Classic Mysteries

New Feature: From the Vault

               

A major milestone is looming ahead for Classic Mysteries. Sometime near the end of this year, I'll be posting my 500th review on the Classic Mysteries podcast. That means the podcast has been providing a weekly review of a mystery classic every week for 9 1/2 years.

The podcast began in May, 2007, and the blog followed in June 2008. It's been a pretty good run so far, and I intend to keep going for a while. But it occurs to me that I reviewed a LOT of my own personal favorite classic mysteries in that first year or so - about 70 books in as many weeks, in fact - that were done only as podcasts before this blog came along to give my friends, my visitors and readers, a chance to read, learn about and discuss those books.

So I'm going to start a new feature on this blog - let's say, every Thursday, beginning on September 1. I'm going to bring back and re-post edited text versions of the original podcast reviews of some of my favorite books and favorite authors from that first year or so of reviews. I'm going to try to be certain that the books I write about are still readily available - either in print, as e-books, or (if neither of those options is available) are at least pretty readily available through second-hand copies found for you by your favorite independent book dealers (including dealers who work through Amazon). 

As always, I invite your comments about these books. There's nothing more satisfying for me than to hear that one of my visitors has discovered a new (to them) author or book that I've told them about. I'm calling the feature "From the Vault," and I have already picked several of the books I plan to re-review (or, at least, the podcasts I plan to provide in text format). It all starts on Thursday, when we'll begin with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles. Come along for the ride!

               

"A Silent Witness"

"The history upon which I am now embarking abounds in incidents so amazing that, as I look back on them, a something approaching to scepticism contends with my vivid recollections and makes me feel almost apologetic in laying them before the reader. Some of them indeed are so out of character with the workaday life in which they happened that they will appear almost incredible; but none is more fraught with mystery than the experience that befell me on a certain September night in the last year of my studentship and ushered in the rest of the astounding sequence."

This is how a newly-minted English doctor named Humphrey Jardine begins his narrative of the most peculiar events which befell him on that September night - and would lead him into grave danger. First, Dr. Jardine, out for a night-time walk, practically stumbled over the dead body of an unknown man. When he tried to bring police back to the scene, they found...nothing. No body, no evidence. But then, Dr. Jardine became aware that somebody was now making a very determined effort to kill him. Fortunately, his former teacher and good friend, Dr. John Thorndyke, became interested in his case. And in order to solve the mystery, Dr. Thorndyke would have to rely on the testimony of A Silent Witness - the name of the 1914 book by R. Austin Freeman which is the subject of today's audio review on the Classic Mysteries podcast. You can listen to the complete review by clicking here.

It would be fair to describe Dr. Jardine as being, perhaps, not the sharpest pencil in the drawer, for it takes him a remarkable amount of time to realize, first of all, that he appears to have stumbled into a murder case, and, second and perhaps more important, that somebody is trying very hard to kill him - and nearly succeeding.

It is only through the intervention of Dr. Thorndyke, in fact, that Jardine’s life is saved on more than one occasion in A Silent Witness, for Dr. Jardine has the unfortunate habit of accepting nearly everything he hears at face value, including invitations to answer mysterious summonses at night to remote and desolate locations. In fact, after his first discovery of that body on Hampstead Heath, he goes to the other side of London some days later to examine the body of another man who has died under rather odd circumstances. Once again, Dr. Jardine finds himself a target for someone – a murderer, perhaps - who quite clearly believes that the doctor is a threat to his own safety. But Dr. Jardine can think of nothing that he has seen or heard that could threaten anyone, and he insists that he has no enemies. It will take a lot of digging – and some rather interesting scientific experiments on all sorts of physical evidence – for Dr. Thorndyke to determine what is going on, and why Dr. Jardine appears to be in such danger.

First published in 1914, A Silent Witness was one of the first books to feature Dr. Thorndyke, the creation of author, R. Austin Freeman. Mystery historian Otto Penzler has called Dr. Thorndyke “the most significant scientific detective in literature.” As a character, he reveals himself as a person who pursues justice, and the answers to puzzling problems, by looking for solid evidence, usually involving physical objects rather than personalities. He is usually called upon to testify on behalf of the prosecution in criminal proceedings. Freeman's stories about Dr. Thorndyke were very influential on the development of "scientific detectives" in mystery fiction. The book is available in a variety of editions and formats, both e-book and paper, and is highly recommended.

Plan Ahead - Time to Register!

Two of the major mystery conferences have just opened registration for their 2018 gatherings! For those who plan ahead, a reminder that registering this far ahead means you'll be getting a lower price than you would if you waited. A few details:

In 2018, Left Coast Crime will be held in Reno, NV, March 22-25. Guests of honor will be Naomi Hirahara and William Kent Krueger. Todd Borg will be toastmaster for the events. And the Ghost of Honor will be Mark Twain (represented by Twain impressionist McAvoy Layne). 

Later in 2018, Bouchercon will be held in St. Petersburg, FL, September 6-9. The American guests of honor will be Karin Slaughter and Sean Chercover; International guests of honor will be Sara Blaedel and Mark Billingham. Tim Dorsey will be Florida guest of honor. Ian Rankin will be honored with a lifetime achievement award. Fan guests of honor will be Judy Bobalik and Ayo Onatade, well-known to mystery convention-goers. Lisa Unger will be the toastmaster trying to keep all of this straight. And the Ghost of Honor will be John D. MacDonald.

You can find a lot more information about these events on the websites at the links. You'll find information about the hotels for each event, though it's too early to register for rooms. It's not, as I say, too early to register for the conferences themselves. Left Coast Crime has an early registration rate of $175, good through March 19, 2017. Bouchercon's registration is also set at $175, good through the end of this year.

If you've never been to a mystery conference, they're wonderful fun, with panel discussions about mysteries and authors, hundreds of mystery writers from all the mystery genres and sub-genres  in attendance looking to meet their readers, books to take home, autograph sessions with the authors, award ceremonies (the Anthony awards at Bouchercon, the Lefty awards at Left Coast Crime), chances to meet and talk with both new and established authors. I hope I'll run into some of you at either or both of these events.

 

Extra: "Mr. Campion's Fault"

Albert Campion, the enduring and endearing amateur sleuth created by Margery Allingham, continues to show up in new adventures, even half a century after his creator's death. Mr. Campion's newest outing, to be published next week by Severn House, is called Mr. Campion's Fault, and it is written by veteran mystery writer Mike Ripley with the blessing of the Allingham estate. The publisher supplied me with an e-book version for this review.

In Mr. Campion's Fault, which is set in 1969 (when Campion surely would be in his upper sixties), Campion travels to Yorkshire, to a small, tightly-knit coal mining community, to investigate some peculiar and ominous events taking place in and around a boys' school. One of the school's masters has been killed by a hit-and-run driver in what may or may not have been an accident. There is a missing - and much-hated - embezzler who has robbed and cheated many people in the town. Meanwhile, a local woman is dealing with what seems to be a poltergeist wreaking havoc in her house at more-or-less regular intervals. And there is a local woman, widely thought to be a witch, who may know a good deal more than she is saying about what is really happening in the town.

In all the mystery, a number of the series characters who frequently appeared in the original novels by Margery Allingham have a role to play - Campion's wife, Amanda, and son, Rupert (now married to a young woman named Perdida), his "gentleman's gentleman" (NEVER butler) Magersfontein Lugg, and his old friend Charlie Luke, now Commander of the Metropolitan Police. Campion fans will recognize those names with some pleasure. 

As a character, Albert Campion has had quite a career. He began with an appearance in Allingham's The Crime at Black Dudley, published in 1929, in which he really plays only a supporting role, though an important one. Apparently his character caught on very quickly with readers, as he assumed the leading role in 1930's Mystery Mile and has starred in most of Allingham's works thereafter. When Allingham died, her husband, Philip Youngman Carter, completed one of her novels and then wrote two more Campion books before his own death. In 2014, a remaining fragment of an unfinished Campion book by Carter was completed by Mike Ripley, who has now written two additional Campion books, with Mr. Campion's Fault, out next week, being the newest one.

It is no secret that a lot of popular series characters whose creators are no longer among us are now finding themselves in "continuations" - new books written by new authors with the blessings of the original author's literary heirs. I am on record as being considerably less than thrilled by some of them, because it is always very difficult for a new author to breathe convincing new life into a character while retaining all the recognizable quirks and personalities that make those characters so popular. In the case of Mike Ripley's new Campion stories, I think this is not as much of a problem, mostly because of Campion's continuing development and maturing personality over the years, with first Margery Allingham, then Philip Youngman Carter and now Mike Ripley allowing for further growth by the same character. I think Allingham fans are likely to enjoy Mr. Campion's Fault.

"The Z Murders"

With each of the victims, the killer left a sort of calling card - a metal disk painted crimson and shaped like the letter "Z." Who was responsible for the murders, why was the killer doing it, and where would the killer strike next? 

The answers may be found in The Z Murders, a 1932 book about what we now call a "serial killer" - written, of course, before that term had become all too familiar both in real life and in mystery fiction. The book, by J. Jefferson Farjeon, is the subject of today's audio review on the Classic Mysteries podcast, and you can listen to the complete review by clicking here.

The Z Murders is a crime novel, but not really much of a detective story - there's not much detecting to be done and very few clues to be followed or suspects to be, well, suspected. Instead, what we have here is a fast-paced and rather tight thriller, along the same lines as any number of books by Edgar Wallace, for example. As long as you don't spend a lot of time searching for realism, you'll be thoroughly entertained.

The story begins with a young man, Richard Temperley, who has had a miserable train journey to London, arriving in the small hours before dawn. It was miserable because the other occupant of his first-class carriage snored all night long. So when Temperley reaches London and goes to a nearby hotel to try to sleep in a comfortable armchair before a fire, he is not happy to discover the other armchair in the room occupied by that snoring traveler. He is even less happy when the snoring stops and he discovers the man is dead - shot, apparently by someone firing through an open window - though no shot was heard.

And off we go, as Temperley sets out in pursuit of a young woman who passed him in the hallway and may have been fleeing from the room where the traveler died. Police arrive and discover an odd token of sorts near the body: a metal disk, painted crimson, in the shape of the letter "Z." 

From this point, the story becomes complicated in true thriller fashion. The police, for some reason, not only don't seem to mind Temperley interfering with the investigation - at one point, he finds and hides that young woman's purse from investigators, for example - they actually seem to welcome it, at one point agreeing to back off and let Temperley search for the missing woman without police interference. This requires a pretty enormous suspension of disbelief; on the other hand, it's a thriller, so why not? In any case, Temperley and the young woman take off on a chase across large portions of the English countryside, traveling first by train and then by taxi. And, as we come to realize, they are pursued by a true nightmare of a killer who seems determined to add them to his list of victims, as he leaves behind a trail of bodies - and those peculiar metal "Z"s.

 There is plenty of wit in Farjeon's writing, and he manages to make us see the horrors of the killings without displaying excessive violence. There's plenty of action, too, although it's generally kept fairly light, despite several murders and a crazed killer on the loose. It's certainly a pleasant afternoon's reading. 

The Z Murders is another newly-rediscovered Golden Age story, brought back to life and republished by the British Library Crime Classics series. In the U.S., the books are published by Poisoned Pen Press. This edition features an introduction by mystery author (and British Detection Club president) Martin Edwards, providing considerable background on Farjeon and his work. The book is most enjoyable - as long as you leave your disbelief outside!

"Malice in Wonderland"

The visitors came streaming into the English holiday camp known as Wonderland, and with good reason: there were all kinds of pleasant recreations, from organized sports competitions to relaxing swimming sessions. All of this was seasoned with excellent meals and first-rate accommodations. It was everything a would-be vacationer could want, and at a reasonable price, too.

But that was before the practical joker who called himself (or herself) the Mad Hatter showed up. And suddenly Wonderland didn't seem quite so wonderful any more - in fact, it became downright dangerous. What you had, quite clearly, was a case of Malice in Wonderland - which is the title of an excellent late-Golden Age mystery by Nicholas Blake, originally published in 1940. Malice in Wonderland is the subject of today's audio review on the Classic Mysteries podcast, and you can listen to the complete review by clicking here.

There are several hundred guests enjoying the many delights of Wonderland when their enjoyment is severely curtailed by someone playing unpleasant practical jokes. A couple of people, for example, find themselves dragged underwater by someone with very strong hands who holds them there until they are on the point of drowning. Less deadly, perhaps, but still annoying: sports equipment is coated with molasses – or treacle, as the British call it. Are these practical jokes? Is someone trying to put the resort out of business with bad publicity? Or is the malice perhaps directed at a single individual or family? On top of these incidents, there’s an ancient hermit roaming the area, evicted from his little shack when Wonderland was built, who hates the resort and all its people; could he be responsible for the goings-on?

Desperate to uncover the joker, the resort’s resident manager agrees to a suggestion from one of Wonderland’s guests: hire a private detective. And that guest knows just the person: a brilliant investigator at the top of his profession: a Mr. Strangeways.

And so Nigel Strangeways comes to Wonderland and begins to ask questions and tries to fit the pieces of this puzzle into a rational framework. He and we will have quite a few surprises before Strangeways is able to sort out the relevant facts of the case.

"Nicholas Blake" was the pen name used in writing his Nigel Strangeways mysteries by Cecil Day-Lewis, later to become England's Poet Laureate from 1968 until his death in 1972, and father of movie actor Daniel Day-Lewis. As you might expect, the prose is highly literate, intelligent and witty, with twisty puzzles. The characters are quite well defined, sometimes endearing, sometimes exasperating. It's a fine classic mystery. At the moment, it is available as an e-book, but there do seem to be used paper editions out there that would be worth your while to track down. I suspect that you would enjoy this visit to Wonderland.

 

Extra: "The Outsmarting of Criminals"

Readers who like traditional mysteries, especially in their cozier incarnations, will relish meeting Miss Felicity Prim. She is the central character in Steven Rigolosi's entertaining book, The Outsmarting of Criminals. While it's far too new to be considered a classic - it was published in 2014 - it has a good deal of fun with readers' expectations about what a classic mystery should be. As we've now reached that unfortunate time of year when it gets so hot outside that any extra exertion, whether physical or mental, is to be avoided at all cost, here's an extra for your weekend, a book that makes few demands on our minds even as it provides a pretty fair amount of pleasure.

Miss Felicity Prim, who enjoys reading classic mysteries herself, is an assistant in a New York City doctor's office until, while walking home one day, she is mugged and winds up with a broken arm. This thoroughly unpleasant experience makes her decide to change her way of living - and her job - and move to a country home and change her profession to - well - the outsmarting of criminals. 

"How she admired the protagonists of her books, those worthy men and women of crime fiction! They did not work in a doctor's office ten hours a day, five or six days a week. They did not get mugged while walking along city streets and minding their own business. They took charge of their lives. When they encountered a mysterious situation, they took matters into their own hands. Uncooperative politicians, corrupt corporate raiders, overworked policemen, those who insisted that everything was perfectly lovely despite the heroine's fears: None of these stood in the sleuth's way. In the end, justice was served and the universe was restored to balance. Why? Because, by the end of the novel, the sleuth had used her superior intelligence - not common violence - to outsmart the criminal."

And so Miss Prim moves to a new home away from the city - and the first thing she discovers is the body of an unknown man lying in her basement. She is, quite clearly, shocked - but she also believes it will give her the opportunity to hone her amateur detective skills (with the surprising encouragement, I might add, of the local police). 

I must say this is one of the gentlest mysteries you'll ever encounter - and it's quite entertaining as it celebrates some of the great mystery books of the past. There's a lot of low-key humor in the book as well, and keep an eye out for classic references. The book was one of two winners of last year's David Award from the Deadly Ink Mystery Conference. It's published by Ransom Note Press and is available in hardback and as an e-book. It's fun summertime reading.

Oh, by the way, there are no cats. But that's okay - Miss Prim does acquire a dog, a boxer named Bruno, who plays a significant role. Another tradition upheld!

 

"There's a Reason for Everything"

An apparent bloodstain appears, then vanishes, in a haunted house. That report from a psychic researcher was enough to make Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Owen, of the Wychshire police, a little nervous. He decided it would be wise to accompany that researcher to the house, a large - and unoccupied - country mansion. And he didn't much care for the atmosphere he found there:

"He felt very certain that something, though what he had no idea, was going on in this vast deserted building where opportunities for concealment were endless. He supposed, moodily, that those of whom they had neither knowledge nor warning might well be watching, waiting. The silence, the stillness all around took on a sinister, menacing aspect, as if expectant and eager for evil things known to be at hand. Something of the same feeling the others must have had, too, for they all went warily along that dark and silent corridor, like men doubtful and on guard."

That description of the setting gives you a good taste of the kind of atmosphere the author, E.R. Punshon, is able to conjure up for There's a Reason for Everything. The 1945 book, the 21st in Punshon's series featuring police official Bobby Owen, is the subject of today's audio review on the Classic Mysteries podcast, and you can listen to the complete review by clicking here.

What Bobby Owen found in that supposedly haunted mansion called Nonpareil, of course, was a dead body – and that was only the first in a series of remarkably odd occurrences that involved other murders, sets of twins, a number of rival art dealers, several assaults, and a very secretive but extremely intense search for a rumored painting by the great Dutch artist Vermeer that could be worth a fortune – IF it existed and IF it were ever found. There were plenty of clues, plenty of suspects, and a great many questions to be answered. And Bobby Owen will find himself the target of a very determined killer.

It’s another fine show of force from E.R. Punshon. This new edition of There’s a Reason for Everything comes from Dean Street Press, which provided me with an e-book copy for this review. It includes a new introduction by mystery historian Curtis Evans, who calls the book “a pleasingly intricate and wryly amusing account of murder and art.” It is all of that, and I recommend it to you.

 

Deadly Tie for the David

For the second year in a row, the voting for Deadly Ink's David Award, presented to the best mystery published in 2015, has ended in a tie, with two authors winning the award. 

Jack Getze was named winner for his book, Big Shoes, and A. J. Sidransky received the award for Forgiving Mariela Camacho. 

The runners-up included Jane K. Cleland, for Ornaments of Death, Hank Phillippi Ryan, for What You See, and Karin Slaughter, for Pretty Girls.

The awards were presented tonight at the Deadly Ink banquet in New Brunswick, NJ.

Congratulations to all winners and nominees!

Deadly Pleasures

Deadly Ink is well under way in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Somewhere between 60 and 100 people - readers and authors - are enjoying each other's  company.

Our good friend Mr. Holmes was present in spirit - also in cardboard - at a panel featuring authors Carole Bugge, Roberta Rogow and Marvin Kaye, discussing "Sherlock Holmes, Past, Present and Future."

Another highlight of the day: Toastmistress Hilary Davidson interviewing Guest of Honor Reed Farrel Coleman.

Lots of opportunities to talk together, eat together, drink together - and, still to come, a banquet and the winner of the David Award for best mystery published in 2015. Tomorrow morning, Leslie and I will be part of a panel of fans discussing favorite books, authors and genres.

Wish you were here? I'll let you know when information is available about next year's conference.