tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23494907200429260192024-03-13T12:44:49.141-07:00The Study LampDarrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14062628395256120383noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2349490720042926019.post-69536785723137411372016-06-27T18:19:00.000-07:002016-06-27T18:19:22.688-07:00This Post is Brought to You By....I'm currently reading a 1930s example of the "celebrity mystery"--the type of mystery that, while being ghostwritten by another author, is sold on the putative author's celebrity and is usually set in the milieu in which that person achieved their fame (such as Steve Allen's <em>The Talk Show Murders</em>).<br />
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Any guesses as to the celebrity author pictured below? A few hints...she was American, was at her greatest fame in the 1920s and 1930s...and it's no coincidence that I chose today to make this post.<br />
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<br />Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14062628395256120383noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2349490720042926019.post-18955463494978830852014-11-06T13:16:00.000-08:002014-11-06T13:16:51.344-08:00Acquisitions: Lucky $13Some of my favorite purchases from a recent book sale...and all for $13...yow! I'm most interested in <i>Prelude to Murder</i> which <i>The Saturday Review</i> lightly praised as having "an ending with a new twist". Also included are the sharp-looking endpapers for <i>Lay Her Among the Lilies.</i><br />
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Trivia time! One of my purchases is by an author who has a much more famous cousin in the mystery field. Who is it and what is the cousin's name?<br />
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<i><br /></i>Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14062628395256120383noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2349490720042926019.post-25793681119574883432014-10-31T19:09:00.000-07:002014-10-31T19:09:04.641-07:00Eden Phillpotts-Lyncanthrope: The Mystery of Sir William Wolf (1938)<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fNRONbimWzs/VFQn0MJVdjI/AAAAAAAAAbk/L6uYZqteGEY/s1600/Lycathrope.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fNRONbimWzs/VFQn0MJVdjI/AAAAAAAAAbk/L6uYZqteGEY/s1600/Lycathrope.jpg" height="200" width="135" /></a><br />
"...there is a chance that the monster may be local, when in bodily shape, so I come to you."<br />
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"I don't know a were-wolf among my patients, if that's what you mean, Bill."<br />
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Is something horrific stalking the grounds of Stormbury estate? Sir William Wolf, the recent heir, certainly believes that there is despite the skepticism and protestations of his closest friends and family. William, melancholy, superstitious and with an interest in the occult, is certain that a poem contained in an old book of legends discovered in the Stormbury library has a prophetic significance for him and that a lupine vengeance for an unknown family wrongdoing will occur on New Year's night. As the omens contained in "Twilight of the Wolf" appear to be coming true, William is urged to disregard the poem or leave the estate altogether but he is determined to confront what he believes will be a werewolf. And if his morbid and fatalistic resignation and occult beliefs aren't troubling enough to those around him, the Stormbury heir believes that he himself is slowly turning into a werewolf and that, as the poem prophesizes, "wolf shall meet wolf."<br />
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The basic plot of <i>Lycanthrope</i> emphasizes the horror elements but the novel is actually a horror and detection hybrid (although most of the detection occurs "off-stage") and is rather lacking in atmosphere and chills. While the novel has a setting contemporary to the publication date, the florid style of the writing and the languid pace of the storytelling give it a decades-earlier flavour (the author was 76 upon publication) so that the novel is best recommended to the patient reader who values the old-fashionedness of the tale.<br />
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Verdict: I enjoyed it but could have used a little more meat on this lyncanthrope.<br />
<br />Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14062628395256120383noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2349490720042926019.post-55209669717411150722014-07-23T17:42:00.000-07:002014-07-23T17:42:20.728-07:00Creaseymania 4: Introducing the ToffSome more sharp-looking covers and one title which would raise a few eyebrows today. Note the Saint-esque stick logo.<br />
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<br /><br />Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14062628395256120383noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2349490720042926019.post-66642736621351521072014-07-21T13:59:00.000-07:002014-07-21T14:09:53.254-07:00Creaseymania 3: Meet the BaronSome covers for the Baron (or is it Blue Mask?) series featuring <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WnATZLcXuA" target="_blank">jewel thief</a> John Mannering.<br />
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Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14062628395256120383noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2349490720042926019.post-12125242639097878882014-07-19T18:04:00.000-07:002014-07-19T18:04:54.706-07:00Creaseymania 2Two entries from Creasey's <em>Department Z</em> series. I like the subdued colours of the artwork. <em>The League of Dark Men</em> has both a front and back cover illustration.<br />
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Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14062628395256120383noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2349490720042926019.post-20676715822048150792014-07-19T17:52:00.000-07:002014-07-19T17:52:12.194-07:00Creaseymania!I purchased some vintage (mostly 1960s) John Creasey paperbacks this week from a local used bookstore. I got first crack at them although I'm not sure if this means that I have preferred customer priveleges or that no one else is interested in them (I suspect the latter). I'm going to make a few posts featuring my favourites from the lot in what is probably an inauspicious revival of this blog...<br />
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Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14062628395256120383noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2349490720042926019.post-91705698534914976112012-07-01T17:52:00.000-07:002012-07-01T17:52:11.273-07:00Acquisitions--Canadian Style!Normally I don't post about new paperback purchases (the vintage purchases are <em>so</em> much more interesting) but it's Canada Day and these acquisitions might hold some interest for the Canadians who read this blog.<br />
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Indigo, a Canadian bookstore chain, is currently having a sale on Arcturus Crime Classics, a bargain publishing line. At $2 a book, I couldn't resist buying the following:<br />
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Also available were titles from Anthony Berkeley (two of them!), Andrew Garve, Erle Stanley Gardner and Margery Allingham. So if you're in the vicinity of an Indigo you might want to mosey on over and grab a few titles for yourself.Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14062628395256120383noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2349490720042926019.post-27057206268360750772012-06-24T15:52:00.000-07:002012-06-24T15:52:16.909-07:00S.S. Van Dine - The Winter Murder Case (1939)<em>"You live for crime and suffering. And you adore worrying. You'd die of ennui if all were peaceful."</em><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lMDNT41NTFc/T-eYdaDsoHI/AAAAAAAAAVE/x2qhwsBQgFs/s1600/3272.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lMDNT41NTFc/T-eYdaDsoHI/AAAAAAAAAVE/x2qhwsBQgFs/s320/3272.jpg" width="237" /></a><em>The Winter Murder Case, </em>the last entry in the Philo Vance series, is a much shorter book than the other mysteries of Willard Huntington Wright (alias S.S. Van Dine), running about 160 pages. As an introductory essay explains, Wright developed each of the Philo Vance mysteries in three stages; a long synopsis, the development of the synopsis into an approximately 30,000 word manuscript, and finally a further working of character, dialogue and atmosphere resulting in the finished mystery. Owing to Wright's death on April 11, 1939, <em>The Winter Murder Case</em> never received the final fleshing-out so that some of the trademarks of an S.S. Van Dine title are absent, such as the pseudo literary footnotes and long-winded Vance lectures. This removes some of the insufferability and humanizes Vance (which might be an inducement for some readers, I prefer Vance's full-on conceit), although some of the events of the novel also accomplish this. It's hard to imagine the Philo Vance of the earlier novels acting as the master of ceremonies for an amateur winter carnival variety show, but he does this in <em>The Winter Murder Case</em>--and on ice skates no less!<br />
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In<em> The Winter Murder Case, </em>Vance is invited to a house party hosted by wealthy Carrington Rexon who is mistrustful of some of his other guests in proximity to his fabulous emerald collection. His suspicions are given extra weight when one of the estate guards is found dead. This final S.S. Van Dine mystery is an improvement over its predecessor, <a href="http://thestudylamp.blogspot.ca/2012/04/ss-van-dine-gracie-allen-murder-case.html" target="_blank"><em>The Gracie Allen Murder Case</em></a> which, like that book, was written with a specific movie actress in mind--in this case, Olympic skating champion turned movie star Sonja Henie. While there are many scenes involving skating, the winter theme is merely window dressing and doesn't play an appreciable part to the mystery (it easily could be <em>The Summer Murder Case</em>). Nobody is stabbed or has their throat slit with an ice skate (alas!). In addition to the shortness of the novel, the economy of the mystery itself gives <em>The Winter Murder Case</em> the feel of a short story blown up to novella length. A brisk read but inessential to the S.S. Van Dine canon. (The publication is also padded out with Van Dine's <em>Twenty Rules for Writing Detective Stories</em> and it's amusing to see how many of his own rules Van Dine transgresses).<br />
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I have now finished all the Van Dine novels (and basically in order. I suspect <em>The Greene Murder Case</em> was the only one I read significantly out of sequence) with my favourite being <em>The Kennel Murder Case. </em>Seeing some of the divergent opinions on that title makes me want to reread it as it's at least ten years since I completed it .<br />
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<br />Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14062628395256120383noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2349490720042926019.post-78574937590199070152012-06-17T11:33:00.000-07:002012-06-17T11:33:00.315-07:00Happy Father's Day!<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6n7p7fo4XV4/T94iuRt2zHI/AAAAAAAAAU0/wwQJPKfOXaQ/s1600/Woolfolk%252C%2BDorothy-Who%2BKilled%2BDaddy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6n7p7fo4XV4/T94iuRt2zHI/AAAAAAAAAU0/wwQJPKfOXaQ/s320/Woolfolk%252C%2BDorothy-Who%2BKilled%2BDaddy.jpg" width="186" /></a></div>Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14062628395256120383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2349490720042926019.post-91961023217096453762012-06-10T18:17:00.000-07:002012-06-10T18:17:14.938-07:00Ben BensonSome pictures of Ben Benson who died in 1959 while still in his forties.
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WI5Nm-nhFIA/T9VGnOcJvmI/AAAAAAAAAUY/nXDv-pQkVu4/s1600/Ben_Benson.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WI5Nm-nhFIA/T9VGnOcJvmI/AAAAAAAAAUY/nXDv-pQkVu4/s320/Ben_Benson.jpg" width="259" /></a>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DBsUi904OJw/T9VGnbm9wmI/AAAAAAAAAUk/tTpsH0M7daA/s1600/Ben_Benson_3.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="290" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DBsUi904OJw/T9VGnbm9wmI/AAAAAAAAAUk/tTpsH0M7daA/s320/Ben_Benson_3.jpg" width="320" /></a>
Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14062628395256120383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2349490720042926019.post-17827444794478999252012-06-10T18:04:00.000-07:002012-06-10T18:04:31.531-07:00Ben Benson - The Affair of the Exotic Dancer (1958)<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2kF1Pw7vXmE/T9VDqa0yxxI/AAAAAAAAAT0/je7J8Xt-gVM/s1600/Benson%252C%2BBen-Affair%2Bof%2Bthe%2BExotic%2BDancer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2kF1Pw7vXmE/T9VDqa0yxxI/AAAAAAAAAT0/je7J8Xt-gVM/s320/Benson%252C%2BBen-Affair%2Bof%2Bthe%2BExotic%2BDancer.jpg" width="192" /></a>
I've enjoyed Benson's series of mysteries involving Ralph Lindsey which are a combination of police procedural and <em>bildungsroman. </em>Lindsey is a young Massachusetts state trooper who not only makes mistakes at the outset of his career but also pays the price for having made these mistakes. I picked up <em>The Affair of the Exotic Dancer</em> thinking it was a non-series mystery but soon discovered that it features Benson's other series character, Captain Wade Paris of the Massachusetts police; thirty-something, fair, diplomatic, hardened by experience, the type of police veteran into which the callow Ralph Lindsey might develop.<br />
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The shooting death of a small business owner is the crime that Paris investigates in <em>The Affair of the Exotic Dancer</em>. However, this novel is not a who-done-it. Rather the story alternates between the police routine work and chapters entitled <em>The Suspect</em> which give the killer's backstory, so that early on the reader knows the identity of the killer and eventually the motive for the crime. It is to Benson's credit that, even knowing this information, the reader's interest is held by this no-frills police story.<br />
<br />Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14062628395256120383noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2349490720042926019.post-32798546237079802022012-06-10T16:48:00.000-07:002012-06-10T16:48:59.892-07:00Bill. S. Ballinger - Formula for Murder (1958)<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AOEaNX4H5vg/T9UxM0DMYpI/AAAAAAAAATY/4x327XLAcxQ/s1600/signet1585.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AOEaNX4H5vg/T9UxM0DMYpI/AAAAAAAAATY/4x327XLAcxQ/s320/signet1585.jpg" width="186" /></a>While the cover blurb for <em>Formula for Murder</em> promises a "strikingly different kind of sleuth", vanMars (no first name given unless I missed it) is your typical Golden Age amateur; elegant, well-dressed, erudite, a New York City resident with friends in high places. Maybe not typical in all things. I don't recall Philo Vance ever ingesting magic mushrooms to help clarify his thoughts on a case as vanMars does in this novel...<br />
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<em>Formula for Murder</em> is a mystery involving suicide. Marcia Graham, a writer for <em>Chic</em> magazine (and presumably vanMars's love interest, although like many detectives he comes across as asexual and the relationship platonic) has been given the unusual assignment of authoring an article dealing with the study of a suicide. Unsure that she can do such a story well Marcia requests vanMars's help feeling that, with his background as a theoretical mathematician, his "scientific, detached attitude" will be a benefit to the writing of the article. Inquiring as to whether a case has been selected, Marcia replies that she'll be guided by circumstance. The next suicide story in the papers will be the one that she'll follow up.<br />
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Two days later Marcia has her story; Julian Hare, a former restaurant owner, has leaped from the Brooklyn Bridge in the early morning with two witnesses to his death. After getting the background of the case, Marcia is puzzled. "He wasn't really sick, he wasn't really broke, he wasn't really in any trouble." Even more puzzling is the link to another death. Julian's wife has been involved with an actor who was found murdered later that evening. How are the two deaths related?<br />
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<em>Formula for Murder</em> is a short yet solid mystery. vanMars lacks the obnoxiousness that characterizes many other gentleman detectives and the mystery plot, while obvious in some regards, is handled sufficiently well. The book takes its title from vanMars coming up with a formula for murder while in a trance state which, while novel, is basically nonsense.<br />
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Pictured is the author photo from the back cover. It's easy to visualize Bill S. Ballinger as vanMars.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F9aLJ3td2Mo/T9UxNDeZGhI/AAAAAAAAATk/kq1_uHkIl3k/s1600/Ballinger%252C%2BBill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F9aLJ3td2Mo/T9UxNDeZGhI/AAAAAAAAATk/kq1_uHkIl3k/s320/Ballinger%252C%2BBill.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14062628395256120383noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2349490720042926019.post-24728115468136978132012-06-01T16:09:00.000-07:002012-06-01T16:09:03.501-07:00Terror! Artwork!I don't have too many dust jackets which aren't readily found (or purchased) on the internet but here's a fairly scarce one--the artwork for the first of the Anne and Jeffrey McNeill mysteries:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Q2cj3XSsWig/T8lLZB3MNjI/AAAAAAAAATI/Mtr33_RaC3Y/s1600/Dubois%252C%2BTheodora-Armed%2Bwith%2Ba%2BNew%2BTerror.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Q2cj3XSsWig/T8lLZB3MNjI/AAAAAAAAATI/Mtr33_RaC3Y/s320/Dubois%252C%2BTheodora-Armed%2Bwith%2Ba%2BNew%2BTerror.jpg" width="215" /></a></div>Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14062628395256120383noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2349490720042926019.post-48959150141456955742012-06-01T15:55:00.000-07:002012-06-01T15:55:41.118-07:00Apologies and AcquisitionsI was horrified (okay, mildly surprised) to see that I haven't posted anything since the end of April. Hopefully this month I'll post more (and read better books). Apologies to my 5 followers who must have been frantic with worry and anticipation ;)<br />
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There are some new (to me) authors in my recent purchases; Katharine Virden ( an early Doubleday Crime Club selection that I was lucky to find locally for a few dollars), Anthony Weymouth and Margaret Page Hood (creator of Gil Donan, a Maine sheriff). <br />
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Also in this batch is an autographed copy of <em>The Wild Duck Murders</em> (I only obtain autographs of authors of whom no one is seeking autographs--what an awkward sentence..)<br />
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Finally, the last two two books in the photo are <em>The Edge of Running Water</em> and <em>A Dirty Way to Die </em>(I don't think they photographed very well).<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hGrwOwzEzjE/T8lH5MVuVNI/AAAAAAAAAS4/hA68wJv0nNw/s1600/Dubois.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hGrwOwzEzjE/T8lH5MVuVNI/AAAAAAAAAS4/hA68wJv0nNw/s320/Dubois.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14062628395256120383noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2349490720042926019.post-60559036941448512252012-04-29T14:53:00.000-07:002012-04-29T14:53:15.074-07:00Edith-Jane Bahr - A Nice Neighborhood (1973)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qeIleV0XzbE/T523Yf8MRVI/AAAAAAAAASc/HdOA-Pan6dI/s1600/Bahr%252C%2BEdith-Jane-Nice%2BNeighborhood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qeIleV0XzbE/T523Yf8MRVI/AAAAAAAAASc/HdOA-Pan6dI/s320/Bahr%252C%2BEdith-Jane-Nice%2BNeighborhood.jpg" width="190" /></a><em>"I can't imagine any of this," I said out loud. "It's like a Hitchcock movie."</em></div>
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If Margaret Butler, the narrator of <em>A Nice Neighborhood</em>, is in a Hitchcock film, it would be <em>Rear Window.</em> Sitting in the bay window of her kitchen while giving her six week old daughter a 2 a.m. bottle, Margaret notices a light on in the family room of their backyard neighbors' house. Margaret's first thought is that someone must be sick and so is surprised to see Marilyn Crane, clad in something "loose and see-throughy", furtively let a man out the back door. Her initial surprise at the audacity of Marilyn letting a man in and out of her house while her husband is sleeping upstairs turns into amusement as she witnesses several more of these clandestine meetings, reasoning, as she never hears a car starting up, that Marilyn is carrying on an affair with a local man (who, of course, is only seen in shadow and silhouette). Margaret's amusement is short-lived however; John Crane wakes up one morning to discover his wife in the family room, dead from a stab wound in the back. The police's initial assumption that Marilyn surprised a prowler is discarded after Margaret's account of the night visitor and their focus turns to a disgruntled lover or a vindictive spouse. With the peaceful facade of the neighborhood being stripped away by revelations of affairs, lies and other problems, Margaret becomes more and more uneasy that one of her "nice" neighbors is possibly a killer and that, after a second murder, she herself might be the next victim.<br />
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<em>A Nice Neighborhood</em> should be a novel with an atmosphere of suffocating and ever-growing paranoia, but apart from a short scene in which Margaret fears that the killer is hiding inside her house, the narrative isn't very suspenseful. Part of the problem lies with the cast of suspects. While they are supposed to be benign, at least on the surface, I never had the impression that there was an added layer to their characters, that one of them really posed a threat a Margaret and could strike out at any moment. And this benignity extended to the final reveal, a confrontation which was flat (and somewhat abrupt with an overly garrulous killer).<br />
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<br />Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14062628395256120383noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2349490720042926019.post-31690276557114903782012-04-25T13:06:00.000-07:002012-04-25T13:06:10.593-07:00Spencer Dean - Murder on Delivery (1957)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Lily Inez, beautiful television star, is set to receive a very exclusive gift from the Sak's-like Amblett's department store--a 100,000 blue sable mink coat which is to be delivered on her birthday by two employees of Amblett's. The coat, however, is hijacked at Lily's apartment, the two employees are missing and Don Cadee, the head of Ambletts' security suspects that Lily and her manager have more knowledge about the theft than they want to reveal. The knowledge that this pair has proves to be rather ludicrous, but without this twist there wouldn't be much to the story. Dean, to his credit, doesn't tie everything neatly up at the conclusion.<br />
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More information on the series can be found <a href="http://www.thrillingdetective.com/cadee_don.html" target="_blank">here.</a><br />
<br />Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14062628395256120383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2349490720042926019.post-17009908594809315012012-04-25T12:25:00.000-07:002012-04-25T12:25:51.164-07:00Paul Kruger - Weave a Wicked Web<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I'm getting perilously behind on my reviews...and it doesn't help that that several of them could be quickly summarized as "meh" or "okay". So today I'm going for a copy of noon-hour "quickies"...</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xpIT2k5usG0/T5hOxOlJBAI/AAAAAAAAAR8/YBgR3PD437Q/s1600/Kruger%252C%2BPaul-Weave%2Ba%2BWicked%2BWeb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xpIT2k5usG0/T5hOxOlJBAI/AAAAAAAAAR8/YBgR3PD437Q/s320/Kruger%252C%2BPaul-Weave%2Ba%2BWicked%2BWeb.jpg" width="191" /></a><em>Weave a Wicked Web</em> is the second in a series of mysteries featuring Phil Kramer, a Colorado attorney. Kramer is retained at the beginning of the novel (by a young, beautiful and wealthy client, of course) to trace a red-headed woman named Kitty Bates. That's all the information the client, Stella Packard, is willing to give him and against his better judgment Kramer agrees to take on the job. Eventually Kramer ties in Kitty Bates with a news item about the discovery of the body of a red-headed woman in the vicinity of his client's home. Questioning his client, Kramer learns that Stella had made a blackmail payment to a woman identifying herself as Kitty Bates. The big problem; Kitty Bates was dead and in her improvised grave well before the blackmail attempt so who was the second Kitty Bates and how does the body tie in with the Packard family? It's an interesting set-up, but the problem I had with the novel is that eventually it seems that everyone was either cognizant of the blackmail or part of it, thereby lessening the impact of the story.<br />
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More information on the Phil Kramer series and its author can be found at the <a href="http://www.thrillingdetective.com/eyes/kramer.html" target="_blank">Thrilling Detective</a> website.<br />
<br />Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14062628395256120383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2349490720042926019.post-35507242567060734982012-04-22T14:55:00.000-07:002012-04-22T14:55:37.030-07:00Frank Kane - Syndicate Girl (1958)<em>"The syndicate runs this town. If they say go, you go. If they say jump, you damn well better jump. If they say you die, don't start reading any continued stories."</em><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IXG8LVtdYtk/T5R-BzlN_II/AAAAAAAAARw/5RQcIKzqCkc/s1600/Kane%252C%2BFrank-Syndicate%2BGirl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IXG8LVtdYtk/T5R-BzlN_II/AAAAAAAAARw/5RQcIKzqCkc/s320/Kane%252C%2BFrank-Syndicate%2BGirl.jpg" width="209" /></a>In a previous <a href="http://thestudylamp.blogspot.ca/2012/04/rae-foley-where-is-mary-bostwick-1958.html" target="_blank">post</a> I observed the disparity between the plot summary and cover artwork of a Rae Foley Mr. Potter novel, seemingly to make the book more palatable to a romantic suspense fan. Like that book, <em>Syndicate Girl</em> has a presentation at odds with its actual content. The cover blurb <em>(She was as tough as the hoods she worked with--until she met a man who made her feel like a woman)</em> along with the accompanying illustration of a long-legged blonde seductively posed on an armchair with a cigarette dangling from her fingers, would suggest that the novel is a crime melodrama involving the redemption of the syndicate girl (with perhaps a hint of risque action.) The trouble is threefold; the syndicate girl doesn't reform, doesn't meet a man who makes her feel like a woman, and since she isn't discovering her latent womanhood, there's no risque lovemaking either. Actually, the problem might be fourfold as the syndicate girl, Mary Lister, isn't even the main character in the book. That honour belongs to Mal Waters, a young and naive district attorney (and the future son-in-law of the mayor) who becomes involved in the battle against organized crime in a small city and the fight to prove that the suicide of a policeman was actually a mob hit tied to a corruption probe.<br />
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One's enjoyment of <em>SG </em>will depend on how much one can make allowances for the actions of Mal Waters. While he is supposed to be naive, a puppet placed in office by the crime-ridden administration, most of the story depends on the character doing foolish things such allowing himself to be set-up or revealing his plans to those he shouldn't trust (even though he learns early on about the duplicity of those close to him). Mal's development as a character is in contrast to what the blurb promises about Mary Lister: a "nice: guy who has to become as tough as the hoods whose downfall he wants to bring about, although the Mickey Spillanesque ending can be predicted early on.<br />
<br />Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14062628395256120383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2349490720042926019.post-34123401900688437872012-04-22T13:38:00.000-07:002012-04-22T13:38:34.544-07:00Paperbacks IIA few more...<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zH3uJDycR-g/T5RqUVbXYbI/AAAAAAAAAQo/x5Fjw-IwZ_k/s1600/Hammett%252C%2BDashiell-Nightmare%2BTown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zH3uJDycR-g/T5RqUVbXYbI/AAAAAAAAAQo/x5Fjw-IwZ_k/s320/Hammett%252C%2BDashiell-Nightmare%2BTown.jpg" width="210" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-03qk7x0BSGE/T5RqUgssKnI/AAAAAAAAAQ0/eP58e34I98M/s1600/McCoy%252C%2BHorace-Corruption%2BCity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-03qk7x0BSGE/T5RqUgssKnI/AAAAAAAAAQ0/eP58e34I98M/s320/McCoy%252C%2BHorace-Corruption%2BCity.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TQRKjnCsomI/T5RqUz0jGoI/AAAAAAAAARA/7Rzd__BUiac/s1600/MacDonald%252C%2BJohn-April%2BEvil%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TQRKjnCsomI/T5RqUz0jGoI/AAAAAAAAARA/7Rzd__BUiac/s320/MacDonald%252C%2BJohn-April%2BEvil%2B2.jpg" width="208" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RCjNV5Uv704/T5RqVe4BfYI/AAAAAAAAARM/_aG9g8jj1bk/s1600/Woodford%252C%2BJack-Peeping%2BTom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RCjNV5Uv704/T5RqVe4BfYI/AAAAAAAAARM/_aG9g8jj1bk/s320/Woodford%252C%2BJack-Peeping%2BTom.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cmp3mzQi71Q/T5RqvvGfBEI/AAAAAAAAARY/cvaSKdkgSqo/s1600/Fleischman%252C%2BA-Venetian%2BBlonde.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cmp3mzQi71Q/T5RqvvGfBEI/AAAAAAAAARY/cvaSKdkgSqo/s320/Fleischman%252C%2BA-Venetian%2BBlonde.jpg" width="189" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H0lTokeN-TY/T5Rqvy9yC2I/AAAAAAAAARk/PoRgOu423YQ/s1600/Williams%252C%2BCharles-Go%2BHome%252C%2BStranger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H0lTokeN-TY/T5Rqvy9yC2I/AAAAAAAAARk/PoRgOu423YQ/s320/Williams%252C%2BCharles-Go%2BHome%252C%2BStranger.jpg" width="186" /></a></div>Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14062628395256120383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2349490720042926019.post-51191899413137258432012-04-22T13:18:00.000-07:002012-04-22T13:18:08.840-07:00Paperbacks IYesterday was the final day of a local ten-day book and music sale. Some of my more interesting purchases from the (ever-dwindling) "collecticle" paperbacks section...<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iicrLYpJCKs/T5RhX60tH4I/AAAAAAAAAPI/WDgjFj-VD80/s1600/Beeding%252C%2BFrancis-Coffin%2Bfor%2BOne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iicrLYpJCKs/T5RhX60tH4I/AAAAAAAAAPI/WDgjFj-VD80/s320/Beeding%252C%2BFrancis-Coffin%2Bfor%2BOne.jpg" width="221" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ke9pTm1qvP0/T5RhYEsm8dI/AAAAAAAAAPU/nRdZ7h4qECU/s1600/Mercury%2BMystery%2BJuly%2B1956.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ke9pTm1qvP0/T5RhYEsm8dI/AAAAAAAAAPU/nRdZ7h4qECU/s320/Mercury%2BMystery%2BJuly%2B1956.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--zYX3YIFV9U/T5RhYlCwl_I/AAAAAAAAAPg/sOPo1P8HwIo/s1600/Coxe%252C%2BGeorge-Frightened%2BFiancee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--zYX3YIFV9U/T5RhYlCwl_I/AAAAAAAAAPg/sOPo1P8HwIo/s320/Coxe%252C%2BGeorge-Frightened%2BFiancee.jpg" width="206" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NeRV04Ejr4o/T5RhY7zahFI/AAAAAAAAAPs/Htj6ut5X1Qw/s1600/Kuttner%252C%2BHenry-Murder%2Bof%2Ba%2BMistress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NeRV04Ejr4o/T5RhY7zahFI/AAAAAAAAAPs/Htj6ut5X1Qw/s320/Kuttner%252C%2BHenry-Murder%2Bof%2Ba%2BMistress.jpg" width="205" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZJoV2jhcjLk/T5Rh86OUJPI/AAAAAAAAAQE/ZvUOiATXMG4/s1600/Philips%252C%2BJudson-Murder%2BClear%252C%2BTrack%2BFast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZJoV2jhcjLk/T5Rh86OUJPI/AAAAAAAAAQE/ZvUOiATXMG4/s320/Philips%252C%2BJudson-Murder%2BClear%252C%2BTrack%2BFast.jpg" width="206" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yLdBmdLdLU8/T5Rh8CF-ruI/AAAAAAAAAP4/a6DMPnot90U/s1600/Gardner%252C%2BErle-COT%2BDrowning%2BDuck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yLdBmdLdLU8/T5Rh8CF-ruI/AAAAAAAAAP4/a6DMPnot90U/s320/Gardner%252C%2BErle-COT%2BDrowning%2BDuck.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NjA3HPt9Mo0/T5Rh9Rf0dDI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/TlhF0l4IU7c/s1600/Lockridge%252C%2BFrances-Pinch%2Bof%2BPoison.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NjA3HPt9Mo0/T5Rh9Rf0dDI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/TlhF0l4IU7c/s320/Lockridge%252C%2BFrances-Pinch%2Bof%2BPoison.jpg" width="206" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--YdmcKoD3N0/T5Rh95ShWKI/AAAAAAAAAQc/ELKQT16V8jU/s1600/Stout%252C%2BRex-Second%2BConfession.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--YdmcKoD3N0/T5Rh95ShWKI/AAAAAAAAAQc/ELKQT16V8jU/s320/Stout%252C%2BRex-Second%2BConfession.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14062628395256120383noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2349490720042926019.post-11941025762368476332012-04-11T16:12:00.000-07:002012-04-11T16:12:04.865-07:00S.S. Van Dine - The Gracie Allen Murder Case (1938)<em>"So you want to be a detective" he said cheerfully. "I think that's an excellent idea. And I'm going to give you all the help I can. We'll work together; you shall be my assistant, so to speak. But you must keep very busy at it. And you mustn't let anyone suspect that you're doing detective work--that's the first rule."</em><br />
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I love the Philo Vance mysteries. I love Gracie Allen. I love Philo and Gracie together. But I was greatly disappointed with <em>The Gracie Allen Murder Case</em> as the mystery, about the discovery of a body in a restaurant with criminal connections, was so thin and featureless that I kept waiting for something interesting to happen story-wise. One over-the-top chapter involving a gangster's metaphysical ramblings should appeal to Van Dine aficionados but this is easily the least of the Philo Vance titles that I've read (although I've yet to read <em>The Winter Murder Case</em>). Perhaps it worked better as a film.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ephoWFNi40E/T4YPO9ITV6I/AAAAAAAAANQ/9K3P3doGs3I/s1600/Van%2BDine%252C%2BS.S.-Gracie%2BAllen%2BMurder%2BCase.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ephoWFNi40E/T4YPO9ITV6I/AAAAAAAAANQ/9K3P3doGs3I/s320/Van%2BDine%252C%2BS.S.-Gracie%2BAllen%2BMurder%2BCase.jpg" width="187" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JpqY_6kXrkc/T4YPPEmouxI/AAAAAAAAANY/ga8W98REsd0/s1600/the-gracie-allen-murder-case-gracie-allen-1939.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JpqY_6kXrkc/T4YPPEmouxI/AAAAAAAAANY/ga8W98REsd0/s320/the-gracie-allen-murder-case-gracie-allen-1939.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14062628395256120383noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2349490720042926019.post-44889387192888747552012-04-11T15:25:00.000-07:002012-04-11T15:25:00.275-07:00John Rhode - Hendon's First Case (1935)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F22kElHCnfA/T4YECjQQjzI/AAAAAAAAAM4/ZcN5kdPeGRo/s1600/Rhode%252C%2BJohn-Hendon%2527s%2BFirst%2BCase.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F22kElHCnfA/T4YECjQQjzI/AAAAAAAAAM4/ZcN5kdPeGRo/s320/Rhode%252C%2BJohn-Hendon%2527s%2BFirst%2BCase.jpg" width="209" /></a><em>"Not content with a case of housebreaking, you want to tack a murder on to it."</em></div><br />
<em>Hendon's First Case</em> is the Dr. Priestley novel which introduces Jimmy Waghorn, a Cambridge graduate with an unremarkable academic history and a lack of ambition who, after his father was ruined in a financial crash, decided to enroll in the new police college at Hendon. Eventually coming under the mentorship of series regular Inspector Hanslet, Jimmy is given the opportunity to distinguish himself when Hanslet receives news of a break-in. Upon arriving at the address, Jimmy learns that the break-in occurred at the workspace occupied by two research chemists, Harwood and Threlfall, and that they were dining together at a restaurant when the break-in occurred. Harwood, who returned to the laboratory alone after dinner, speculates that a rival might have entered the premises to steal or impede their research. But there is a further complication in the investigation. Harwood appears to be suffering from food poisoning and Waghorn later receives the disconcerting news that Threlfall was admitted to a hospital shortly after dinner and died from ptomaine poisoning. The ptomaine is traced to their dinner at the restaurant and, while Hanslet concludes that the meal could not have been deliberately poisoned, Waghorn is not so sure that it is not a case of murder.<br />
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The appeal of <em>Hendon's First Case</em>, apart from the introduction of Waghorn, lies in the mystery of how Harwood and Threlfall were poisoned. However, the means is obviously and clumsily introduced in testimony, so I'd characterize this as a lukewarm Dr. Priestley novel. There is an interesting discussion on deciphering codes however.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LXM8dewUcHY/T4YEC7VwkvI/AAAAAAAAANE/znYzssqu3Zo/s1600/2749.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LXM8dewUcHY/T4YEC7VwkvI/AAAAAAAAANE/znYzssqu3Zo/s320/2749.jpg" width="276" /></a></div>Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14062628395256120383noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2349490720042926019.post-8141566238186081042012-04-04T18:58:00.000-07:002012-04-04T18:58:11.164-07:00Rae Foley...Gothic Mistress?Comparing a couple of Rae Foley hardcovers with their softcover "danger and romance" counterparts...as well as a scan of a more "gothic" cover (note the obligatory lighted window).<br />
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Note the Mr. Potter by-line on the hardcover. You'll never find his name on the paperbacks (a couple of the hardcovers were retitled...presumably to eliminate his name from the titles).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FeHZYZDCK6Y/T3z7XnECk6I/AAAAAAAAAMU/1GW-hO3WIs8/s1600/Foley%252C%2BRae-Shelton%2BConspiracy%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FeHZYZDCK6Y/T3z7XnECk6I/AAAAAAAAAMU/1GW-hO3WIs8/s320/Foley%252C%2BRae-Shelton%2BConspiracy%2B2.jpg" width="214" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2gXSpIej9_Y/T3z7X6W92tI/AAAAAAAAAMc/-SYicJde34E/s1600/Foley%252C%2BRae-Shelton%2BConspiracy.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2gXSpIej9_Y/T3z7X6W92tI/AAAAAAAAAMc/-SYicJde34E/s320/Foley%252C%2BRae-Shelton%2BConspiracy.jpg" width="192" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-soBEqe5BMtQ/T3z7YILTNkI/AAAAAAAAAMs/2vDv2aQnjck/s1600/Foley%252C%2BRae-Man%2Bin%2Bthe%2BShadow.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-soBEqe5BMtQ/T3z7YILTNkI/AAAAAAAAAMs/2vDv2aQnjck/s320/Foley%252C%2BRae-Man%2Bin%2Bthe%2BShadow.jpg" width="187" /></a></div>Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14062628395256120383noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2349490720042926019.post-80378757987102189912012-04-04T18:34:00.000-07:002012-04-04T18:34:00.614-07:00Rae Foley - Where is Mary Bostwick? (1958)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mK9smo-l5eg/T3z1SqfCygI/AAAAAAAAALw/wJmggWUP09s/s1600/Foley%252C%2BRae-Where%2Bis%2BMary%2BBostwick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mK9smo-l5eg/T3z1SqfCygI/AAAAAAAAALw/wJmggWUP09s/s320/Foley%252C%2BRae-Where%2Bis%2BMary%2BBostwick.jpg" width="190" /></a><em>"What's up?"</em></div><em>"Santa Claus. I have to see him about a dead man."</em><br />
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Like Margaret Erskine, Rae Foley is an writer who found herself repackaged by publishers during the gothic boom of the sixties and seventies as an author of gothic mysteries. Given, in paperback editions, cover artwork featuring worried-looking women in evening gowns, dark and spooky settings and plot descriptions emphasizing danger and romance, a casual reader might be surprised to find out that Foley's main series character was a male detective who is sometimes compared to Albert Campion. Like Campion, Mr. Potter (first name Hiram) is wealthy, fair-haired and has a bland unrevealing face, although he is more neurotic and considers himself to be a "catalytic agent". The plot summaries of these gothic paperbacks fail to mention Mr. Potter, instead building up the involvement of supporting female characters (and distorting the plots to make them more appealing to the fan of gothic romances).<br />
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In <em>Where is Mary Bostwick?,</em> Mr. Potter has just returned to his native New York City and is surprised to read in a newspaper that, despite not knowing anything about the case, he is involved in the search for a missing heiress. Mary Bostwick was an average university student before being left a fortune by her unscrupulous and estranged father. However, when the will is read, Mary has been missing for months. As his lawyer<em> is</em> involved in the search, Mr. Potter decides to lend his peculiar talents to the investigation, a pressure-filled task as they only have twenty-nine hours to find Mary before the fortune passes to the other heirs. The lawyer, Adam Eden, assures Mr. Potter that the other heirs knew nothing about the will previously and therefore could not have murdered her (although murder <em>will </em>play a part in the case). The further involved he becomes in the search, the more Mr. Potter believes that Mary Bostwick is deliberately hiding, but for what reason?<br />
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<em>Where is Mary Bostwick?</em> depends on a number of coincidences to propel the storyline (Mary makes an obvious cameo appearance early on) for which I could forgive the author. However, the "big reveal" about why Mary is hiding is ludicrous and sinks the novel. Still, I like the character sufficiently enough and would read another Mr. Potter mystery (and hope for a better conclusion).Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14062628395256120383noreply@blogger.com3