MY READER'S BLOCK

Treasure of Hemlock Mountain

2026-04-11T23:14:00.000-04:00

Treasure of Hemlock Mountain (1961) by Virginia Frances Voight

Charlene Fairhill is hoping to break into singing showbiz. She's just made friends with local boy turned singing idol, Dan Harris, and she hopes his connections will help her launch her own singing career. But her family has other plans...her father needs to go away for a rest, so she and her father are headed to the lonely Maine cabin that used to belong to her uncle (and now belongs to her father). She'll be gone the whole summer. And so much can happen in a summer.

There's a rumor that a lost cave of amethysts is on the land that used Bill Fairhill. Maybe she'll find buried treasure. There's also various boys vying for her attention--reliable Peter--her constant escort; Dan the handsome singer; and Eric the new young man she meets on Hemlock mountain. Maybe she'll find true love. And, of course, there's Dan's band and the promise of an audition with his manager. Maybe she'll find her career. Or maybe she'll find out that there's even more on offer. Charlene has a summer of mystery and adventure ahead--all leading to a lonely night spent lost on the mountain and a surprise she could never have dreamed up.

This is the type of story I might have enjoyed more when I was a teenager myself. At this point in life, I would have liked the mystery side of things to have a bit more meat to it. It's a pretty straight-forward treasure hunt with a side of coming-of-age for Charlene. An easy, fast read that was enjoyable enough, but not one that I see myself ever revisiting. ★★★

First line: Charlene Fairhill's escort to the June younger members' dance at the country club was Peter Kenn, not an exciting datec for Peter and she had grown up together like close cousins.

Last line: Suddenly she felt she couldn't wait for the next door to open.
******************

Deaths = one accident

Dead Man's Mirror

2026-04-11T10:07:00.000-04:00

Dead Man's Mirror (Murder in the Mews; 1937) by Agatha Christie

Short collection of three novellas--one of many variations of US editions of the original collection, Murder in the Mews. We see various themes which Christie liked to use in her stories--from the clues that Poirot finds important that Riddle, Japp, and other officials tend to brush off or overlook--to the beautiful woman as victim (in the vein of Evil Under the Sun or Death on the Nile). Christie is still the master of misdirection and it's easy to look where she wants you to look rather than at the genuine clues. ★★★★

"Dead Man's Mirror": Poirot is summoned by Gervase Chevenix-Gore to come and help him with a delicate family matter. But there is no time for the men to meet because just after Poirot arrives at Hamborough Close, his host's body is discovered in the body. On the face of it, it is suicide--doors and window locked, the gun just below the man's hand, and a note with the word "Sorry." Poirot, however, believes the room tells a different story and works to prove that murder has occurred. As he tells Major Riddle, the Chief Constable, everything depends on the mirror....

"Murder in the Mews": A second locked room mystery in this collection. Mrs. Allen, a young widow, is found shot to death in her locked sitting/bedroom in the flat she shares with a friend. The gun is in her hand--but again, suicide is impossible. The gun is in her right hand--she was shot in the left temple. Though the gun is in her hand, it wasn't gripped firmly enough to produce fingerprints. And then there's the cigarettes and the enamel from a man's cufflink. Japp sees murder and thinks he's got his man. But Poirot sees other clues that point in a different direction...

"Triangle at Rhodes": While vacationing at Rhodes during the slow season, Poirot becomes involved in
a murder resulting from a love triangle that seems to focus on Valentine Chantray--a beautiful young woman who attracts young men like bees to flowers. When Valentine is poisoned in an apparent murder gone wrong, Poirot reveals that everyone has been looking a the wrong triangle...

1st line (first story): The flat was a modern one.

Last line (last story): "She chose--to remain..."
****************

Deaths = 7 (four natural; two shot; one poisoned)

The 1961 Club

2026-04-11T09:09:00.004-04:00

From April 13-19th, April of Kaggy's Bookish Rambles and Simon at Stuck in a Book are sponsoring a read/blog-athon featuring books published in 1961. All you have to do is read at least one book from 1961 and post about it--that's it.

Here are the unread 1961 books on my TBR mountain range--we'll see what takes my fancy next week.

The Delights of Detection by Jacques Barzun

The Body in the Dumb River by George Bellairs

A House Possessed by Charity Blackstock

The Demoniacs by John Dickson Carr

Death in Cold Print by John Creasey

The Scene of the Crime by John Creasey

My Brother's Killer by Dominic Devine

Bachelors Get Lonely by A. A. Fair

Shills Can't Cash Chips by A. A. Fair

After the Verdict by Anthony Gilbert

Experiment in Terror by The Gordons

12 Stories for Late at Night as edited by Alfred Hitchcock

Footsteps in the Night by Dolores Hitchens

Marry in Haste by Jane Aiken Hodge

The Mysterious Code by Kathryn Kenny

Six Black Camels by Edwin Lanham

Banking on Death by Emma Lathen

Inspector Imanishi Investigates by Seicho Matsumoto

The Methods of Sergeant Cluff by Gil North

The First Body by Laurence Payne

Murder Clear, Track Fast by Judson Phillips

The Lady in Cement by Anthony Rome

Requiem for a Schoolgirl by Ivan T. Ross

The Man Who Looked Death in the Eye by Hampton Stone

The Chinese Nail Murders by Robert Van Gulik

The Red Pavilion by Robert Van Gulik

Treasure of Hemlock Mountain by Virginia Frances Voight (4/11/26)

Faculty of Murder by June Wright

Hercule Poirot & the Greenshore Folly

2026-04-09T20:09:00.000-04:00

Hercule Poirot & the Greenshore Folly (2013) by Agatha Christie
(Originally written in 1954)

Mrs. Ariadne Oliver has been asked to devise a Murder Hunt for a village fete being held on the grounds of Sir George and Lady Stubbs. But as she works to put together an interesting little puzzle for the villagers, she gets the sense that something is not right and she calls upon her friend Hercule Poirot to come and check out the situation. He, too, finds discrepancies in the behavior of those staying/living at the Stubbs home. But neither of them thought that the Girl Guide who had volunteered to play the murder victim in the fete game would wind up fulfilling the part of a real corpse. Then Lady Stubbs disappears. But Poirot and the local police inspector have no success in tracking down the corpse or finding the missing woman. It isn't until another death occurs and Mrs. Oliver makes a chance remark that Poirot finally begins to see a pattern that leads him to the solution.

Greenshore Folly is a novella originally written in 1954 with the intention of donating it as a church fundraiser. But Christie decided to hold on to it and develop it further--turning it into Dead Man's Folly (published in 1954). All of the bones are there, but the full novel fleshes out characters and relationships far more than Christie was able to do in the shorter work. It was interesting to look at the story in its initial form and to see how Christie filled it in to create a full-fledge novel. Not quite as engaging as the later work, but a fine first draft. ★★★

First line: It was Miss Lemon, Poirot's efficient secretary, who took the telephone call.

Last line: "There are some things that one has to face quite alone..."
****************

Deaths = 5 (two strangled; one drowned; one natural; one in war)

Harriet Farewell

2026-04-08T22:32:00.001-04:00

Harriet Farewell (1975) by Margaret Erskine (Doris Margaret Weatherby Williams)

Inspector Septimus Finch is on loan to the Ilverstoke Division. He's not expecting much in his line (homicide); the Superintendent has assured him that "financial chicanery is our usual fare." But he's not there long before the much younger, third wife of Theodore Buckler (the patriarch of the wealthiest family in Ilverstoke) is shot and killed during a Guy Fawkes celebration on the Buckler estate. Consuelo Buckler wasn't much loved by anyone in the family except Theodore. Her stepsons and their wives all despise her and took exception to her sly, interfering ways. Harriet Buckler, especially hated her.

Harriet has just recently been released from an institution after a mental breakdown brought on by her responsibility for her and Miles Buckler's young son. The incident brought on amnesia and she seemed to be fairly calm and reasonably well when released--other than her inability to remember anything of the car accident that resulted in "Bunny's" death. That is until Consuelo started a campaign to make her remember. And when Miles mentions that his revolver is missing just hours before Consuelo is found dead near the lake, Harriet is the obvious suspect. It doesn't help that she has disappeared--as if she's avoiding capture.

But there is more going on in Ilverstoke than just the death of Consuelo. There is a missing French artist and a stolen ivory art piece from the Buckler collection. And not long after Harriet was sent away to the institution, Miles' and her home was burned down. Finch suspects a connection, though it will take some time to work out the pattern. Unfortunately, more deaths will occur before he puts the final piece in the puzzle.

This was the first Erskine mystery I ever came across and was the reason I put her on my To Be Found list. I first read Harriet Farewell in the early 90s--long before blogging was a thing for me. I decided it was time to revisit the story and see how it holds up. The mystery plot itself is pretty solid. Though not a Golden Age book, it does follow GAD standards for clue dropping and puzzle points. It could use a few more credible suspects, though. Erskine tries to spread suspicion among all the Bucklers, but doesn't really accomplish that goal. We've got, at most, three good suspects--with a bit more effort we could have had six (which is the number I think she was shooting for). But it was a good bit of entertainment and made for a fast-paced read. And it was a definite pleasure getting reacquainted with Inspector Finch. ★★★ and 1/2

First line: Emma, the youngest of Theodore Buckler's three daughters-in-law, came hurrying through the woods, scuffling up the gold-brown leaves as she walked.

Last line: "I'd say it was more educational," Finch assured her solemnly.
**************

Deaths = 7 (one auto accident; one shot; two natural; two hit on head; one crushed by tree)

GAD Mystery Word of the Day: Intriguante

2026-04-08T20:04:00.001-04:00

To my mind Consuelo was a born intriguante. Nor are her actions all of a piece. (Harriet Farewell ~Margaret Erskine)

Murder on the Thirty-First Floor (Spoilerific)

2026-04-06T23:05:00.001-04:00

Murder on the Thirty-First Floor (1964) by Per Wahlöö

We open with a bomb threat delivered to an unnamed authoritarian nation's sole publishing conglomerate. It accuses the company of murder and says that the bomb has been set to go off at a certain time as retribution for the murder. Chief Inspector Jensen is assigned to the case--his initial goal is to convince the Director that the building must be cleared...against protests of how much money will be lost in the time the presses aren't running. He succeeds...mostly. Everyone is evacuated except for the mysterious "Special Department" on the thirty-first floor. Fortunately, the time for the bomb to go off comes and passes and nothing happens. But the conglomerate's officials insist that the police--Jensen--must find the person who sent the threat. The Chief of Police tells Jensen that this is his case and he must find the culprit within one week or.... (or what is never made quite clear--what is clear is that there will be Consequences with a capital "C")

What follows is pure police procedural with Jensen looking for those who may have some sort of grudge against the conglomerate or those in charge of the publishing concern. He works his way slowly through all who have left the company (whether voluntarily or not...) until he's able to pinpoint the culprit. Who has one final surprise for the company.

Here Be Spoilers! I can't talk about the book as I'd like to without spoiling what mystery there is....read further only if you have read this previously or don't mind knowing a great deal about what happens.

So...Wahlöö's novel is more dystopian future than it is mystery. It has more kinship with Orwell's 1984 and Bradbury's Farenheit 451 than it does with Sherlock Holmes or Wahlöö's joint-efforts with Maj Sjöwall in the Martin Beck series. Oh, there is a mystery--who is behind the bomb scare and why? And Chief Inspector Jensen does discover the answer to that. And there is murder--of a sort, as the culprit tells Jensen in their interview:

Do you understand the implications of what I have just said? This was murder, an intellectual, murder far more loathsome and distasteful than physical murder. The murder of innumerable ideas, the murder of opinions, of freedom of speech. Premeditated first-degree murder of them all, to give people guaranteed peace of mid, to make them disposed to swallow uncritically all the tripe that's stuffed into them. Do you see, to spread indifference without opposition, forcibly injecting poison after first making sure there is neither doctor nor serum available.

The murder of free thought, of the right to question, of the possibility of a difference of opinion and the means to argue for it. Wahlöö builds his world upon the idea that television started this unnamed country on this path to anti-intellectualism; that the government built upon the "tripe" being doled out on television to water down everything from newspapers to magazines to sports events. I wonder what he would make of the world today and the effects of social media?

As social commentary, this is excellent. Wahlöö builds his dystopian world well. Those of us familiar with Orwell and Bradbury recognize the warnings well. The characters that people the novel are nearly all nameless, fairly interchangeable cogs. The only one who has a name is our protagonist, Jensen. The publishing conglomerate has no name. The men and women who work for (or who previously worked for) the company have no names--only positions. Jensen's superior officer is known only as the Chief of Police. His subordinates are merely Civil Patrol officers. We have a definite sense that the individual is not important. Jensen's chronic stomach issue seems to me to be indicative of the underlying discontent of this "perfect society." Other pointers are the uptick in drunkenness and suicides (that, in this world are never labeled as such--accidents, that's what they are, accidents).

There are two things that bother me about this story. First, just before Jensen confronts him at the end our culprit has sent another message with a bomb threat. We're left hanging as to whether it's real this time or not. Jensen who is monitoring things from the police station by radio and wonders in the last line whether the explosion, should it come, would be audible to him. (Although Jensen's reactions right before that last line seem to indicate that he believes it's real this time...) And, connected to the first, if the bomb is real, then there will be murder. Because once again the thirty-first floor is not evacuated which means that all the critical thinkers and intelligent writers who are secluded there will be blown up. This is dissatisfying in and of itself, but I'm also disconcerted by the fact that the one who is protesting the intellectual murder, the suppression of the writing of those critical, intelligent men and women would be ultimately responsible for their physical deaths. Of course, the conglomerate would also be guilty since they did not evacuate those people, but I'm not quite sure what Wahlöö's intent is by making the culprit and the conglomerate equal partners in any responsibility for deaths. And, it seems to me even though Wahlöö doesn't make it explicit, that Jensen would also have blood on his hands since he doesn't insist that his men see that those on the thirty-first floor are evacuated as well.

One other random thought--what was the deal with the badger and the Director there at the end? Did the badger bite him? Was the Director seriously injured? Or was the badger more symbolic? I'm just not sure what to do with the badger.

I'm not quite sure where I stand on rating this one. The social commentary is excellent and the writing style, setting, and characters all work well to underline the themes. But as a mystery I find it lacking. Despite the discovery of the culprit, there is no real resolution. Yes, the man is captured but we don't know how much he is responsible for--we don't know the extent of his crimes and that is unsatisfying. I'm also not satisfied with Jensen as our detective. I'm more in favor of a detective who wants justice to be done and I'm not sure Jensen is on the side of the angels. He may be following the strict justice of his society, but if the bomb is real he's definitely not blameless. I guess I'm going to go with ★★★

First line: The alarm was given at exactly 1.02 p.m.

Last line: He sat quite still and wondered whether the explosion would be audible so far away as this.

GAD Mystery Word of the Day: Carilaginous Fish

2026-04-05T17:43:00.002-04:00

What they do, these fraudulent artisans, is they obtain some species of cartilaginous fish and manipulate it by hand before treating it chemically so it eventually resembles some manner of mythological beast. (from the GAD-style mystery The Murder Wheel by Tom Mead)

Tied Up in Tinsel

2026-04-04T11:29:00.003-04:00

Tied Up in Tinsel (1972) by Ngaio Marsh
[read by Wanda McCaddon]

Agatha Troy Alleyn, who is finishing up a portrait of her host, is spending Christmas at Hilary Bill-Tasman's country house. Bill-Tasman is from an old family, but had re-purchase the family pile with earnings from a lucky and lucrative business partnership as well as a few big win in the pools. But it's not a typical country house Christmas. The entire staff of the manor are "oncers"--men who have murdered once, in a kind of brainstorm of passion and have been released from prison for good behavior. The authorities believe they aren't dangerous. Less likely to do it again because they know what being in prison is like now. In addition to this rather unconventional lot of servants, there is the Christmas festivities themselves. A kind of mash-up of druidic/pagan, Christian, and Santa Claus all rolled into a weird bundle. And--once all the guests arrive, there is an odd kind of tension. We have Bill-Tasman's fiancee, the lovely and totally mod Cressida Tottenham, who punctuates every sentence with "you know" and who thinks Alleyn (once he arrives) is "the mostest." We have Bill-Tasman's Uncle Flea (Colonel Fleaton Forrester) and Aunt Bed along with Uncle Flea's former batman cum valet, Moult. And we have honorary uncle & business partner, Bert Smith. None of them are too fond of the staff--especially after a series of practical jokes referencing the style of the various "oncers" is played upon them.

Uncle Flea is all set to do his usual round as a Father Christmas turned Druid when he has one of his "turns" (weak heart) and Moult steps in to take his place. But things get really tense when Moult disappears directly after handing out the gifts. A search of the house and as much of the grounds as is practical in the obligatory snow storm gives no trace of the man. Where is he? Why has he disappeared? And...is he still alive? There was a kind of armed truce between Moult and the manor house staff--and the staff were certain that Moult was behind the practical jokes meant to make things look bad for them. Would they go so far as to do away with the man? Alleyn has been out of the country on special assignment, but he arrives home just in time to be invited to join the house party (ostensibly so he won't have to be alone for the holidays, but Bill-Tasman really wants him to lend the local constabulary a hand). And when Moult's body is discovered, it turns into a real busman's holiday and Alleyn is asked by the local police to take over.

As I said when I last reviewed the book, this is a mixed bag for me. Marsh does the country house set-up well. She's got quite a crew of eccentric characters--though. The plot is pretty good--but I don't see any way that the reader could know the motive for the killing. I just don't. I believe I went down the same garden path that Marsh led me down before. I absolutely thought that one of the "practical jokes" had been staged by the person it was perpetrated upon--and, of course, it wasn't.

I knew--or remembered--exactly where Moult's body would be found as soon as we knew he was missing. I'm still nonplussed at Marsh's attempt to use "hip" late 60s/early 70s slang. If felt forced--"like, you know?" [to quote one of the characters. Alleyn and Troy are delightful as always, but Alleyn's appearance comes much too late in the game. And we barely get to see Fox at all. A decent mystery for the Christmas season, but not one of Marsh's strongest. I've just realized that this is one of two Marsh novels nominated for the Edgar for Best Novel. I'm a bit baffled at the nomination. ★★★

First line: "When my sire," said Hilary Bill-Tasman, joining the tips of his fingers, "was flung into penury by the great slump, he commenced scrap merchant."

Last line: "I bet you anything you like," said Alleyn.
*****************

Deaths = Two (one hit on head; one natural) [for the purposes of the Medical Examiner's Challenge, it's a shame that all those people that the "oncers" knocked off weren't given names....]

Destination Unknown

2026-04-03T12:15:00.007-04:00

Destination Unknown (aka So Many Steps to Death; 1955) by Agatha Christie

Destination Unknown is one of Agatha Christie's non-series books. As seems to be usual for her stand-alone books, this is a foray into spy/thriller territory. This time we have scientists and chemists and medical researchers disappearing at an alarming rate. In the Cold-War-Era climate, this is particularly disturbing and England's secret service becomes especially interested when a young scientist by the name of Thomas Betterton vanishes. They suspect that his wife knows where to find him even though she does quite a good job of portraying the wife at her wit's end. When she suddenly decides to leave England for her health on "doctor's orders" they decide to keep close tabs on her. Then her plane crashes and she isn't expected to live.

Enter Hilary Craven. Hilary's husband has deserted her for another woman and her daughter has just died from a long illness. She thinks that taking a trip will somehow change her life. But when she arrives in Morocco she finds that what she has been trying to run away from is herself...and you can't do that. Thinking that she has nothing left to live for, she goes from pharmacy to pharmacy gathering enough sleeping pills to end her life. But Hilary has caught the eye of one of the secret service men...or rather her red hair has. And he offers her a bargain...take an assignment that means almost certain death (and which might just get her interested in living again) rather than taking pills which may not be as pleasant a way out as she anticipates.

What is wanted is for Hilary to take the place of Mrs. Thomas Betterton and her particular shade of red hair makes her the perfect candidate. The scientist's wife is definitely not going to survive her injuries and Hilary is to take on her persona. If anyone contacts her about joining her husband, she is to follow along and lead the agents to where the scientists have been taken. It will be dangerous and she's going to have to be letter-perfect in her role. Will she do it? Hilary decides she will. Off towards a destination unknown.

Generally speaking, I haven't been as big a fan of Christie's stand-alone novels as I am of Poirot and Miss Marple and Tommy & Tuppence. The one big exception is And Then There Were None (aka Ten Little Indians, etc), which I think is absolutely awesome. But this one is pretty darn good. Christie loves to take the standard of various plots in the mystery/detective world and give them her own little twist. Here she does it with the "scientists defecting to the other side" motif. Only....are they? Or, rather, are they going where they think they are and for the purpose that they believe in? That's the real question.

Hilary Craven is a very intelligent and likeable character. It is easy to see why she might have been full of despair, but being the type of woman she is, it's also easy to see why she would take up the challenge offered her by Jessop. It's not that she despises life in general--she just wants a reason for living. As she says to herself when contemplating suicide:

The reality of herself and what she could bear, and what she could not bear. One could bear things, Hilary thought, so long as there was a reason for bearing them. (p. 31)

And Jessop provides that for her. The plot--her taking on another woman's persona, especially with such a short time to learn her part--may be a bit shaky, but it's got enough grounding to make the reader willing to believe it. There are other interesting characters--including Jessop; Andrew Peters, a young American scientist; and Mrs. Calvin Baker, an American tourist who's not quite what she seems. Mrs. Baker may not be on the side of the angels, but I did enjoy the persona she embodied. A fun and quick read. ★★★★

First line: The man behind the desk moved a heavy glass paperweight four inches to the right. [sound a bit like Poirot, needing things positioned just so]

W: Nobody's so gullible as scientists. All the phony mediums say so. Can't quite see why.

J: Oh, yes, it would be so. They think they know, you see. That's always dangerous.

~Wharton; Jessop (p. 3)

"I'm handicapped," said the man behind the desk bitterly. "I never believe anybody." ~Jessop (p. 5)

I don't go in for being sorry for people. For one thing it's insulting. One is only sorry for people if they are sorry for themselves. Self-pity is the biggest stumbling block in our world today.

~Jessop (p. 53)

E: When one has at last reached freedom, can one even contemplate going back?

HC: But if it is not possible to go back, or to choose to go back, then it is not freedom!

~Ericsson; Hilary Craven (p. 120-1)

Last line: "You Frenchmen are so well-read," said Jessop.
****************

Deaths = one natural; one plane crash; one poisoned

April Reading by the Numbers Reviews

2026-04-02T22:45:00.001-04:00

April Vintage Scavenger Hunt Reviews

2026-04-02T22:43:00.001-04:00

April Virtual Mount TBR Reviews

2026-04-02T22:40:00.002-04:00

April Mount TBR Reviews

2026-04-02T22:38:00.004-04:00

Reading Baseball: The Abra Cadavers

2026-04-02T19:31:00.002-04:00

Rick Mills, that crafty creator of reading challenges and sometimes literary team captain, has made the annual call for team members for one of the finest ball clubs around...the Abra Cadavers. Spring training has begun and I'm grabbing my cleats and heading out to the field. If you'd like to join the team, just prove your skills by fulfilling the following plate appearances (reading requirements). You too could be an All Star! For full details, check out Rick's page: HERE

Batter Up!

My Plate Appearances

Single: Don Among the Dead Men by C. E. Vulliamy

Double: 2 books by

Triple: 3 books by Manda Collins

A Lady's Guide to Mischief & Mayhem

Portrait of a Nightingale

An Heiress's Guide to Deception & Desire

Homerun: 4 books by Agatha Christie

A Pocket Full of Rye

Destination Unknown

Hercule Poirot & the Greenshore Folly

Dead Man's Mirror

Cycle: completed previous four

Foul:

Bunt: "The Poisoned Dow '08" by Dorothy L. Sayers

Stolen Base: (read by )

Strike Out: Dangerous Crossing by Rachel Rhys

The Murder Wheel

2026-04-01T22:30:00.000-04:00

The Murder Wheel (2023) by Tom Mead

Edmund Ibbs is a young, idealistic lawyer working for the defense in what looks like a hopeless case. Dominic Dean, bank manager, and his wife Carla took a ride on the Ferris wheel at the local fair. But only one of them survived the ride. When their carriage reached the top, there was a shot and Dean was dead before he could receive medical attention. Carla swears that she's innocent and Ibbs wants to find a way to make a jury think she could be. He hears about a mysterious "limping man" who had been following Dean and was seen leaving the fair after the shot by the man who operated the Ferris wheel. He starts looking for answers--interviewing workers at the bank and learning that there had been a robbery at the bank not long before. Is there a connection?

Ibbs is also an amateur magician and decides to take in a show featuring Professor Paolini. During one of the illusions, a dead man falls out when a locked crate is opened....and it is Varga, the operator of the Ferris wheel. When another impossible crime happens in the theater, Ibbs finds himself the prime suspect. But fortunately, Joseph Spector, the expert on impossible crimes is on hand to investigate and between the two of them, they will discover who is responsible for each murder. Do they all tie in with the robbery? And if so, does that mean that Titus Pilgrim, an underworld crime boss, is at the back of it? Or are there different culprits with different motives? We will have to wait and find out.

Tom Mead is carrying on the tradition of John Dickson Carr and other locked room/impossible crime experts from the Golden Age...and doing it well. Using the magician's stocks-in-trade (the art of distraction and sleight-of-hand), he makes it difficult to keep your eye on the ball and figure out which cup it's really under. I absolutely fell for one of the red herrings and was busy trying to tie it to one of the suspects. This kept me from spotting the clues that Mead obligingly sprinkled through the text (and which he helpfully footnotes during Spector's wrap-up scene). I'm still not sure I completely understand how the body got in the crate--even with the delightful little map/diagram that we're given. But I'm trusting that it really does make sense to those more able to decipher the layout.

Just as with a good magic show, I thoroughly enjoyed being mystified and I really liked the opening mystery with the Ferris wheel. It was also satisfying that we came full circle and had a second helping of attempted murder on the wheel, creating an exciting finish for our hero. This second adventure in the Joseph Spector series is nearly as good as the first and it is another terrific effort at recapturing the spirit of the Golden Age of Detection. ★★★★

First lines: It began with the book. If not for the book, the rest of it would not have happened.

Last lines: Ibbs looked back at the old man. Spector's pale eyes gleamed.
******************

Deaths = 12 ( four natural; four shot; one beaten to death; one broken neck; one fell from height; one hanged)

GAD Mystery Word of the Day: Pareidolia

2026-03-30T21:39:00.003-04:00

My new bookish meme for 2026: the Golden Age of Detection (GAD) Mystery Word of the Day. Whenever I find a word that I'm unfamiliar with--or shall we say not absolutely confident I know the exact meaning of, I'm going to actually take time to look it up and share it with mystery-lovers everywhere. 😊

Today's GAD Mystery Word of the Day: Pareidolia (noun): the tendency to perceive a specific, often meaningful image in a random or ambiguous visual pattern.

This is a first-class case of pareidolia. You're trying to pick out patterns where there aren't any, like those fools who look for faces in clouds. (from the GAD-style mystery The Murder Wheel by Tom Mead)

An Heiress's Guide to Deception & Desire

2026-03-25T19:11:00.004-04:00

An Heiress's Guide to Deception & Desire (2021) by Manda Collins

Miss Caroline "Caro" Hardcastle, last seen as sidekick to Lady Katherine Eversham (Bascombe as was then) in A Lady's Guide to Mischief & Mayhem, takes center stage in this second book in the Ladies Most Scandalous series. Caro's good friend, actress Effie Warrington, has been kidnapped and Caro and Kate set out to find out what has happened to her. Kate's husband, Inspector Andrew Eversham, is also on deck to help out--as is Lord Valentine Thorn, cousin to Effie's betrothed. Frank Thorn, was beaten soundly when two men accosted Frank and Effie and drove off with the actress in her carriage.

The involvement of Val, just recently made Viscount after the death of his elder brother, is (pun fully intended) a thorn in Caro's side. She and Val had been romantically involved until the Thorn family made clear that the daughter of a businessman (no matter how successful and no matter how large her inheritance might be) was no match for someone of Thorn's rank. The family's opinion didn't matter near as much as the fact that Val didn't stand up for her at the time--something Val has regretted from the moment it happened. Both still have feelings for the other, but both are too proud to say so...yet. But having to work together so closely to help two people they each care about may provide the means to patch up their differences.

But first....to find Effie. And then Frank disappears as well and the hunt is on for two missing persons instead of just one. There are two possible threads to follow. First, that one of the group of admirers who swarmed around Effie after her theatre performances decided to make her his own--even if he had to kidnap her to do so. Or, second, Effie, who had been raised by foster parents, was trying to discover her true parentage. Clues seem to indicate that she had been successful and that she may have a claim upon a substantial inheritance. Is there someone whose position is in danger? And are they willing to kidnap...or worse to keep that position. In either case, Frank is just collateral damage. Will our heroines and heroes find the pair in time? And will Caro and Val find true love along the way?

So, this series is heading into cozy romantic mystery fluff territory. The solution is more obvious this time around and there are fewer alternate possibilities (at least fewer of substance). But the writing is good as are the characters and the interactions between the characters are fun. I'm still amazed at how many progressive men and women are running about int he mid-1800s. Frank and Effie are in the progressive club--and we've just been introduced to another couple, who I am willing to bet will feature in their own installment soon. If you like light mysteries with romance and aren't hung up on historical accuracy when it comes to progressive views, then this may just be a series for you. ★★★

First line: "They're behaving as if I haven't been on my own, managing my life, for the year they were in Paris."

Last line: And if they were lucky, there would be a million other perfect moments left to come.
**********************

Deaths = 5 (four natural; one drowned)

Shadow of Madness

2026-03-24T22:35:00.003-04:00

Shadow of Madness (1950) by Hugh Pentecost (Judson Philips)

Dr. John Smith, a criminal psychologist, decides that what he really needs is a fishing trip. He hasn't been fishing and camping since he was young and so he gathers camping gear and his fishing gear and decides to head out into the woods. And gets lost. And gets captured by a madman with a Thompson submachine gun. When someone asks him later how he got into the dangerous position he finds himself, he responds:

Because I am an idiot. I haven't been fishing for twenty years, Mr. Cornwall. I got the urge for the great outdoors. Do I fish off a bridge near my own comfortable lodgings? No. Do I mosey along a pleasant winding stream through the farm lands in the neighborhood? No. I strike out for the great outdoors. I am a woodsman. I am going to camp out--an idea I haven't had since I was twelve years old, a frighteningly long time ago. I strike out into the woods. I have all the modern camping gadgets from Abercrombie and Fitch. After one hour of fishing I cannot find my camp or my equipment. After four hours I find myself confronted by a young man with a machine gun. That, Mr. Cornwall, is the history of my idiocy.

Yes, Dr. Smith is taken prisoner by Mark Douglas. A madman with a mission. Someone has been blackmailing Mark over a crime worthy of the District Attorney's attention and Mark has had enough. He's been pushed over the edge. He knows the blackmailer must be one of eight people--his wife or one of seven "friends" he's known all his life. He brought them all to this secluded lake where they spent their younger days swimming, boating, fishing, and sleeping in the large cabin. Then he wrecked the cars and told them if the blackmailer didn't confess...or they didn't work together to expose him/her...then he would kill them all rather than endure anymore demands. Now that Dr. Smith has wandered into the party, he's expected to play by the same rules. Can the man who works with criminal insanity on a regular basis defuse the ticking time bomb that Mark has begun? And when murder strikes among the party can he solve that little problem as well?

This was one of the most interesting mysteries/thrillers/suspense stories that I've read in quite a while. The opening chapter is amazing. The set-up intriguing. The way the doctor goes about interviewing the captives and working on Mark is fascinating. Pentecost does a brilliant job in building the tension and bringing in the back ground that the doctor needs to understand the currents running under the surface among these people. Did I spot the blackmailer and/or killer? Not exactly. I was kind of leaning their way, but didn't get there before the reveal. Speaking of the reveal, that was the most disappointing part of the story. After the big build-up, I expected a bit more oomph in the finale. It's not that it wasn't good--it just wasn't great. So I couldn't quite bump the star rating all the way to the top. ★★★★

First line: The small gray man pushed his way through the brush and came out into the clearing.

Last line: "Why not?" the Doctor said. "Why not?"
******************

Deaths = 5 (one shot down in war; one stabbed; one natural; two car accident)

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (audio novel)

2026-03-24T11:26:00.004-04:00

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926) by Agatha Christie
(read by Hugh Fraser)

My synopsis of the story (for those who have not yet read it...and why not, I ask you):

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd actually begins with the death of Mrs. Ferrars, widowed within the last year. The rumor mill of King's Abbot had been grinding away--envisioning wedding bells between Mrs. Ferrars and the wealthy Roger Ackroyd. But Mrs. Ferrars is found dead from an overdose of veranol in what is first supposed to be an accident, but the village grapevine suspects is suicide. Dr. James Sheppard, our narrator, is confronted by his sister when he returns home after the discovery.

My sister continued: "What did she die of? Heart failure?"
"Didn't the milkman tell you that?" I inquired sarcastically.
Sarcasm is wasted on Caroline. She takes it seriously and answers accordingly.
"He didn't know," she explained. (p. 3)

When Sheppard insists on accident, Caroline rejects the idea. She's convinced the woman killed herself out of remorse. Because obviously she killed the husband who was cruel to her.

Then that evening Roger Ackroyd is found dead--stabbed to death by his own decorative dagger and rumors are flying about blackmail. But then there is also the fact that Ackroyd's nephew, known to have disputes with his uncle over money, has disappeared from the scene. And what about the maid who gave notice that very afternoon? And the mysterious stranger who was looking for Ackroyd's home at about the time of the murder? And who made the phone call to the doctor that brought him to Ackroyd's house and resulted in the discovery of the crime?

Fortunately for King's Abbot, a funny little foreigner who "looks like a hairdresser" has come to the countryside for his retirement. A foreigner by the name of Hercule Poirot. He's sure to get to the bottom of the mystery, for as he tells Ackroyd's niece (who has asked him to investigate): What one does not tell to Papa Poirot he finds out.

If you would like to see my full review of the mystery, please follow the link above, but be aware that there are spoilers. This review is devoted to the audio edition which I borrowed from Hoopla through the local library. Hugh Fraser is my favorite reader for Christie novels which do not feature Miss Marple. I think he is perfect as Captain Hastings in the Poirot television series and even though Hastings does not appear here (except as Poirot references him) it is still delightful to listen to Fraser tell us the story of Poirot and murder in King's Abbot. He manages to give each character a bit of distinction so you aren't confused about who is speaking--even when there's a longer bit of dialogue. Reading--or in this case, listening to--an Agatha Christie novel is a comfort read for me. And it was fun to settle in and let Fraser's words flow around me. ★★★★★

First line: Mrs. Ferrars died on the night of the 16th-17th September--a Thursday.

Last line: But I wish Hercule Poirot had never retired from work and come here to grow vegetable marrows.
*********************

Deaths = 3 (two poisoned; one stabbed)

Consequences of Sin

2026-03-23T22:54:00.000-04:00

Consequences of Sin (2007) by Clare Langley-Hawthorne

1910 England (mostly). Ursula Marlowe--heiress, Oxford-educated, wanna-be journalist (but NOT a women's fashion/gossip/society writer), and suffragette--receives a phone call that plunges her into murder and a mystery linked to a South American expedition from twenty years ago. Winifred Stanford-Jones, a friend and fellow suffragette, asks for Ursula's help when her (Freddie's) lover is killed in compromising circumstances. Freddie is arrested--after all, what are the police supposed to think when Laura Radcliffe is stabbed to death in Freddie's own bed?

But then Laura's father commits suicide and Ursula finds links to an expedition that her own father, as well as Colonel Radcliffe and other prominent men had sponsored. When another sponsor's daughter is killed, it begins to look like someone has a vendetta against those who backed the trip to South America. But Colonel Radcliffe was the only survivor of that doomed expedition...or was he? Ursula tries to get her father and their legal advisor, Lord Wrotham, to give her information that will help find the real killer and set her friend free, but they insist that she stay out of it. But Ursula can't do that...she'll get to the bottom of this--with or without their help. But will she survive long enough to share what she learns?

Here we go again...strong-willed woman meets supportive man (yes, Lord Wrotham is a young legal advisor and, though he seems to through obstacles in her way, he actually admires her intelligence and courage). It's a little bit more believable this time around because we're in the middle of the "votes for women" era. So in the middle of the story, Ursula--who has never been anywhere outside of England--suddenly decides to go traipsing off to South America where a massacre took place during an expedition her father and other backers funded to see if the man she (and the backers) think may be running amok and killing people right and left is still in the jungle or not. And she manages to disguise herself as a man and successful navigate booking passage so she can travel alone on the boat. And then she goes off by herself to find the man in the back of beyond. I'm sure that could happen. And why on earth did she suddenly abandon her male disguise in the middle of it all? That was baffling.

I wanted to like this more than I did. It had an interesting opening and the premise for the murders actually worked well. But the story dragged a bit up till the point that Ursula goes running off to South America. Lots of action from that point on, but her trip wasn't quite plausible enough. It would have worked better if she'd been given at least a bit of experience as a traveler. The other quibble I have is how rapid things turned to romance. Even faster than usual in these romantic historical mysteries. I'm giving all of the star value to Ursual, whom I really do like as a character, and the mystery itself. ★★★

First line: When the telephone rang downstairs so early that Saturday morning, Ursula Marlow knew it could only be bad news.

Last line: "Always."
******************

Deaths = 7 (three natural; one accident; one stabbed; one shot; one strangled)

Murder Enters the Picture

2026-03-20T22:30:00.001-04:00

Murder Enters the Picture (1942) by Willetta Ann Barber & R. F. Schabelitz

Christopher "Kit" Storm is a moderately successful commercial artist who also does portraits and acts as an artistic consultant to the New York Police Department. He regularly assists his friend, Captain Tony Shand with sketches of the crime scenes as well as the suspects interviewed. And has gotten more intimately involved in more recent cases (see my review of Murder Draws a Line) But he and his new bride, Sheridan (Sherry), are off on their honeymoon--little suspecting that a plea from Sherry's aunt will embroil them even more deeply in murder than ever before.

Sherry's Aunt Mattie asks the couple to stop by the Plateau, home to the Mints and a place that Sherry knew well growing up. It seems that Uncle Ezra (long since deceased) has recently been seen roaming the grounds--or rather his ghost has. And Aunt Mattie wants them to check in on Sara (the seer of ghosts) and find out what's going on. What's soon to be going on is murder. Andrew Mint, the heir of the Mint's Meats business and fortune is soon found murdered--killed by the stab of an ice pick. He's quickly followed by other members of the family. The youngest of the clan goes missing for a while (but found safe, thankfully); a field is set on fire; there's a question whether some valuable etchings have been sold (and replaced with replicas); there's blackmail; and a whole slew of motives swirling about. Kit is quick with his sketches and spotting the clues he captures in them--but Chief JIm Lang doesn't know Kit like Captain Tony Shand does and is more apt to view him with an eye of suspicion. After all, isn't odd that Kit's always on the spot when another body is discovered? Kit will have to work hard to convince Lang of his innocence and even harder to put the sketched clues together to identify the culprit. Especially if he doesn't want to become the killer's final victim.

There are a lot of things to like about this series. I love the drawings that accompany the stories and the fact that if I were better at spotting all the clues then I could have had solid evidence to justify my suspicions. Yes, I did spot the killer (after an initial miscalculation)--and most of the motive--but I missed the biggest clues in the sketches that would have supported my theory.] Barber and Schabelitz also provide terrific characters with interesting personalities and good interactions. The mystery itself is solid and all the clues are provided, as well as enough red herrings to muddy things nicely.

My biggest complaint is Sherry. Not as a character--but as a narrator. I noted my dislike of Sherry's "Had-I-But-Knowning" in the previous review and it's still in evidence here (though toned down a bit). I really think we could do without it altogether and get rid of Sherry's first-person narration and we'd have a better book. I'm not a huge fan of first-person perspective in general and Sherry's perspective just doesn't sit well. You'd think since she's a newlywed and all that we'd get a lot more of Kit in this story than we do--after all, the book's conceit is based on his sketches. But other than the last few chapters and the places where it's necessary to bring him in so we can have another sketch, we don't see a lot of him. The first couple chapters he's there in name only. It's really a bit bizarre.

Don't think that means I didn't enjoy the book. I did. Quite a lot. It's a fun book and a good mystery despite my quibbles with the narrative voice. ★★★★

First line: Ezra's ghost, come back to haunt the Plateau!

Peter Plow is handsomer than any man has a right to be; that is, in a vigorous, reckless, half-ugly sort of way. (p. 21)

Last line: But, in time, that would come too.
********************

Death = 5 (four stabbed; one poisoned)

Portrait of a Nightingale

2026-03-18T21:45:00.001-04:00

Portrait of a Nightingale (2024) by Manda Collins
~Read by Gemma Dawson

Synopsis from Goodreads: Miss Penelope Monckton, just returned from nursing with Florence Nightingale’s in Crimea, has come to the country estate of one of the most scandalous men in England, Lord Rickarby—nicknamed Rakerby—to collect a bequest from his late wife, her childhood friend Millie. But something about Millie’s death doesn’t sit right with Penny, and she’s determined to use this visit to learn all she can about the events leading up to her dear friend’s death.

A celebrated painter, Joss, Lord Rickarby, knows Miss Penelope Monckton only from the letters she sent to his late wife during her time nursing in a war zone. But what he knows, he greatly admires. Since Millie’s death, however, he’s been under a cloud of suspicion that only grows darker with every new tabloid story—doubtless Miss Monckton believes the worst of him too. But when he finally meets the intrepid nurse, it’s while he’s lying on the forest floor bleeding from a gunshot wound from an unknown assailant.

With the shooting having cleared Joss as a suspect, Penny is now determined to work with the all too handsome earl to find out who killed Millie. But with every clue they uncover, a different picture of the killer begins to emerge—and it’s clear that instead of Millie’s circle during her marriage, the culprit comes from the world of her childhood—a childhood spent with Penny by her side. And as the healer and the hellion grow more entangled, the body count grows. Can this unlikely pair catch the killer before he puts a permanent end to their budding romance?

My Take:

Collins writes very interesting and engaging characters. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Penelope and Joss, as well as Joss's sister and, most particularly, his mother. These are characters that I would like to spend more time with, but I don't get the sense that Collins intends to make them part of a series.The mystery kept me interested, despite (as mentioned below) a reader who was not interesting except when characters were speaking. There were plenty of red herrings--enough that I was on wrong the track entirely. I went far enough afield that I'm not sure I would have come to the right conclusion even if the spoiler below had been handled properly. The plot was wrapped up nicely, though I'm not completely sold on the motive--especially since the culprit's instability on certain matters wasn't really established. ★★★ and 1/4

Just a few quibbles: ~Again, if there were as many progressive, independent women and supportive men running around in Victorian times as we've got in historical mysteries and romances, women would be much further ahead now than we are today. ~The element of coincidence is huge here. Almost too big to believe. ~Our reader seems to think the portions of the book that are not dialogue should be as boring and monotonous as possible. She's obviously capable of reading with energy and emotion because it comes into play whenever characters are speaking. But she makes a quite interesting mystery seem as dull as ditchwater. A bit of enthusiasm would go a long way to making the audio version more enjoyable. Fortunately the mystery captured my attention despite Dawson's best efforts to discourage me and I was caught up in trying to figure out who was trying to do in Lord Rickaby. ~This quibble is based on my preference for Golden Age mysteries and fair play. [spoiler coded in ROT13] TNQ ehyrf fnl gung gurer fubhyq or ab gjvaf be ybat-ybfg eryngvirf gung gur ernqre unfa'g orra nqrdhngryl cercnerq sbe. Eboreg (bhe ivyynva) fcevatf n arire-orsber-zragvbarq gjva ba Crarybcr (naq gur ernqre) va uvf pbasrffvba ng gur raq. Gurer'f ab jnl jr pbhyq unir svtherq bhg jub gur xvyyre ernyyl jnf.

First line: A shower of birds burst into flight when the shot rang out.

Last line/s: This time she kissed him and they were quiet for a good long while.

Deaths = 3 (one shot; one fell from height; one poisoned)

The Gaunt Stranger

2026-03-17T13:39:00.002-04:00

The Gaunt Stranger (The Ringer; 1925) by Edgar Wallace

Lewis Meister is a crooked lawyer. He represents criminals--for a steep price, usually a hefty percentage of whatever ill-gotten goods they've managed to get their sticky fingers on. And he isn't above "shopping" them to the authorities if he thinks it's in his best interests. But he's done it once too often. Henry Arthur Milton, known throughout the underworld as the Ringer, was Meister's partner in crime for a good while and they did quite well. Then Meister set him up and mismanaged his defense in such a way that he was sent to prison. Prison was never meant to hold the likes of the Ringer, though, and he escaped to Australia where he plotted his revenge. Because nobody shops the Ringer and gets away with it. Nobody. Just ask Toby the "nose" (police informant) who ratted on him once...oops, you can't. The Ringer introduced Toby to his favorite weapon, the knife, and Toby won't be ratting on anyone else. Ever. The Ringer is a master of disguise and, now, London is buzzing with the rumor that he's back in England and ready to mete out his own particular brand of justice to the crooked lawyer.

Inspector Alan Wembury doesn't much care for Meister, but he cares for murder even less and is determined to foil the Ringer's plans to kill the lawyer. But it's hard to defend against a man who could be anybody...the Ringer's gift of disguise is that good. He's also got an added worry, the young woman whom he has loved since they were young is working for Meister (who gave her a job "out of the goodness of his heart" when her brother was sent to jail for robbery) and he's afraid of what the Ringer will do if she gets in the way of his plans.

The gaunt stranger is a mysterious figure haunting Flanders Lane where Meister lives. The stranger watches Meister. He watches Wembury and the division's doctor. He watches Mary Lenley. He watches everyone connected with the case. But who is he? And is he the Ringer or is he on the side of the angels?

One of Wallace's thrillers, we learn from Curtis Evans' excellent introduction that it was reworked into a stage play and a revised novel called The Ringer. There is plenty of suspense as we wait to see if the Ringer will succeed in his quest for vengeance and how many others he will kill along way. Since we know "who" the culprit is and what the crime will be, the only real mystery for the reader to try and solve is who, among the characters introduced, the Ringer really is. I'm pleased to say I figured that out--but didn't figure out the reverse of the coin (spoiler coded using ROT13) [Xabjvat gung gur Evatre jnf ABG gur tnhag fgenatre, V qvqa'g svther bhg jub gur fgenatre jnf--gb or ubarfg, V guvax Gur Tnhag Fgenatre vf n cbbe gvgyr, orpnhfr bapr V'q svtherq bhg gung gur gvgyr punenpgre vfa'g gur Evatre, V ernyyl qvqa'g cnl zhpu nggragvba gb uvz ng nyy.] The story is pretty standard fare from Wallace. My one complaint--even though this is a fairly short book, it seemed to take for-ev-er for the Ringer to really get busy. As it stands, it could easily have been a short story. There needed to be more real action in the 190-ish pages to warrant its length. Otherwise, good characters--I particularly liked Inspector Wembury. He's quite human and is willing to give Mary's brother a chance to make things right. ★★★

First line: Flanders Lane, Deptford, is narrow and dingy.

Last line: He raised the glass to his lips and did not put it down until the enormous quantity had disappeared, and Alan watched him, fascinated.
******************

Deaths = 7 (one fell from height; one drowned; one hanged; three stabbed; one shot)

~~~This book was given to me as a review copy by Stark House in exchange for an honest review. All comments are my own and I have received no payment of any kind.

GAD Mystery Word of the Day: Gossamer

2026-03-17T09:34:00.006-04:00

My new bookish meme for 2026: the Golden Age of Detection (GAD) Mystery Word of the Day. Whenever I find a word that I'm unfamiliar with--or shall we say not absolutely confident I know the exact meaning of, I'm going to actually take time to look it up and share it with mystery-lovers everywhere. 😊

Today's GAD Mystery Word of the Day: Gossamer [as used in the book*] (noun): Gossamer cloaks were lightweight, sheer garments often made from silk or lace. Often worn over dresses, they provided a sense of modesty while enhancing femininity.

She had on what is called a gossamer, which covered her from neck to toe, and on her head a hat wrapped all around with a blue veil. (That Affair Next Door ~Anna Katharine Green)

*I knew the basic meaning of gossamer, but hadn't come across gossamer as a garment before.