Reading the Detectives discussion

It's time to nominate for our January 2023 group read!

Please only nominate books written and published in the Golden Age period, or a little earlier or later - if in doubt whether a title is eligible, please ask.

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

I enjoyed a couple of books I've read by Moray Dalton, so I'll start us off by nominating a standalone by her which has been republished by Dean Street Press, The Case of Alan Copeland: A Golden Age Mystery.

“I see you told her fortune. Had she a good hand?”

“There was death in it.”

The inhabitants of the quiet English village of Teene are a mixed bag. The schoolmistress is an artist manqué, her quick brain wasted for lack of opportunity. There is old Mrs. Simmons at the filling station, gloating over her discreditable past, and bullying her flighty young daughter. The fastidious Reverend Perry is more interested in his books than curing souls, and his niece dreams of romance but wakes to deadly realities. The prim, self-satisfied Miss Gort does most of the work of the parish; and the harassed poultry farmer, an artist once, is driven to desperation by an elderly nagging wife.

When one member of this little circle dies, natural causes are assumed; but eighteen months later the word “murder,” whispered at first, becomes officially suspected...

The Case of Alan Copeland, a classic court-room drama, was originally published in 1937. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.

I will nominate The Astonishing Adventure of Jane Smith by Patricia Wentworth


“The door!” he shouted. “The door!” Every man in the room looked where Fifteen was looking. Above the water-lilies and the storks, where the top panel of the door had shown, there was a dark, empty space. The door was open.

A girl, clad only in a night dress, is found walking in her sleep. Had she heard too much? Should she be “eliminated”? Jane Smith, an impecunious and intrepid heroine, finds herself in the wrong place at the right time, swept into an adventure which will include imposture, peril, romance and… murder.

The Astonishing Adventure of Jane Smith, the first of Patricia Wentworth’s mystery novels, was originally published in 1923. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.

As I am really enjoying the Francis Pettigrew series, I will recommend Best Detective Stories of Cyril Hare

Cyril Hare's short stories were mostly written for the London Evening Standard. Among them, The Story of Hermione, in which the eponymous character grows rich from the all too convenient deaths of several relatives, has been called one of the most chilling short stories ever written. Sister Bessie describes vividly the agonies of a blackmail victim and the desperate crimes he commits in the hope of freeing himself from his tormentor. Miss Burnside's Dilemma describes the predicament of a person who uncovers a piece of unscrupulous, but entirely legal chicanery by someone she had previously admired. A Life for a Life explores the possibility of atonement for one's earthly sins after death.

Thank you for the nominations, Jill and Susan. Two very entertaining authors.

Nominations so far:

Judy: The Case of Alan Copeland by Moray Dalton

Jill: The Astonishing Adventure of Jane Smith by Patricia Wentworth

Susan: Detective Stories of Cyril Hare

Not so many nominations just yet, but some choices nevertheless.

Could somebody please tell me if The Body in the Dumb River or Surfeit of Suspects, both by George Bellairs, are available for all?
Otherwise I have some Loracs too. ;)

In the UK, both are available on Kindle Unlimited, or for £2.99 to buy. Or as Audiobooks, but paper copies seem to be thin on the ground.

The kindle version of The Body in the Dumb River is not available in the US but I expect it will be someday as that series eventually makes it. Surfeit of Suspects is one of next year's challenge.

Revision: Looking differently on Amazon, I see Body in the Dumb River for $10 on kindle in US.

Sandy wrote: "The kindle version of The Body in the Dumb River is not available in the US but I expect it will be someday as that series eventually makes it. Surfeit of Suspects i..."

Don’t know how many here have Scribd, but both ebook and audiobook of Dumb River are available on Scribd in US.

Sorry, haven’t been getting notifications of this discussion, just came to check if any new nominations. I was thinking of Bellairs and Lorac, as well, so I’ll leave Michaela to nominate!

Thanks Susan and everyone who looked whether the Bellairs were available. As we have one of them as part of the challenge and the other´s not available in the US, I´ll ask for one of those by E.C.R. Lorac: Murder by Matchlight or Fire in the Thatch: A Devon Mystery. On the German site they´re both 99p on Kindle, but also available as audiobooks and paperbacks.

Michaela, I've just had a look and both the Lorac titles are available in the UK for 99p too - please can someone check on US availability?

“Matchlight” is $5.04, “Fire in the thatch” is $4.23.

Thanks Susan! Which one do you want to nominate, Michaela?

Then I´ll nominate the cheaper one, . :)

Thank you, Michaela!
Nominations so far:

Judy: The Case of Alan Copeland by Moray Dalton

Jill: The Astonishing Adventure of Jane Smith by Patricia Wentworth

Susan: Detective Stories of Cyril Hare

Michaela: Fire in the Thatch by E.C.R. Lorac

Any more nominations before the poll goes up tomorrow?

I will nominate The Body in the Silo, next in a series of which I, and maybe we, have read the first two. I own the rest and would like to continue. If I remember correctly, this is the insurance investigator who consults with his wife and plays elaborate games of solitaire.

P.S. $3 in the US

Thank you for the nomination, Sandy! We read The Three Taps earlier this year, so it would be fun to read another by Ronald Knox. The Body in the Silo is £2.99 on Kindle in the UK.

The poll is now open:
https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/2...

Thanks, Judy!

I missed the nominations again!

I did vote.

Jan C wrote: "I missed the nominations again!

I did vote."

Most groups nominate on the first day of the month. :)

Not sure what I was doing on that date but I'm not even sure that I got on the computer.

The poll has now ended and the winner is Best Detective Stories of Cyril Hare, which will be our January group read.

Full results:
Best Detective Stories of Cyril Hare 9 votes, 36.0%
The Case of Alan Copeland: A Golden Age Mystery 5 votes, 20.0%
The Body in the Silo 5 votes, 20.0%
The Astonishing Adventure of Jane Smith 3 votes, 12.0%
Fire in the Thatch: A Devon Mystery (Robert MacDonald #27) 3 votes, 12.0%

It is one I own even if it is not the one I voted for.

Judy wrote: "The poll has now ended and the winner is Best Detective Stories of Cyril Hare, which will be our January group read.

Full results:
Best Detective Stories of Cyril Hare 9 votes, 36...."

Thanks, Judy, I do enjoy Hare’s writing style, I’ll look forward to seeing how he does with a short story format.

Me too, Susan in NC - and it looks like there's a variety of stories for us to enjoy.

I am not really a fan of short stories, but I have loved reading Cyril Hare and so I am excited about this one.

I like Hare but I'm not always crazy about short stories.

Unfortunately our library system only has a reference copy which has to be read at a branch that’s a bit of a trek. Oh well
Enjoy!

Sorry to hear your library doesn't have it locally, Icewineanne. If you read ebooks, it's 99p on Kindle in the UK and I think it may be 99c in the US.

Thanks Judy, I’ll check it out 🤞🏻

Judy wrote: "Sorry to hear your library doesn't have it locally, Icewineanne. If you read ebooks, it's 99p on Kindle in the UK and I think it may be 99c in the US."

Yes, 99 cents in US.

Thanks for checking the price, Sandy.

My library has only Christie and a couple of other GA books, so I always have to buy them or try to get them for free. This one is cheap here too though.