombing by the Japanese. The story centers on philanthropist Loring Kimball, his second wife Lucy, daughter Thorne and stepdaughter Amelia. His first wife reportedly died in the San Francisco fire. Kimball is seen as an eccentric, having physically moved his Victorian home up the hill to its present location, next to architect Prentiss Vale's modern home.  He keeps his first wife's bedroom as a shrine, as it was, locked, with the lights on all night. This has become a concern as the wardens have to get the light turned off during blackouts.

Neighbor Nat Donahue is employed by Kimball, who controls him by holding a number of financial notes owed by Donahue. Although married to Ilya, Nat is in love with Kimball's daughter, Thorne.

Kimball is working in his study one night, as the air raid siren goes off. All the lights in the neighborhood go out, and when the All Clear sounds, he is found dead at his desk. An autopsy reveals poisoning by cyanide.

Review: This book gives a thorough description of life in San Francisco during the war, with the frequent air raid warnings and blackout procedures. The story is fascinating, with a lot of drama between the neighbors, as well as the mystery of the locked shrine room and the unrequited love story of Nat and Thorne. I enjoyed the first 95% of the story, but I did not like the ending. It revealed the murderer, but the conclusion was sad, and to my mind, an unnecessary resolution.