The Clue of the Poor Man's Shilling by Kathleen Moore Knight, 1936

 

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Series: This is Elisha Macomber #2 (of 16) 

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.   

Locale: fictional Penberthy Island*

Major characters:

• Luella Paige, retired teacher, our narrator
• Dorcas Brothers, her housekeeper
• George & Cora Howland, lighthouse keepers
• Laura May Howland, their daughter
• Hiram Pearse, helper to George Howland
• Evan Ryder, friend of Laura
• Julian Hollister, rich Bostonian
• Lydia Hollister, Julian's (separated) wife
• Elisha Macomber, chairman of selectmen
• Buck Edwards, chief of police

Synopsis: Adjacent to Penbethy Island lies tiny Quantauk Island, not connected but served by a on-demand one-car ferry. Quantauk is the home of retired teacher (and our narrator) Luella Paige. In the summer, she sleeps in a room she has fashioned in her boathouse. She is awakened by a sound, to find the ferry afloat off her dock, with a car on it. She pulls it in to find the dead body of Julian Hollister. He was known as a well-to-do hard-drinking bounder, and his body shows signs of a fight. He is later found to have died from carbon monoxide poisoning, and the exhaust system of the car shows evidence of tampering.

When looking at the body, Luella found a white coin-shaped seed pod (photo) stuck on his sock - the seed pod of the Peter's Pence plant, also called 'The Poor Man's Shilling'. The plant is only known to grow on one location on the island. This leads Luella to begin investigating, teaming up with Board of Selectmen chair Elisha Macomber.

Quite a few people had motive to do away with Holllister. He had been playing up to local girl Laura May Howland, who hoped to marry him; much to dismay of her admirer Evan Ryder. Everyone is shocked when fashionable Lydia Hollister shows up to claim her husband's body - no one knew he was married. 

Review: This second of the series is a good page-turner with excellent atmosphere of foggy, damp, dark island nights. There is a lot of emphasis on how the various boats moved back and forth between the islands but I did not try to keep track of these movements. This one, as all the Macomber series, is good for lots of local color.

* Penberthy and Quantauk Islands are thinly-disguised versions of Knight's home, Martha's Vineyard and adjacent Chappaquiddick; sharing the same general shape, orientation, and general arrangement. Knight is buried on Martha's Vineyard.

Penberthy and Quantauk

Martha's Vineyard and Chappaquiddick (google maps)

The Seven Sinister Sombreros by Erle Stanley Gardner, 1939

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With a title like that, who can resist? This story is available as an e-book from this page at fadedpage.com.

Series: Lester Leith

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)

Major characters:

Lester Leith, amateur investigator
Edward "Scuttle" Beaver, Leith's valet and a police spy

Sgt. Ackley

Karl Bonneguard, political party leader

Job/Joe Wolganheimer, treasurer (first name inconsistent)

Io Wahine, hula dancer, Wolganheimer's girlfriend

Hanz Bettler, the drugged guard #1

Emil Bradercrust, guard #2

Locale: unstated, apparently California

Synopsis: This humorous series features the recurring characters of Lester Leith, who investigates crime by reading newspaper articles, his valet Edward "Scuttle" Beaver (who is really a police spy), and Sgt. Ackley, who is always trying to upstage Leith and take credit for his solutions. Leith generally gets some inspiration from the newspaper, and send Scuttle out  on some outrageous errands to gather items or clues for him.

Karl Bonneguard is the leader of a fringe political party, along with his treasurer Job/Joe Wolganheimer. Their stash of $100k is stolen from a safe in a locked room, guarded by Hanz Bettler. Bettler had been drugged, called for help, and party member Emil Bradercrust came to his rescue and wound up drugged as well. Leith sends Scuttle out to recruit hula dancers, cowpunchers, and seven sombreros; to the amazement of Sgt. Ackley.

Review: This is one of Gardner's paid-by-the-word pulp stories, and should be not taken too seriously. (As you can see, the issue was only 10 cents!) This does has a just-one-draft rush-to-crank-it-out flavor (which Gardner does so well), and best to just sit back and enjoy the ride as Leith gathers his odds and ends, and has some fun with the hula dancers. I also enjoyed the simple black and white illustrations reproduced from the magazine. A good quick bedtime read. 

Thanks to Linda B. (Kentucky) for discovering this gem.

Peril at End House by Agatha Christie, 1932

 

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Series: Hercule Poirot #8

Major characters:

• "Nick" Buckley
• Maggie Buckley, her cousin
• Cmdr. George Challenger, her boyfriend
• Charles Vyse, her cousin, a lawyer
• Frederica "Freddie" Rice, her friend
• Jim Lazarus, Frederica's consort
• Bert & Mildred "Milly" Croft, Australian tenants
• Ellen Wilson, housekeeper

Synopsis: Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings are on vacation when they meet Miss "Nick" Buckley. She reveals to them she has had three escapes from death in the past days. First, a heavy picture falls from over her bed. Second, a boulder rolls down the path to the beach towards her. Third, the brakes on her car were tampered with. No sooner does she describe these, when a bullet from the bushes pierces her hat.

Nick has a happy-go-lucky attitude about the whole thing. She introduces her companions: boyfriend Commander George Challenger, her best friend Frederica "Freddie" Rice, and Frederica's consort, Jim Lazarus. Freddie is married, but separated - her husband is in parts unknown.

Nick shows Poirot the scenes of each attempt, at her somewhat dilapidated house, End House; which is adjacent to Poirot's hotel. She rents the gatehouse cottage to an Australian couple, Bert Croft and his disabled wife Milly Croft. Questioned as to who may benefit from her death, it is only her cousin, lawyer Charles Vyse; to whom she has left End House in her will. 

Poirot urges Nick to never be alone, she recruits her cousin Maggie Buckley to come stay with her. One night, while everyone is watching fireworks across the bay, Maggie is wearing Nick's distinctive red shawl, and she is shot. Was she - or Nick - the intended victim?

Review: The aspects I liked are: 1). the small cast of characters, making it easy to keep track of the players, without a lot of cardboard two-dimensional red herrings coming in and out. 

2). Poirot's theatrical exposé at the end.

The aspect I didn't care for was the emergence of a significant character at the end of the story, so the reader doesn't get a chance to figure that person in along the way. The other "trick" Agatha pulled on the reader was a bit of surprise, surprise! regarding the names of the characters. (I had enough trouble following girls named Nick and Freddie!)

You may also enjoy:

• this review by Gayle (OutsmartYourShelf)
• this review by Bev Hankins on My Reader's Block.

 

Burnt Offering by Richard & Frances Lockridge, 1955

 

photo: AbeBooks

Series: This is Captain Heimrich #9.

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:

• Susan Faye, widow, fabric designer
• Michael Faye, her son
• Orville Phipps, banker, town supervisor
• Asa Pervis, tow truck operator
• Cornelia Van Brunt, matriarch widow
• Henry Van Brunt III, her son
• Sam Jackson, lawyer
• Capt. Merton Heimrich, NY State Police
• Marian Alden, his niece
• John Alden, her husband
• Sgt. Charlie Forniss

Locale: [fictional] Van Brunt, Putnam County, New York

Synopsis: Marian Alden, niece of NY State Police Captain Merton Heimrich, and her husband John Alden are anxious to fit in to their town of Van Brunt; and attend the local town meeting. All the NIMBYs are there to oppose a zoning change to allow smaller lot sizes the resulting influx of low-brows; and there is tension among the residents. Town Supervisor (and banker and land developer) Orville Phipps is chairing the meeting.

The meeting is interrupted by a fire at the fire station. The building and two engines are destroyed. Early in the morning, Asa Purvis, on towing duty at the garage across the street, finds Phipps' Jeep parked in his station. Thinking Phipps is looking at the fire station mess, he takes a look himself, and finds Phipps' burned body in the rubble. Did he die in the fire?

Captain Heimrich thinks the death suspicious. Widow Susan Faye reports she had been given a ride by Phipps long after the fire was out, and autopsy shows Phipps was dead before his body was placed in the rubble. Heimrich is attracted* to Susan, but discovers a possible motive she will inherit from Phipps, who was her cousin. Then her son Michael Faye is abducted briefly - and returned with a warning to forget whatever Phipps had told her. Someone then takes a shot at Asa Purvis.

*Heimrich and Susan will marry in a later title.

Review:  Well, I got spolier-ed on this one. I knew right off who the killer was, as a later book (I forget which) mentioned this specific case and I.D'd the killer. Serves me right for not reading them in order. But that did not diminish my enjoyment of this one.

I have served on my town's zoning board, so I felt right at home in the opening chapter as we get a play-by-play of the town meeting, complete with annoying NIMBY's. Fortunately the meeting only lasted the first chapter. 

I found it interesting how the well-to-do town had a specific section (The Flats) which has the down-and-outs. In the Hudson Valley, no less! And the town made nice pretty street signs, but none for The Flats. It made for some uncomfortable reading as the well-to-do's look down their noses and try to keep them from infiltrating the rest of the town; and kept calling to mind similar incidents of which I am aware. It was the catalyst for murder, but does it ever really rise to that point?

I enjoyed reading about Susan Faye before she and Heimrich got married. I had not realized what a tough position she had been in financially.

 While you're here, you may also enjoy:  

• this review by Bev Hankins on My Reader's Block
• this review by Kate on Cross Examining Crime