Reading the Detectives discussion

Sorry to be slightly late putting up this thread, but it's time to nominate for our March 2020 group read.

Please nominate mystery/detective books written in/set in the GA period, or a little earlier or later.

As usual, just one nomination per group member. Also, only one book by any individual writer can be nominated per month.

I don't have anything I'm especially hankering for just now and look forward to what others might be.

As no one else has started this, I will nominate Death in Captivity by Michael Gilbert.

"While it has many of the elements of the classic detective story, it is also a gripping novel of mounting suspense that takes place in a 1943 prisoner of war camp for British officers in northern Italy—it was the first of Gilbert's numerous later works that would feature suspense and danger as much or more as elements of detection. Gilbert himself had been a British officer during the war, was captured, and interned in an Italian camp. He escaped and spent several months making his way through the Italian countryside trying to reach the British lines. Much of this book apparently reflects his own experiences."

In the UK it's available as a Kindle book (though not on the link on the Goodreads page), and on Kindle Unlimited.

I will nominate Inspector French’s Greatest Case by Freeman Wills Crofts

Inspector French is the central figure in many books by Mr. Crofts. This, his greatest case, opens with the discovery beside the open safe of a diamond merchant in Hatton Garden of the dead body of his head clerk, and valuable diamonds are missing. There are many people to suspect, and before Inspector French solves it, he has to unravel many mysteries and follow up many false clues.

I will nominate a Michael Innes: The Daffodil Affair.

In the midst of the Blitz, a house in Bloomsbury disappears. In York and London, two young girls have been kidnapped. And in Harrogate, a cab horse named Daffodil has gone missing. A Sir John Appleby mystery.

Seems pretty affordable on Kindle or in paperback in the UK and USA.

Abigail wrote: "I will nominate a Michael Innes: The Daffodil Affair.

In the midst of the Blitz, a house in Bloomsbury disappears. In York and London, two young girls have been kidnapped. And in Ha..."

My favourite Appleby book - and another wartime story. I must of course support my own nomination ...

So far, some great choices, already on my TBR list, so I can’t lose! I treated myself to some ECR Lorac rereleases from British Library Crime Classics, but hesitate to nominate as they’ve been unavailable/too pricey in the past.

I will nominate an older British Library Crime Classics reissue, The Dead Shall be Raised & Murder of a Quack, by George Bellairs. I read the first mystery for another book challenge in December and really enjoyed it, and want to read Murder of a Quack before I return it to the library. Also might find as a stand-alone, The Murder of a Quack .

Some great nominations so far:

Rosina: Death in Captivity
Jill: Inspector French’s Greatest Case
Abigail: The Daffodil Affair
Susan in NC: The Dead Shall be Raised & Murder of a Quack

Some great suggestions already. I have the first two on my TBR lists, so won't nominate this month.

I'd like to nominate Family Matters, another British Library Crime Classic by Anthony Rolls. Anthony Rolls was a pseudonym of C.E. Vuillamy, a biographer, soldier and archaeologist of distinction who also wrote ten crime novels. (from the cover of the BLCC edition)

Thanks Frances - another great suggestion.

I was just reading the newsletter for Otto Penzler's The Mysterious Bookshop (no idea now how I got on his mailing list) but one of the books he is hyping is one I recently picked up, The Bellamy Trial  by Frances Noyes Hart. One of Rex Stout's faves, reportedly. A pioneering courtroom mystery that Stout put in his Top 10 novels.

Stephen Bellamy and Susan Ives are accused of killing Bellamy's wife. Trial apparently goes on for 8 days. The reader, like the jury, is provided with all the evidence to render a verdict.

The Bellamy Trial  sounds very interesting, Jan. The Otto Penzler edition is on Kindle in the UK, and there is also an alternative cheaper Kindle edition from another publisher.

Nominations so far:

Rosina: Death in Captivity
Jill: Inspector French’s Greatest Case
Abigail: The Daffodil Affair
Susan in NC: The Dead Shall be Raised & Murder of a Quack
Frances: Family Matters
Jan C: The Bellamy Trial

Any more? The poll will go up mid-week.

The poll is now up - please cast your votes! Some great choices:

https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/1...

Death in Captivity has taken an early lead, but there's still plenty of time to vote:

https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/1...

I know I have nominated Death in Captivity before. The author was the father of Harriet Gilbert, who does the podcast, A Good Read.

Thank you, Susan - I had it on my TBR pile, so I figured someone in the group must have previously nominated it, couldn’t remember who! Reading up on Gilbert led to my new favorite, ECR Lorac, so thanks so much for sending me down the British Library Crime Classics rabbit hole!

I have some by ECR Lorac that I picked up for 99p a while back, so must get to her.

And the winner is...

Death in Captivity by Michael Gilbert, which will be our March group read.

Full results:

Death in Captivity 9 votes, 45.0%
The Dead Shall be Raised & Murder of a Quack (Chief Inspector Littlejohn #4-5) 4 votes, 20.0%
The Bellamy Trial 3 votes, 15.0%
Inspector French's Greatest Case (Inspector French #1) 3 votes, 15.0%
Family Matters 1 vote, 5.0%
The Daffodil Affair (Sir John Appleby, #8) 0 votes, 0.0%

Good, it’s on my TBR list from a previous nomination, I’ve been meaning to get to it.

Looking forward to it. Have meant to try something by this author for a while.

Susan in NC wrote: "Good, it’s on my TBR list from a previous nomination, I’ve been meaning to get to it."

Always good to whittle away that TBR.

Good to see Death in Captivity as the winner - though I'll probably also re-read The Daffodil Affair.

Sandy wrote: "Susan in NC wrote: "Good, it’s on my TBR list from a previous nomination, I’ve been meaning to get to it."

Always good to whittle away that TBR."

Yes! Although I’m kidding myself if I think I’m going to get to all these books...

Seems with mine , for every one I take off , at least two go on.

I looked at the reviews of Death in Captivity, and they weren´t too good (more a remembrance of the war than a mystery), but will perhaps join in nonetheless, though I won´t get it at my library so will possibly have to buy it.

Jill wrote: "Seems with mine , for every one I take off , at least two go on."

Same here!