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.

Murder in Stained Glass by Margaret Armstrong

Synopsis:

Meet Miss Trumbull, a stout talkative New Yorker with perfect manners and a passion for sleuthing.

When the remains of temperamental artist, Frederick Ullathorne, are found in his own fiery kiln it looks like a ghastly murder has been committed. But with only a few bones as evidence the local police are getting nowhere fast. Can Miss Trumbull pick up the clues that the police are missing? Or will her interfering get her into trouble in more ways that one?

“Fast paced and a lot of fun”

“If you like Agatha Christie then you’ll love Miss Trumbull.”

This delightful whodunnit by Margaret Armstrong was first published in 1939. It is the first in the American Queens of Crime series from Lost Crime Classics

Amazon

Why I added it:

This book ticks a lot of boxes for me. It’s an interwar book (which is my favorite to review) with an amateur sleuth. Will Miss Trumbull be fluffy and shrewd like Miss Marple, acerbic like Miss Withers, or clever and well-bred like Miss Silver? I guess I like collecting maiden aunts. I am keen to become more familiar with the American Queens of Crime and to see how their works differ from their British contemporaries. Also, the cover is cool, so it was easy to add to my kindle library.

You can get a copy of Murder in Stained Glass from Amazon here.

The Layton Court Mystery by Anthony Berkeley

Synopsis:

Victor Stanworth, a genial old man of sixty, apparently without a care in the world, is entertaining a party of friends at his country house, Layton Court. One morning he is found shot in the library. Was it suicide or murder?
Roger Sheringham, one of the guests, determines to solve the mystery. He sets about it as he might do in real life. He is not one of those hawk-eyed, tight-lipped detectives who pursue their inexorable and silent way to the very heart of things. He makes a mistake or two occasionally, but he does not conceal any of the evidence and the reader has the same data to go upon as the detective, and is carried breathlessly through to the end.

Amazon

Why I added it:

I borrowed the library audiobook of The Poisoned Chocolates Case by Anthony Berkeley last week. While I liked listening to the different theories, keeping a detailed recollection of the many characters and solutions in my head was too hard. I was hoping to buy a copy of the book on Amazon. Still, I ultimately decided that I was too busy to write the type of review I wanted to do and bought The Layton Court Mystery, which sounds intriguing on the strength of Anthony Berkeley’s writing. Also, this book has another excellent cover.

You can get a copy of The Layton Court Mystery from Amazon here.

Inspector Ghote Caught in Meshes by H. R. F. Keating

Synopsis

When an American visitor to India is killed on the lonely, dusty road between Poona and Bombay, it seems like a classic case of highway robbery. But what Inspector Ghote of the Bombay CID learns from the victim’s brother ― the distinguished hydrology professor, Gregory Strongbow ― soon makes him suspect that everything is not as it first appeared.

Professor Strongbow is convinced that his brother, a prominent member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, was assassinated ― and Inspector Ghote is inclined to agree. But convincing his boss, the irritable Deputy Superintendent Samant, is only his first challenge, in a case that quickly enmeshes the good detective in a world of espionage and intrigue.

Soon, Ghote finds his own life in danger, as he is faced with a conspiracy that reaches to the very highest level of Indian politics…

Amazon

Why I added it:

I am a fan of H. R. F. Keating’s work. Still, this particular mystery was suggested to me by my husband, who is a geologist (not a hydrologist, but he knows a lot about hydrology). He thought I might enjoy it since it’s a traditional mystery in the vein of the classic mysteries of the interwar period. It is also essential to see how writers grappled with colonization in their works. I’m excited to read this book.

You can get your Inspector Ghote Caught in Meshes copy from Amazon here.