Golden Age of Detective Fiction

So this will be my inaugural year participating in 746 Books 20 Books of Summer, and I am so excited. If you are interested in participating, pick 10, 15, or 20 books you want to read and review between June 1- September 1, 2023, and then link your list back to 746 Books. You can follow along with others participating in this summer read-a-thon with the #20booksofsummer23 hashtag

I struggled to narrow my selections and hoped I picked some winners. Looking over my list- you might notice a theme- by the water. I just desperately want sand, sun, and murder. All of these are Golden Age Mysteries or Golden Age Style Mysteries. I’ll just be ticking off the number of books as I go. I hope to get 6-7 books from the list done every month, but we’ll see how it goes.

Resort Murders

Series: Superintendent Meredith (#4)

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press.

Publication Date: Originally published in 1952. This edition was published in 2016.

Format: Paperback, 242 pages.

Counterfeit currency is circulating on the French Riviera and it’s suspected that an Englishman is behind the crime, so DI Meredith is sent along with acting-Sergeant Strang to trace the whereabouts of Chalky Corbett. It isn’t long before their interest settles on the Villa Poloma, home of an eccentric expatriate Englishwoman, Nesta Hedderwick and her band of bohemian house guests as a simple task of apprehending a forger turns into a murder investigation.

Amazon

Series: British Library Crime Classics.

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press.

Publication Date: April 1, 2015.

Format: Paperback, 317 pages.

Holidays offer us the luxury of getting away from it all. So, in a different way, do detective stories. This collection of vintage mysteries combines both those pleasures. From a golf course at the English seaside to a pension in Paris, and from a Swiss mountain resort to the cliffs of Normandy, this new selection shows the enjoyable and unexpected ways in which crime writers have used summer holidays as a theme

Goodreads

Series: Hercule Poirot (#24)

Publisher: HaperCollins

Publication Date: Originally June 1, 1941. This edition was published January 1, 2001.

Format: paperback, 320 pages.

The beautiful bronzed body of Arlena Stuart lay facedown on the beach. But strangely, there was no sun and she was not sunbathing… she had been strangled.

Ever since Arlena’s arrival the air had been thick with sexual tension. Each of the guests had a motive to kill her. But Hercule Poirot suspects that this apparent ‘crime of passion’ conceals something much more evil.

Goodreads

Publisher: Dean Street Press.

Publication Date: Originally published in 1935. My edition was published June 6, 2022.

Format: paperback, 265 pages.

Why the warning about water? Or rather why any warning at all? Miss Venables, a rich and kindly old lady, is the recipient of several threatening letters. Her young companion, Sarah MacNeil, wonders who can possibly bear a grudge against her employer, and energetically endeavours to find out who is threatening her. Together they set out for France, but just on the point of departure they receive a shattering communication which ‘Go to France if you like, but once there, keep away from water.’ In this clever detective story Mrs. Campbell once more proves herself an expert purveyor of thrills. Keep Away From Water! was originally published in 1935. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans. “

Goodreads

Series: British Library Crime Classics.

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press.

Publication: Originally published in 1935. This edition published in 2014.

Format: paperback, 286 pages.

‘Never, even in his most optimistic moments, had he visualised a scene of this nature —himself in one arm-chair, a police officer in another, and between them . . . a mystery.’

The Reverend Dodd, vicar of the quiet Cornish village of Boscawen, spends his evenings reading detective stories by the fireside – but heaven forbid that the shadow of any real crime should ever fall across his seaside parish.

But the vicar’s peace is shattered one stormy night when Julius Tregarthan, a secretive and ill-tempered magistrate, is found at his house in Boscawen with a bullet through his head.
The local police inspector is baffled by the complete absence of clues. Luckily for Inspector Bigswell, the Reverend Dodd is on hand, and ready to put his keen understanding of the criminal mind to the test.

This classic mystery of the golden age of British crime is set against the vividly described backdrop of a fishing village on Cornwall’s Atlantic coast. It is now republished for the first time since the 1930s with an introduction by the award-winning crime writer Martin Edwards

Goodreads

Series: Inspector Cockrill (#6)

Publisher: MysteriousPress.com/ Open Road

Publication Date: Originally published in 1955. This edition was published November 11, 2011.

Format: Kindle, 237 pages.

Inspector Cockrill’s dull vacation is jolted by a Mediterranean murder From the moment he steps on the plane, Inspector Cockrill loathes his fellow travelers. They are typical tour group bores: the dullards of England whom he had hoped to escape by going to Italy. He gives up on the trip immediately, burying his nose in a mystery novel to ensure that no one tries to become his friend. But not long after the group makes landfall at the craggy isle of San Juan el Pirata, a murder demands his attention. The body of a woman is found laid out carefully on her bed, blood pooled around her and fingers wrapped around the dagger that took her life. The corrupt local police force, impatient to find a killer, names Cockrill chief suspect. To escape the Italian hangman, the detective must find out who would go on vacation to kill a stranger.

Amazon

A house party turns a millionaire’s hacienda hideaway into a crime scene in this classic whodunnit from an Edgar Award–winning Grand Master.

The Godfrey family is vacationing among the picturesque rocky cliffs of the North Atlantic seaboard, expecting peace, quiet, and, perhaps, a bit of golf or tennis. But one dusky evening in an isolated spot on the grounds of Spanish Cape, Rosa and her uncle David get into an argument about her secretive romance with one of their guests, the roguish John Marco, a handsome cad with a yellow roadster and no visible source of income. That’s when a towering one-eyed man with a .38 revolver emerges from the twilight.

When renowned sleuth Ellery Queen arrives the next day from New York City, looking forward to a summer getaway on the coast, he realizes his trip will be no walk on the beach. Rescuing Rosa, he discovers her captor mistook David for John and struck the former down instead. But Ellery  has more work to do when Rosa’s shady sweetheart is found stone dead and stark naked . . . aside from a black fedora and a theatrical-looking opera cloak. There are plenty of guests and members of the household who might have wanted John dead, but who did it―and what in the world happened to the victim’s clothes?

In this iconic series inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and praised by none other than Agatha Christie, carefully planted clues, logical deduction, and an atmospheric 1930s setting combine for an irresistibly enjoyable read for anyone who loves a murderous puzzle.

Includes discussion guide questions for use in book clubs

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As Jane Marple sat basking in the tropical sunshine she felt mildly discontented with life. True, the warmth eased her rheumatism, but here in paradise nothing ever happened. Then a question was put to her by a stranger: ‘Would you like to see a picture of a murderer?’ Before she has a chance to answer, the man vanishes, only to be found dead the next day. The mysteries abound: Where is the picture? Why is the hotelier prone to nightmares? Why doesn’t the most talked-about guest, a reclusive millionaire, ever leave his room? And why is Miss Marple herself fearful for her life?

Of note: A Caribbean Mystery introduces the wealthy (and difficult) Mr Jason Rafiel, who will call upon Miss Marple for help in Nemesis (1971) — after his death.

Amazon

Swimming Pool Murders

Another case for Miss Silver – sock-knitting sleuth extraordinaire Adriana Ford, a former actress, has always enjoyed being the focus of attention. Until, that is, that focus seems to be centred on hastening her death. First she felt herself being pushed downstairs. Then there was the bowl of poisoned mushroom soup. When she found one of her tablets tampered with, it was the last straw. She approaches Miss Silver discreetly and is given some sound advice, which she chooses to ignore.

Then Adriana throws one of her celebrated parties and invites everybody she knows. It is only when one of her rather less successful friends is found murdered wearing her coat that Miss Silver is called in to investigate.

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Two reclusive sisters. A crumbling mansion. A dead doppelgänger. The New York Times bestseller from the author known as the American Agatha Christie.
 The Birches was one of the grand mansions of the 1920s, with a ballroom, tennis courts, and, of course, a swimming pool. But after the crash of ’29, when Lois and Judith’s father killed himself to escape his debts, the family turned the summer home into a fulltime retreat from the world. Decades later, Judith is the queen of New York society, a fast-living beauty whose nerves are beginning to fray, while Lois still lives in the dilapidated old mansion, writing mystery novels to pay the bills. She is about to encounter a mystery of her own.
To stave off a nervous breakdown, Judith moves in with her kid sister. Terrified of an unnamed threat, she nails her windows shut and locks the door. Soon, a woman is found dead in the pool—a stranger who bears a shocking resemblance to Judith. In a family with a history of tragedy, a chilling new chapter is about to be written. 

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Sailing Murders

Midnight, on a stormy night in June, the luxury liner SS Aspasie founders on the rocks off the Lizard Peninsula on the Cornish coast. Austin Voogdt, the ‘Sherlock of the sea’ and his crew of the salvage ship Godwit rescue who they can, but a mystery comes to light after the survivors reach land. How are stolen banknotes from a stash worth £80,000 turning up in circulation when the banker who stole them is supposed to be at the bottom of the Atlantic? Voogdt attempts to outwit Scotland Yard and the French Police, tracking the illicit currency through Cornwall, across the Channel to the cliff-lands of Finistère in Brittany, in search of the criminal and his accomplices…

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A fine August morning in Fowey on the Cornish Riviera, a noble yacht appears round the western point of the estuary, and enters the broad river. The Rajah of Puht is arriving. In the early afternoon, as the palatial yacht lies at anchor, Lady Constance Bolliver and sundry other distinguished guests will arrive by train, to be rowed across to her. On board is half-a-million pounds in diamonds. This tranquil scene has been preceded by a cat-and-mouse pursuit by Detective Inspective Edward Strood – one of Scotland Yards finest – of a master criminal, a person unknown, intent on grand larceny of the exquisite stones.

Amazon

A 1920s cruise ship is bound for murder in this cozy mystery by the author of The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes.

Novelist Dunsten Mollock has no intention of going on a cruise just yet. He has come to the pier simply to see off his sister and brother-in-law, who are about to embark on a transatlantic cruiser for a European honeymoon. But when Mollock forgets to give his sister a copy of his new book, he finds himself accidentally bound for Europe.But that’s not the only surprise. Only two days after departing New York, a beautiful countess is discovered strangled in her cabin. Fortunately, Mollock’s friend Walter Ghost is on board. The astute scientist, explorer, and former intelligence officer always appreciates a good puzzle. He just needs to solve this one quickly and find the killer before someone else gets scratched off the passenger list . . 

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The Chichester is making a routine journey across the English Channel on a pleasant afternoon in June, when the steamer’s crew notice something strange. A yacht, bobbing about in the water ahead of them, appears to have been abandoned, and there is a dark red stain on the deck… Two bodies later, with no sign of a gun, there certainly is a mystery in the channel.

Inspector French soon discovers a world of high-powered banking, luxury yachts and international double-dealing. British and French coastal towns, harbours―and of course the Channel itself―provide an alluring backdrop to this nautical adventure, along with a cast of shady characters.

Amazon

C. Daly King’s debut mystery is a tale of murder, travel, and psychiatry set aboard a luxury transatlantic liner

The smoking room on a transatlantic cruise ship is bound to be a hotbed of activity — but it’s less common for it to be the site of a murder. Yet, when the lights flicker aboard the luxury Meganaut, making its way from New York to Paris, this is precisely what happens; in the darkness, a gunshot rings out, and when the light is restored, a man is found dead. The situation becomes all the more curious when it’s discovered that the deceased had apparently ingested cyanide just seconds before being penetrated by the bullet. 

Luckily, for the other passengers, there are two detectives aboard the Meganaut, ready to leap into action. There are also four psychiatrists, and those psychiatrists convince the captain to let them take a stab at solving the crime, using their professional understanding of the human psyche to determine who could have been capable of such a crime — and why. But will they be able to deduce the puzzle’s solution before the killer strikes again?

The first of seven novels by psychologist C. Daly King, Obelists at Sea is intelligent and enjoyable Golden Age mystery fare, featuring an atmospheric setting, carefully placed clues, and a complex whodunnit plot explained with sharp-witted ratiocination.

Amazon

Looking for adventure, an erstwhile medical student joins the crew of a yacht and finds himself adrift in a sea of murder

Medical school left Leslie with a diploma, a new dress suit, and an incipient case of typhoid fever. While convalescing, he hatches a plan to postpone embarking on a career as a surgeon by launching instead on an epic voyage of adventure, mystery, and romance on the high seas.

When Leslie signs up as a steward aboard the private yacht Ella, he expects to swab decks and polish brass. Instead, he ends up trying to solve a murder case. Everyone onboard is a suspect—the volatile captain, the beguiling but aloof Miss Elsa Lee, the twitchy Mr. Turner, the second mate who disappears early in the voyage and is assumed lost at sea—and all are trapped in the middle of the ocean with the real killer.

This ebook features a new introduction by Otto Penzler and has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.

Amazon

Summer House Murders

The “Codfish Sherlock Holmes” solves a whodunnit in 1930s Cape Cod

Meet Asey Mayo, Cape Cod’s answer to Sherlock Holmes. Settled down from his former life as a seafaring adventurer, Asey is a Jack-of-all-trades who uses his worldly knowledge, folksy wisdom, and plain common sense to solve the most puzzling crimes to strike the peninsula. And in this, his first case, Asey finds himself embroiled in a scandal that will push his deductive powers to their limits.

A massive heatwave is scorching the Northeast, and vacationers from New York and Boston flock to Cape Cod for breezy, cool respite. Then a muckraking journalist is found murdered in the cabin he’s rented for the season, and the summer holiday becomes a nightmare for the local authorities. There are abundant suspects among the out-of-towners flooding the area, but they ultimately fix their sights on beloved local businessman Bill Porter as the murderer—unless Asey Mayo can prove him innocent and find the true killer. 

A light whodunnit with an unforgettable amateur sleuth at its center, The Cape Cod Mystery is the first novel from one of the most beloved authors of the American Golden Age mystery. The plot is adorned with insightful historical detail and a healthy dose of Cape Cod local color, making this an enjoyable and enlightening read perfect for a beachside afternoon.

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Althea Graham might have had a life of her own, had it not been for her mother. But when her father died she inherited her bitter, temperamental parent along with the house, and she has borne that burden ever since. She nearly escaped once, but her engagement to Nicholas Carey caused her mother to fall into illness, convincing Althea to keep living with her until the sickness claimed her life. That was five years ago, and Mrs. Graham is as fit as ever. Althea’s gloom lifts when Nicholas returns, and it appears that love may bloom again. Mother clings as tightly as ever, of course, but Althea has hope once more. Then murder comes to their household, and the young woman’s last chance at happiness is dashed forever—unless Maud Silver, the gentlewoman detective, can save the day.

Amazon

An isolated country house sets the scene for a wartime mystery from the #1 New York Times–bestselling author known as the American Agatha Christie.
  As far as Carol Spencer is concerned, the war has spoiled everything. She and Don had been engaged for years and were on the verge of marriage when he was shot down in the South Pacific, leaving Carol on the verge of spinsterhood at twenty-four. She wants to take some kind of job in the war effort, but her invalid mother demands that Carol accompany her to the family’s summer home in Maine. But when they arrive at the faded mansion, they find it completely locked up. The servants are gone, the lights are dark—and there is a body in the closet.
There is a killer on the grounds of the abandoned Spencer estate, and the police believe it is Carol. As war rages across the seas, Carol Spencer fights a private battle of her own—to prove her own innocence, and to save her mother’s life. 

Amazon

Summer Sports

Mystery crime fiction written in the Golden Age of Murder

‘No one had tackled Doyce. He had been alone when he fell. He had simply folded up like a jack-knife and slipped to the ground. What had happened?’

The 1939 Arsenal side is firing on all cylinders and celebrating a string of victories. They appear unstoppable, but the Trojans—a side of amateurs who are on a winning streak of their own—may be about to silence the Gunners.

Moments into the second half the whistle blows, but not for a goal or penalty. One of the Trojans has collapsed on the pitch. By the end of the day, he is dead.

Gribble’s unique mystery, featuring the actual Arsenal squad of 1939, sends Inspector Anthony Slade into the world of professional football to investigate a case of deadly foul play on and off the pitch.

Amazon

What books are on your summer TBR? Have you read any of these mysteries?