Classic Mysteries

Bondage at Amazon

Musing on Bulldog Drummond, as I noted in my last entry, tends to lead to thoughts of James Bond. Certainly, Drummond would have been proud, and possibly a bit envious, of 007. But while Drummond was popular, both in print and on the screen, he never had the kind of advantage that James Bond enjoyed - and still enjoys - on Amazon, which has an entire James Bond store to entice fans. The store appears to specialize in Bond DVDs, but it's easy enough to do a search from that page to find the books as well.

While Bulldog Drummond can't claim a special store, Amazon does give him his own page with both movies and books combined, and that is probably more convenient for one-adventurer-shopping, so to speak. I still remember the old Bulldog Drummond movies, which were on TV late at night through most of my growing-up years. If you enjoy thrillers of that classic school, you could find worse ways to spend a few hours than watching either Drummond or Bond.

"Bulldog Drummond"

James Bond is very much a part of modern British and American culture - both in the original Ian Fleming novels and, even more so, in the series of Bond movies which have been so popular. But did you ever wonder where the character of James Bond originated?

Meet Bond's spiritual father, then: "Bulldog Drummond," by "Sapper," the pen name of H. C. McNeile, the subject of this week's audio review on the Classic Mysteries podcast. You can hear the whole thing here. Ian Fleming acknowledged that Captain Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond was one of his primary inspirations for Bond. Drummond too was wildly popular with both the reading and moviegoing public. In the original "Bulldog Drummond," published in 1920, Drummond, a recently demobilized British army captain, finds himself drawn into fighting a murderous international intrigue intent on taking over the world. From the international atmosphere, to the super-villain, "Carl Peterson," to Drummond's instinctive habit of thinking with his fists and weapons, you'll see the antecedents of James Bond - lacking only Bond's taste for women. But then, this was Edwardian London.

At any rate, the Bond saga continues - in the form of a new book, "Devil May Care," by Sebastian Faulks, published just last year - so it's only fitting that "Bulldog Drummond" itself should be back in print. If you like thrillers and international intrigue, you may well enjoy meeting the Captain.

Crime Day

Aargh. Looks like I am on the wrong side of the pond to attend Crime Day at the Bodleian, the library of Oxford University. Check out that list of speakers, which includes both P. D. James and Ruth Rendell. If I were anywhere near Oxford, I think I'd make it a point to try to attend next Saturday. If any of my visitors do go, please leave a note here to let us know about it.

Last year, the Bodleian presented a sensational exhibit of classic crime manuscripts, early books, photos and other items. This one sounds equally enjoyable.

Hat tip: It's a Crime blog, via J. Kingston Pierce at The Rap Sheet

Inspector DeKok: Dutch Treat

He's not precisely in the classic mystery mold, but the books about Homicide Inspector DeKok of the Amsterdam police are indeed a treat. Author A. C. Baantjer is said to be one of the most widely read authors in the Netherlands. His background as a former detective inspector in Amsterdam gives a good deal of authenticity and insight to his writing.

"DeKok and the Geese of Death," published in 2004, is a good example of a DeKok mystery. It is an interesting combination of the police procedural with elements of the classic puzzle mystery - for though we think we know the killer from the beginning, there are a fair number of surprises and plot twists along the way. There is less psychological analysis here than, say, in Simenon's Maigret novels, but DeKok and his partner Vledder are, like Maigret, old police hands, confident in their dealings with - and analyses of - career criminals.

"DeKok and the Geese of Death" begins with the questioning of one particularly unpleasant serial killer and goes on to investigate his possible involvements in a series of murders taking place at the home of a most peculiar and inbred aristocratic Dutch family. The action is more or less nonstop, there are clues presented fairly to the reader, and it all makes for an interesting insight into the underside of crime in the Netherlands.

"Death at Crane's Court"

Eilis Dillon was a respected and prolific Irish author, whose books included quite a bit of both regular and historical fiction. Early in her career, in the 1950s, she wrote three excellent mysteries, which are said to be among the first of that genre to be set in Ireland. The first of them, "Death at Crane's Court," has just been republished by the Rue Morgue Press, and it is very much worth reading. The full audio review on our Classic Mysteries podcast can be heard here.

The story is set in a residential hotel near Galway. The central character, George Arrow, is a fairly young man who has been told that he has a weak heart. He decides to move to Crane's Court, a hotel where elderly people live out their lives as invalids. Soon after he moves there, the owner of the hotel is found murdered, and George finds himself coming under the suspicious eye of the local detectives. Befriended by another hotel resident, a retired professor, George works with the police detective in charge of the case to find the real culprit. All this is done quite fairly, with the clues to the puzzle well hidden throughout. There is also a good deal of humor, some of it quite bizarre, and the Irish setting helps to make the book thoroughly enjoyable. It's a pity she never wrote more mysteries after the first three.

Inviting a Wolfe to Your Door

In addition to this week's review of Rex Stout's "And Be a Villain," I have dedicated several other podcasts to reviews of additional Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin books. As I have said before, Rex Stout is one of my favorite American authors, and I even enjoy re-reading my favorites over and over again, just to savor some of the wisecracking dialogue and memorable cast of central characters.

The ones I have reviewed in earlier podcasts include:

"The Final Deduction," and you can listen to my review here. It begins with Wolfe being hired to guarantee the safe recovery of a kidnap victim. There are soon a couple of murders to be solved.

"The Doorbell Rang," and you can listen to my review here. This one is one of my absolute favorite Wolfe novels, as he and Archie take on J. Edgar Hoover's FBI.

"The Father Hunt ," and you can listen to my review here. Wolfe and Goodwin try to find the unknown father of a young woman - only to discover that the missing father apparently murdered the young woman's mother.

And "Three Witnesses," a collection of Wolfe novellas, and you can listen to my review here. Three witnesses, three cases: A murdered telephone operator, another man murdered after appreturning to life, and a black Labrador retriever who can prove the identity of a killer.

"And Be a Villain"

I've had a number of embarrassing moments over the course of a career in broadcast journalism, but none that really equals this one: the guest on a live radio broadcast (OK, this was 1948) takes a swig of the sponsor's soft drink - and promptly drops dead. That's the situation in "And Be a Villain," by Rex Stout, and it involves Nero Wolfe and his assistant, Archie Goodwin, in a most peculiar case. For some reason, nearly everyone involved with the case appears to be telling lies. And Wolfe needs to find out the truth before he can begin finding a solution to the murder. A full review can be heard here on our Classic Mysteries podcast.

I have been a fan of Rex Stout for many years, and I think the Wolfe novels and novellas are among the best American mysteries in the classic mold. "And Be a Villain" also introduces an arch-enemy for Wolfe in the person of Arnold Zeck, who would appear in two more books before the inevitable showdown with Wolfe. Stout's books are more about the characters of Wolfe, Goodwin and the others in the regular cast, and about the intricate marriage of classic armchair detection and the "private eye" genre which is featured in every one of his books. This one is a very enjoyable read.

How well do you know mystery classics?

As the proprietor of this website, I thought I knew mystery classics pretty well - until I encountered this quiz, created by French mystery buff Xavier Lechard, whose "At the Villa Rose" blog, in English, is highly recommended. Be forewarned that this quiz is tough; I only got about half of the 20 questions right, which is truly embarrassing. There are some trick questions and a fair number of obscure ones - but those I got wrong may provide some useful leads to books I should have read by now, an oversight which I hope to correct. At any rate, it's highly enjoyable. Give it a try and let me know how you make out.

"The Grey Mist Murders"

Grumble. This is annoying. A few months ago, I found an author - two sisters, really, Gwenyth and Constance Little - whose Golden Age work was unfamiliar to me. I ordered their first book, "The Grey Mist Murders," enjoyed it thoroughly, and wrote and recorded my Classic Mysteries podcast review.

Today, as I go to publish it, I find that it has gone out of print again.

Well, Amazon (the button or the link above) has copies and links to other booksellers who have it, and dedicated mystery bookdealers probably still have copies on hand that they can sell you.

"The Grey Mist Murders" was the first in a series of humorous mysteries by the Little sisters, that appeared from 1938 until the mid-1950s. They were quite popular at the time. The publishers sum it up pretty well in their introduction when they note that the action of the novels generally took place "anywhere the Littles could gather together a large cast of eccentric characters, many of whom seemed to have escaped from a Kaufman play or a Capra movie." I think that's fair. And if the heroine of "The Grey Mist Murders" does have a tendency to faint rather easily and indulge in "Had I But Known" recriminations, she at least does so with a fine sense of comic timing.

You can hear my full review here.  Many of the later books in the series do remain in print - I guess I'll have to try again.

(UPDATED to fix spelling. Sorry)

Malice Domestic - 2010

Just received a flyer for next year's Malice Domestic conference, which will be held on April 30th to May 2, 2010, at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel in Arlington, VA, just outside Washington, D. C.

This is the 22nd annual conference of this group, which celebrates the traditional mystery. It's a gathering of mystery fans, authors (mostly of the Cozy persuasion), and the annual Agatha awards ceremony. The 2010 conference will have Parnell Hall as guest of honor, Rhys Bowen will be toastmaster (toastmistress?), and honor Mary Higgins Clark for lifetime achievement. The flyer also promises a "Malice Remembers" for Ed Hoch.

I've never been to one of these, but it sounds like a really enjoyable way to spend a weekend, so I do plan to register and attend - I'd love to meet some of my fellow GAD enthusiasts there. It's relatively inexpensive, too - even the hotel. Apparently, it usually attracts a lot of authors and fans and even some publishers and bookdealers; the exhibit floor is said to be worth a visit as well.

For more information (and registration form and hotel information): http://www.malicedomestic.org