Golden Age of Detective Fiction

Stacking The Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews and Reading Reality all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts, ebooks, and audiobooks.

Post After Postmortem by E.C.R Lorac (2/7/2023)

Synopsis:

“Now tell us about your crime novel. Take my advice and don’t try to be intellectual over it. What the public likes is blood.”

The Surrays and their five children form a prolific writing machine, with scores of treatises, reviews, and crime thrillers published under their family name. Following a rare convergence of the whole household at their Oxfordshire home, Ruth―middle sister who writes “books which are just books”― decides to spend some weeks there recovering from the pressures of the writing life, while the rest of the brood scatter to the winds again. Their next return is heralded by the tragic news that Ruth has taken her life after an evening at the Surrays’s hosting a set of publishers and writers, one of whom is named as Ruth’s literary executor in the will she left behind.

Despite some suspicions from the family, the verdict at the inquest is suicide―but when Ruth’s brother Richard receives a letter from the deceased which was delayed in the post, he enlists the help of CID Robert Macdonald to investigate what could only be an ingeniously planned murder.

Amazon

Why it was added it:

I recently read These Name Make Clues by E.C.R. Lorac, and I loved it so much that I wanted to pick up another of her mysteries from my local library, but they didn’t have any other titles by her, thankfully later that day I got an email from Poisoned Pen Press that they are having a 20% off sale and ordered the book. A classic murder mystery about a writer who mysteriously dies always piques my interest. There will be reviews coming soon of both Lorac books.

Death & Croissants by Ian Moore (3/14/2023)

Synopsis:

Meet Richard Ainsworth: an almost divorced part time B&B owner, part time film historian, full time self-deprecator. Hoping to continue running his B&B in the quiet Val de Follet, he has no idea of its hidden intrigue, from the mafia to swingers, to the peddling of (il)legal grape seeds. His quiet has flown the coop on a fateful afternoon with a bloody handprint, a missing guest, and one dead Ava Gardner (beloved hen).   

Death and Croissants is an unputdownable, hilarious mystery perfect for fans of Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club.

Amazon

Why I added it:

I am an avid croissant maker, so the title piqued my interest. Still, since it is marketed as a spiritual sister to The Thursday Murder Club books by Richard Osman (A series I like but don’t love), it has been on my radar it’s been on my radar for months. I wasn’t going to rush out and buy it because I figured my library would get it, but they aren’t (at least not right away), and it was on sale on the aforementioned Poisoned Pen Press, so I snapped up this new release. I love cozy amateur detective books with food-theming, so I can’t wait to sink my teeth into this new series.

The Religious Body by Catherine Aird (5/5/2015)

Synopsis:

The day begins like any other for Sister Mary St. Gertrude. When her alarm sounds at 5 a.m., Sister Mary begins rousting her convent sisters from their beds, starting with the Reverend Mother. Down the Order she goes with a knock and a warm blessing. But when the young nun reaches Sister Anne’s door, there is no answer. She assumes that Sister Anne got up early, and continues on her way.
 
But later, when a fellow nun leaves a bloody thumbprint on the sheet music for a hymn, and Sister Anne is nowhere to be found, it becomes apparent that something is very wrong. Then Sister Anne’s body is found at the bottom of a steep set of stairs, her veil askew and her head crushed.
 
Religious Body introduces the sophisticated Detective Inspector C. D. Sloan along with his eager and trustworthy sidekick, Detective Constable Crosby, and the acerbic Superintendent Leeyes in a mystery of holy proportions that will have readers guessing until the last page

Amazon

Why I added it:

A traditional detective story set in a convent is instantly intriguing to me. As a kid, I wanted to be a nun (I’m not Catholic). Still, I like touring convents, old churches, and cathedrals- they are great vaults of history, beautiful architecture, and, in many cases, misery. They are haunting and resilient in the face of progress. As a fan of The Name of the Rose, the Father Brown series, and traditional mysteries, this book was easy to add to my collection. It’s also free on Apple iBooks, so get it today if interested. I’ve read the first 3 chapters, and it’s been delightful.

The Dumb River by George Bellairs (12/1/2019)

Synopsis:

Discover the captivating treasures buried in the British Library’s archives. Largely inaccessible to the public until now, these enduring British classics were written in the golden age of detective fiction.

“A decent, hardworking chap, with not an enemy anywhere. People were surprised that anybody should want to kill Jim.”

But Jim has been found stabbed in the back near Ely, miles from his Yorkshire home. His body, clearly dumped in the usually silent (‘dumb’) river, has been discovered before the killer intended?disturbed by a torrential flood in the night.

Roused from a comfortable night’s sleep, Superintendent Littlejohn of Scotland Yard is soon at the scene. With any clues to the culprit’s identity swept away with the surging water, Bellairs’ veteran sleuth boards a train heading north to dredge up the truth of the real Jim Teasdale and to trace the mystery of this unassuming victim’s murder to its source.

The Body in the Dumb River, like all of Bellairs’ crime books, delves into the complex inner-workings of an insulated country community. With all the wittiness and suspense of classic British mysteries, this is a story that explores the long-buried secrets of a small town?and the disastrous events that take place when they finally come to light.

Amazon

Why I added it:

I read a great review of The Body in the Dumb River on Fiction Fan’s blog and decided to pick it up based on their glowing review. It was an easy book to listen to while doing chores and long travel days. I just finished it yesterday, and I’m writing my review now. It’s currently on sale via kindle, so if it sounds like something you’d like, pick it up.

The Poisoned Chocolates Case by Anthony Berkeley (2016)

Synopsis:

Graham and Joan Bendix have apparently succeeded in making that eighth wonder of the modern world, a happy marriage. And into the middle of it there drops, like a clap of thunder, a box of chocolates.

Joan Bendix is killed by a poisoned box of liqueur chocolates that cannot have been intended for her to eat. The police investigation rapidly reaches a dead end. Chief Inspector Moresby calls on Roger Sheringham and his Crimes Circle – six amateur but intrepid detectives – to consider the case.

The evidence is laid before the Circle, and the members take it in turn to offer a solution. Each is more convincing than the last, slowly filling in the pieces of the puzzle until the dazzling conclusion.

Amazon

Why I added it:

This was one of Agatha Christie’s favorite mysteries, so I have had it on my must-read list for a while; when I saw this audiobook version has the same narrator as The Body in the Dumb River by George Bellairs, I added it to my cart. I love audiobooks, but finding a good narrator is imperative to enjoying the audio experience. When I find a good narrator, I tend to listen to their catalog of work because I know it will be pleasurable. I also wanted this copy of the recording because it has Martin Edwards’s introduction- which provides valuable historical context to the book and its author. I’ve just finished the opening but I am very excited to keep listening.

Have you read any of these books? What did you add to your shelves this week?