Edward "Scuttle" Beaver, Leith's valet and a police spy
Wednesday, March 12, 2025
The Seven Sinister Sombreros by Erle Stanley Gardner, 1939
Edward "Scuttle" Beaver, Leith's valet and a police spy
Friday, March 7, 2025
Peril at End House by Agatha Christie, 1932
- "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
- this review by Gayle (OutsmartYourShelf)
- this review by Bev Hankins on My Reader's Block.
Burnt Offering by Richard & Frances Lockridge, 1955
- 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
- this review by Bev Hankins on My Reader's Block
- this review by Kate on Cross Examining Crime
Thursday, February 27, 2025
Enter the Saint by Leslie Charteris, 1930
- Simon Templar, The Saint
- Norman Kent, one of the Saint's "haloes"
- Roger Conway, one of the Saint's "haloes"
- Dicky Tremayne, one of the Saint's "haloes"
- Patricia Holm, Simon's girlfriend
- Chief Inspector Claude Eustace Teal
The Saint infiltrates a gambling den at "Danny's Club", run by owner Edgar Hayn and cocaine smuggler 'Snake' Ganning. He enlists the help of gambling-debt-laden Jerry Stannard and his girlfriend Gwen Chandler. The plan is to get a hold of $10,000 of ill-gotten gains and route them to charity, while getting Stannard back on the right path.
Mini-review: This is the standard Saint pattern: a repulsive crook, an innocent in need of help, a beautiful girl, and a plan to teach the crook a lesson. Lots of action and fisticuffs.
The Policeman With Wings
Roger Conway meets a girl, Betty Aldo, who has a strange story. Her uncle Sebastian built a house seven years ago; and suddenly some characters are insisting on buying the property. He had stubbornly refused, and one day he was seen getting into a car with a policeman; and neither were heard from again. Even stranger, no policeman is missing.
Mini-review: A clever setup with the bad guys suddenly interested in real estate. The Saint turns the tables on the fake policeman scam and has Roger Conway masquerade as one as well, but everybody gets tied up in a house full of dynamite with a slow-burning fuse. High adventure!
Countess Anusia Marova has chartered a yacht to entertain some rich guests. However, her real name is Audrey Perowne, and she is the head of a group of crooks set on robbing the guests. The Saint is set on infiltrating her operation, as one of her crooks had murdered an innocent girl. Simon is too well known, and deputizes Dicky Tremayne to get aboard as one of the gang.
Mini-review: Dicky Tremaine handles most of the action, with The Saint popping in for a cameo at the end. Infiltration of the gang and the resulting love interest stretches believablity, but it's all in good fun and revenge is properly taken.
Monday, February 24, 2025
The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories by Agatha Christie, 1932-1939
1. The Regatta Mystery: At a luncheon following a yachting party, C. Parker Pyne investigates the case of a valuable diamond. It went missing in a "sealed" room after a teenage girl giggles that she could make it disappear.
2. The Mystery of the Baghdad Chest: Marguerita Clayton's husband is dead, and stuffed in a trunk. Before the body is cold, she wants Hercule Poirot on the case; not to find the killer, but to exonerate her lover.
3. How Does Your Garden Grow? Amelia Barrowby writes to Hercule Poirot for advice. Before he can respond, she is dead by poison. He visits the family to find not only were they awaiting her inheritance, but placed a curious arrangement in her flower garden.
4. Problem at Pollensa Bay: On vacation in Spain, C. Parker Pyne meets Adela Chester, who certainly does not approve of her son Basil's fiancée, Betty. Pyne manages to adjust Adela's attitude with the help of a mysterious Miss Ramona.
5. Yellow Iris: Hercule Poirot is lured to a dinner party at the Jardin des Cygnes (Garden of the Swans), where there are five present at a table for six, marked by a vase of yellow irises. The host, Barton Russell, explains the dinner is in honor of his dead wife, Iris, who died of poison at a similar party in New York four years earlier; and he knows the murderer is one of them. As Poirot watches, one of the party falls face down on the table.
6. Miss Marple Tells a Story: Mr. Rhodes is suspected of killing his wife in a connecting hotel room. Her room was found locked on the inside, with access only through his own room. Miss Marple figures out who - and how - it was done. The layout is critical, here is my sketch map which will allow you to follow along:
7. The Dream: Benedict Farley asks for Hercule Poirot's advice. He has a recurring dream of looking at his office clock (3:28 PM) and then shooting himself. A week after Poirot interviewed him, he is found shot dead at 3:28 in his locked room. Despite appearances of suicide, Poirot smells murder.
8. In a Glass Darkly: Our unnamed narrator sees a vision in his mirror, of a woman he admires being strangled by her fiancé. He finally gets the nerve to warn her about it, but then it happens for real. Can this marriage be saved?
9. Problem at Sea: Henpecked Colonel Clapperton and his annoying wife are on a voyage. She retires to her cabin to rest, locking her door. Later she is found murdered in her bed. Hercule Poirot stages a theatrical trick to expose the murderer.
Mini-reviews:
The Regatta Mystery: We find how the diamond disappears, but the whole episode of the broken wine glass escapes relevance to me.
Miss Marple Tells a Story: Best of the batch. I spent an enjoyable time sketching out the layout (above) and using it to follow the paths of two characters - the chambermaid and the killer. It is a clever setup and quite satisfying when you understand how it was done.
Problem at Pollensa Bay: No murder here, just a social engineering episode. Good reading if you don't like who your son/daughter chooses for a mate and you want to "fix" it.
Yellow Iris: Both this story and Miss Marple Tells a Story use the theme of "invisible" people. The two stories are similar, but with a different cast and locale.
The Dream: How to commit a murder which only requires a tremendous amount of advance planning. Interesting way to lure your victim to the window. But why shoot him? Just let him fall out...
In a Glass Darkly: No murder here, but a long-term infatuation turns out OK in the end, all happily ever after. Satisfying, although unfortunate husband #1 got killed in the war. Did you catch the biblical reference? (title from 1 Corinthians 13:12)
Recommendations:
- Locked-room fans will enjoy 1,6,7,9.
- Murder mystery fans will enjoy 2,3,5,6,7
- Cozy fans will enjoy 4.
You may also enjoy this review by Bev Hankins on My Reader's Block.
Sunday, February 16, 2025
Double for Death by Rex Stout, 1939
- Nancy Grant, Fox's client
- Andrew Grant, Nancy's uncle - accused of murder
- Ridley Thorpe, president of Thorp Control
- Jeffrey Thorpe, Ridley's son
- Miranda (Thorpe) Pemberton, Ridley's daughter (divorced)
- Vaughn Kester, Ridley's confidential secretary
- Luke Wheer, Ridley's chauffeur/valet
- Dorothy Duke, Ridley's mistress
- Henry Jordan, Dorothy's father
- Corey Arnold, Ridley's stand-in
- Tecumseh Fox, private investigator
- Dan Pavey, Tecumseh's Vice President
- Ben Cook, White Plains Chief of Police
- P.L. Derwin, District Attorney of Westchester County
Wednesday, February 12, 2025
Death Answers the Bell by Valentine Williams, 1931
- Miss Aline Innesmore, from New York
- Sir Charles "Chass" and Lady Julia Rossway
- Sholto Rossway, their son, 26
- Geraldine "Gerry" Rossway, Sholto's wife, 23
- Rodney Rossway, their son, 25
- Barrasford "Barry" Swete, tenant and family friend
- Mr. Murch, Sir Charles' secretary
Sunday, February 9, 2025
Road to Folly by Leslie Ford, 1940
- Phyllis Lattimer, wealthy, ambitious, owns Darien plantation
- Rusty Lattimer, her husband
- Anne Lattimer, Rusty's sister
- Brad Porter, Phyllis' ex
- Felice Marin, French maid
- Miss Caroline Reid, 80-year old matriarch
- Atwell Reid, her nephew, deceased before story
- Mrs. Elsie Reid, Atwell's widow, Caroline's niece (by marriage)
- Jennifer Reid, Elsie's 22-year old daughter
- Colleton Reid, Elsie's son
Thursday, February 6, 2025
Again the Three Just Men by Edgar Wallace, 1928
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.
This is a series of ten short stories featuring the three just men: Leon Gonsalez (a.k.a. Señor Mandrelino), George Manfred (a.k.a. Señor Fuentes), and --- Poiccart; and Scotland Yard Assistant Commissioner Reginald Fare. The three are described thus: "The 'Three Just Men' was an organisation which set itself to right acts of injustice which the Law left unpunished. It is believed that the members were exceedingly rich men who devoted their lives and fortunes to this quixotic but wholly unlawful purpose." The stories are best read in order, as some refer back to previous ones.
The Man Who Lived at Clapham: Noah Stedland had an office and fancied himself a financier, but his real occupation was blackmail.
The Man With the Canine Teeth: Professor Tableman is found dead in his laboratory, apparently strangled. The Three Just Men have a different theory.
The Man Who Hated Earthworms: Dr. Viglow is engaged to be married to Miss Moleneux, but she is concerned about his erratic behavior, and his hatred of earthworms.
The Man Who Died Twice: Gregory Ballam operates an opium den and gambling operation in three adjoining houses, until the Three Just Men send him to "prison".
The Man Who Hated Amelia Jones: Amelia Jones approaches the Three Just Men. She is worried her imprisoned husband is going to 'do her in' when he is released. The Three Just Men provide an alternate victim.
The Man Who Was Happy: Leon Gonsalez has a problem: A criminal has discovered he is one of the Three Just Men. And Lord Pertham has a marriage problem: too many wives. The Three Just Men set out to fix both problems.
The Man Who Loved Music: Mr. Lynne cannot get to sleep unless he plays his record of Tschaikovsky's "1812" - very loud, annoying the neighbors. The Three Just Men use the ruckus to their own advantage.
The Man Who Was Plucked: Jack Eden, neighbor to Manfred and Gonsalez, is despondent over gambling debts. He attempts - and fails - suicide, and the Three Just Men go after the the man who caused the whole thing.
The Man Who Would Not Speak: Clever "Spaghetti" Jones pulls off a kidnapping, and won't reveal where the child is hidden, until the Three Just Men find a way to make him talk.
The Man Who Was Acquitted: Dr. Twenden poisoned his wife, and got away with it. Until the Three Just Men figure out how it was done.
Ten short stories - each one a good length for a bedtime read before turning out the light, and going to sleep knowing justice has prevailed.
Monday, February 3, 2025
Murder on Cape Cod by Maddie Day, 2019
Series: This is Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery #1.
About the author: Maddie Day is a pseudonym of Edith Maxwell. She is a talented amateur chef and holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics from Indiana University. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America and also writes award-winning short crime fiction which has appeared in a number of juried anthologies. She lives with her beau and three cats in Massachusetts. (Fantastic Fiction)
Major characters:
- Mackenzie "Mac" Almeida, bike shop owner
- Derrick Searle, Mac's half brother
- Florence "Flo" Wolanski, librarian
- Gin Malloy, candy shop owner
- Zane King, distiller
- Stephen ----, Zane's husband
- Tulia Peters, lobstah shack owner
- Norland Gifford, retired chief of police
- Jake Lacey, handyman
- Tim Brunelle, Mac's boyfriend
- Orlean Brown, Mac's bike mechanic
- Suzanne Wolanski, Flo's daughter, bookstore owner
- Mysterious person #1: Wesley Farnham, wealthy visitor
- Mysterious person #2: Katherine Deloit, "blazer woman"
- Mysterious person #3: Wendy Rawson, "the happy/sad woman"
- Chief of Police Victoria Laitinen
- Detective Lincoln Haskins
members of the Cozy Capers Book Group
Locale: Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Synopsis: Mackenzie "Mac" Almeida owns a bike shop on Cape Cod. She is returning from a meeting of the Cozy Capers Book Group on a foggy night, and trips over a body - that of handyman Jake Lacey. She sees a knife in his neck, with a distinctive haft, belonging to her half-brother Derrick Searle. Derrick is nowhere to be found.
Mac had been observed in a confrontation with Lacey earlier over his work on her roof, which raises the suspicion of police chief Victoria Laitinen. Mac and the book group decide to do some investigating on their own, and share their findings with Detective Lincoln Haskins. They come up with three persons of immediate interest: Wesley Farnham, wealthy mainland apartment house owner; Katherine Deloit (a.k.a. blazer woman), and an unidentified "sad woman". No sooner than they begin making progress, when Mac gets warned off, and an attempt made on her lift.
Review: Cozy mysteries are new to me, and I certainly enjoyed this one. I realize why. I tend to read mostly golden-age mysteries, which have a lot in common with cozies: simple plots, generally one victim, no blood, no gory wound descriptions, no bad language, no sex scenes.
Having been to Cape Cod a number of times, I found the writing authentic as to place and characters. Mac reminds me a lot of Kinsey Millhone of the Sue Grafton alphabet series, being a minimalist single introvert living in a tiny house - in fact, she (Kinsey) is even mentioned in a meeting of the book group.
My only quibble is the rather unbelieveable coincidence that mystery woman Katherine Deloit would stop her car just within earshot of Mac, get out, and have a loud cell phone conversation which reveals a lot of information.
I see there are seven titles in this series, and I will be looking out for others on Paperback Swap.
You may also enjoy these reviews by other members of The Mystillery:
- this review by Susan Jensen on Goodreads
- this review by Tari Hann on Goodreads
- this review by Karen Baroness on Baroness' Book Trove
- this review by Traci on Title Surfing with Traci
Tuesday, January 28, 2025
Cargo of Eagles by Margery Allingham, 1968
- Morty Kelsey, professor and historical writer
- James Teague, a released prisoner
- Target Burrows, ship's engineer, with a glass eye
- H.O. Wishart, poet
- Dixie Wishart, his wife, barkeep at "The Demon" [bar]
- Mossy Ling, the only one who has seen The [real] Demon
- Dr. Dido Jones
- Sir Albert Campion
Saturday, January 25, 2025
Murder in Retrospect by Agatha Christie, 1942
- Carla Lemarchant, Poirot's client
- Amyas Crale, a painter, her father (deceased prior to story)
- Caroline Crale, her mother (deceased prior to story)
- Angela Warren, Caroline's half-sister
- Cecilia Williams, Angela's childhood governess
- Philip Blake, stockbroker, was Amyas' best friend and neighbor
- Meredith Blake, herb and potion hobbyist, Philips's brother
- Elsa Greer, Amyas' 'other woman'. Now Lady Dittisham
- Hercule Poirot
Friday, January 17, 2025
The Wisdom of Father Brown by G.K. Chesterton, 1914
This is Father Brown #2.
About the author: Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874 – 1936) was an English author, philosopher, Christian apologist, and literary and art critic. He wrote around 80 books, several hundred poems, some 200 short stories, 4,000 essays (mostly newspaper columns), and several plays. His best-known character is the priest-detective Father Brown, who appeared only in short stories, while The Man Who Was Thursday is arguably his best-known novel. (Wikipedia)
This title is in the public domain and is available free from this page at Project Gutenberg. It consists of twelve short stories.
1. The Absence of Mr. Glass: Father Brown and criminologist Dr. Orion Hood investigate the mystery of James Todhunter, engaged to Maggie MacNab. Todhunter has some strange activities with a mysterious figure known as Mr. Glass.
- Mini-review: This has a wonderful description of Dr. Hood’s seaside library, and a clever locked room puzzle.
2. The Paradise of Thieves: Poet Muscari has his eye on lovely Ethel Harrogate. Along with her father, wealthy Samuel Harrogate; Father Brown, and guide Ezza Montano they set off sightseeing in the mountains of Spain, where brigands are known to operate.
- Mini-review: This story reminds me of the swashbucking adventures of The Saint, with romance, adventure, and fisticuffs.
3.The Duel of Dr. Hirsch: French Doctor Paul Hirsch has developed a noiseless explosive for the government. Colonel Jules Dubosc attempts to interefere, aided by two bystanders from the café across the street: M. Maurice Brun and M. Armand Armagnac.
- Mini-review: I couldn't figure out the point of this one, and why they were staging the entire drama.
4. The Man in the Passage: Actress Aurora Rome's dressing room is reached by a door off a long dark passage, which opens to the street on either end. Two admirers - Sir Wilson Seymour and Captain Cutler - enter her room simultaneously, to find her dead. They each observe a man in the passage, but their descriptions are wildly different.
- Mini-review: An impossible crime, but I saw how it was done right away. Better lighting in the passage would have prevented all this.
5. The Mistake of the Machine: A prison break and a case of mistaken identity are a test for the "Psychometric Machine", which Greywood Usher, warden of a Chicago prison, claims can detect lies.
- Mini-review: One thing leads to another, and a prison break sets the stage for this precursor of the lie detector.
6. The Head of Caesar: Christobel Carstairs notes a similarity between her boyfriend's face and that on a valuable coin depicting Caesar. As she gives it to him as a gift, another man with a crooked nose lurks nearby with his eye on the coin.
7. The Purple Wig: The Duke of Exmoor has taken to wearing a rather outrageous purple wig. Allegedlly it is to conceal a malformed ear, but it is really concealing something quite different.
8. The Perishing of the Pendragons: Father Brown takes a canoe trip and investigates a strange island tower, which has a more sinister purpose than watching for fires.
- Mini-review: This one requires a close read to catch the significance of the tower, which is mentioned too briefly at the end. You'll like this if you enjoyed Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier. Now you know.
10. The Salad of Colonel Cray: Father Brown visits the home of Major Putnam and Colonel Cray, just as a burglary is discovered. The thief took the silver and a cruet-stand, but Father Brown sees it as a diversion to something more sinister.
- Mini-review: Father Brown's techique of revealing the solution is a new one, although a full explanation of the mysterious echoes is not provided.
11. The Strange Crime of John Boulnois: Calhoun Kidd, reporter for the Western Sun, seeks to interview intellectual John Boulnois. Boulnois lives in Grey Cottage, outside the gates to Pendragon Park; whose master is having an affair with Boulnois' wife. Until he is murdered.
- Mini-review: Moral of the story - if you are having an affair with your neighbor, refrain from acting out "Romeo and Juliet" in the yard.
12. The Fairy Tale of Father Brown: Otto, Prince of Heiligwaldenstein, has a phobia of being outdoors and exposed. But he is found shot in the forest, and Father Brown solves the crime by telling a fairy tale.
- Mini-review: This story-within-a-story is a bit too complex, and could have used some editing. It was confusing as to which layer in the story we were.
Tuesday, January 14, 2025
Turn on the Heat by A.A. Fair, 1940
- "Mr. Smith", the client
- Dr. James C. Lintig, a.k.a. Charles Loring Alftmont, a specialist
- Amelia Lintig, his estranged wife
- Vivian Carter, his nurse, corespondent in his divorce action
- Marian Dunton, office staff of The Blade
- Evaline Dell Harris
- Flo Danzer, night club hostess
- Donald Lam, P.I., our narrator
- Bertha Cool, P.I.
Saturday, January 11, 2025
Over My Dead Body by Rex Stout, 1939
- Carla Lovchen, fencing coach
- Neya Tormic, fencing coach, Wolfe's daughter
- Nikola and Jeanne Miltan, owners of studio
- Nat Driscoll, who had the diamonds
- Percy Ludlow, agent of British government
- Madame Zorka, dressmaker
- Ted Gill, dancing student
- Rudolph Faber (The Chinless Wonder) agent of German government
- Arthur, the porter
- Nero Wolfe
- Archie Goodwin