The Excursion Train by Edward Marston (2005)

 

Series: Railway Detective #2

About the author: Edward Marston is a pseudonym of Keith Miles.

Major characters:

Inspector Robert Colbeck, Scotland Yard
Sam Horlock, railway policeman
Tod Galway, train guard (conductor)

Bill Hignett, "The Bargeman", a prizefighter
Isaac Rosen, "Mad Isaac", a prizefighter

Jacob Guttridge/Bransby;   public executioner (victim)
Louise Guttridge/Bransby, his widow
Michael Guttridge/Eames; their son
Becky Guttridge/Eames; Michael's wife

William Calcraft, public executioner

Superintendent Edward Tallis

Inspector Robert Colbeck

Sergeant Victor Leeming

Locale: London and environs

Synopsis:

Review:

Sep 25 2025 reading now, please check back.  RM

All for the Love of a Lady by Leslie Ford, 1943

 

Series: Colonel Primrose #11

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

Locale: Washington DC

Major characters:

• Grace Latham, our narrator
• Colonel John Primrose
• Sgt. Phineas T. Buck
• Molly Crane, nurse's aide
• Cass Crane, her husband
• Randy Fleming, Molly's former boyfriend
• D.J. Durbin, mysterious war industry financier
• Achille, his chauffeur
• Courtney Durban, his wife
• Duleep Singh, economist
• Horace Blodgett, corporate lawyer
• Corinne Blodgett, his wife
• Mr. Austin, a.k.a. Mr. Armistead
• Lons Sondauer, a.k.a. Louis Skagerlund

Synopsis: In the midst of wartime Washington DC, the story follows two couples: Cass and Molly Crane - Cass being expected home on leave any moment, and Molly a nurse's aide. D.J. Durbin, wealthy industrialist and his wife Courtney. The couples are connected as Cass and Courtney had intended to marry before she met Durbin. On the side is Randy Fleming, Molly's former boyfriend. Problems begin when Cass notifies Courtney (not his wife) that he will be home any moment. Then Durbin's chauffeur, Achille, dies after drinking poisoned alcohol in the Crane's home - but for whom was it intended?

Please note there are troubling references to animal abuse/killing (cats and kittens) as well as two instances of the N-word, as used in the old colloquial expression about a woodpile. Cat lovers may wish to take a pass on this one.

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

Three at Wolfe's Door by Rex Stout, 1960

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)

This title contains three novellas.

Poison à la  Carte: Wolfe's cook, Fritz Brenner, is hired by a gourmet club to prepare their annual dinner. Ten members are seated, and the courses are served by ten women hired from an acting agency. One member, Vincent Pyle, a theatrical producer, is known by several of the women as having made advances toward them. He suddenly becomes ill and within hours is dead of aresenic poisoning. Wolfe's task is to find which of the ten women did it.

Mini-review: It is difficult to follow which woman served which member unless it is charted out, and I didn't bother. They narrow the field down quickly, then use a clever ruse to make the killer reveal herself. The coaching and use of Zoltan, a kitchen worker, is quite enjoyable.

Method Three for Murder: Archie has one of his occasional spats with Wolfe and, as usual, quits. On his way out the door, he encounters Mira Holt coming in. She hires him on the spot for a consultation, but has a thin story. Complicating matters is the cab at the curb, empty except for a dead woman inside. Archie suggests to her three methods of dealing with the police: Say nothing, Say the whole truth, or pick a simple lie and stick to it.

Mini-review: There's a few too many characters for this short novella, and the timeline analysis is a bit overdone, but the major characters are well done. The tough-talking woman cabbie is a delight.

The Rodeo Murder: Archie's flame, wealthy Lily Rowan, hosts a contest at her rooftop penthouse. Cowboys toss a lasso over the edge, and try to lasso a horse ridden slowly past the building. One cowboy can't find his rope, and when he does, it is around the neck of one of the other cowboys - dead. 

Mini-review: The cowboy drawl and vocabulary got tiring pretty quickly. That plus the ridiculous setup of a lasso contest in Manhattan made the whole thing quite unreal; and the sorting out of alibis tedious. Worst of the three stories.

 

The White Elephant Mystery by Ellery Queen, Jr., 1950

 

About the author: Ellery Queen Jr. is a house pseudonym for this young adult series of mysteries.

 

Major characters:

• Djuna
• Tommy Williams, his friend
• Miss Annie Ellery, Djuna's guardian(?)
• Mr. George Boots, carpenter
• "Socker" Furlong, reporter
• "Cannonball" McGinnty, state trooper
• Alvah Grant, founder of the circus (dead prior to story)
• Sonny Grant, Alvah's son, new owner of the circus
• Norman "Spitfire" Peters, aerialist
• Trixie Cella, Spitfire's wife, aerialist
• Ned Barrow, Spitfire's catcher

Synopsis: Djuna and his friend Tommy Williams are excited when the circus comes to town, and obtain free passes from local carpenter George Boots. They meet up with their friends (from previous books) reporter "Socker" Furlong and state trooper "Cannonball" McGinnty. They learn the circus has a new owner, Sonny Grant, who inherited it after the passing of his father, Alvah Grant. Sonny is learning the business now himself, and relations are strained between him and the circus staff.

Socker and Cannonball warn Djuna to look out for grifters who travel with the circus, and urge them to only observe, but take no action themselves. As the circus opens, one grifter is caught, and aerialist "Spitfire" Peters is injured from a fall during an acrobatic maneuver. Before Spitfire is taken to the hospital, he whispers "The White Elephant" to Djuna. This is apparently some sort of clue. There are two possible white elephants in sight - a real one (enhanced with paint) in the circus, and an iron statue of one on old Alvah's Grant's lawn. Djuna finds a third one while searching for Alvah's lost will.

Review: There is a lot going on in this young adult novel, including some more grown-up themes that you won't find in the Hardy Boys. I was surprised at how young and independent Djuna and Tommy are, perhaps age 12 or 13, going from town to town with little supervision, riding around in a police car, sneaking into the hospital, and staying at a hotel with no adults along. 

The story revolves around the coming to town of the circus. The descriptions of the complex setup and arrangements are well done, and show inside knowledge of how it all comes together. Mixed in to this are some shady characters, grifters (with explanations of how some grifting is accomplished), threats, a shooting, explanations of legal implications of wills and the results of dying intestate.

This story brings to my mind how kids used to roam around town unsupervised (as I did) and never got into any messes, so unlike today when they are monitored - in person or electronically - every moment.

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

The titles in the Ellery Queen Jr. series are:

• The Black Dog Mystery (1941)  
• The Golden Eagle Mystery (1942)  
• The Green Turtle Mystery (1944)  
• The Red Chipmunk Mystery (1946)  
• The Brown Fox Mystery (1948)  
• The White Elephant Mystery (1950)  
• The Yellow Cat Mystery (1952)  
• The Blue Herring Mystery (1954)  
• The Purple Bird Mystery (1966) 
• The Mystery of the Merry Magician (1954) 
• The Mystery of the Vanished Victim (1954)