Reading the Detectives discussion

It's time to nominate for our June 2021 group read!

Please nominate mystery/detective books written in/set in the GA period, or slightly earlier or later. As usual, just one nomination per group member and only one book by any individual writer can be nominated per month. Looking forward to seeing what books you suggest.

I'll start us off by nominating Calamity in Kent by John Rowland, first published in 1950 - this is one of the British Library reprints.

According to GR, Rowland wrote 20 titles in the Inspector Shelley series, but only a couple have been reprinted, and I think this is the only one on Kindle.

In the peaceful seaside town of Broadgate, an impossible crime occurs. The operator of the cliff railway locks the empty carriage one evening; when he returns to work next morning, a dead body is locked inside - a man who has been stabbed in the back. Jimmy London, a newspaper reporter, is first on the scene. He is quick on the trail for clues - and agrees to pool his knowledge with Inspector Shelley of Scotland Yard, who is holidaying in the area.

I will nominate The House in Charlton Crescent by Annie Haynes

Protruding from the dead woman’s breast was the gold and jewelled dagger she had shown them half an hour before. And, looking horribly incongruous among the laces of her fichu, a deep stain was spreading.

Elderly cantankerous widow Lady Anne Daventry summons a private detective, Bruce Cardyn, to her London home. He is tasked to find out one thing: just who is trying to kill her?

Any number of relations have a financial interest in her death. Then there is Lady Anne’s recently dismissed private secretary, her lady’s maid and the butler…

Despite Cardyn’s efforts, Lady Anne is murdered and Inspector Furnival, in his second golden age mystery, is on the case, with Cardyn playing Watson. Originally published in 1926, this new edition is the first printed in over eighty years. It features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.

I'll nominate Gin and Murder by Josephine Pullein-Thompson. Some of us may have picked this up when it was free a couple of years ago.

In the villages of West Wintshire, deep in ‘Horse and Hound’ territory with their colonels, captains and brigadiers, a good-looking, rich and horsey young man keels over at a cocktail party and dies.

I enjoy short story collections to dip in and out of, so I’ll nominate The Measure of Malice: Scientific Detection Stories from British Library Crime Classics.

Forensic dentistry; precise examination of ballistics; an expertise in apiology to identify the exact bee which killed the victim?
The detective’s role may be simple; solve the case and catch the culprit, but when the crime is fiendishly well-executed the application of the scientific method may be the only answer.
The detectives in this collection are masters of scientific deduction, employing principles of chemistry, the latest technological innovations and an irresistible logical brilliance in their pursuit of justice. With stories by early masters in the field such as Arthur Conan Doyle and L. T. Meade alongside fine-tuned mysteries from the likes of Edmund Crispin and Dorothy L. Sayers, The Measure of Malice collects tales of rational thinking to prove the power of the brain over villainous deed

I'll nominate The Eames-Erskine Case: A Chief Inspector Pointer Mystery by A.E. Fielding. Author is variously known as A. Fielding, Archibald Fielding and Archibald E. Fielding, who may actually have been Dorothy Fielding, per her American publisher. Published in 1924. First book and our introduction to Inspector Pointer.

Body of a dead man is found in the wardrobe of a London hotel. Drug overdose? Why would he choose to die in this position, in this piece of furniture? And who is he?

I nominate Murder in Vienna by E.C.R. Lorac.

Superintendent Macdonald, CID, studied his fellow-passengers on the Vienna plane simply because he couldn’t help it, because he hadn’t conditioned himself to being on holiday. The distinguished industrialist he recognised: the stout man he put down (quite mistakenly) as a traveller in whisky. The fair girl was going to a job (he was right there) and the aggressive young man in the camel coat might be something bookish. Macdonald turned away from his fellow-passengers deliberately; they weren’t his business, he was on holiday - or so he thought.

Michaela wrote: "I nominate Murder in Vienna by E.C.R. Lorac.

Superintendent Macdonald, CID, studied his fellow-passengers on the Vienna plane..."

That's odd. Amazon.uk has the Kindle edition priced at 99p, but not currently available for purchase, and 'Item under review'. A second hand copy is - gulp! - £788.70!

Wow! I’m a Lorac fan, glad I snapped up that kindle when it was cheap!

Sorry, I didn´t look for availability, as I got the kindle too, so if this is a problem, I´ll think of something else. :)

They may sort it out quickly, in time for us to buy it for a read. We can have another look before the poll opens.

Good idea! I wonder what prices are sometimes achieved when a book isn´t available atm.

Thank you for nominating the Lorac book, Michaela, and thank you, Rosina, for pointing out the problem with availability. What a shame!

We could check again in a few days and include it if it is available by then - or if you prefer you could change your nomination now, Michaela, and bear this one in mind for a future nomination?

P.S. I'm wondering if there is a rights issue with some Lorac titles - it looks as if her only non British Library book currently available on Kindle in the UK is Death Came Softly. I think I'll grab it and read it now while Amazon still has it! Rope’s End, Rogue’s End, which I read a while ago, has completely disappeared from the site.

I just had a quick look at Scribd's UK site and it appears it now only offers the British Library audiobooks of Lorac's titles.

Thank you for all the nominations so far - we already have a difficult choice in store:

Judy: Calamity in Kent by John Rowland

Jill: The House in Charlton Crescent by Annie Haynes

Carol: Gin and Murder by Josephine Pullein-Thompson

Susan in NC: The Measure of Malice: Scientific Detection Stories edited by Martin Edwards

Jan: The Eames-Erskine Case: A Chief Inspector Pointer Mystery by A.E. Fielding

Michaela: TBC - Murder in Vienna by E.C.R. Lorac?

Thanks Judy, I leave it be for now. There are enough good nominations. :)

Thanks Michaela, I will double-check before putting up the poll and include it if it is available by then. :)

Rosina wrote: "Michaela wrote: "I nominate Murder in Vienna by E.C.R. Lorac.

Superintendent Macdonald, CID, studied his fellow-passengers on..."

Similar problem with Amazon in US: listed as $2 but not available for sale.

Thank you, Sandy. I think there may well be a rights issue with these - I've just noticed the title I bought and downloaded via UK Amazon, Death Came Softly, is a Canadian public domain edition, but Lorac's books are still in copyright in the UK and US. So there may be some copyright problems, I'm guessing.

Judy wrote: "P.S. I'm wondering if there is a rights issue with some Lorac titles - it looks as if her only non British Library book currently available on Kindle in the UK is Death Came Softly...."

Same here in the US on Scribd - I saved a few Lorac titles when they were available as ebooks on the site, we’ll see if they don’t suddenly become “unavailable”!

Judy wrote: "P.S. I'm wondering if there is a rights issue with some Lorac titles - it looks as if her only non British Library book currently available on Kindle in the UK is Death Came Softly...."

I was thinking about nominating Lorac’s Checkmate to Murder because it’s fairly new and available on Scribd as an audiobook, but depending on how well the narrator does accents, and how varied they are, going strictly off an audiobook for a read can be tough! And I didn’t know how available an ebook or physical book would be for our members (with library lockdowns and such). Wow, just checking Amazon, the kindle of that title, I think, was $7.99 the other day, and I didn’t know if that was too much, but now it’s $9.49! She’s going up by the day! Must be copyright shenanigans?

Sandy wrote: "Rosina wrote: "Michaela wrote: "I nominate Murder in Vienna by E.C.R. Lorac.

Superintendent Macdonald, CID, studied his fello..."

Yes, I saw that yesterday, too.

Thanks Susan, and thanks everyone for the nominations so far - I will double-check on the Lorac title's availability before putting the poll up.

Does anyone have any more nominations? I listed those so far in message 15 above.

I will nominate An Untimely Death

First in a sort of Upstairs, Downstairs series.

At a 1921 garden party, murder is on the menu...

The sudden death of her employer sets loyal maid Anna Fairweather on a dangerous quest for justice. Discovering who killed the quarrelsome Colonel will require joining forces with the victim’s attractive nephew, Jerome Townson, but is the charming Mr. Townson hiding darker motives than anyone guesses?

A formidable dowager, an incompetent Chief Constable, and a host of greedy relations become obstacles in Anna’s search for the truth. Will the head butler and the other inscrutable household servants become her allies? Or will Anna face her ultimate fate – and a ruthless killer – alone?

Susan wrote: "I will nominate An Untimely Death

First in a sort of Upstairs, Downstairs series.

At a 1921 garden party, murder is on the menu...

The sudd..."

Sounds fun, like a game of Clue!

The poll is now open - please cast your votes!

https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/2...

The Lorac book isn't included as it is still under review, but hopefully we can include that another month if it is available in future.

Thanks, Judy. Some great choices.

The poll is currently tied - if you haven't cast your vote yet, please do!

https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/2...

The winner is Calamity in Kent by John Rowland, which will be our June group read.

Full results:

Calamity in Kent 10 votes, 34.5%

The Eames-Erskine Case: A Chief Inspector Pointer Mystery 5 votes, 17.2%

An Untimely Death (An Anna Fairweather Murder Mystery Book 1) 5 votes, 17.2%

The House in Charlton Crescent (Inspector Furnival, #2) 3 votes, 10.3%

Gin and Murder 3 votes, 10.3%

The Measure of Malice: Scientific Detection Stories 3 votes, 10.3%